
The Secret Life of Machines(1988)
Overview
The Secret Life of Machines is an educational television series presented by Tim Hunkin and Rex Garrod, in which the two explain the inner workings and history of common household and office machinery. According to Hunkin, the show's creator, the programme was developed from his comic strip The Rudiments of Wisdom, which he researched and drew for the Observer newspaper over a period of 14 years. Three separate groupings of the broadcast were produced and originally shown between 1988 and 1993 on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom, with the production subsequently airing on The Learning Channel and the Discovery Channel.
Loading episode ratings...
This may take a moment for shows with many seasons.
No imageSeason 1
6 episodes • 1988
Season 1
6 episodes • 1988
| # | Episode | Air Date | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Secret Life of the Vacuum Cleaner | Nov 15, 1988 | 0.0 |
| 2 | The Secret Life of the Washing Machine | Nov 22, 1988 | 0.0 |
| 3 | The Secret Life of the Sewing Machine | Nov 29, 1988 | 0.0 |
| 4 | The Secret Life of the Refrigerator | Dec 6, 1988 | 0.0 |
| 5 | The Secret Life of the Central Heating System | Dec 13, 1988 | 0.0 |
| 6 | The Secret Life of the Television Set | Dec 20, 1988 | 0.0 |
No imageSeason 2
6 episodes • 1991
Season 2
6 episodes • 1991
| # | Episode | Air Date | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Secret Life of the Car | Jan 8, 1991 | 0.0 |
| 2 | The Secret Life of the Internal Combustion Engine | Jan 15, 1991 | 0.0 |
| 3 | The Secret Life of the Quartz Watch | Jan 22, 1991 | 0.0 |
| 4 | The Secret Life of the Telephone | Jan 29, 1991 | 0.0 |
| 5 | The Secret Life of the Radio Set | Jan 5, 1991 | 0.0 |
| 6 | The Secret Life of the Video Recorder | Feb 12, 1991 | 0.0 |
No imageSeason 3
6 episodes • 1993
Season 3
6 episodes • 1993
| # | Episode | Air Date | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Secret Life of the Fax Machine | Feb 18, 1993 | 0.0 |
| 2 | The Secret Life of the Lift | Feb 25, 1993 | 0.0 |
| 3 | The Secret Life of the Word Processor | Mar 4, 1993 | 0.0 |
| 4 | The Secret Life of the Electric Light | Mar 11, 1993 | 0.0 |
| 5 | The Secret Life of the Photocopier | Mar 18, 1993 | 0.0 |
| 6 | The Secret Life of the Office | Mar 25, 1993 | 0.0 |
Related Shows

Time Scanners
2014This is your chance to reach out and touch the past! Just as a forensic anthropologist analyses bones, and a historian deciphers ancient texts, we now have the technology to "read" the buildings, ruins and landscapes where history was made. The series, presented by Dallas Campbell, teams Steve Burrows (pictured), the brains behind the Bird’s Nest Stadium in Beijing, with a team of pioneering laser scanning experts from the Centre for Advanced Spatial Technologies to unlock the secrets of the world’s greatest engineering and cultural achievements. Locations include the Colosseum, Petra, Machu Picchu, St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Pyramids and Jerusalem.

Time Team
1994Time Team is a British television series which has been aired on British Channel 4 from 1994. Created by television producer Tim Taylor and presented by actor Tony Robinson, each episode featured a team of specialists carrying out an archaeological dig over a period of three days, with Robinson explaining the process in layman's terms. This team of specialists changed throughout the series' run, although has consistently included professional archaeologists such as Mick Aston, Carenza Lewis, Francis Pryor and Phil Harding. The sites excavated over the show's run have ranged in date from the Palaeolithic right through to the Second World War.

Brits Who Made The Modern World
2008The three-part series tells the story of British architects Richard Rogers, Norman Foster, Nicholas Grimshaw, Michael Hopkins and Terry Farrell.

Antiques Roadshow
1979Antiques Roadshow is a British television show in which antiques appraisers travel to various regions of the United Kingdom to appraise antiques brought in by local people. It has been running since 1979. There are also international versions of the programme.

The Crocodile Hunter
1997Australian host Steve Irwin and his wife Terri run a wildlife refuge. Their shared passion is educating the world about wildlife, including the much feared crocodile and numerous venomous snakes. Steve's specialty is the capture and relocation of crocodiles. No animal appears too threatening to Steve, his true respect for animals is the foundation for everything he does.

Once Upon a Time... The Objects
2024Did you know that behind a soccer ball, glasses or a spoon lie treasures of inventiveness and thousands of years of history? Each episode of this new series looks at an object. Through its creation and its developments, through the ages and civilizations, we approach all sciences, from physics to philosophy, including history. Each object of our daily life is the result of a long process and conceals a rich history of knowledge and human adventures. Never again will you look at your stairs, your pants or a computer the same way...

Wallace & Gromit's World of Invention
2010In the series, "Wallace will take a light hearted and humorous look at the real-life inventors, contraptions, gadgets and inventions, with the silent help of Gromit. The series aims to inspire a whole new generation of innovative minds by showing them real, but mind-boggling, machines and inventions from around the world that have influenced his illustrious inventing career" (the BBC press statement). Peter Sallis reprised his role as the voice of Wallace. The filmed inserts are mostly narrated by Ashley Jensen, with one in each episode presented in-vision by Jem Stansfield. John Sparkes also voices a portion in the unseen character of archivist Goronwy.

Ancient Impossible
2015Ancient Impossible, the new H2 series, picks up where HISTORY’s long running Ancient Discoveries left off. In this next generation of storytelling, Ancient Impossible reveals how many of today’s technological achievements were actually developed centuries ago. Colossal monuments, impossible feats of engineering and technologies so precise they defy reinvention–the ancient world was far more advanced than we ever imagined. We’ll travel through history to reveal a radically different picture of the past, with innovations so far ahead of their time, they’re still in use today. New science uncovers a lost world more like our own than we ever suspected, and reveals how modern technology has its blueprint in the ancient world.

Once Upon a Time... Life
1987Attention please! Are you ready for an adventurous tour through the human body? With a lot of humour, our physical appearance is being introduced from head to toe along cells and organs in an educational way. The heart, blood, nerves and kidneys, each single one is a miracle which renders life possible.

Green Porno
2008A series of very short films inspired by the amazing and often bizarre sexual practices of insects and other creatures.

Rise of the Machines
2014It is 2014 and the machines have not taken over…yet. The newest, most technologically advanced series from H2™, Rise of the Machines, reveals how the inventions behind the world’s most extreme machines have enabled them to evolve beyond humanity’s wildest imagination. This visually stunning series uses mind-blowing CGI animations to reveal the extraordinary engineering at the heart of the world’s most extreme machines. From the world’s biggest mega truck to the world’s fastest train to a revolutionary heavy lift ship, ground breaking CGI animation explodes the machines apart to reveal the ingenious inventions hidden under their skin that enables the teams who drive, fly and sail them to be at the top of their game. This series takes us inside these machines in close up detail and explores what helps these elite ships, trucks, trains and aircrafts rise above all others.

MythBusters
2003MythBusters is a science entertainment television program created and produced by Australia's Beyond Television Productions for the Discovery Channel. The show's hosts, special effects experts Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman, use elements of the scientific method to test the validity of rumors, myths, movie scenes, adages, Internet videos, and news stories.

Shannons Legends of Motorsport
2014Relive the biggest events of Australian Motorsport history in 'Shannons Legends of Motorsport', hosted by Neil Crompton. In an entertaining 12 part series, Neil Crompton, Australia's premier motoring commentator, brings to life the history of Australian Motorsport with rarely seen historical footage from Seven's extensive archives dating from the '60's to the '90'. In the he second 12 part series, hosted by Bill Woods and Aaron Noonan, they interview many of our Australian motorsport legends and reveal even more historical footage taken from the Network Seven archives. The third 15 part series includes a number of short clips outlining some of the most iconic people, cars and race events in our Australian automotive history.

The Ideal Exhibition with Hervé Tullet
2018Hervé Tullet, an artist of playful and uninhibited creations, invites young and old to unleash their creativity. He offers a series of creation, recreation and inspiration workshops, so that anyone can put together their own Ideal Exhibition.

Faster! Humanity's Quest to Save Time
2021Explores the scientific, social, economic and environmental consequences of supposedly time-saving inventions, ideas and objects. Throughout a lifetime, the minutes that are actually lost or saved can add up to days, weeks, months or even years.
Power: Engineering Energy and Speed
2017No description available.

Newton's Apple
1983Newton's Apple is an American educational television program produced and developed by KTCA, and distributed to PBS stations in the United States that ran from 1983 to 1999. The show's title is based on the rumor of Isaac Newton sitting under a tree and an apple falling near him—or, more popularly, on his head—prompting him to ponder what makes things fall, leading to the development of his theory of gravitation. The show was produced by Twin Cities Public Television. For most of the run, the show's theme song was Ruckzuck by Kraftwerk, later remixed by Absolute Music. Later episodes of the show featured an original song. An occasional short feature appeared called "Science of the Rich and Famous" in which celebrities appeared to explain a science principle.

How Britain Worked
2012Guy Martin celebrates the workers of the Industrial Revolution by getting stuck into six of the country's biggest restoration projects, bringing some of the 19th century's most impressive engineering achievements back to life.

The Genius of Invention
2013Every time we switch on a light or boil a kettle we rely on power - but most people don't stop to think about the inventions and discoveries that allow us to live the way we do. In an exciting new four-part series for BBC Two, The Genius of Invention reveals the fascinating chain of events behind inventions that make everyday life possible.

How the Victorians Built Britain
2018This series travels the length and breadth of Britain to find out how the Victorians built Britain. It uncovers the incredible and surprising stories behind iconic landmarks; discovers the hidden heroes behind the epic constructions; and finds out how the incredible advances made by the Victorians forged the world we live in today.