Richard Hammond's Workshop

[48k]

...because there aren't enough classic car restoration programmes on TV

"Richard Hammond trades his jet-setting lifestyle for a long-standing dream to set up a classic car restoration workshop close to his home in Herefordshire. With the help of skilled craftsmen, he navigates the ups and downs of building a new business."

Starts 18th October on Discovery Plus.

[Welshbeef]

Isn’t that not a million miles from Fuzz Townsend who’s been in that business for 20++ years. Hopefully doesn’t impact his business

[SS427 Camaro]

Yawn

[eccles]

Welshbeef said:

Isn’t that not a million miles from Fuzz Townsend who’s been in that business for 20++ years. Hopefully doesn’t impact his business

At least Fuzz can actually wield the spanners, Hammond has never shown any aptitude in that department.

[b0rk]

The garage is an industrial unit in what I assume was the yard area of HMS Engineering next door? HMS have worked with Hammond before and assume they'll provide some assistance along with a pair of local garage owners/operators that are his partners. The local garage father/son team are experienced at car restoration. Hammond is I guess providing the finance, publicity and management.

If it wasn't hidden away on discovery+ it might worth a watch to see how much is made for TV and how much genuine restoration.

[Mikebentley]

Nowhere near Fuzz Townsend’s place. I’d guess at over 50 miles apart.

[Red9zero]

Just watched the first one and I quite liked it. Odd similarities to Clarksons Farm, but overall a good effort. He has a very nice Landie too, albeit with a rather OTT Bowler gear lever. I assume they have done some engine work to it as well.

[Welshbeef]

Isn’t it the case Richard bought his farm in 2008 and then his neighbour (another farmer) put his up for sale 2014-2015(?) and he bought it combining them to be a vast setup.


Clarkson 1,000 acre farm too

James May - house in London nothing special and just bought a pub (Wiltshire way I believe). [what does May spend his £ on?]

[sandman77]

I didn’t realise it was out already. How do I watch this? Is it available in Sky or is a (another) streaming subscription required?

[Red9zero]

sandman77 said:

I didn’t realise it was out already. How do I watch this? Is it available in Sky or is a (another) streaming subscription required?

It's only on Discovery + at the moment. You need a subscription unless you have the free 12 months with Sky Q. I daresay it will be on normal Discovery in a month or so.

[SydneyBridge]

I enjoyed it, the 3 of them are very different on their own

A bit of mild peril with the accountant..

[Red9zero]

SydneyBridge said:

I enjoyed it, the 3 of them are very different on their own

A bit of mild peril with the accountant..

Shades of Cheerful Charlie from Clarksons Farm there I thought.

[ChocolateFrog]

eccles said:

Welshbeef said:

Isn’t that not a million miles from Fuzz Townsend who’s been in that business for 20++ years. Hopefully doesn’t impact his business

At least Fuzz can actually wield the spanners, Hammond has never shown any aptitude in that department.

I don't think that's entirely fair. I pretty sure he's done some of his own restoration work on his bikes if nothing else.

[SpeckledJim]

ChocolateFrog said:

eccles said:

Welshbeef said:

Isn’t that not a million miles from Fuzz Townsend who’s been in that business for 20++ years. Hopefully doesn’t impact his business

At least Fuzz can actually wield the spanners, Hammond has never shown any aptitude in that department.

I don't think that's entirely fair. I pretty sure he's done some of his own restoration work on his bikes if nothing else.

I think the back-story is that a family business he'd previously used for some of his own cars was looking a bit wobbly, so RH has bought-in to the firm and is bringing the cameras (and some of Discovery's money) along with him.

[skwdenyer]

It is all a bit confusing. I can’t find a website for the new business, for instance, so is this is so far mostly for TV? I don’t doubt he’s serious - selling those cars of his didn’t seem just a ploy - but there’s something a little strange here.

[N7GTX]

Early days and to me similarities with Clarkson's Farm. Time will tell on the restorations as to how good they can do them but the shine on that Bug was dazzling. Their first resto should be his E type, its always breaking down

[skwdenyer]

N7GTX said:

Early days and to me similarities with Clarkson's Farm. Time will tell on the restorations as to how good they can do them but the shine on that Bug was dazzling. Their first resto should be his E type, its always breaking down

Early days? The whole series is only 6 episodes long

The frustrating thing about this episode is what appears to be obvious lying. We have Hammond talking about having worked for other people all his life and not having run his own business, in a series made by his own production company (Chimp). Chimp in turn engages with Hamsters Wheel Productions Ltd, owned by, yes, R Hammond, which in turn has a subsidiary Bollitree Castle Estates Ltd; plus there's the DriveTribe stuff, and so on, as well as various former enterprises.

Yes, I realise it is "just TV" and there's a certain amount of spinning the yarn of "innocent TV celebrity tries his hand at running a business" but I don't really grasp why it has to have so little relationship to the truth. But maybe that's just me

[anonymous-user]

In a similar way to Clarkson's Farm, I imagine there has to be a degree of supposed financial jeopardy to any kind of show where the eponymous star is starting up in a new business. In real terms it probably doesn't matter to Jeremy Clarkson if his sheep cost more to keep than he makes on them, or if the farm barely breaks even financially, but it breaks kayfabe (a professional wrestling term used for that sense of false reality where the participants pretend that what they do is all real) if, every time the venture goes awry they chuck a load of money at it.

I don't know what Hammond or Clarkson are worth but I suspect both could afford to make huge losses, which a normal business simply could not sustain.

[skwdenyer]

Newarch said:

I don't know what Hammond or Clarkson are worth but I suspect both could afford to make huge losses, which a normal business simply could not sustain.

You'd imagine so, but Hammond selling off some of his collection was interesting in this context. Given that Mrs Hammond owns 50% off all the companies, however, it might just be that she stipulated that "risk money" for the garage had to come out of his toybox

[cowboyengineer]

Newarch said:

I don't know what Hammond or Clarkson are worth but I suspect both could afford to make huge losses, which a normal business simply could not sustain.

Clarkson $60mil and Hammond $40mil

(According to Google so must be true)