Richard Hammond's Workshop

I didn't know what to expect, hoped it would not be another "fake drama, look, its RH doing stupid things making a prat of himslef again" type show.

It is not that at all! He has teamed up with a couple of very down to earth and extremely talented people and put their careers and his own money on the line.

It's well filmed, well scripted, seems very genuine and thoroughly enjoyable to watch.

RH is doing the right thing by his team and starting a business in a very competitive arena. It's a fascinating insight.

Fair play to him and the guys, it's a great show and I really look forward to every episode.

I hope the business succeeds and the show continues.

As a fan of Top Gear and The Grand Tour and a fan of Clarkson, May and Hammond I was looking forward to this.

If it was half as good as Clarkson's Farm I would be content and I suppose it is in many ways.

Hammond comes across as a really fun bloke, his playful infectious personality comes through and there are many smiles to be had.

But as the series has progressed (currently series 3 as I write this) it has started to become more false and overly scripted.

The situations and set ups are so obvious now it has come distracting and this has taken the enjoyment out of it for me.

I'm pretty sure if it wasn't Richard Hammond fronting this, it would be not be rating as high as it is on IMDB.

Let's face it, Richard Hammond is a very likeable personality. And he is obviously very passionate about vintage cars, probably more so that Clarkson and May. And his dream to set up a workshop that restores and repairs classic and vintage cars is so clearly a long held dream. The two mechanics are both a brilliant sombering foil for Hammond's often misplaced exuberance. It is a really enjoyable show, but the one thing that sticks in my craw, is the constant supposed financial struggles. Hammond selling some of his vintage cars and motorcyles at auction makes for brilliant TV. And his meeting with the accountant telling him he needs to rein in his spending. "The new paint spray and bake rooms are going to cost 200K." At the last count, Hammonds net worth is 45 million UK pounds. So his on screen angst about how they are going to afford things just rings a little hollow. Just wish the'd cut out all the fakery and concentrate on the cars, the workshop, and the mechanics as the real heros.

Richard Hammond is a very likeable chap, and obviously has a genuine love of classic cars. Following his story as he sets up his own classic car renovation business is both enjoyable and educational. However, my one, major bug bear with the show is, "Ooh, he's got to spend over 100K on a new whatever, he might go bankrupt." just doesn't sit well. His current worth is estimated at 45 million UK pounds, so he probably makes 100K in interest every year, if not more. So to see him fretting over spending the odd 10 grand here and there is just false drama, and for me, distracts from a genuinely interesting show. Yes, it is important to understand the cost of these things, and is part of the process so should be included in the show. But in every episode so far (3 as I write this) one of the main themes has been about the financial side of the business, and how much this or that costs. Oh I need to put another 15K of my own money in etc. I'd rather they concentrated on the cars and restoration process, while still commenting on the financial investment he is making as an aside.

I only watched 20 minutes of the first episode and decide to have a cup of tea. I didn't bother watching the rest of it I then watched the next 2 in a row now that there starting to work on cars it is becoming more enjoyable. Hammond just does not have the same class of dry wit that Clarkson and May have but I like it with less over the top drama. Just waiting on the first £5000 windscreen drop that most car shows have.