It's enough for a master restoration mechanic to work at a normal pace, surrounded just by competent helpers, turning work away when too busy, making excuses for delays. Difficult problems and crises arise of course from time to time but those are the conditions under which most make their living.
But this TV series, like some Japanese reality show, adds fiendish challenges and trials amounting almost to torture with an ever-present camera to record the reaction. I have some knowledge of the work so find the problems and solutions fascinating. And the work is almost the sum total of the interest and significance of the programme, apart that is from the usually tragic personal story concerning each owner and their joy at seeing their pride - and joy - restored.
The added challenges and trials includes not just near impossible deadlines but also an imposed near functionally-redundant presenter who has a deep but unrequited relationship with the camera and is in constant photo-bombing mode. It is he who pronounces not asks the expert on the list of tasks, it is he, at moments of others' stress steps forward to indignantly pronounce that it is time to "crack on" and, at the end, when the overjoyed owner is overwhelmed with gratitude, each time contrives a scene in which he takes the credit while the person who has done the work, modestly stands back. I look at the drawer of large shiny double open ended spanners going up to perhaps 1kg weight and wonder if Fuzz Townsend, master mechanic, will ever misuse one on his colleague and be enabled to get on with the work and receive due credit.
But probably not, that is the marvel of the show which is not just about his skills as much as a testament to his extraordinary temperament. He's a real hero and I could never be such.
