The Crane Gang
BBC2, BBC Two HD Sun 22nd Sep 8pm - 9pm
Repeat:BBC2 (not BBC Two Northern Ireland) Tue 24th Sep 11:50pm City dwellers are used to seeing massive cranes silhouetted against the skyline but few stop to think about the people operating them or the difficulties of negotiating busy streets to get these monsters on site. The “heavies” are the men and machines that carry out the biggest jobs of all, such as lifting luxury yachts into dry dock, dismantling the Olympic Aquatic Centre and shifting a derailed freight train off the track (a remarkable sequence).
It’s terrific viewing for fans of shows like Monster Moves – and there are as many characters as on Ice Road Truckers - while the sight of a German construction fair bristling with gigantic cranes is simply astounding.
1/3. Following the day-to-day operations of a mobile crane company as it moves everything from precious works of art to enormous wind turbines. The first episode looks at the staff and machines challenged with carrying out the biggest lifts of all, including the dismantling of the aquatics centre at the former Olympic Park in Stratford, east London. Life on the road often means sleeping and eating in vans, conditions that cause crane driver Tristam to complain to management - while new recruit Wayne struggles to deal with life 200 miles away from his family.
www.radiotimes.com
