It all clicks into place for Gadget team
The Gadget Show
Channel 5, 7pm
THERE’S no event quite like the CES. Every year, more than 180,000 industry professionals and 4,000 companies from 150 countries gather in Las Vegas for the world’s largest global gathering of innovation and technology. Exhibitors feature products from all facets of tech, from audio, robots, vehicle technology and wireless to drones, augmented and virtual reality, 3D printing and sensor tech.
To kick off The Gadget Show’s 27th series, co-presenters Ortis Deley and Georgie Barrat visit the CES to find out about the technology we can all be excited about getting our hands on in the next 12 months.
Of course, this is well-worn territory for The Gadget Show which started in 2004 and has aired 345 episodes since. During that time, the team has brought us no end of features, challenges and breaking news stories. It has also achieved eight Guinness World Records.
These include the fastest speeds reached by a slot car racer, internal combustion powered radio-controlled model car, water jet-powered car and jet-powered street luge, plus the longest ramp jump performed by a remotecontrolled model car, the largest game of Tetris, the heaviest machine moved using a brain control interface, and the longest loop-de-loop performed by a radiocontrolled car.
Last year, Craig Charles took over hosting duties from Jason Bradbury, who had announced his departure from the show after 12 years.
And before the start of his debut series, Charles was understandably apprehensive about his role. “I think this show is gonna drag me kicking and screaming into the 21st century,” he admitted.
“I think the way I’m approaching it is I’m the everyman, the man in the street, who’s not an expert, who’s not particularly techy and getting things explained to me in a way that everyone can understand. And then make my own mind up if it’s something that’s worth it or not.”
Under Charles’s guidance, the slightly revamped Gadget Show was a big success last year and tonight he joins Jon Bentley in a “versus” challenge to see if cutting-edge tech can put them on a par with the pros.
Each team decorates a room, with copious amounts of paint, wallpaper and paste provided. The professional decorators rely on experience, skill and traditional tools, while Jon and Craig have access to the finest aids that tech has to offer.
Also tonight, there is a new assignment for the intrepid G Team – Jon, Ortis and Georgie – who offer solutions to a viewer’s tech dilemma.
This week’s lucky customer is Ling.kt – a big hit on Instagram, with 800,000 followers all eager to see the make-up tips she shoots in her bedroom.
Ling wants to breakout from her boudoir and needs some tech to start Instagramming on the move.