Great Model Railway Challenge 2020?

[Neil]

Does anyone know if we'll be treated to another series of the Great Model Railway Challenge this year? It all seems to have gone a bit quiet but if it was to happen it would bring some logic to Hornby's decision to bring out a steampunk range. I don't know how much clout the show sponsors have with the format but amping up the 'fantasy' element could see the steampunk stuff getting a lot of airtime.

[Huw Griffiths]

I certainly hope we get another series this year.

 

Although steampunk and fantasy have never been to my personal taste, I suspect that a case could be made for having one heat (possibly a second) with this sort of theme.

 

Alternatively, perhaps there might be a case for teams to be encouraged to enter an extra pre-build - one or more items of rolling stock or motive power of their choice, rebuilt / significantly modified in advance - with the team members involved explaining what they did.

 

I can't imagine the sponsors being too worried about providing some donor models, in exchange for the chance to get potential customers used to the idea of doing "cut and shut" conversions especially if they get some usable footage or photos of what's involved.

[ELTEL]

Another option would to move it forward and perhaps a build of a smaller micro type layout say on a 5’ x 1’ board similar to the  Warley challenge at there recent open day.

 

Teams of say 2 people per layout and more on a railway theme to encourage model rail enthusiasts on the fringe to have ago 

 

Have a couple of experienced modellers on hand to offer advice 

 

1. Branchline

2. Industrial
3  Harbour

4. Coal Mine.

5. Scrap Yard 

6. Engine Shed

 

Just a thought

 

Eltel 

  

[noiseboy72]

I've seen a few flyers inviting competitors for a 2020 series, but nothing more. 

[Huw Griffiths]

That's an interesting development.

 

Do you mind if I ask where / when you saw these flyers?

 

I'm guessing that this might have been at a show - at which somebody would have needed to put them there - which I'd be inclined to take as a positive sign.

 

Personally, I don't read too much into the lack of a "call for teams" on the TV programmes - I'm not convinced that they'd necessarily need too many applications from potential new teams.

 

In case this comment sounds strange, there was previously talk of "reserve" teams - which suggests to me that the production company might have had applications from more potential teams than they actually needed for the second series.

 

Amongst the teams that have already taken part in GMRC, there might also be a number of teams (or people from them) interested in having another go.

 

I wouldn't put it past any production company to contact a number of these people - with the result that they might not actually be looking for as many new teams as some people might think.

 

It'll be interesting to see what happens in due course.

 

 

Huw.

[noiseboy72]

The flyer was at Warley - on the winner's layout stand.

 

They are always on the lookout for new and interesting teams. I would imagine that they don't get quite as many suitable teams as you might think. Finding a bunch of people who are a: available for anything up to 10 days in a 1 month period, b: happy to appear and confident on TV and c: good speed modellers is quite hard!

 

If you are interested, have a look at our website - as this gives you some idea of what you might face. Then, drop an email to knickerbocker and see if they respond

 

It is a fun experience, but it is stressful and tiring, so make sure your team are fit and ready for anything...

 

[noiseboy72]

Just an update on this, as I had an email from the production company last week. There's currently no firm plans for a 3rd series of GMRC, but discussions are ongoing. 

 

Fingers crossed...

[Huw Griffiths]

On 03/03/2020 at 21:00, noiseboy72 said:

Just an update on this, as I had an email from the production company last week. There's currently no firm plans for a 3rd series of GMRC, but discussions are ongoing. 

 

Fingers crossed...

 

In view of the "Corona" crisis - and series like GMRC needing a number of people in one place at a time - I could imagine the production company (and hopefully Channel 5) thinking in terms of missing out this year - and going for Series 3 in 2021.

 

If they do, indeed, take this approach, I could imagine them also taking the chance to identify any "tweaks" to the format which they think might be required (not that I can can think of many).

 

It'll be interesting to see what happens in the long run.

 

 

Huw.

[Ian Morgan]

They dodged a bullet this year, as filming would have been in June, and so it would have been cancelled. I hope it does come back next year.

[1867Adelphi]

Bringing this one back for an update.
Does anyone have any news if 2021 will see a third series.... or has it officially hit the end of the rails?

[AY Mod]

1 minute ago, 1867Adelphi said:

has it officially hit the end of the rails?

 

I'm sure they'll do something when they can; it's not like it would have been possible last year and this year would be fraught with difficulties. There are far easier programmes for them to go and make. I'm frightened to go to the coast or on a disused railway as there'll be celebrities walking everywhere again filming the same things as each other.

[Ian Morgan]

Apparently Sweden have picked up the format and will be making their own series.

 

They gave us Abba, Volvo and Ikea, we give them GMRC.

 

Also, the original series are being shown as in-flight entertainment to the non-existant passengers.

 

 

[Huw Griffiths]

3 hours ago, Ian Morgan said:

Apparently Sweden have picked up the format and will be making their own series.

 

They gave us Abba, Volvo and Ikea, we give them GMRC.

 

Also, the original series are being shown as in-flight entertainment to the non-existant passengers.

 

Let's guess:

• The teams get supplied with flat-pack MDF baseboards, with names that most Brits have no chance of pronouncing correctly?

• At the end of each heat, two of the teams meet their Waterloo?

 

Seriously though, I wish Channel 5 (or one of their Freeview spin-offs) would stick the original series on as "box sets", over bank holidays - and then tell us when they intend to commission some new series.

 

OK - they might not be exactly what some of us might call "museum standard", "fine scale", or whatever - but that isn't what series like this are about. HMRC seems to be about imparting a novel spin onto "the World's greatest hobby" - making the hobby appeal to a wider, non-specialised audience - drawing new people into the hobby and giving it more of a future.

 

As for people filming new TV programmes, I wonder if one member of this site might have found his way to the 3rd floor of an office block in the Lillie Bridge area? (Don't worry - I don't expect an answer!)

 

 

Huw.

[Chris M]

I emailed knickerbockerglory with an idea for a show that could be recorded with at least a degree of social distancing but they weren’t interested.
 

This was my suggestion taken from

my email to them - 

 

“Model railways have become more popular over recent years, partially due to the GMRC and also because of the lockdown. I was thinking along the lines of a model railway programme which followed a similar format to shed of the year. You could feature four layouts in a one hour programme with four different experts or personalities going out to visit them and a discussion of the merits of each of the layouts at the end of the programme. I guess that would work out at circa 12 minutes per layout. This could be interspersed with an animated explanation of one or two features of the building each layout (perhaps a bit like the animations in train truckers). Something which I don't think has been done yet would be to open telephone voting lines at the end of the programme so the public can vote for their favourite layout. When the lines close you could get the layout owners together on zoom and announce the winner live on air if a little gap could be found to do this. If you had four heats the winners of the heats could all come together in a final to see whose is "layout of the year". You could use the title - The Great Model Railway Challenge - Lockdown Layouts.

 

I know nothing about TV but I reckon this should be pretty cheap to make as all you have to do is send a camera and sound guy along with the expert to each location. It could probably be organised pretty quickly too. If you started work on it now you could have a list of people to visit by the time restrictions are lifted sufficiently to allow visits to homes; I'm sure everyone in your industry is now used to filming under social distancing rules. It would be good to have each episode devoted to a different scale - say N, 00, 0 and finally others.”

 

I thought it might work but what do I know? Never mind.