Car designer joins DCI Gene Hunt in new show
He’s best known as no-nonsense copper DCI Gene Hunt, but after his starring turns behind the wheel in Life on Mars’s Ford Cortina and Ashes to Ashes’s Audi Quattro, actor Philip Glenister will be bringing some of Britain’s lost treasures back to life in a new show with Ware car designer Ant Anstead.
The pair have been filming in and around hertforshire for the past six months for new Channel Four prime time show, For the Love of Cars, which starts on Sunday. But despite the obvious comparisons with BBC’s Sunday night series Top Gear, Ant said they were very different shows.
“It’s not a Top Gear attempt,” he said. “At the same time it’s not a restoration car show. We don’t fix up a car and make £500 and rub our hands together. It’s a celebration of British cars.
He said the aim of the show was to look at the cultural impact of some of Britain’s best loved cars over the years. “We look at what impact they have in Britain and why they are revered and celebrated today,” said the 35 year old. “Philip goes on a social journey and takes that view of the car, while I’m in the workshop and I bring it back to life.”
Former Richard Hale and Haleybury pupil, Ant, who owns Hertford-based bespoke car makers Evanta Motor Co, which also has a workshop in Tewin, bought his first car when he was 16 and started up Evanta a decade ago. He said he got involved in the show after being approached by Channel Four, which commissioned the programme that has been made by Love Productions.
For the past six months Ant and Philip have been scouring barns and lock-ups across Britain, searching for wrecked treasures. During the seven episode series, Ant will undertake restorations on six classic cars – a Ford Excort Mexico, Land Rover Series 1, Mini Cooper, MGTC, Delorean and Triumph Stag. And Philip will meet hardcore fanatics, taking inspiration from them about how Ant restores the cars – from the headlights and wheel trims to the steering wheel and go faster stripes. At the end of the series, the finished cars will go to a public auction, and the audience will find out how much they are worth.
The first episode will air on Sunday at 8pm on Channel Four.
The pair have been filming in and around hertforshire for the past six months for new Channel Four prime time show, For the Love of Cars, which starts on Sunday. But despite the obvious comparisons with BBC’s Sunday night series Top Gear, Ant said they were very different shows.
“It’s not a Top Gear attempt,” he said. “At the same time it’s not a restoration car show. We don’t fix up a car and make £500 and rub our hands together. It’s a celebration of British cars.
He said the aim of the show was to look at the cultural impact of some of Britain’s best loved cars over the years. “We look at what impact they have in Britain and why they are revered and celebrated today,” said the 35 year old. “Philip goes on a social journey and takes that view of the car, while I’m in the workshop and I bring it back to life.”
Former Richard Hale and Haleybury pupil, Ant, who owns Hertford-based bespoke car makers Evanta Motor Co, which also has a workshop in Tewin, bought his first car when he was 16 and started up Evanta a decade ago. He said he got involved in the show after being approached by Channel Four, which commissioned the programme that has been made by Love Productions.
For the past six months Ant and Philip have been scouring barns and lock-ups across Britain, searching for wrecked treasures. During the seven episode series, Ant will undertake restorations on six classic cars – a Ford Excort Mexico, Land Rover Series 1, Mini Cooper, MGTC, Delorean and Triumph Stag. And Philip will meet hardcore fanatics, taking inspiration from them about how Ant restores the cars – from the headlights and wheel trims to the steering wheel and go faster stripes. At the end of the series, the finished cars will go to a public auction, and the audience will find out how much they are worth.
The first episode will air on Sunday at 8pm on Channel Four.
Copyright @PhilipGlenisterFans. All Rights Reserved. This is a non-profit website, and all material on this site is meant for entertainment purposes only. No copyright infringement is intended and all content provided or linked to on this site is copyrighted to their respective owners, photographers, and representatives. Watermarks are meant for site promotion only and do not indicate ownership. If you come across something you would like removed, please contact us before taking further action and we will remove it.