James May: The Reassembler is a BBC Four documentary programme focusing on the reassembly of various pieces of technology from the past. The host, James May, discusses the item, its place in society, historical significance, and the engineering principles of the components whilst he reassembles the final product back to its original state.
Featured items have included a Fender Stratocaster electric guitar, a 1970s Honda Z50A miniature trail motorcycle, a dial telephone from the late 1950s, as well as a plethora of other items.
During this time, May was the only one out of the former Top Gear trio still doing work for the BBC. The three moved to Amazon's The Grand Tour in 2016 after they had not renewed their Top Gear contracts. Although the relationship between Clarkson and the BBC had gone quite sour, May still released The Reassembler on BBC Four.
Contents
Episodes
Series 2 (2016–2017)
While the BBC Four airings were in a 30-minute timeslot, an extended 45-minute version of each episode was released on DVD and is the version available across various video-on-demand platforms. The extended versions of Series 1 have also been shown on Quest and both seasons on Together TV, in an hour-long slot incorporating commercials. The extended versions are also publicly available for free on the YouTube channel Naked Science.