Extreme Machines was a documentary series created by Pioneer Productions for The Learning Channel and Discovery Channel. The series focused mainly on machines although in some episodes of Season 4 and Season 5, it also looked at disasters involving them.[1] The series was largely narrated by William Hootkins. The show made also made use of scale miniatures in many episodes, managed by David Barlow.[2][3]

Extreme Machines
Narrated byWilliam Hootkins
Music byRoger Bolton (Season 1)

Justin Nicholls (Season 1-3)

Guy Dagul (Season 4-5)
Country of originUnited States of America
No. of seasons5
Production
Production companyPioneer Productions
Original release
NetworkThe Learning Channel Discovery Channel
Release1997 (1997) –
2002 (2002)

Episodes

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Seasons Episodes
1 11
2 12
3 12
4 12
5 10
Specials 7

Season 1 (1997)

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Season

Episode Title Technology shown Episode Directed by
1 Diving Deep Submersibles
2 Choppers AH-64 Apache Hugh Whiteworth
3 Hovercrafts Hovercraft
4 Image Impossible
5 Fastest Man on Earth
6 Race Cars Honda HRH V8t (Tasman Motorsports - 1996)

McLaren F1 GTR (Gulf McLaren - 1996)

Hugh Whiteworth[4]
7 Rockets Space Shuttle

Energia/Buran

Long March 3B

Ariane 5

V-2 Rocket

R-16/SS-7 Saddler

R-7 Semyorka/SS-6 Sapwood

Vostok, Mercury

Saturn V

DC-XA

Rod Parker[5]
8 Roller Coasters
9 Spaceplanes Space Shuttle

DC-XA

VentureStar

Energia/Buran

HOPE-X

Hermes

Rod Parker[6]
10 Speed Freaks
11 Wheels of Steel TGV

Shinkansen

Mallard

Southern Pacific Daylight

California Zephyr (Pre Amtrak)

Union Pacific Big Boy

Union Pacific Challenger

Acela Express (Concept)

Peru Andes Railline

Nilgiri Mountain Railway

Indian Pacific

Channel Tunnel, Eurostar

London Underground

Transrapid Maglev

Yavar Abbas[7]

Season 2 (1998)

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Season

Episode Title Technology Shown Episode Directed by
1 Tanks M1 Abrams
2 Motorcycle Mania
3 Earth Breakers
4 Car Crazy Lotus Elise

Jim Router's F-117 Car

Amphicar

Dutton Mariner

Volkswagen Beetle

General Motors EV1

Drag Racing Cars

Moller Skycar

5 Smart Weapons BGM-109 Tomahawk

Fat Man and Little Boy

6 Flight Power BAE Harrier II

Hawker Siddeley Harrier

AV-8B Harrier II

Hugh Whiteworth[8]
7 Supersonic Landspeed
8 Power Boats
9 Mega Trucks Komatsu 930E

Shockwave

Volvo ECT

10 Four Wheel Force
11 Supersight
12 Carriers USS John C. Stennis CVN-74 (Nimitz Class Carrier)

F-14B Tomcat

F/A-18C Hornet

EA-6B Prowler

E-2C Hawkeye

S-3B Viking/ES-3A Shadow

SH-60 Seahawk

USS Forrestal CV-59 (Forrestal Class Carrier)

USS Peleliu LHA-5 (Tawara Class Amphibious Carrier)

AV-8B Harrier II

HMS Invincible (R05)

FRS.1/2 Sea Harrier

Hugh Whiteworth[9]

Season 3 (1999)

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Season

Episode Title Technology shown Episode Directed by
1 Emergency Vehicles
2 Submarines USS Nebraska SSBN-739 (Ohio Class Submarine)

Typhoon Class Submarine

USS Miami SSN-755 (Improved Los Angless Class Submarine)

Akula Class Submarine

K-141 Kursk (Oscar II Class Submarine)

HMS Conqueror S48 (Churchill Class Submarine)

3 Speed Freaks II X-15

TGV Atlantique

X-1

Apollo 10

4 Ultimate Space Machines
5 Ice Master
6 The Ultimate Speed machines
7 Balloons
8 Super Cars
9 The Landspeed Record
10 Incredible Robots MIT Leg Laboratory

Honda E series robots

Honda P series robots

Surveyor landers

Mars Pathfinder and Sojourner

11 Metal Monsters
12 Flight of the Future YF-22/F-22 Raptor

YF-23

Su-37 Terminator

Sikorsky Cypher

NASA Liftingbodys

Ekranoplan KM (Caspian Sea Monster)

Boeing 747-400

David Holryod[10]

Season 4 (2000)

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Season

Episode Title Technology shown Episode Directed by
1 Pedal Power
2 Rocketeers
3 Car Crash
4 Aviators
5 Raiders of the Deep
6 Super Trains/Super Trains Ultimate P-40DC Genesis (Amtrak Sunset Limited)

Superliner Railcar (Amtrak Sunset Limited)

Acela Express

Shinkansen

TGV

ICE Train (Eschede train disaster)

Gaisal train disaster

Moorgate crash

Ladbroke Grove rail crash

Yavar Abbas[3]
7 Adrenaline Junkies
8 Extreme Rides
9 Disasters at Sea
10 Airships
11 Mega Machines
12 Jump Jets AV-8B Harrier II

XV-4 Hummingbird

Balzac V

GR.1 Harrier

FRS.1 Sea Harrier

BAE Harrier II

X-35 JSF

X-32 JSF

XV-15/V-22 Osprey

Season 5 (2001)

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References

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  1. ^ "All Seasons". www.thetvdb.com. Retrieved 2021-10-16.
  2. ^ "About". dbarlow.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-10-16.
  3. ^ a b Extreme Machines, Super Trains - Pioneer Productions
  4. ^ Extreme Racing - IndyCar and Gran Turismo, retrieved 2023-05-13
  5. ^ "Discovery Channel Documentaries - Extreme Machines: Rockets - TheTVDB.com". www.thetvdb.com. Retrieved 2021-10-16.
  6. ^ Spaceplanes - The Ultimate Journey, retrieved 2021-10-16
  7. ^ Extreme Machines, Wheels of Steel (1997) - The Learning Channel
  8. ^ Flight Power - Aircraft History, retrieved 2021-10-20
  9. ^ Extreme Machines, Carriers (1998) - Discovery Channel
  10. ^ Flight of the Future - Science Fiction or Reality, retrieved 2021-10-20