Editing Panic Mechanics

{{Infobox
|image=Panic Mechanics.jpg
|imagecaption=A screen capture from the show's April 2002 trailer.
|status=<span style="color: red;">'''Lost'''</span>
}}
During the time in which the channel's flagship automotive program, ''Top Gear'', was undergoing a hiatus before its reboot into the highly-successful version presented by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May, BBC Two commissioned<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/1480197.stm BBC News article stating Top Gear's cancellation] Retrieved 17 Apr '20</ref> two series to take the show's place. The first of these, [[Wrong Car, Right Car (lost BBC Two television series; 2002-2003)|Wrong Car, Right Car]], originally named ''Top Gear: Car Jack'' but changed<ref>[http://www.pebblemill.org/blog/wrong-car-right-car/ Pebble Mill website talking about Wrong Car, Right Car] Retrieved 17 Apr '20</ref> to its eventual name in light of the 2002 carjacking murder of Tim Robinson, aired in 2002 and 2003 to little fanfare. The second of these, ''Panic Mechanics'', was a car-themed game show hosted by Trevor Nelson in which two teams of mechanics, captained by Edd China and Andy Saunders (Paul Burnham in the first<ref>[http://www.burnhamautos.com/BA_2011/Brief_encounters_in_TV_land.html?LMCL=PHJpO5 Paul Burnham - Brief Encounters in TV Land] Retrieved 17 Apr '20</ref> and fourth episodes), would compete in order for their chances to win a race in a machine which either captain had built using the same basic idea. The loser of this final race would be forced to see their creation crushed<ref>[http://www.ukgameshows.com/ukgs/Panic_Mechanics UK Game Shows article on Panic Mechanics] Retrieved 17 Apr '20</ref>.

The only video footage of ''Panic Mechanics'' which survives are a promotional trailer which aired on BBC Two in April of 2002<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ey-8xPSgL0Y YouTube - Panic Mechanics Trailer] Retrieved 17 Apr '20</ref>, and a segment in the credits of Series 45, Episode 28 of [[Top Gear (partially found episodes of BBC Two television series; 1977-2002)|original format Top Gear]], calling viewers to participate in the show. No complete episodes or even episode fragments are available, and although clips from ''Panic Mechanics'' were later used in BBC Two's 2009 television documentary ''The Car Show''<ref>[https://thetvdb.com/series/377640-the-car-show TVDb entry on "The Car Show" documentary] Retrieved 17 Apr '20</ref>, this too has since likewise been lost.

''Panic Mechanics'' would be picked up for international distribution by The Learning Channel<ref>China, E., 2019. Grease Junkie. Random House.</ref> in the United States, where it was apparently such an unprecedented success that they requested a second series be picked up by the BBC. Unfortunately, ''Panic Mechanics'' would not be renewed, leading TLC to create their own version of the format, entitled ''Monster Garage''. Hosted by Jesse James and airing from 2002 - 2006, before being revived in 2020, ''Monster Garage'' was likewise a success in its own right, and would be ironically re-adapted by the United Kingdom's Channel 4 in 2004, where it was not as successful.

==History==
''Panic Mechanics'' was originally announced on the 8th of August, 2001, alongside ''Top Gear: Car Jack''. Its name was originally Panic ''Mechanic'', but was likely changed to avoid confusion or infringe upon the 1997 South African movie of the same name.

The show's format was conceptualized and pitched by Sonia Beldom<ref>China, E., 2019. Grease Junkie. Random House.</ref>, who was largely inspired by rival network Granada's Scrapheap Challenge. The added twist in this pitch was that the loser's vehicle would be crushed, and that the vehicles themselves would not be designed by the teams, but rather by China and Saunders.

A pilot was filmed<ref>China, E., 2019. Grease Junkie. Random House.</ref> in early 2001 at Donington Circuit, with China and Saunders on their lonesome, and were instructed to build something out of a pair of Rover Metros without being told the purpose of the challenge. China would end up building a monster truck<ref>China, E., 2019. Grease Junkie. Random House.</ref> with a balloon tyres and a roll cage, whereas Saunders would turn his Metro into a "hot hatch"<ref>[https://www.andysaunders.net/hot-hatch/ Andy Saunders' official website - Hot Hatch] Retrieved 17 Apr '20</ref>. The success of this pilot resulted in a full series being greenlit the year after.

==Episodes==
Seven episodes (eight if the unaired 2001 pilot is included) of ''Panic Mechanics'' aired in total during May and June of 2002, before it was cancelled not long thereafter. Thanks to Edd China stating<ref>[https://twitter.com/TheEddChina/status/1137987390734249984 Twitter - Edd China confirms Panic Mechanic's theme tune] Retrieved 17 Apr '20</ref> in June 2019 via Twitter, it is known that the show's theme tune was Elvis - A Little Less Conversation.
{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Episode
! Airdate
! Available
! Synopsis
! Winner
|-
| rowspan="1" align=center | Pilot
| rowspan="1" align=center | Unaired
| rowspan="1" style="text-align:center;"| No
| rowspan="1" style="background:#FFE1F1"| Free build on Rover Metros
| rowspan="1" style="text-align:center;"| Unknown
|-
| rowspan="1" align=center | 1
| rowspan="1" align=center | 02/05/2002
| rowspan="1" style="text-align:center;"| No
| rowspan="1" style="background:#FFE1F1"| Dune Racers; turning hearses into capable sand racers.<ref>[https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/bbc9e3805cb74344adf071dde47dbdf0 BBC Genome page for Episode 1 of Panic Mechanics] Retrieved 17 Apr '20</ref>
| rowspan="1" style="text-align:center;"| Yellow Jaguar Hearse<ref>[http://www.myds420.info/conversions.html My DS420 webpage talking about the first Panic Mechanics episode.] Retrieved 17 Apr '20</ref>
|-
| rowspan="1" align=center | 2
| rowspan="1" align=center | 09/05/2002
| rowspan="1" style="text-align:center;"| No
| rowspan="1" style="background:#FFE1F1"| Drag racers based on Reliant Rialtos.<ref>[https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/431833e28fe645b4b5e32680b05c998e BBC Genome page for Episode 2 of Panic Mechanics] Retrieved 17 Apr '20</ref>
| rowspan="1" style="text-align:center;"| "Saline Warrior"<ref>[https://www.andysaunders.net/saline-warrior/ Andy Saunders' official website - Saline Warrior] Retrieved 17 Apr '20</ref>
|-
| rowspan="1" align=center | 3
| rowspan="1" align=center | 16/05/2002
| rowspan="1" style="text-align:center;"| No
| rowspan="1" style="background:#FFE1F1"| Gravity racers from old Ford Escort vans.<ref>[https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/403327e7938c45f0b97fe1fd52c63d75 BBC Genome page for Episode 3 of Panic Mechanics] Retrieved 17 Apr '20</ref>
| rowspan="1" style="text-align:center;"| Edd China's team<ref>[https://www.andysaunders.net/newtons/ Andy Saunders' official website - Newton's Nightmare] Retrieved 17 Apr '20</ref>
|-
| rowspan="1" align=center | 4
| rowspan="1" align=center | 30/05/2002
| rowspan="1" style="text-align:center;"| No
| rowspan="1" style="background:#FFE1F1"| Mini Coopers into 20-person people carriers.<ref>[https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/2f833249b930444fbb75847ac22291e3 BBC Genome page for Episode 4 of Panic Mechanics] Retrieved 17 Apr '20</ref>
| rowspan="1" style="text-align:center;"| Unknown
|-
| rowspan="1" align=center | 5
| rowspan="1" align=center | 06/06/2002
| rowspan="1" style="text-align:center;"| No
| rowspan="1" style="background:#FFE1F1"| Ford Transits into capable race cars.<ref>[https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/22f62d8700d845aaa108cd9c268bd25e BBC Genome page for Episode 5 of Panic Mechanics] Retrieved 17 Apr '20</ref>
| rowspan="1" style="text-align:center;"| Unknown
|-
| rowspan="1" align=center | 6
| rowspan="1" align=center | 13/06/2002
| rowspan="1" style="text-align:center;"| No
| rowspan="1" style="background:#FFE1F1"| Flatpack Beetles; VWs that can be assembled for racing.<ref>[https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/a2b63c525938462baf89fb7dfb3073e2 BBC Genome page for Episode 6 of Panic Mechanics] Retrieved 17 Apr '20</ref>
| rowspan="1" style="text-align:center;"| Unknown
|-
| rowspan="1" align=center | 7
| rowspan="1" align=center | 20/06/2002
| rowspan="1" style="text-align:center;"| No
| rowspan="1" style="background:#FFE1F1"| Range Rovers into race cars.<ref>[https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/2e17891c52224c6280a4bae570be69c8 BBC Genome page for Episode 7 of Panic Mechanics] Retrieved 17 Apr '20</ref>
| rowspan="1" style="text-align:center;"| Edd China's team(?)<ref>[https://www.andysaunders.net/bbc-nascar/ Andy Saunders' official website - BBC NASCAR] Retrieved 17 Apr '20</ref>
|}

==Gallery==
<gallery mode=packed heights=100px>
File:PMPilot.jpg|Footage from the unaired pilot.
File:PM Hot Hatch.jpg|Andy Saunders' "Hot Hatch".
File:PM Burnham Hearse.jpg|Paul Burnham's sand racer.
File:PM Race.jpg|The two hearse-based racers at war on the track.
File:PM Crushed.jpg|Edd China's "Free Spirit" gets crushed.
File:PM Rialto.jpg|"Saline Warrior" gets built.
File:PM Saline.jpg|"Saline Warrior" is finished.
File:Saline Warrior.jpg|"Saline Warrior" nowadays.
File:PM Gravity.jpg|Gravity racers built on Ford Escort vans.
File:PM Dropped.jpg|"Newton's Nightmare" experiences its namesake.
File:PM BBC Nascar 1.png|Andy Saunders' "BBC NASCAR".
File:PM BBC Nascar 2.png|Finished.
</gallery>
==References==
{{reflist}}