All language subtitles for James.Mays.Big.Trouble.In.Model.Britain.S01E02.720p.IP.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-RTN

In 1901, Frank Hornby founded
a company that would go on to become

one of the world's biggest model
making and toy empires.

It has brought joy to millions,
with names such as Hornby Railways,

Scalextric and Airfix.

Now, for the first time
in its 118 year history,

the company has granted
our cameras exclusive access

during what is set to be its
most important year yet.

Hornby's lost £30 million
in the last five years,

which is an astronomical
amount of money.

In a bid to save
their beloved brands,

they've reemployed a seasoned
company veteran - Simon Kohler.

It isn't a toy industry,
it's not the grocery industry,

it's a hobby model industry.

So far, Simon's overseen
the development

of the innovative
Vent Van with Twin Track Sound...

The cat.

CAT MEOWS

..and the launch of the
1/24th scale F6F Hellcat.

Absolutely spectacular.

Beautiful kit. Beautiful kit.

But, now, things are about
to get a bit fractious...

You can borrow my
airspace, if you like.

No, no, you can borrow mine.

..as the model train
rivalries kick off.

I don't see why you're doing this.
This is spiteful.

No, it's not. Yes, it is.

Hello, and welcome back, viewers.
Or merely welcome,

if you somehow missed part one

of this compelling two-part
documentary.

On tonight's final episode,
there is toy train espionage

as the company prepares
for the launch of its 2019 range.

Please be warned that the
following film shows scenes

of slightly cross senior model
railway company executives

and viewer discretion is advised.

Right. On with the show.

And, once again, you join
us at a critical moment.

Head of audio research,
Ken is the man

responsible for putting the
realistic chuffing sounds

into the company's
model locomotives.

To achieve this, Ken first has to
capture a realistic chuffing sound.

Today, Ken is working incognito.

He's not capturing any old train,

he's after a specific locomotive.

One that is part of a
highly classified launch

the company is planning

that will lead to the fight
I keep banging on about.

The basic idea today is
to try and get a recording

of what I call the chuff sequence -

and the deceleration
sounds on the Terrier.

Ken's secret assignment is
immediately in danger

of being not so secret,

as the platform is swarming
with members of the public.

We don't want to give all of our
secrets away regarding sound...

..and what we're doing,

and what might be coming at
some point in the future.

But luckily for Ken,

the public here are all waiting
for the NSB Type 21C locomotive,

called the Norwegian.

This is not the train Ken
has been tasked with recording.

The forums are really rife
with this sort of thing,

so we just deny everything.

With the Norwegian and
the public soon departing,

Ken now has the platform
all to himself...

..as the target of his covert
mission hisses into view.

This is the Terrier.
This is what we came for.

The Terrier was a popular
commuter steam locomotive

operating routes across
the south-east of England.

Its name comes from its diminutive
size and fast acceleration

and, apparently, if you
listen closely enough,

you can hear a bark
amidst its chuff.

You don't often get a chance
to get this close, which is nice.

It's fascinating, all the different
sounds coming from different places.

Let the audio sequencing begin.

WHISTLE BLOWS

UPBEAT MUSIC

Luckily for Ken, this jaunty
music was added in the edit

and won't affect his recording
of the Terrier's chuffing sounds.

MUSIC: End of The Line
by The Travelling Wilburys

# Well, it's all right
Riding around in the breeze

# Well, it's all right
If you live the life you please

# Well, it's all right
Everything'll work out fine

# Well, it's all right

# We're going to the
end of the line. #

I think we have everything we need.

Well, we've got the acceleration
and deceleration sounds,

and lots of coasting sounds,

which are really useful.

Plus there was a few spot sounds
and a really good guard's whistle.

As the one-to-one scale Terrier
disappears in a puff of steam,

Ken slips away unnoticed,

back to his top-secret research lab,

where today's recordings
will be reduced to 1/76 scale

and added to his collection
of audible railway delights -

which is also the name
of Ken's prog rock band.

HE GIGGLES
Come on, my son.

HE HUMS A TUNE

Tuesday morning,

and head of archives, Peter,
is positively buoyant.

Into the main factory now,

which is unfortunately empty.

We come down here and this is if
anyone wants to, you know...

..ugh, hang themselves.

Well, that didn't last long.

Down this end was all
the moulding machines.

Moulding 24 hours a day.

Peter has taken a break from running
the company's visitor centre

to give our cameraman a tour of
the empty building in Margate

that once housed all of
the company's employees.

Before the factory
was moved to China

and the head office to Sandwich.

It was, it was.

Here we are, look.

This was all the...

Where the accounts were.

Peter is unlikely to win the
Tour Guide Of The Year Award

any time soon.

No, I think this was where the
salespeople had an office here.

Profitability.

Automated sales.

Very sad when you see it.

All this lovely space here,
just doing nothing.

After 52 years at the company,

Peter just wants things back
the way they were in their heyday -

starting with their
spiritual home of Margate.

When it first started,
over 2,000 people worked here...

..in this company. 2,000!

Well, it has all gone from here.

But if they come back here,
it would all come back.

It would all come back.

Luckily for Peter, his wishes
may be about to come true...

..as over at the company's
new HQ in Sandwich,

CEO Lyndon Davies
has a big announcement.

We have now formally
entered into discussions

for us to move back
to the Margate site.

# Hallelujah
Hallelujah

# Hallelujah

# Hallelujah

# Hallelujah... #

OK, that wasn't the huge
reaction we were hoping for

for this documentary but,
in a company like this,

revolution comes at 1/76 scale.

I don't know all the reasons
for moving out of Margate,

all I know is the site's OK.

We have a history there

and I believe it will provide
a beating heart for the company.

And to reinforce Margate
as the company's beating heart,

they are using the
visitor centre there

to launch the forthcoming
2019 range to the retailers.

For a company that hasn't
posted a profit in seven years,

this range needs to be a belter.

This is to show that,
"We're in the game, guys."

You know, we may have had
a couple of sticky years,

but we are definitely in the game.

This is showing to the
consumer, "We're listening.

"You've asked for certain items,
you've got them in the range."

So the products that you're seeing
will have a strong market sale,

and that's what it's all about.

I want to sell lots
of these new items,

I want to get the profits up.

The forthcoming range is top secret

and brand manager Montana
is giving nothing away.

It's completely hush-hush.

It's our secret project.

There has been a little
bit of nervousness.

We had a slight disaster.

There were 21 2019 items
which accidentally were uploaded

to our website due
to restriction errors,

so myself and the
online marketing manager

worked together to get
them down straight away.

The reason Montana and
the team are so paranoid

is they're about to introduce
a locomotive into their 2019 range

that's going to send shock waves
through the world of model trains.

And here it is.

Simon and head of development Ed

have received, from
the factory in China,

the first parts
of a brand-new locomotive.

Well, this is going to be
a Terrier. This is a Terrier.

This is all the parts to make
different variants on the Terriers.

The Terrier is a mainstay
of the company's range,

but Simon has spent over
£100,000 on new tooling

to produce a new version of the
loco, rather than a reissue.

And he's brought production
forward by several months.

Now, what's happened
is a competitor of ours

has announced that they are
going to produce a Terrier.

Well, you know, it's...

It's a Hornby product.

And we feel we can certainly get
to the market before they do.

With the track laid for a
race to the shop shelves,

Simon is keen to keep his
plans hidden from his rival.

One of the things
we've done is to say,

"Right, all this is
kept under wraps."

That's why we're discussing
these in a closed room.

The first break for
cover of the Terrier

will be on the 7th of January,

when we first start
previewing with our customers.

The competitor in question

is a retailer named
Rails Of Sheffield, in Sheffield.

They sell everything to
do with model railways,

and are run by lifetime model
rail enthusiast John.

I think we're all right, you know,
obviously with that last delivery.

Well, we've actually got
one coming in, haven't we?

It hasn't landed yet.

Going right back to the 1970s,

my dad rented one shop up the road,

number 35, and he used to open
Tuesday and Thursday evening,

6:30pm until 8pm. And Saturday 10-5.

And then all the rest
of the time it was shut.

And then when I left school
when I was 16, I said to my dad,

"I fancy opening the shop
full-time. What do you think?"

He said, "Well,
you can have a go at it."

And the rest is
history, so to speak.

Have we got a new
Coronation out yet?

Right, that's looking promising.
HE LAUGHS

And this is the latest
item to arrive from Hornby,

The Queen Elizabeth.

Rails are a huge player
in the modelling world,

with a turnover last
year of six million pounds.

They're one of
Hornby's biggest accounts,

spending around a million pounds
on their products every year.

It really is eye candy.

But in recent years,

John became frustrated with
Hornby's lack of new models

and so, in a pre-emptive strike,

went into partnership with one
of Hornby's manufacturing rivals,

Dapol, to produce their own trains,

including a new version of...
Yes, you guessed it...

One project that we've announced,
which is the Terriers,

which was a previous
Hornby locomotive...

..that was something that Hornby
produced 20, 30 years ago

and it's just so dated.

We thought, you know,
if this was put to market

in an all-singing,
all-dancing modern version...

You've only got to look at
how many Hornby's sold of it

over the years. I mean, every year
they do a Terrier in the range

and it's sold out every year.

A new version of it
will be a good seller.

John is blissfully unaware

that Simon Kohler is also currently
making a new version of the Terrier,

which he plans to launch
before John's is ready.

The Terrier fight is just one
of many battles Simon is fighting

in his attempts to turn
the company around.

He's also trying to bolster some
of the other brands in the group -

like their slot cars.

Invented in 1957, in
its heyday, Scalextric

topped the Christmas bestseller
list almost ten years in a row.

But today, like the model train
and plane sides of the business,

it's lost its groove.

With Hornby recording losses
of around £10 million last year,

Simon has very little money

to revive the
fortunes of Scalextric.

Undeterred, he is
producing their new advert

on the tightest of budgets.

I mean, I understand John Lewis
spend a million pounds

on their TV commercials.

Our budget is so much more smaller.

But I think, with
the team we've got,

we can get something
probably just as dramatic -

but maybe not quite so fancy.

To keep costs down even more,

the advert is being made only
with in-house staff,

including Mike,
the in-house videographer,

and also Mike, no relation.

There's a lot depending on this.

The retailers, they are relying
on us to promote Scalextric...

..and, arguably, one of the best
ways to do it is on the TV.

So, you've got to give them a good
TV commercial so people can see it,

they get excited by it, and
they go out and buy it.

Action.

So, yeah. No pressure, really.

No pressure.

HE SIGHS

The money saving isn't
just reserved for the crew.

Why pay for an actor when Martin...
Action.

..the brand manager is available?

I want a bit more
drama with the cars.

You know, when you squeeze,

I want you to squeeze as
if you mean it, you know?

As if your life depends on it.

Right, you ready?

Camera's rolling. Fog.

Cars.

Ugh. Cars.

They're currently trying
to capture two cars in flight

as they make the ultimate
jump in the climactic final.

Oh, its...

So, do you think that was the shot?
I'm hoping.

A bit more car.

I've got a lot of black space. Yeah.

Capturing this crucial shot
might sound simple enough...

..but when you're shooting
a 1/32nd scale model

travelling at 320 scale mph, in slow
motion at 200 frames per second,

anything more than an
eighth of a second out

and your shot is worthless.

Oh, there's only one of them.

Step-by-step, we get there -

and we will get there, and
we will get that money shot.

I know we will.

Fog. And cars.

See, that one, I can cut and stitch.

Stitch it. Yeah? That's cool.

Hello, mate. How you doing,
you all right? Yeah, yeah.

Now, I know you're all very
keen to see the advert itself

but unfortunately this is the BBC
and adverts are not allowed.

However, there is nothing
in the rules that prevents us

from watching Simon
watching the advert.

ROCK MUSIC PLAYS FROM ADVERT

OK.

Right. Erm..

..I don't think we need that.
Yeah?

I think you could shave
probably a second off that. Yeah.

It wants to be, "Wham! Bang! Bang!"

To save even more money,

Simon decides against paying
the tens of thousands of pounds

to put the advert on TV,

and instead releases it online,

hopefully to appeal
to a younger audience.

Providing we can get over in,

sort of, 20 seconds,

the excitement and the drama of
what Scalextric is all about,

then we've done it.

And the slot car revitalisation
doesn't stop there.

They've also invested in their
newest employee, Caitlin,

who's moving into her new flat

ahead of her first
day at the company.

I'd offer you one, but I think I'd
have to unpack the kettle first.

Go on up. OK. Sounds good.
Thank you.

Migrating from her
parents' home in Somerset,

this is a big move for
her, and for the company,

because Caitlin will become
the first female product designer

in Hornby's 118 year history.

Eh, could I have
that in here, please?

That's brilliant. Thank you.

The Airfix was probably
my first link with Hornby

because I used to make
Airfix models with my grandpa.

This is the first-ever
Spitfire that I made.

As you can see, the
propeller is kind of broken,

and the glass is a
little bit fogged up.

I've sort of come
full circle in a way,

from making this as
a really small child

to now being in the place
where these are designed.

That's amazing.

Fresh out of university,

Caitlin has just
landed her dream job.

When you explain, "Oh, I'm
moving away", everyone's like,

"Oh, what are you doing?"
And I'm like,

"Oh, I'm designing Scalextric
cars." And they're like, "What?"

And I'm like, "Yeah,
I know, it's really cool."

Yeah, I did. And I think my
brother and I raced them

till they pretty much fell apart.

We'd have tournaments and it
would normally end in an argument

because somebody had won
and somebody had lost -

but it was just so much fun.

I mean, it's an adventure,
and that's really exciting, so...

..I think I'm more
excited than nervous.

Whilst Scalextric makes up a quarter
of the company's overall business,

the biggest part of the
group remains model trains.

And that is
Simon's focus today

on a cold November
morning in Birmingham.

This is the Warley Model
Railway Exhibition,

which is an annual exhibition

held by the Warley
Model Railway Club.

And they've done this
for over 50 years.

Warley is the largest model
train show in the country.

It attracts the great and the
good of the model rail industry,

all the major
manufacturers and retailers.

So, with a brand-new range launching
in just over a month's time,

it's essential that Simon maintains
a very visible presence here.

One of the nice things
about this industry

is you have people like
that gentleman there.

That gentleman, Trevor Morgan,
who I've known all my Hornby life,

wonderful man...

..and that's
what this business is.

It's full of really nice people.

But as Simon approaches
the company's stand,

the warmth of the brotherhood
of the train enthusiasts

is interrupted by
Rails Of Sheffield.

I'm just thinking I'm not
happy with those signs

that are backing onto our stand.

The fact he's got a dirty,
great, big sign, hanging sign,

which is great, I would have thought
that would have been enough -

but obviously it isn't.

And I think it's just
basically taking the mickey.

And I am going to go
and see the organisers,

and I am going to ask them
now to take them down.

With thousands of
model-train-mad punters

eagerly queueing to get
into the main hall...

..Simon doesn't have much time.

I can't do anything.

Because there is nothing
in our rules and regulations

that says they can't do that.

They're not above four metres.

Our structural engineer
has signed them off

cos I asked him
to have a look at it.

The lady from the NEC
is happy with it.

So, from our point of view,
I can't see what we can do about it.

I'd say it's just rude.

I know it is. I agree with you.
I agree with you.

All right. Thanks, Paul, anyway.

We'll have a good show. OK.
We'll have a good show.

John. Hey. Morning.
All right? Morning.

Is there anything you can do?
It's, like, our airspace, anyway.

Your airspace, but not facing out.

Not facing that way.

You can buy my airspace,
if you'd like.

No, no, you can buy mine,
if you'd like,

cos I'm promoting your product.
We're not on your airspace.

You know, if you had said it
yesterday, before they'd gone up,

I'd have considered it,

but there's no way I'm messing
about taking them down now...

All right. ..I'm sorry.
OK. You know?

No hard feelings. No, of
course not. Have a good show.

We'll see you later, anyway.

Oh, dear.

John is looking after
his own interests.

He's not done this by accident.

He knows that, as people walk
in, they see the Hornby sign

and, above it, they will
see all his products.

But trust me, I will
never forget this.

I'm not going to let
it spoil the event.

It's just tedious.

You can bring the freight...the
vans into the yard.

Go.

While Hornby remain the biggest
model train manufacturer

in the country, they are not alone.

The conference centre
is full of their rivals,

such as Dapol, Bachmann and Peco
all vying for the customers' cash.

Well, that's not bad. Excellent.

Right, I'll just get your receipt.

And let's not
forget the latest entry

in the model manufacturing world,

John and his soon
to be launched Terrier.

It's our first test shot
out of the tooling in China...

..for our forthcoming
Terrier release.

We were hoping to have a bit
more than that to show people,

but at least it shows
the progress we've made.

So it's coming out first
quarter of next year.

So we're very excited about it.

Having lost this morning's
battle of the banners,

Simon, like an acutely
sensitive bloodhound,

is keen to sniff out the
progress of John's Terrier.

What I've seen is just
a couple of samples

but nothing more than that.

So, I mean, what does that tell me?

It tells me they're
certainly not as advanced

with the Terrier as we are.

Even though Simon's Terrier
is clearly ahead of John's,

he's not going to tell him
his plans until it's unveiled

in Margate, in five weeks' time.

Was that in the back
of my mind this morning?

I must admit, it did cross my mind

and it would be a lie
if I said it didn't.

If he was that upset with me
asking him to take down the signs,

how upset might he be

when he realises that he's got
competition with the Terrier?

So, we shall see.

We shall see.

But these model rail rivalries
are a million miles...

Well, 217 miles.

..away from the suburbs of Kent,

where Caitlin is preparing
for her first day of work.

I'd just like it to be exciting

and for me to be able
to make a real impact.

As the company's first-ever
female product designer,

this is a historic moment...

Morning. It's my first day.

I'm working for Scalextric.
Right.

Darren Knight. Darren Knight.
Lovely. Could I get you to sign in.

Morning. How are you doing?
I'm good. Welcome.

Welcome to Hornby. Thank you.

..and the company has
rolled out the red carpet.

This is yours. We did
give it a quick wipe down

so it should be fairly clean.

With her desk sterilised,
Caitlin can spend the morning

trying to get logged on
to the company e-mail,

whilst taking the online safety
in the workplace tutorial.

After that, she will move
on to designing a new car,

working with head of
development - Darren.

Your next project will be something
called the Chevrolet Camaro IROC.

OK. They are like NASCAR...classic
NASCAR stock-car racing.

This is a really good one
to kind of get you into it.

Definitely. Yeah.

The key thing is getting the
key dimensions right, so...

..you know, making sure
the height of the magnet

from the top of the rails
is standardised because...

I'm sure, like me, you
could listen to Darren all day,

but time pushes on, and Caitlin
is taken to the test track.

I got to have a go at, like,
each of the different types

of Scalextric, to familiarise
myself with the brand.

When designing a new
1/32nd scale car,

accuracy, track clearance,

weight distribution and structural
integrity are all crucial factors.

And so, if one's heavier,
it's less likely to fly off,

so I'm just checking to see
if there is a difference.

If everyone's initiation into
the workplace was this much fun,

the world would simply
be a better place.

But now, it's time
for some proper work,

designing the NASCAR inspired model.

It's good. I'm really excited now.

I can't wait to start making
stuff and designing stuff.

This is a world of millimetres,

as a full-sized race car

is reduced to 1/32 scale.

It's called a skeleton model,
so it's like the first thing you do

where you put all the surfaces in

and, from that, you
build the rest of the car.

There's so many bits of detail

and everything has to
be properly constructed,

the tolerances and stuff
have to be right

so that all the parts
actually fit together.

It's really fun, it's really good.

I can't think of a better
job, to be honest.

I want to go to Hamleys
when mine comes out

and see it on the shelf and just
be like, "Yeah, that was me."

The BBC would like to point out

that there are other
toy shops available

and, in the interest of balance,
we would like to point out

that there are other
broadcasters you can watch.

It's less than a month till the
launch of Hornby's new range,

which will include the new
version of the Terrier loco.

Simon has received the prototype
from the factory in China

but there's a big mistake.

Do you want to come
and have a chat about this...?

Terrier? Yeah. Want to do
it now? Yeah, let's do it now.

Well, actually,
it's a very small mistake,

but it's a big problem for Simon
and head of development Ed.

Did you leave that dirty
on your way home? Yes!

God, it's like being married.

THEY LAUGH

OK, what's the situation?

The dome's tapering inwards
and the pipe's parallel.

Yes, it is. No, 30.
Yeah, yeah.

He seems to have put one degree
draft on, which isn't a lot.

There's actually 17 thou of an inch
on one side over a whole inch.

17 thou of an inch.

In the world of miniature
trains, that's massive.

That extra little bit
of taper really notices.

Do you know, if it got picked up...

Which it will do.
Which it will do.

Somebody is going to get
the old micrometre out,

and I know where, probably
somewhere in Sheffield. Yeah.

And... Ah! This is going to be
in the range forever and a day.

I don't want to make something
that we know is wrong.

This wonky dome won't do.

The designs will now have to be
sent back to China to be altered.

Do you think we will
get decorated samples?

They're still saying decorated
samples by the end of December.

We keep our fingers crossed.

Simon is in the middle
of a great train race

with his rivals, Rails of Sheffield,

who are bringing out
their own Terrier.

This setback could affect
the company's chances

of getting their Terrier out first.

But Simon's clear, their
train has to be correct

to the 17th thou of an inch.

In a nondescript warehouse,

somewhere in the
south-east of England...

Well, Ramsgate.

..a covert project is under way.

You want to bring
these trees forward

so you've got bigger trees here,

so when you look back there, the
castle doesn't look out of scale.

We can see straight away, the castle
looks like it's in the distance

when you stand here.
That's the whole idea of it.

Simon has commissioned Tony,

a model train layout professional,

to make them a Harry Potter layout,

which Simon will use to announce
their tie-in with Warner Brothers.

We don't know what it's
going to look like.

We never, ever do on
any layout we make.

So, if people say to me,
can you send me a visual

or can you send me a computer image?

We don't work like that,
because we don't know.

We know what the customer wants,

we know what we want to do,

and we just...

..design as we're going along.

I didn't know how that
was going to come out.

Do you want to know how
we made the castle?

We bought it.

HE LAUGHS

But it didn't look like that.

The castle itself...

..see, again, it's about there.

That's the castle.

All this blending the castle in
is what we've done ourselves.

You've got to get the height,

you've got to work out
where the track's going to go,

how the bridge's going to go,
how your scenic's going to go.

You've got to make it
as light as possible,

although this is very, very heavy.

If this wasn't built properly,

the coach would carry on
going one way or the other

because there's a gradient.

Push it slightly, it stops.

Again, through the forest, it stops.

If it wasn't done properly...

..it wouldn't stop.

You know the car...?
Have you seen the film

where you've got the little
blue car chasing the train?

So I'm going to get a little rod
and the car is going to be like so.

And it's over the viaduct.

So I'll probably put the car
in about there, something like that.

You have the car chasing the train.

Just a little scene.
It'll look quite good, I think.

Our important job is for you to
look at a layout and say, "Wow."

Because, once you've got the wow
factor, everything else sells.

I'm saying "wow" now,
and I've built it!

This layout really
does need to wow people

as it will be the centrepiece
of Hornby's 2019 range launch

in less than a week's time.

And over in Margate,

preparation for the launch
is at a frenzy.

HE SINGS TO HIMSELF

This is my life, Hornby.

I've worked here 52 years,

wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

You always get someone come round,

like a director or something,

and they're always saying,
"You've missed a bit there", but...

..if they do, I shall just say,

"Well, if you think
you can do better...

"..do it yourself."

HE GIGGLES

Yes, I was stripping
them out four years ago.

Because, obviously,
you know, we'd all moved on.

So I had to empty all the cabinets,

get all the models in
there transferred to...

..Sandwich. So, now, it's
all come back around again,

and we're all happy and back here.

Can't wish for a
better life, can you?

And I get paid.

HE GRUNTS

And I'm out the wife's
hair all day...

..which is absolutely marvellous.

Right, we're going to put
this one in the cabinet now.

No, never.

The only way they'll
get rid of me is...

..going out in a coffin.

Lovely.

The launch of the new range,
for the retailers,

is a critical test of
how Simon's first year

back at the company has gone.

Monday is...it's
incredibly important.

This is, if you like, the
first...our first full year.

OUR first full year.

And until you get the actual people
buying the product from us,

ie the retailers,

it's... You know, you've always
got that slight element of caution.

What will happen on Monday
is that, behind you,

people arrive, have a cup of tea
and a coffee and all the rest of it,

and then they'll be
brought through...

..into this area.

Now, this area will give a snapshot

of the sort of things
that they will be seeing.

Simon's hoping that
one model in particular

will grab the retailer's attention.

Under here, we have
our secret surprise...

..and if I just give
you a sneak peek...

..this is the Terrier.

This is the locomotive
we've kept under wraps...

..and very, very few
people know about it.

The fully dressed samples of the
Terrier have arrived from China,

making the launch of the
range the perfect arena

for Simon to unleash his dog of war.

Truth is that there's
a competitor out there

who is planning to steal that
model from under our nose.

You can't let that happen.
It's our model.

So it's important that
we have ours out first.

From drawing stage,
to tooling stage,

to production, we'll have achieved
that in probably nine months,

which is a bit of a record.

Our Terrier has to
be the best Terrier.

You know? We want to
be top dog, as it were.

That is business. That is business.

With the 2019 range
launch fast approaching,

Simon is already looking
at potential problems

he needs to tackle
in the years ahead.

Which is why he finds himself in
the streets of trendy East London.

It's a really noisy
part of town, isn't it?

God. I couldn't live around here.

Worried that his customers
are not getting any younger,

that's the polite way of
saying they're dying off,

he needs to attract today's
screen-obsessed youngsters

to the world of
model trains and planes.

You know, I'm a virgin when
it comes to virtual reality,

but it sounds fascinating,
and it's obviously worth a visit.

Hello, Simon. Ben!
What a great pleasure to meet you.

How are you doing? Welcome
to East London. Yeah, lovely.

Want to follow me? It's
noisy around here, isn't it?

Yeah, it is a bit. Yeah.

This young man is Ben, who runs a
virtual reality, or VR, company.

So...is this your
first time doing VR? Yes.

You will be gentle.

BEN LAUGHS

Yes, come on through. All right.

Just pop this on and
we'll see how...

How does that feel? Oh, yeah. OK.

Tighten that up. How's that?

Yeah, oh... And so here
are your controllers.

SIMON LAUGHS

Grab those. Yeah.

Good God.

Blimey.

Virtual reality is now a reality.

Its global market last year
was worth nearly 20 billion pounds.

By 2022, it's expected
to rise to 140 billion...

Hellfire.

..and Simon wants a
piece of that action.

Now, grab that orb
and pull the trigger.

So you've gone through a portal.

Oh, I have, haven't I?

BEN LAUGHS

Hello.

You can actually reach
down and stroke the dog.

Can I?

Dog.

For the older viewer, ie everyone
watching this programme,

virtual reality is an interactive
computer-generated experience,

taking place within
a simulated environment.

And now, bend down and pick
up one of those sticks. Yeah.

And you can throw that towards
the dog and it will go and chase it.

Well, I don't want to
throw it over the cliff,

I've only just met him.

THEY LAUGH

Oh, yeah.

It's absolutely amazing.

Simon's certainly having fun

but he's not convinced
how virtual reality

and the very real reality of model
train collecting can come together.

I'm of the age where
you hand your money over

and you get something back.

Something tangible. Something you
can actually put on the shelf.

Oh, how clever.

I work on the principle of KISS -
Keep It Simple, Simon.

Ah.

Welcome back.

Gosh.

THEY LAUGH

Well, I never.

But when Ben shows him the possible
VR market for his models,

Simon sees the potential.

I presume I could,
in essence, build...

..an Airfix kit in virtual reality.

Yes, you could. Yeah.

And then climb in the cockpit.

That's right, yeah. But not just
that, you can bring in characters,

you can bring in storylines.

More track, more buildings,
more cars, more scenery. Yeah, OK.

And you will start collecting sets,

and you will own those sets,
and they will be yours forever.

Yes, yeah. Same principal...

For the age groups
that we deal with,

you know, I think they still
like something tangible,

something they can touch.

But there are others, you know,
coming into the market,

and they think differently.

We need to be looking that way.

We really do, and
I think it's exciting.

But the future will have to wait.

The 2019 range is ready.
Words no longer matter.

The success or failure
of Simon and the company

now rest on how
many orders are placed.

The Harry Potter
layer takes centre stage

alongside the covered up
show stopper - the Terrier.

We now need to get the retailers
in to place their orders,

and then that will
give us a good idea...

..that what we've done,

what we've put down, what
we've predicted will be right.

The retailers arrive.

Including Richard from
Hatton's in Liverpool,

the countries biggest model shop.

Right, so that's
a brand-new tooling?

Brand-new tooling.

If the name sounds
familiar, here's why.

In the last episode,
Simon watched on

as two model rail enthusiasts

had their heads turned by
Hatton's Class 66 loco...

Just looking at your 66.

Yeah, yeah. When's that due?
March. March. OK.

..which Hatton's had
manufactured themselves,

making them direct
competitors of Hornby.

I have to keep my eye on anybody
who makes model railway models,

locomotives, coaches,
or wagons. Anybody.

True to his word, Simon
kept his eye on them,

and has rushed out his
own range of Class 66s,

at an off-peak price
compared with Hatton's.

Now, out there at
the moment it's £75.

So, your customers who
probably can't afford

the 160 odd pounds
plus of a 66, your 66,

can actually have
something for less than £100.

A sound loco for under £100.

But after years of you guys not
being able to produce

much in any volume,

why have you chosen to make an
item that I'm manufacturing?

Well, your...

It's... In some respect
it is chalk and cheese.

Your pricing at an
artificially low level.

It is a low level, because
that's being an honest figure.

So it seems almost like that
you're doing it out of spite,

to be quite honest. No,
not at all. Absolutely not.

Seriously, absolutely not.
Known you long enough...

Of all the different
products you could produce.

No, because... You've got loads
of products in your tooling suite,

and you've chosen to do this.
But this...

You've made this concerted...

You've made a decision
to rival our product.

You haven't really produced anything

in any decent quantity for ten
years.

I've patiently sat there and
eventually been forced

into manufacturing myself.

I don't see why you're doing this.

I don't see why you're
attacking your best customers.

We're not attacking.
Honestly, it's not attacking.

You're putting these out
at a much lower margin

than you normally
would do out of spite.

No. This is spiteful. No, it's not.

Yes, it is.

Well, I didn't quite
expect that reaction.

Shall we move on?

I don't believe it is
in direct conflict at all,

there's obviously a
bit of conflict there.

Our job is to get this
company back on its feet,

and make a profit.

It's a shame he's
taken it the way he did.

I could've thrown at him, "Well,
you know, you're a retailer,

"and you're treading on our ground.

"I mean, we produced
a 66 before you did.

"You know, you've wandered
into our arena."

And the half price Class 66s

were just phase one of Simon's
plans to beat his rivals.

On here...

SIMON CLEARS THROAT

..Terrier.
RICHARD LAUGHS

That laugh from Richard

is because he now knows that
Simon has gone after his mate -

John from Rails Of Sheffield,
in Sheffield, as well.

Cos Rails of Sheffield have
invested a lot of money in this.

Erm... Unfortunately,
I can't help that.

That was part of our plan.

It is one of our
staple products. Yeah.

And you can't afford to
let it go... No. ..really.

With the cat being chased out of
the bag by Simon's Terrier...

..the Hornby range, which went live
online when the launch opened,

can now be seen in the
farthest corners of the globe.

And Sheffield.

Good morning.

They're doing 66s and Terriers now.

That isn't a coincidence.

You know, I think it's a spoiler

for people coming along and
trying to compete with them.

Pointed. I'm a little bit
disappointed in Simon,

cos I think he could've made
a phone call at some point,

or I've seen him
face-to-face as well,

but I've heard nothing.

It's a bit like...
A bit poisonous, really. Erm...

Incidentally, ours will be better.

If you want corned beef, Hornby.

If you want filet steak, Rails.

John will be able to make his
feelings known to Simon in person,

when he visits Margate
to view the range himself.

But it's not all industrial intrigue
and arguments at Hornby.

Today is a big day for Caitlin,

as a special package has arrived

for her from the factory in China.

So, this is the briefing
of my car, the prototype.

Hopefully it all fits together

and works on the track.

I think there is
a level of nervousness

because I've never done this before,

but at the same time, it's just
sort of pure excitement now

for this car that I've
designed. It's amazing.

She takes the parts to Don,

head of prototype realisation,

or something like that.

Hello. So, here...

It's his job to put the pieces
together and see if they fit.

What I'll do, I'll build it up,

and then if I've got any thoughts
on tightness or anything like that,

of certain fits, I'll come
to see you directly anyway.

That would be awesome, thank you.
Looks nice. Thank you.

Yeah, no, it looks good to me.
Looks good to me so far.

Thank you.
All right, cheers.

First impressions are good.

Usually, anybody who's new to
designing Scalextric products,

they will...not have
the experience necessary,

but certainly Caitlin's got...

Seems to have hit the
ground running there.

So, it looks like we've got light
lenses to go in there,

which are nice.
All Caitlin can do now is wait

while her destiny rests
in Don's workshop.

I think the nerves won't be
fully gone until it's built

and I've tested it.

But hopefully it'll go together.

But Don has spotted a problem.

Caitlin's missized the
hole in the wheel for the axles.

So the diameter of that is,
as you see, 2.3 mil roughly.

But we've got a hole
in the wheel there

to take the axle of
2.6 or something.

So it's a bit oversized.

He storms over to give Caitlin
a public dressing down.

Hello. Hello. Pardon me.

You might want to
check your design... OK.

..for the fit of the wheels
to the axles. OK.

Um. Oh, yeah, mine's 2.78.

Yeah, that's it. OK,
so it's half a mil out.

Yeah. OK.

Easily rectified.
Definitely, thanks for...

That's all right. ..letting me know.

That's all right. I can fix that.
That's why we do it.

That's Caitlin told.

Time for Don to fix the one
tenth of a millimetre error.

So there's your...

MUMBLES: ..su-chassis.

Oh, sweet.

The prototype "su-chassis"
is ready to be tested.

Oh, that's so cool.

I'm very pleased
that this part works.

It has the correct amount of,
like, attraction to the track,

and that the guide
blade can rotate freely

so that it can corner
properly and everything.

It's really important to get
all of these things right.

With the chassis running as smoothly
as Don's favourite Barry White LP,

he can retreat to his workshop
to put the rest of the car together.

Then Scalextric's first-ever
model designed by a woman

will be complete.

Super satisfying now
to be like, "This is my car."

But it still needs to be painted
and have the stickers attached,

but let's not ruin a historic
moment by being churlish.

Good morning. Hi.

How are you doing?

Good. Good.

John from Rails of Sheffield
has come down to Margate

from Sheffield to check
out the new 2019 range.

More importantly,
to have a go at Simon

for bringing out a Terrier
ahead of his own.

Cue awkward handshakes.

Well, luckily it didn't happen.

Hey, Simon. All right? All right.
I think so. I think so.

They told me to take more tablets.

All right, yeah. Good to see you.

John has brought some muscle
with him, in case things kick off.

Right, Terriers then.
Yeah, yeah. How many do you want?

Terriers. That would have been nice
to communicate on that one,

wouldn't it?

Well, I mean the point is,

it's always been part of our range.

It was all part of the plan...
Yes, but... ..before I even left.

No, before I even left.
But after you've left...

And then when I came back, I said,

"Look, we've got to do the
Terrier..."

Why go head-to-head with one
of your biggest retailers?

No, because... And Hatton's...
Well, because... ..with a 66.

Can you say, hand on heart, because
I'm pretty sure you can't,

that you've not done the Terriers
and the Class 66s in the range

as a spoiler for Rails Of Sheffield
and Hatton's Of Liverpool?

Because I don't believe you.

That ain't coincidence.

Eh, no. It's a spoiler. No, it's
not. It's a spoiler, come on.

All right, I had conversation
yesterday... I don't feel the love.

I feel that, you know,
even though we spend

lots of lots of money with you..
I... ..I'm not feeling the love.

Can I tell you? We're in business,
not to upset anybody... Yeah.

..we're in business
to sell product.

And we want to sell
as much as we can.

The Terrier isn't a spoiler,

the Terrier is what we call
a loco that carries on giving.

I couldn't let it go,
it had to happen. You know?

That's business, isn't it?
Will you, will you...?

I have to protect it.

Will you be sad if yours gets bad
reviews and ours gets good reviews?

Would you be remorseful?

I'll be really...I would really
be miffed with our engineers.

Would you cry in your soup?
Would I cry in my soup?

I might have to go home
and kick the dogs.

To be clear, no dogs
or animals of any kind

were kicked in the
making of this programme.

Can we start
building bridges again?

As far as I'm concerned...
No. Yes? Yes.

..there are...
No bridges have fallen.

Oh, dear.

We'll see. It's always going to
be a sore point for me, Simon.

All right, well...

So, how are you going
to redeem yourself?

Well, we've got...

We'll skip that question.

Skip that question. I'm moving on.

You know? I've moved on.
Good, good.

With the tension lifting,
time to resolve this as gentlemen,

with one more round of
insults and threats.

So, if you were going to Hogwarts
today, it was your first day,

and they're deciding
which house you were in,

would you be in Slytherin,
do you think?

THEY LAUGH

See, have you got fire
insurance in your place?

THEY LAUGH

Good, excellent.

HE SIGHS

That was good, wasn't it?

Yeah? Went well.

Went very well.

It's a solid range.

It will please the many
rather than the few.

At the end of the day,
he's a businessman,

and you know, you don't cut
your nose off to spite your face.

And you know, the man is
sharp enough to realise that.

That's part of the game, you know?

It's ping-pong. Bat
and ball. It's fine.

Don't have nightmares.
Never, never. Never, John.

Thanks ever so much for coming.
Yeah, thank you.

Appreciate it.
I really do appreciate it.

We'll talk more in the future.
Yeah, no, no. We will. And I'll...

We'll keep the dialogue going.

Yeah, we will.
It's not a problem. OK.

Thanks, and best to your good lady.

We're not the sort of people
to just lay down and think,

"Oh, well", you know? "Oh, yes,
Simon's is going to be great,

"and we should've never tried to do
a model to compete with yours."

Thank you. Thanks.
Bye-bye. Bye.

One or two of the things that were
going to cost us a bit more money,

well, we're going
ahead with now. You know?

It's like, well, it's going
to cost us a bit more,

we'll make a bit less,
but ours will be better,

and people will be like,

"Wow. Didn't see that coming."

So, we're going
to teach him a lesson.

What time is it now?

But after all the posturing
and threats of arson,

how did the range actually go
down with the retailers?

This is the real test of Simon's
first year back with the company.

He spent 25 last year
and he spent 45 today.

And to be honest,

they've gone away with probably
double to what they expected.

It's measured up very well, I think.

You've got six figures there,
and you've got top-end five figures.

Over the course of the two weeks,

orders were double that
of the 2018 range,

and the biggest orders of all,

Hatton's from Liverpool,
and Rails Of Sheffield.

In Sheffield.

The success of the range means part
one of Simon and Lyndon's plan

to turn the company around by
increasing sales is on track.

Good. Right.

Phase two is to bring
their running costs down,

so they're finally moving
back to their historic

and much cheaper HQ in Margate.

It's not one person, it's not
individuals, it's a team.

When you've got a solid team,
nothing's impossible.

We've all got a common goal,

and that common goal is
to put Hornby back on top.

The company's end of year sales
figures are yet to be released,

but, after a loss last year
of around 10 million pounds,

they're unlikely to turn
a profit this year.

But, for Simon, that dream
is getting closer.

What it means to me is...

Ugh. I get too emotional.

When Lyndon says,
"Simon, we've done it."

I'll probably burst into tears.

To see it going in
the right direction...

..it's a fantastically
satisfying feeling.

But it hasn't finished,
so you can't sit back and say,

"Cool, that was good."

You know? It's not
the end of the film.

I'm afraid it is actually, Simon,

and it could still be the end of the
company that defined my childhood.

I mean, Simon may
have won the battle

of the Terrier and the Class 66,

but what if Hatton's and Rails
of Sheffield in Sheffield,

launch a counterattack?

And if that sounds like the premise
for an exciting and compelling

second series, then
please sign my petition.

Go to...

Goodnight.