What’s going on with Alpine? They’ve had one car on sale since 2018, the A110, with only a second model appearing a couple of months ago, and that’s a rebadged Renault 5. In 6 years they’ve only sold 19,000 cars. And it’s not they’re selling $1M exotic Bugatti’s, The A110 is sold as a relatively affordable sports car. Alpine’s parent Renault have p…

Graham declares that Nick Cave is no god - as he assesses the opening night of the British leg of his 'Wild God' tour at Leeds Arena last night. Charles reviews The Pretenders at York Barbican: why Chrissie Hynde remains the coolest woman in rock. Alex Cox's Sid and Nancy - The 70s never stopped: Graham is reappraising Alex Cox's 1986 film Sid and …

Ford’s styling department in the 1980s and 1990s could be relied upon to produce hit after hit. We liked the third generation Fiesta, we loved the Mondeo and the Ka, and we positively adored the Ford Focus. But in that period there was one car that stuck out like a sore thumb, the 1994 Ford Scorpio. Buy the Secret Fords book here! Use promo code BI…

Graham tells us what he learned by talking to Sean O'Hagan from the High Llamas when he saw the band at Hebden Bridge last weekend. Graham has also been watching Fellini's Roma (1972) in Italian! And visiting the new William Morris arts and crafts exhibition in York, which of course Charles has seen too. The duo comment on the recent announcement t…

A massive thank you to all our guests and collaborators, we've made it to our 200th episode! To mark such a special occasion Charles and Graham are absolutely delighted to welcome Peter Brewis, co-founder of Sunderland indie legends, Field Music. Peter is here to talk about the new Field Music album, Limits of Language. Keep in touch with Two Big E…

There’s a lot of focus on the rivalry between the German big three – Volkswagen, BMW & Mercedes, but in Sweden of course there was a rivalry between the “big two” – Volvo and Saab. So, as Volvo’s cars got larger and went upmarket in the 1970s, Saab must have surely taken note and decided that they had to respond. The result was the Saab 9000, produ…

Graham discusses how his Supertramp Q&A session with legendary music producer, Ken Scott went in Harrogate. Ken Scott was shooting from the hip and taking no prisoners. Graham also reflects on the future of guitar bands as he attended an all-day gig at the Brudenell Social Club in Leeds. The arts world turned up for the funeral of Beatnik poet Heat…

A few months ago I made a video about EVs that touched on robotaxis, and with Tesla’s recent Robotaxi event I thought I’d make a quick follow-up video talking about what was announced.Big Car

Graham discusses his recent travels in modern Emilia-Romagna, how Romeo and Juliet mania is Verona's Harry Potter and why the absence of Ramones t-shirts worn on the streets is probably an expression of Italy's innate coolness. Charles applauds the 'annus miraculous' for Shed Seven's 30th anniversary tour and album releases amid the release of the …

Early version of this audio with lots of echo. It needs to be re-recorded, but throwing it out now as it's all that I can do right now.Big Car

Graham pays tribute to Harrogate poet and musician, Heath Common who has sadly passed away. Read Graham's obituary. Graham and Charles discuss how English Teacher winning this year's Mercury Prize finally recognises Leeds as a music city. Charles reflects on seeing the incomparable Elvis Costello and Steve Nieve at their 15 Songs in 50 Years gig at…

Charles and Graham talk to Leeds based writer and musician, Boff Whalley about his new musical for Red Ladder Theatre Company. Sanctuary - co-written with playwright, Sarah Woods - is a brand-new musical that welcomes us in and asks the question: do we want safety and freedom for only ourselves, or for us all? Graham reports on meeting Chris Simpso…

Graham and Charles discuss meeting Jim Moir (AKA Vic Reeves) at his new exhibition at RedHouse Originals in Harrogate which leads into a discussion about bird art. Graham has been listening to upcoming Irish garage-punk band, Sprints. Charles reviews Alan Ayckbourn’s new play, Show & Tell at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough. It's his 90th …

Citroën in many ways were like the Tesla of the 1950’s and 60’s. Where other car manufacturers were making normal, everyday cars, Citroën were ripping up the rulebooks and reinventing just what a car could be in their own mad, Gallic way. Their approach to almost every aspect of the car was unique, new, and, well, Citroën-esque. And it’s not like d…

Charles and Graham continue reflecting on their Edinburgh trip with a discussion about the Edinburgh Art Festival. Graham has finished his biography of Chris Simpson and the band Magna Carta and shares next steps and a few thoughts about what it was like getting to know the songwriter behind one of Britain's least known bands from the 70's - but a …

Mercedes is the purveyor of high-class limousines, so it might be odd to think of them selling a go-anywhere pickup that’s more used to lugging a few bags of cement back from the DIY shop. But it’s not that strange an idea, after all, they’ve been producing vans, trucks and buses for almost a century. But the Mercedes X-Class wasn’t going to be sol…

Graham and Charles reflect on another superb Edinburgh Festival visit. Charles talks about his favourite films at Edinburgh, whereas Graham opts to share some of his “celebrity encounters", including a memorable encounter with Argentinian-Italian director, Gaspar Noé. Graham was at Leeds Festival this weekend and saw Lana Del Ray but preferred Sun …

The Maestro was the car that killed Austin Rover. Poised on a knife-edge in the early 80’s between survival and disaster, this car, and its booted Montego sister, caused its death. Not right away – plenty of Government subsidies and deals with Honda and BMW gave the company another 20 years, but this was the critical moment when it all went wrong. …

You probably know Vauxhall and their German cousin Opel as the makers of reasonably prices cars that maybe aren’t that exciting. But in the 60s and 70s Vauxhall produced several amazing sports car and supercar concepts that rivalled the best Lamborghini had to offer. And Vauxhall didn’t just make concepts, there was the VX220 – a car that was a lot…

At the 77th Edinburgh International Film Festival, Charles and Graham take the opportunity to interview documentary filmmaker, author, curator and former EIFF director, Mark Cousins and talk to him, in particular, about his latest book, Dear Orson Welles and Other Essays, a series of ‘conversations’ with the artists, poets, directors, and filmmaker…

This is a video charting the history of the Ford Capri. It includes the Mercury Capri (both 1970s, 1980s and 1990s).Big Car

Graham discusses the decline of main stream films since the 1970s after having recently watching Woody Allen's Manhattan (1979) and John Landis's Animal House (1978). Coming up at the 77th Edinburgh International Film Festival what are Graham and Charles looking forward to? Charles reflects on Banksy’s latest artwork series, the coverage it has att…

Graham and Charles are looking forward to the 77th Edinburgh International Film Festival. Graham previews a new exhibition at Red House Art Gallery in Harrogate by Dan Baldwin Charles highlights the York Purple Signs campaign, and especially their posters trying to establish behaviour patterns in relation to drink. Go Steady! We’ve got enough histo…

Renault is rebooting the classic 5 and it’s available for pre-order right now if you’re in France with deliveries starting later this year! So, what’s it like, what’s good, what’s bad, and what do I think about it?Big Car

Graham takes pleasure in hearing some unexpected hits from the current Deer Shed Festival in North Yorkshire including Simon Armitage and The Coral. Charles reflects on enjoying the sculpture park at Thirsk Hall, as well as the Himalayan Gardens near Ripon. Newby Hall and the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. Graham discusses great essay writers: How recen…

The Rover 200 more than ever encapsulates British Leyland as it went from Government ownership, through its Honda collaboration, to the disastrous BMW marriage, and finally its last gasp for survival as an independent company. And it was one of Rover’s few big successes, having an amazing 29-year lifespan over its many and varied history. The Rover…

Graham spoke to bestselling crime author Mark Billingham at the world's greatest crime writing festival in Harrogate last week, the Theakston's Old Perculier Charles reviews Shed Seven in Museum Gardens, York. Futuresound’s three day festival with a homecoming celebration for the band - though they never left York. Graham discusses rock archaeology…

Otto von Bismarck, the man who oversaw the unification of Germany in the late 19th century called politics “the art of the possible”. He’s saying that you might have grand lofty dreams, but you have to go with what’s actually possible to achieve. I’d argue that applies to many things in life, including car design. There’s always a compromise with a…

The Triumph Stag has looks and sophisticated style. Those Italian lines of this easy Grand Tourer looked epic when it was released in 1970, and the lucrative North American market beckoned. With a throaty 3.0L V8 engine, it had the power to take on its 6-cylinder rival, the Mercedes SL. Yet in just seven years production ended and it was all over. …

Graham continues his preview of this year's Edinburgh International Film Festival and why it is a return to its strengths. Graham considers why he genuinely doesn’t like tribute acts. Charles agrees but then adds how much he enjoyed, Sarah Louise Young's I Am Your Tribute, all about tribute acts at Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, Graham celebrates Yoko…

Ford just dropped the news that they have a new Capri in the works. I’ve done a lot of the history of the Capri, I’ve done the original Capri and another video about all the times they’ve tried to reboot it. This is another time they’re trying to reboot it, so I thought you might be interested in what I thought about the new model.…

Graham discusses the brilliant new book, Ways of Art by the Sunday Times art critic, Laura Freeman. Ways of Art tells the story of art collecting legend Jim Ede, the creator of Kettle's Yard in Cambridge Charles reports on Bomb Squad's latest exhibition in York, Rise of the Vandals, which took place over three weekends at 2, Low Ouse Gate. The exhi…

Graham and Charles interview Pete Oxley, the guitarist and bandleader behind, Hejira - a group that celebrates the music of Joni Mitchell and is definitely not a tribute band. Their setlist is drawn from Joni Mitchell's live album, Shadows And Light. Comprising highly experienced jazz musicians, Hejira is fronted by the brilliant Hattie Whitehead. …

Steve Saxty has been given unprecedented access to BMW to tell their story through a series of books, and he’s let me pluck this one from “BMW’s Hidden Gems” – the story of how BMW created a reimagining of the 2002. So, with Steve’s help, here’s the story of BMW’s 2002 for the year 2002! Link to Steve's BMW books: https://www.stevesaxty.com…

If ever the phrase “Don’t judge a book by its cover” was appropriate, it’s with the Fiat Multipla. With an exterior described as “Designed by a group of people who seemingly never met”, and an instrument cluster resembling “Nightmare on Skull Rock”, this isn’t a car to easily love. But that’s a shame. Under the comical looks lives a truly great car…

Charles and Graham preview summer festivals including Deer Shed Festival and Leeds Festival. Graham revels in his exciting diary: meeting the star of Ken Loach's last film The Old Oak and Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey in Harrogate in the same week. Charles reports on how the arts are being treated in the election manifestos. Graham previews the next …

Graham reports on seeing Pink Floyd, well Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets in York and Foo Fighters in Manchester in two days. Who won? Charles considers what makes a good new musical stand out, after seeing Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch at Grand Opera House, York? Graham reflects on Viggo Mortensen's new film as director -…

Let’s discuss if EVs can make the shift to widescale adoption, or are they doomed to become a niche product?Big Car

The mid-70’s were an optimistic time for British transport. We got the Triumph TR7 and Rover SD1, the Intercity 125 took us across the country at 125mph, and the thunderous Concorde took us over Mach 2. Britain was proving it could still do amazing engineering. Then there was the Lotus Esprit, turning heads with its crisp, folded lines and supercar…

Graham reports on the return of Vinyl Sessions and the, perhaps, surprising, hidden depths of The Eagles, as the band's Hotel California is played in full in front of a packed and appreciative crowd in Harrogate. Charles has a fun and fascinating evening at a PechaKucha event in York and then asks: how do you evoke a whale inside a theatre in Simpl…

This video is going to be a little different to my normal ones. I usually need to do lots of research to get the story straight. But not this one – this was basically a brain dump! If you don’t know, I once, many moons ago, worked for Microsoft in the Automotive Business Unit or ABU, in fact this is an ABU t-shirt. I started working on the Auto PC …

Charles taunts Graham with a review on Charles Hutch Press of Yes, live in York. Will Graham ever see Yes live? Graham discusses the book, Demarco’s Edinburgh (Richard Demarco and Roddy Martine, 2023) about the history of Edinburgh International Festival chronicling the struggles and success of legendary Scots maverick arts impresario, Richard Dema…

If you wanted to have the latest cutting-edge technology in your car in 2007 you wouldn’t buy a BMW 7 series or a Mercedes S-Class. You’d own a 2008 Ford Focus with SYNC. It was the crowning achievement of Microsoft’s Automotive team; a device that plays music from media players and supports hands-free phone calls. It was revolutionary at the time …

Charles and Graham welcome special guest, musician, Chantel McGregor. Bradford born, Chantel is a rock musician and female guitar prodigy, who enrolled at the Leeds College of Music and became the first student in the college’s history, to achieve a 100% pass mark at BTEC, with 18 distinctions. Chantel followed this with a First Class Honours degre…

In 1990 Vauxhall was on top of the world. Ford’s serious misstep with the Sierra in the early 1980s, meant Vauxhall’s well put together Cavalier had cleaned up. The third generation Cavalier had continued those inroads in the late 80s, along with the excellent Astra and Nova that completed their mass car lineup. So, surely the next generation car, …

Graham looks back on Return to the River's Edge; the cult 1986 teen film directed by Tim Hunter that foretold Twin Peaks and the Grunge movement. Charles reports on a new documentary about Michael Powell & Emetic Pressburger. Made in England : The Films of Powell and Pressburger - the under appreciated luminaries of British cinema - is directed by …

The Jaguar E-type name is iconic, but not so much in the USA. There it was known as the XK-E. But whatever the name, it’s a car that’s like no other. And it’s looks are backed up with handling born from motor racing; this wasn’t a car that was all flash and no substance.Big Car

Graham reports on his meeting with David Remfry, Britain's coolest artist, aged 81. Graham met him at his new exhibition, We Think the World of You - People and Dogs Drawn at The Mercer Gallery, Harrogate's only public gallery, once again proving itself indispensable with a high quality exhibition of national interest. Charles is fresh from seeing …

I’m not sure why, but the Triumph TR7 is not a popular car, so many Triumph TR fans tend to wax lyrically about the TR6 and ignore its successor. I thought it was brilliant when I saw a new one on the road in the 1970s, it was something futuristic. But every Triumph TR car is loved in its own way, and to this day there’s a strong community keeping …

So, we’ve covered the Rover SD1 and its replacement, the Rover 800. Now we come to the last large Rover, the 75. It’s a shame that this was probably the best quality car Rover ever made, but maybe the least popular. But Rover was like a cat on its 9th life, and there’s only so many opportunities you get before it’s game over.…