It may well have been at the tail end of the 80’s that I remember having seen a really intriguing television programme about washing machines and how they work. The best bit I recall was them taking the concrete block out of the machine, turning it on and letting it shake itself to bits.
To my utter delight I rediscovered this programme, the entire series and the work of Tim Hunkin and Rex Garrod. In three series, they take us through all kinds of household machine, from sewing machines to vacuum cleaners, then on to cars, TVs and radios and then finally to faxes, word processors and photocopiers.
The thing I like about these shows is that they are adventurous. They pull things apart and show your the guts of things. They build brilliant contraptions to demonstrate basic principles. This really appeals to me. Since I was young I have loved pulling things apart to see how they work (on occasion my mum would pick up 2nd hand clocks from charity shops to let me tinker with).
You can legally download all his TV shows for free, just visit his site for the torrent links.
