Stuck inside with hardly anything to do? If you have access to streaming services like Amazon, Hulu, Netflix etc., try looking up the British movies and TV shows listed below for some couch-based British car fun!

The Italian Job (Original Version). Putting actor Michael Caine together with a bunch of Minis to pull off a bank heist makes for a great movie. Lots of chuckles throughout, and some brilliant driving stunts. A newer version was made with Mark Wahlburg using the contemporary Mini, but it can’t compare with the original, made in 1969. Best line from the film: “You were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!”. Available on Amazon.


Vintage Roads Great and Small. Some of you may have watched the BBC adaptation of James Herriot’s “All Creatures Great and Small”, a funny tale of a vet’s adventures in the Yorkshire Dales (UK) pre WW2. Two of the main actors from this series get together again for a tour of the British Isles in an old Morgan. They tour Wales and Scotland, stopping off at various landmarks and pubs while also running into other MG owners and clubs. Available on YouTube and Amazon (Acorn TV).


Any James Bond Film. Pretty sure that every James Bond film ever made features a fancy British car. Machine guns? Check. Submersible? Check. Ejection seat? Check. British suaveness and style? Check. Even the new films have some great British motoring included in their screenplays, and there’s a real treat with “Skyfall” when Daniel Craig’s Bond revisits the Aston Martin DB5 from “Goldfinger”. Bond films play regularly on TMC on TV, but can also be found on most streaming service.


MG Cars History. This show can be found on National Geographic’s history channel on Youtube. It’s a quick, 23-minute history of the MG brand and is an easy watch. The quality is a little faded but worth a quick look to brush up on your car’s origins. Link to show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWv9Kk6kIxM.


Wheeler Dealers. This show has been around since 2003, and has a gone through a few iterations to keep current and tackle difference viewing markets. Still, the format is always the same—buy an old car, fix it up and sell it for profit. The series began in the UK and then was moved to the USA more recently. The main host, Mike Brewer, has a knack for spotting a bargain and his mechanic accomplices always seem to know how to fix these cars whilst explaining their mechanical work in very easy-to-understand ways. Seek out the episodes that have British cars including Austin Minis, MG B GTs, Range Rovers, Bentleys and Triumph Spitfires. A decent binge-watch! - Available on Netflix, YouTube and some automotive channels on Spectrum and Dish TV (like Velocity)


Editors Note: Article taken from Capital City MG Club Newsletter, 2020 Q2