Wheeler Dealers – the greatest tv show about cars ever

Mike and Ed, two masters.

Mike Brewer and Edd China.

Full of inventiveness and passion. And with the strong will to save ancient cars otherwise destined for a sad end. An activity that should become of national interest as cars tell the history of peoples, their traditions, their most beautiful moments. And they did a great job. Watching one of their programs fascinates, interests and amazes. Their broadcasts are art, a commercial for English quality and style. How much effort, over 135 cars fixed, a lot of work.

Mike Brewer.

Mike Brewer lives for cars. He treats them like people even if he has to sell them. He saves them, returns life to them. He perfects them using English fabric crafts with its unrivaled quality. A tireless supercompetent traveler with a passion that devours him. In the TV show he locates, test drives, negotiates for and buys the vehicle (usually sealed with a handshake and Brewer triumphantly expressing to camera that he's just bought a ). And when, at the end of the show, he sells the car the deal is sealed when Brewer says, "hold out your hand, you've just bought a !" and shakes the new buyer's hand.

Edd China and Mike Brewer.

Edd China, ingenius mechanic, is two meters tall and does not fit into cars but loves them deeply. And he shows it with his accurate and loving repairs, his cuddles.

Edd China in his workshop.

It is he who works miracles, the most disparate. In his tidy, clean and complete workshop, a true temple of enthusiasts, he transforms ugly ducklings into swans. When a car enters his garage, you have the feeling that it is safe, that it no longer has to die.

Mike and Edd.

Mike and Edd are like two parents looking after their daughters. A perfectly complementary couple that made all fans happy. And they have also been good friends, at least this is what we want to believe, united by the same irrepressible passion. From the Beetle up, they have revived wonderful cars and we would have liked to buy them all at the end of their repair. The lucky buyers, who have come even from far away, will be able to proudly enjoy the fruit of their skilful work.

Edd China with a red Ferrari Dino.

A red Ferrari Dino.

Edd China with a red Ferrari Dino.

Mike, Edd and a red Ferrari Dino.

Among the many cars they dealt with there were a Ferrari Dino 308 GT4 (2009), a Jaguar E-Type Series 3 (2011) and a Morgan +4 (2012).

Mike and Edd.

Wheeler Dealers is a British television series, beloved by motor lovers, originally produced by Attaboy TV for the Discovery Channel in the UK and Motor Trend in the U.S. The programme is fronted by car enthusiast Mike Brewer. Edd China served as the programme's mechanic for series 1 to 13. The premise of the show has the presenters on a mission to save old and repairable enthusiast vehicles, by repairing or otherwise improving an example of a particular make and model to a budget then selling it to a new owner. The program was a huge success and is broadcast in 220 countries, including Italy (it airs on DMAX TV).

Mike with Edd.

In October 2003, Brewer was hired by the Discovery Channel to present their new motoring show, which was to be titled Wheeler Dealers. Upon its launch, the programme was met with success and featured Edd China as co-host and mechanic.

The programme was created by Daniel Allum and Michael Wood, the founding directors of Attaboy TV, both long-time car enthusiasts.

There have so far been 15 series of the programme.

Series 1 originally aired in 2003. The second half of Series 6 was aired in autumn of 2009 on Discovery Real Time. Series 5 was renamed to Wheeler Dealers On the Road, with Brewer and China expanding their car search by heading out into Europe hoping to find classic cars to buy and restore.

Edd and Mike.

Beginning with part 2 of Series 8, Brewer further expanded their horizon by touring the United States. In Series 12, Brewer and China set up a new workshop in Huntington Beach, California. This decision was made so that they could deliver more episodes of the show and meant they were able to restore and sell the cars on the spot, instead of having them shipped back to the UK. Series 12 also introduced the brand new workshop back in the UK.

In April 2013 a spinoff series titled Wheeler Dealers Trading Up was launched. This series was produced by X2 Productions Ltd and has Brewer traveling around the world to buy and sell, but not repair or restore, used cars in different countries on a set budget. He begins with $3,000 and trades his way through the series up to a Porsche 911. It was recommissioned by Discovery Channel International for a second series where Brewer ends up buying a Ferrari.

Discovery U.S.'s Velocity channel commissioned a series of one-hour Wheeler Dealers: Top 5 Specials, hosted by Mike Brewer and featuring the top five vehicles of each genre Brewer and China have worked on during the first nine years of the show. The specials began airing 5 June 2013, on the way to a Top 5 Viewer's Choice finale on 3 July 2013. These episodes have been shown in the UK on the Discovery Channel at the end of season 11.1 and started on 5 May 2014.

A second spinoff series titled Wheeler Dealers: Dream Car premiered in January 2020, with Brewer and mechanic Marc "Elvis" Priestly lending their expertise to add value to clients' cars helping them trade up to their dream vehicle.

Edd, Mike and a white Fiat 500.

In each episode, Brewer buys a vehicle, turns it over to his mechanic for repairs, then sells it on. For the first series, the budget was £1,000, for series 2, £2,000 and for series 3, £3,000. Budgets in subsequent series have varied, depending on the target vehicle. For example, a £10,000 budget was set on buying and restoring a Ferrari Dino 308 GT4 in series 6. For series 11 (2014), the budget is listed on the show's Discovery UK website as "up to £20,000".

The presentation for each project usually follows a similar TV format. Through series 6, the project was presented in two 30-minute episodes. Starting with series 7, the format was changed to single 60 minute (including commercials) episodes.

The programme was created with a DIYer in mind. The costs, and thus any profit or loss for a given project, are assessed without consideration of the labour costs of the mechanic (the assumption is that a well-equipped and able enthusiast could complete all work him or herself) but if repairs require professional help, like body resprays, complicated electronics, or windscreen replacements, they are added to the final cost.

Also addressed on each vehicle are its service history, bodywork defects (e.g. rust, dents), worn-out interiors and accessories. Vehicles that have either been inactive for long periods of time or purchased from outside the UK are restored and modified to pass the country's mandatory MOT test.

Mike Brewer uses his skills as a former car trader to scout and buy used cars to be restored and sold for profit. He's also responsible for procuring replacement parts and sometimes specialists to refurbish expensive parts.

Edd China doing much of the restoration and mechanical/servicing work and giving viewers tips on how to sort out and solve various car problems, as well as estimating how much a garage would charge for such repairs.

On 21 March 2017, Velocity announced that China had left the show to "pursue other projects" and that he would be replaced by Ant Anstead in series 14.

Since series 13, the programme is produced by Discovery Studios (instead of Attaboy TV for the 12 previous seasons) for Motor Trend.

Discovery Communications has strengthened its control on Wheeler Dealers and, according to China, it would seem it found its production too expensive.

Paul Brackley, the series technical advisor, made sporadic appearances to assist China in carrying heavy parts or equipment in the garage, when China needed additional assistance (such as when China was bleeding brake/clutch fluid or checking an exhaust while a vehicle was running) and helping Brewer tow non-running or non-MOT-compliant vehicles to the shop.

Edd and Mike.

Mike Brewer is an English car trader turned presenter of motoring television programmes.

Brewer was born in 1964 in Lambeth, London, to Roger Wilks and Doreen Fitzgerald. His father was the owner at one point of a Ford Popular called "Pinball Wizard" and was heavily involved in vehicle customizing, which helped Brewer discover his passion for motoring. Brewer's first car was a beige Mini 850cc.

Brewer's television shows have included Driven on Channel 4, Deals on Wheels, Pulling Power, Wrecks to Riches, Auto Trader, Wheeler Dealers and Wheeler Dealers Trading Up. With the exception of Driven and Pulling Power, all these shows have subsequently aired on the Discovery Channel.

He has appeared in a series called Revved Up in which cars are modified and presents coverage of the British Rally Championship on Sky Sports. He has presented a show called Remote Madness, in which people with remote controlled mini cars, boats, planes and helicopters compete in a multi challenge race.

In 2010, he changed direction and fronted a new Discovery Channel series Frontline Battle Machines, where he went to Afghanistan and accompanied front line troops, showing how they use their motorised equipment. At one point his helicopter took enemy ground fire, injuring the pilot in the head and damaging a hydraulic line, forcing a landing.

In addition to his TV career, Brewer is still active in the car industry, opening Mike Brewer Motors in 2012. The dealership has bases in Sheffield and Luton. He has also launched the only annual awards for used car dealers in the UK.

Brewer has several advanced licences: a racing licence, an advanced driving licence and a world speed licence, which allows him to compete at world speed events.

Mike and Michelle Brewer.

Mike and Michelle Brewer.

Mike and his wife Michelle.

Mike and Michelle Brewer.

Brewer is married to his wife Michelle. They live in Warwickshire and have one daughter.

Mike Brewer: "my father was a car restorer, I spent a lot of time in his workshop, it all started from there." By Gabriele Gambini.

He looks like a bacchanalian Anglo-Saxon. The complexion is florid, when he starts talking about cars he transfigures. Mike Brewer is exactly what you expect from Mike Brewer. A middle ground between the competent technician and the alchemist of Victorian novels with a steampunk atmosphere. For fourteen editions he has been leading Wheeler Dealers, a cult show about the vintage car market.

Brewer, on a visit to Milan, while talking to TvZoom, explains the secret of the success of his businesses: balancing a testosteronic theme with a stylish vintage taste. Not forgetting the aspirational component: the cars he deals with are not within reach of all budgets, so every now and then it's nice to see them, dream them.

The first thing that should strike you, in a car, is its aesthetics.

“What you see represents the emotion you feel at the first impact. Everything begins from there. But then you begin to investigate how a car is really made. The engine, the way to drive it. Otherwise it is not pleasant.”

What’s the last car you’ve purchased?

“A 1972 Lancia Fulvia. We talk about great Italian design. It's not very comfortable to drive. But when you sit inside, you can breathe the atmosphere of an era that has marked Italian history so strongly that it makes up for everything else. I mean this when I talk about emotion.”

Did you start like this? Chasing the thrills of driving?

“My father was a car restorer. He customized cars on request. I spent a lot of time in his workshop. I bought my first car at 17, a Mini. Driving it, I had an accident and ruined it. With dad we started to rearrange it. I realized that it had become more beautiful than before. From there the lamp lit for me.”

How many cars have you fixed in fourteen editions of the program?

About 170.

Mike, Edd and their green Lamborghini Urraco.

Mike, Edd and their Lamborghini Urraco.

Some of them will have stricken you more than others.

“A Lamborghini Urraco. I found it in Poland. We have restored it in the program. We sold it so well.”

Don't you mind selling the cars you fall in love with?

“I still regret that Lamborghini a little even now. I also fell in love with an Austin Healy 3000 BJ7 called Big Healy. Crazy engine. Now I'm going to hunt for some Ferraris. I would like to customize and sell them at a fair price, not a stratospheric one.”

Edd, Mike and female friends.

Women and cars joys and sorrows.

“The two topics are less and less disconnected. A lot of girls are becoming passionate about the world of cars.”

Edd China.

Edward John China, born 9 May 1971, is an English television presenter, mechanic, motor specialist and inventor, best known as being presenter and mechanic on Discovery Channel's television show Wheeler Dealers. He has also appeared on Top Gear, Auto Trader, Scrapheap Challenge and Fifth Gear.

China had an interest in cars and mechanics from an early age. He was educated at King Edward's School, Witley in Surrey and he holds a degree in engineering product design from London South Bank University.

Edd China.

Edd China.

Edd China.

Edd China.

Edd China.

He holds the Guinness World Record titles for the fastest shed, toilet, bed, milk float and the largest motorised shopping trolley, among other things.

Edd and his wife Imogen.

Edd and his wife Imogen.

China is married to Norway-born Imogen. They do not have any children.

Edd China.

Edd China is leaving Wheeler Dealers because new producers want to dumb it down.

After 13 years as one of our favourite TV mechanics, Edd China has put his foot down over a decision by new producers to make his workshop sequences shorter and simpler.

Edd China, the man that made TV show Wheeler Dealers much more than bearable, is leaving the show because its new producers want to dumb it down.

Lovable mechanic Edd’s workshop sequences are famous for their detail, technical accuracy and genuinely enjoyable watchability, but because they’re time-consuming and therefore expensive to film, the new production company, Velocity, wants to cut them down and simplify them.

On 21 March 2017 Edd released a statement on his YouTube channel in the clip at the top which has totaled over 380 thousand views, announcing that he was departing Wheeler Dealers due to disagreements over the direction of the programme.

Six days later, in another video, China described how Brewer had telephoned him over the weekend saying that he, his wife and his daughter, were receiving significant online abuse, including death threats, because of China's leaving the show. Many fans also wrote to Mike Brewer, who tweeted a message in which he defined Edd as a traitor. In the tweet, promptly deleted, it could be read: "Edd left without saying anything, he left the show and criticized it harshly after 13 years. Who is the traitor?" Definitely harsh words towards the friend mechanic, probably written on impulse responding to criticism by the net.

China claims the producers found it ‘too difficult to make’ in its current format, but isn’t willing to stand for the dumbing-down that Velocity wants to introduce.

As part of his decision to quit, he said:

“Unfortunately it's true: I'm leaving Wheeler Dealers, I'm very sorry, explains the British mechanic surrounded by his tools. Each episode of the program requires an incredible commitment from everyone: we started with a small troupe. Today, having fixed 135 cars, we have a team of nearly 50 people and we were noticed by Velocity Channel, who decided to buy the show after Season 12. Unfortunately, on Velocity’s first attempt at producing the show they found Wheeler Dealers “too difficult to make”, “at least in its current format.”

“In particular, the detailed and in depth coverage of my fixes in the workshop; what I consider to be the backbone and USP of the programme, are something Velocity feel should be reduced. The workshop jobs are certainly the hardest part of the show to make and reducing their substance and role in the show will save the production considerable time, effort and therefore money.

“However, this new direction is not something I am comfortable with as I feel the corners I was being asked to cut compromised the quality of my work and would erode my integrity as well as that of the show, so I have come to the conclusion that my only option is to let Velocity get on with it, without me.”

Edd China.

Millions of spectators all over the world were won over by the detailed scenes shot in the workshop, where China, with his calm manner, illustrates every modification and intervention, also listing the spare parts and costs of each single operation. A quality that you pay for and that fans of the show are already regretting, as evidenced by the thousands of messages sent to China via social network to invite him to think again.

We have huge respect for Edd’s decision and we know many of you will as well. He has too much respect for his own work to let this slide and we don’t blame him one bit. We’re looking forward to whatever he does next.

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Oct 13, 2020
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