James May on the Moon (2009)
BBC

Description

Four decades ago, James May sat in his family sitting room watching Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin take man’s first steps on the moon. Now he dons his space suit and sets off on a one hour orbit around a subject that’s remained a fascination.

James travels to the America to meet three men who have walked on the moon, to discover how it felt and learn how 1960s technology managed to produce the most incredible machines in aviation history.

James also gets his own taste of how it felt to be an Apollo astronaut. He experiences the thrill of weightlessness in the infamous Vomit Comet, feels the bone-crushing G forces of a Saturn V rocket launch and gets to fly to the edge of space in a U2 spy plane – in his own space suit!

Reviews

8.0 Amazon user reviews

This program isn't meant to be an exhaustive review of NASA, the Saturn 5 rocket or Apollo Space Missions. If it was, I probably wouldn't have watched/bought it. This is a very entertaining, cleverly presented (by a man who clearly never grew up), and beautifully scored look at the wonders of lunar travel passed. I absolutely recommend it.
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8.0 DVD Times | Les Anderson

... May takes us through a potted history of the Apollo project, visiting the sites associated with it and talking to some of the now-retired astronauts as he prepares for his U-2 flight. He personally illustrates some of the extreme physical endurance testing the astronaut candidates undertook, which includes the obligatory trip on the 'Vomit Comet' to illustrate the joys of weightlessness. May is an engaging, knowledgeable and articulate presenter. Now 46, he has vivid childhood memories of the moon landings and aided by his undisguised awe of the men he visits, he helps to communicate vividly the personal experiences of many of the astronauts, some aspects of which have never been publicly aired before.
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8.0 TV Scoop | alowman

There must be a hundred ways to make a good documentary about the moon landings, but the reason this one works so well is that is clearly means such a lot to James himself. I thought that the personal perspective might be a bit superfluous - there's plenty of material to go on without the presenter getting involved - but in fact it's the making of the programme.
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7.0 The Guardian | Sam Wollaston

James May On the Moon. Best place for him, you could say. He's the one who isn't The Oaf or The Little One Who Almost Died. He's The Oaf's mate, basically. But, worryingly, he's beginning to get his own shows. Like here, straight after Top Gear. Help, they're taking over.
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