The history of the Pontiac Aztek, from conception through to its legacy. Why did GM green-light this car when focus groups said they hated it, and why did it come with a tent?بقلم Big Car

Graham shares his recent experience on BBC 6 Music plugging his many years in the Harrogate music scene on the Craig Charles show. Graham wonders how two new very different films manage to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory (Blitz and Conclave). Finally, Graham reveals two new books coming up in 2025 - including his own, hopefully - with a brie…

In part one we looked at electric vehicles and hybrids from the 1960s and 70s. We now move onto the 1980s where individuals all around the world didn’t want to give up on finding an alternative to the internal combustion engine. These were the days before our knowledge of global warming, and the motivation was around reducing city pollution and fre…

Rob Chapman, music writer talks about his current book, Unsung: Unsaid. Syd and Nick in absentia - about Syd Barrett and Nick Drake. About Rob Chapman: Rob Chapman was the singer with the Bristol-based band the Glaxo Babies and with the British alternative rock band The Transmitters, a music journalist for Mojo and other magazines and newspapers, h…

You might not think it, but the 60s and 70s were a hot bed of innovation in electric car design. Environmental and political events collided that got people questioning our reliance on the internal combustion engine and thinking about alternatives. So why was so much effort put into electric cars when so few people bought them, and how close did we…

Charles and Graham give a rundown of their Top 10 films from this year.; Keep in touch with Two Big Egos in a Small Car: X @2big_egos Facebook @twobigegosبقلم Graham Chalmers and Charles Hutchinson

Charles and Graham take a look at their favourite albums of 2024, looking back at a blockbuster year for female artists. Keep in touch with Two Big Egos in a Small Car: X @2big_egos Facebook @twobigegosبقلم Graham Chalmers and Charles Hutchinson

After decades of progress, and at a time Nissan were going to make their next step forward with the luxury Infiniti brand, Nissan’s Figaro was in a sense a next evolution in car design, in progress, but at the same time it was an exercise in looking back, of taking stock of just how far Nissan had come. It was also a conscious effort by its designe…

At the dawn of a new millennium car buyers were spoilt for choice when it came to really clever and innovative cars. There was the Renault Scénic, the original MPV that showed you can pack a large family into not a lot of car. Then there was the Mercedes A class, a masterclass in space management, with a cleverly packaged engine that allowed for th…

Charles and Graham are joined by novelist and short story writer, York based Ross Raisin to talk about his recent triumph in the BBC National Short Story Award with Ghost Kitchen and life as a writer. Ross Raisin was born and brought up on Silsden Moor in West Yorkshire. He is the author of four novels: A Hunger (2022), A Natural (2017), Waterline …

Graham examines how and why successful film franchises end up losing the plot in a comparison of disappointing new film, Paddington 3 with The Godfather 3. Graham discusses his recent talk on Nirvana, why the band were punk, not grunge, and how their story weirdly mirrors The Sex Pistols. Charles reports on Dear Evan Hansen at Leeds Grand Theatre. …

When Europe produced hot hatches in the 80s it was cars like the Renault 5 Turbo and the Ford Fiesta XR2 – great cars that took the regular hatchback and added more power and better brakes. Over in Japan Honda took a different tack. They crafted a new, very low drag shape for the existing Civic. They also removed a lot of weight. Together with a ra…

What’s going on with Alpine? They’ve had one car on sale since 2018, the A110, with only a second model appearing a couple of months ago, and that’s a rebadged Renault 5. In 6 years they’ve only sold 19,000 cars. And it’s not they’re selling $1M exotic Bugatti’s, The A110 is sold as a relatively affordable sports car. Alpine’s parent Renault have p…

Graham declares that Nick Cave is no god - as he assesses the opening night of the British leg of his 'Wild God' tour at Leeds Arena last night. Charles reviews The Pretenders at York Barbican: why Chrissie Hynde remains the coolest woman in rock. Alex Cox's Sid and Nancy - The 70s never stopped: Graham is reappraising Alex Cox's 1986 film Sid and …

Ford’s styling department in the 1980s and 1990s could be relied upon to produce hit after hit. We liked the third generation Fiesta, we loved the Mondeo and the Ka, and we positively adored the Ford Focus. But in that period there was one car that stuck out like a sore thumb, the 1994 Ford Scorpio. Buy the Secret Fords book here! Use promo code BI…

Graham tells us what he learned by talking to Sean O'Hagan from the High Llamas when he saw the band at Hebden Bridge last weekend. Graham has also been watching Fellini's Roma (1972) in Italian! And visiting the new William Morris arts and crafts exhibition in York, which of course Charles has seen too. The duo comment on the recent announcement t…

A massive thank you to all our guests and collaborators, we've made it to our 200th episode! To mark such a special occasion Charles and Graham are absolutely delighted to welcome Peter Brewis, co-founder of Sunderland indie legends, Field Music. Peter is here to talk about the new Field Music album, Limits of Language. Keep in touch with Two Big E…

There’s a lot of focus on the rivalry between the German big three – Volkswagen, BMW & Mercedes, but in Sweden of course there was a rivalry between the “big two” – Volvo and Saab. So, as Volvo’s cars got larger and went upmarket in the 1970s, Saab must have surely taken note and decided that they had to respond. The result was the Saab 9000, produ…

Graham discusses how his Supertramp Q&A session with legendary music producer, Ken Scott went in Harrogate. Ken Scott was shooting from the hip and taking no prisoners. Graham also reflects on the future of guitar bands as he attended an all-day gig at the Brudenell Social Club in Leeds. The arts world turned up for the funeral of Beatnik poet Heat…

A few months ago I made a video about EVs that touched on robotaxis, and with Tesla’s recent Robotaxi event I thought I’d make a quick follow-up video talking about what was announced.بقلم Big Car

Graham discusses his recent travels in modern Emilia-Romagna, how Romeo and Juliet mania is Verona's Harry Potter and why the absence of Ramones t-shirts worn on the streets is probably an expression of Italy's innate coolness. Charles applauds the 'annus miraculous' for Shed Seven's 30th anniversary tour and album releases amid the release of the …

Early version of this audio with lots of echo. It needs to be re-recorded, but throwing it out now as it's all that I can do right now.بقلم Big Car

Graham pays tribute to Harrogate poet and musician, Heath Common who has sadly passed away. Read Graham's obituary. Graham and Charles discuss how English Teacher winning this year's Mercury Prize finally recognises Leeds as a music city. Charles reflects on seeing the incomparable Elvis Costello and Steve Nieve at their 15 Songs in 50 Years gig at…

Charles and Graham talk to Leeds based writer and musician, Boff Whalley about his new musical for Red Ladder Theatre Company. Sanctuary - co-written with playwright, Sarah Woods - is a brand-new musical that welcomes us in and asks the question: do we want safety and freedom for only ourselves, or for us all? Graham reports on meeting Chris Simpso…

Graham and Charles discuss meeting Jim Moir (AKA Vic Reeves) at his new exhibition at RedHouse Originals in Harrogate which leads into a discussion about bird art. Graham has been listening to upcoming Irish garage-punk band, Sprints. Charles reviews Alan Ayckbourn’s new play, Show & Tell at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough. It's his 90th …

Citroën in many ways were like the Tesla of the 1950’s and 60’s. Where other car manufacturers were making normal, everyday cars, Citroën were ripping up the rulebooks and reinventing just what a car could be in their own mad, Gallic way. Their approach to almost every aspect of the car was unique, new, and, well, Citroën-esque. And it’s not like d…

Charles and Graham continue reflecting on their Edinburgh trip with a discussion about the Edinburgh Art Festival. Graham has finished his biography of Chris Simpson and the band Magna Carta and shares next steps and a few thoughts about what it was like getting to know the songwriter behind one of Britain's least known bands from the 70's - but a …

Mercedes is the purveyor of high-class limousines, so it might be odd to think of them selling a go-anywhere pickup that’s more used to lugging a few bags of cement back from the DIY shop. But it’s not that strange an idea, after all, they’ve been producing vans, trucks and buses for almost a century. But the Mercedes X-Class wasn’t going to be sol…

Graham and Charles reflect on another superb Edinburgh Festival visit. Charles talks about his favourite films at Edinburgh, whereas Graham opts to share some of his “celebrity encounters", including a memorable encounter with Argentinian-Italian director, Gaspar Noé. Graham was at Leeds Festival this weekend and saw Lana Del Ray but preferred Sun …

The Maestro was the car that killed Austin Rover. Poised on a knife-edge in the early 80’s between survival and disaster, this car, and its booted Montego sister, caused its death. Not right away – plenty of Government subsidies and deals with Honda and BMW gave the company another 20 years, but this was the critical moment when it all went wrong. …

You probably know Vauxhall and their German cousin Opel as the makers of reasonably prices cars that maybe aren’t that exciting. But in the 60s and 70s Vauxhall produced several amazing sports car and supercar concepts that rivalled the best Lamborghini had to offer. And Vauxhall didn’t just make concepts, there was the VX220 – a car that was a lot…

At the 77th Edinburgh International Film Festival, Charles and Graham take the opportunity to interview documentary filmmaker, author, curator and former EIFF director, Mark Cousins and talk to him, in particular, about his latest book, Dear Orson Welles and Other Essays, a series of ‘conversations’ with the artists, poets, directors, and filmmaker…

This is a video charting the history of the Ford Capri. It includes the Mercury Capri (both 1970s, 1980s and 1990s).بقلم Big Car

Graham discusses the decline of main stream films since the 1970s after having recently watching Woody Allen's Manhattan (1979) and John Landis's Animal House (1978). Coming up at the 77th Edinburgh International Film Festival what are Graham and Charles looking forward to? Charles reflects on Banksy’s latest artwork series, the coverage it has att…

Graham and Charles are looking forward to the 77th Edinburgh International Film Festival. Graham previews a new exhibition at Red House Art Gallery in Harrogate by Dan Baldwin Charles highlights the York Purple Signs campaign, and especially their posters trying to establish behaviour patterns in relation to drink. Go Steady! We’ve got enough histo…

Renault is rebooting the classic 5 and it’s available for pre-order right now if you’re in France with deliveries starting later this year! So, what’s it like, what’s good, what’s bad, and what do I think about it?بقلم Big Car

Graham takes pleasure in hearing some unexpected hits from the current Deer Shed Festival in North Yorkshire including Simon Armitage and The Coral. Charles reflects on enjoying the sculpture park at Thirsk Hall, as well as the Himalayan Gardens near Ripon. Newby Hall and the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. Graham discusses great essay writers: How recen…

The Rover 200 more than ever encapsulates British Leyland as it went from Government ownership, through its Honda collaboration, to the disastrous BMW marriage, and finally its last gasp for survival as an independent company. And it was one of Rover’s few big successes, having an amazing 29-year lifespan over its many and varied history. The Rover…

Graham spoke to bestselling crime author Mark Billingham at the world's greatest crime writing festival in Harrogate last week, the Theakston's Old Perculier Charles reviews Shed Seven in Museum Gardens, York. Futuresound’s three day festival with a homecoming celebration for the band - though they never left York. Graham discusses rock archaeology…

Otto von Bismarck, the man who oversaw the unification of Germany in the late 19th century called politics “the art of the possible”. He’s saying that you might have grand lofty dreams, but you have to go with what’s actually possible to achieve. I’d argue that applies to many things in life, including car design. There’s always a compromise with a…

The Triumph Stag has looks and sophisticated style. Those Italian lines of this easy Grand Tourer looked epic when it was released in 1970, and the lucrative North American market beckoned. With a throaty 3.0L V8 engine, it had the power to take on its 6-cylinder rival, the Mercedes SL. Yet in just seven years production ended and it was all over. …

Graham continues his preview of this year's Edinburgh International Film Festival and why it is a return to its strengths. Graham considers why he genuinely doesn’t like tribute acts. Charles agrees but then adds how much he enjoyed, Sarah Louise Young's I Am Your Tribute, all about tribute acts at Theatre@41, Monkgate, York, Graham celebrates Yoko…

Ford just dropped the news that they have a new Capri in the works. I’ve done a lot of the history of the Capri, I’ve done the original Capri and another video about all the times they’ve tried to reboot it. This is another time they’re trying to reboot it, so I thought you might be interested in what I thought about the new model.…

Graham discusses the brilliant new book, Ways of Art by the Sunday Times art critic, Laura Freeman. Ways of Art tells the story of art collecting legend Jim Ede, the creator of Kettle's Yard in Cambridge Charles reports on Bomb Squad's latest exhibition in York, Rise of the Vandals, which took place over three weekends at 2, Low Ouse Gate. The exhi…

Graham and Charles interview Pete Oxley, the guitarist and bandleader behind, Hejira - a group that celebrates the music of Joni Mitchell and is definitely not a tribute band. Their setlist is drawn from Joni Mitchell's live album, Shadows And Light. Comprising highly experienced jazz musicians, Hejira is fronted by the brilliant Hattie Whitehead. …

Steve Saxty has been given unprecedented access to BMW to tell their story through a series of books, and he’s let me pluck this one from “BMW’s Hidden Gems” – the story of how BMW created a reimagining of the 2002. So, with Steve’s help, here’s the story of BMW’s 2002 for the year 2002! Link to Steve's BMW books: https://www.stevesaxty.com…

If ever the phrase “Don’t judge a book by its cover” was appropriate, it’s with the Fiat Multipla. With an exterior described as “Designed by a group of people who seemingly never met”, and an instrument cluster resembling “Nightmare on Skull Rock”, this isn’t a car to easily love. But that’s a shame. Under the comical looks lives a truly great car…

Charles and Graham preview summer festivals including Deer Shed Festival and Leeds Festival. Graham revels in his exciting diary: meeting the star of Ken Loach's last film The Old Oak and Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey in Harrogate in the same week. Charles reports on how the arts are being treated in the election manifestos. Graham previews the next …

Graham reports on seeing Pink Floyd, well Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets in York and Foo Fighters in Manchester in two days. Who won? Charles considers what makes a good new musical stand out, after seeing Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch at Grand Opera House, York? Graham reflects on Viggo Mortensen's new film as director -…

Let’s discuss if EVs can make the shift to widescale adoption, or are they doomed to become a niche product?بقلم Big Car