Tom Scott: England S1:E2

I Helped Break a 142-Year-Old Bell, and That’s Okay

In Leicestershire, at the John Taylor Bell Foundry, there's fire, sledgehammer swinging, and metal hotter than a volcano. Also, several questions about cheese.

I Missed the Evidence. Can You Spot It?

At the University of Lincoln's Crime Scene House, where they teach forensic science students in simulated crime scenes, I have a challenge for you.

These People Walk Towards Mining Disasters

In Nottinghamshire, I join the team at MRS Training and Rescue -- the former Mines Rescue Service -- for an exercise that could have been so much worse.

These Mannequins Can Bleed

At Sheffield Hallam University in Yorkshire, I meet the Clinical Simulation team and deal with some animated patients. (Note: includes simulated blood and gore.)

I Finally Got to Drive Yorkshire’s Tiny Boats

At Peasholm Park in Scarborough, in the North Riding of Yorkshire, I visit the Naval Warfare, ride with the world's smallest crewed navy, and scare at least two seagulls.

If You Found Candy With My Name in It, Here’s Why

At the John Bull Rock Factory outside Bridlington, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, I watch as boiling sugar becomes an enormous amount of rock. Also, there's 1990s Dutch happy hardcore.

Oh No, I Sympathized With a Victorian Arms Dealer

In Northumberland, at the National Trust's Cragside mansion, I visit the former home of the Magician of the North.

The Mist That Keeps the Tyne Tunnels Safe

At the Tyne Road Tunnels, just over the border into Durham, I get very wet and cold underneath a river... but not in the way you might expect.

This Man Stops People Drowning in Quicksand

In Westmorland, at Morecambe Bay, I meet the King's Guide to the Sands, walk across a very dangerous stretch of sand, and learn about a centuries-old tradition that's been brought into the 21st century.

Pulling the Lever Is the Easy Part

In Lancashire, at National Rail's Manchester signalling classroom, I learn why it's very, very rare for trains to collide... and then go to an actual, live signal box to see it for real.

Can a 70-Year-Old Telescope Still Be Useful?

At Jodrell Bank in Cheshire, I get to fulfill a childhood dream: but more importantly, I ask whether a telescope built in the 1950s can still do useful science.

We Can’t Invent a Robot Better Than These Ferrets

In Derbyshire, at the National Ferret School, I say "hello" to some smelly thieves, and go on a surprisingly Biblical tangent.

I Got Hit in the Teeth With 900-Year-Old Antlers

In the village of Abbots Bromley in Staffordshire, I join the oldest village tradition in Britain: the Horn Dance. It ends up being slightly more painful than I expected.

I Launched the Mighty Trebuchet

At Warwick Castle, there's a 22-tonne medieval siege engine. I got to see how it works, meet the person in charge, and -- technically -- help fire it. Technically.

If I Get this Wrong, 50,000 People Will Hear It.

At Worcester Cathedral, I finally take on a challenge that hundreds of people have suggested: bell ringing. It's difficult, a little dangerous, and also lets me talk about a lot of weird English words.

I Have a Weird Conspiracy Theory About This Bridge

In Shropshire, I visit the Iron Bridge in the village of Ironbridge. And then I have a corkboard, pins, string, and a frankly-unhinged conspiracy theory about what an architect was actually planning.

I Get Excited About an Ampersand

At Hereford Cathedral, I visit a library where the books are chained to the shelves -- and see two of those books, to help understand just how quickly one technology can change the world.

I’m So Glad This Hidden Monorail Broke Down

At the English end of the Prince of Wales Bridge, in Gloucestershire, I get to visit the Rapid Access Train, the RAT, a hidden suspended monorail. Except... that's only half the story.

Two Nerds Try to Build a Wall

In Oxfordshire, at the Dry Stone Academy, I'm joined by Dr Becky. We have until our camera batteries run out to try one of the oldest surviving crafts in Britain: dry stone walling.

This 100-Year-Old Ride Must Never Change Again

At Wicksteed Park in Northamptonshire, there's a 100-year-old water chute, and I took a ride. Also, I find the first ever playground swing, and make a fool of myself on a slide.

How Do You Keep 8,995 Codebreakers Secret?

At Bletchley Park in Buckinghamshire, I don't want to know how a few boffins broke the Enigma code, because it wasn't a few boffins. I want to know: how on earth did they keep the "intelligence factory" secret when there were thousands and thousands of people involved?

I Didn’t Need to Drive This Mars Rover, but I Did

In Stevenage, Hertfordshire, there's a simulation of Mars: at Airbus' facilities, I got to meet some Mars rovers, take a test drive, and discover the most incredible wheel I've ever seen.

Flying a Plane Badly, On Purpose

At Cranfield University in Bedfordshire, I'm going aboard the National Flying Laboratory, and trying to keep my sense of direction, and my stomach, as the plane goes through some very non-standard manoeuvres.

Thomas, a Tank Engine, is not Thomas the Tank Engine.

At the Nene Valley Railway in Huntingdonshire, I meet a tank engine called Thomas that is, for legal reasons, not Thomas the Tank Engine... and, to my surprise, I find out why, in the early days of steam, Victorians might have found trains terrifying.

I’m the 97th Best Tiddlywinks Player in the World

At the University of Cambridge, I try to recover some childhood muscle memory, and see if I can get good enough at a Victorian parlour game to break the world top 100 in just one day.

When I Blow This Whistle, a Swimming Pool Appears

At the Hippodrome Circus in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, I climb a ladder, blow a whistle, witness the Globe of Death, and see the Water Spectacular. Not all at the same time.

This Arcade Game Makes You Climb a Ladder

At Southwold Pier in Suffolk, I visit Tim Hunkin's End of the Pier Show, a collection of weird automata and arcade games that offer something a bit more interesting than tickets and prizes.

Episode 29

Episode 30

Episode 31