"Hello, viewers! And welcome to my World of Invention. The show that gives the spurt to expertise and puts intelligence on the telly."
"From A to B" is the sixth and final episode of the BBC One series Wallace & Gromit's World of Invention. This was also the last time Peter Sallis voiced Wallace before his retirement and his death.
Synopsis[]
"Today, we're looking at unusual forms of transport."
Wallace and Gromit explore incredible transportation inventions from around the globe. In the 'Contraption Countdown' the focus is on peculiar transport devices, and the duo find out how to cross the River Thames in a plastic bag. They discover the intention behind laser propulsion in the creation of flying saucer technology, and meet Cedric Lynch, an illustrious engineer who invented electric tricycles.
Segment 1[]
Before the first segment is introduced, Gromit notices that Wallace was running late for the show. Wallace suddenly arrives on a new invention, inadvertently knocking Gromit over. Once Wallace introduces the first segment, he shows the viewers a vehicle that not only takes one from A to B, but takes them under the "C" as well. He also asks Ashley if she got the joke.
Segment 2[]
Wallace commends Mikhail Puchkov as a man of sub-stance. He then remarks how there are so many ways to get from A to B as Gromit shovels coal into the firebox of Wallace's invention - a "runabout steam chair", which Wallace states is a walk in the park for getting from A to B. He also demonstrates the chair's ability to rise up and down should he need a leg up to reach the next item, which he does to retrieve the VHS for the next segment's subject. However, he accidentally puts it on an oven-like device rather than a VCR, which Gromit is quick to notice - Gromit takes the tape out and puts it in the correct place as Wallace informs the viewers that it wasn't steam power they were looking at next, but rather electric motors.
Segment 3 - Contraption Countdown[]
Wallace remarks to Gromit -who is carrying a bag of coal- that it looks like Cedric Lynch had gotten the electric motor down to a TT. The steam chair suddenly malfunctions, lowering Wallace below the desk until his eyes are barely visible over the desk as he tells the viewers how people often ask him what his top six most peculiar forms of transport are. He hands it over to Goronwy who in this week's countdown shows six very peculiar ways of getting about.
6. A tetrahedronal water walker, which Goronwy refers to as a "Commute O Bag", saying it's perfect for getting to work at the bank, as in a riverbank. He also wonders if this was what economists meant when they talk about inflation.
5. A wood-burning car from 1938 designed by a man from Buckinghamshire which, aside from saving having to bury a forest under a layer of sedimentary rock and wait for a million years to make petrol according to Goronwy, will do 40 miles to the sycamore on a good day.
4. A bicycle designed for riding on ice. Goronwy doesn't seem to see a point in it on account of it not being a lot of use for cycling to work, nor if you lived near an ice rink.
3. Motorised roller skates from 1962 that do "160 miles to the gallon", for people who like the idea of going for a walk but don't fancy the actual walking bit. Goronwy's only advice if one is carrying any bags is that they simply go in the boot.
2. Footage of an early monorail test. While "impressive, stylish, fast," Goronwy's only advice is to make sure you're not drinking a cup of tea when it takes a corner.
1. The Duoped pedal wheels, including some people falling off them. Goronwy accepts that they're neither faster, nor safer than walking, but couldn't remember the point in using them.
Segment 4[]
Curiosity Corner
Wallace parks up in Curiosity Corner on the runabout steam chair before welcoming the viewers to it. To the ominous tune of a musical saw, Wallace informs the viewers if they knew that in a secret railway siding just outside Crewe, British Rail once worked on something very curious indeed. When he suggests they take a look, nothing immediately happens. The camera cuts to Gromit using the musical saw until Wallace tells him, "Uh, when you're ready, lad." upon which Gromit plays the next segment of the episode
Segment 5[]
Inventor of the Week
Wallace wonders how much a day return would be on a Lightcraft. He assumes, "Astronomical, I'll be bound!" The runabout steam chair suddenly starts buffeting, prompting Wallace to check its blast pipe, resulting in a faceful of soot. He then informs the viewers, as Gromit hands him a towel, that next up, they're going to give a high-five to the man who brought everyone the C5; this week's Inventor of the Week, Sir Clive Sinclair.
Segment 6[]
It Never Got Off The Drawing Board
Wallace agrees Sinclair's achievements are electrifying stuff. The runabout steam chair starts buffeting again as Gromit struggles to keep the pressure stable. Wallace tells the viewer (eventually shouting over the noise of the rising pressure) that cutting-edge technology being not without its problems is nothing to get steamed up about, as even the most famous inventors had ideas that never got off the drawing board, which Jem Stansfield was going to show the viewers. At this point the pressure in the runabout steam chair becomes too much and it falls apart, Wallace telling Jem that he's blown his gasket. Jem assures him that he's not the only great inventor who has had problems with pressure.
Conclusion[]
Wallace agrees that failure can happen to the best of inventors. He acknowledges that even if steam power isn't the future, he wasn't one to let a good invention go to waste. We see that he has repurposed the runabout steam chair as a dual tea dispenser and oven. He even remarks that it doesn't half make a lovely cuppa.
Trivia[]
- Featured song: "Airplanes" by B.o.B ft. Hayley Williams
| Season 1 episodes:
|
| Nature Knows Best | Reach for the Sky | Home Sweet Home |
| Come to Your Senses | Better Safe Than Sorry | From A to B |