James May is on a mission to save modern man. Thirty years ago men were a resourceful, practical and dependable band of
brothers, but not anymore. Today we have lost the once-familiar skills all men had – the skills to build things, make things and
mend things. With James at the helm its time for man to become useful and resourceful again…
At the heart of the series is James’ Man Lab itself. This is the show’s headquarters, where James and his team spend the
backbone of the series perfecting their man skills through a raft of challenges such as building a home cinema and
constructing a bar and kitchen. James and co. also make their own “boys toys” including a motorized picnic table, an aerial fly
and wasp killing machine and a toilet paper alarm.
In each show there is a celebrity D.I.Y. strand, in which stars attempt a tricky practical test of their manhood, such as building
some flat pack furniture, hanging wallpaper, and changing a flat tyre on a car.
James also ventures away from the Man Lab to set an example to his team by facing a breathtaking test of courage and skill.
These larger challenges (which would be more at home in an action movie) include diffusing an unexploded bomb, navigating
the English Channel only by the stars, and challenging a male rival to a duel.