James May: The Reassembler

S01E02 Telephone

James takes on the challenge of a 1957 Bakelite dial telephone, consisting of 211 pieces, many of which are quite tiny. To restore the phone to working order, he must reassemble each component in the correct sequence. From the receiver that uses carbon filings to amplify sound to the electrical pulses generated by the dial that link the phone to the outside world, James quickly realizes that every single part is vital to the history of communication and its transformation globally.