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Reader writes

31 Jan 2010

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Technical specialist David Massey responds to critics of BBC Young Mechanic of the Year Show

TV TALENT show judge David Massey has responded to criticism of the BBC’s Young Mechanic of the Year show.

Diagnostic specialist David, son of technical expert Frank Massey, starred as a judge on the show that broadcast late last year.

Those impressed by the show say it generated extra publicity for the trade within an extremely tight broadcast time of just one hour.

Critics argue the show did not highlight the complexity of the jobs faced by technicians on a daily basis and questioned the relevance of the technical tasks used to assess competitors’ skills.

In an open letter to all who saw the show, David wrote:

Thank you all for taking time to watch the program and to share your views. Firstly I would like to say that I also was a little disappointed in the final edit, we must all realise the gulf of difference between reality and television.

The main brief from the BBC was to produce a factual and entertaining program.

The challenges you saw on the program were mapped out by the BBC to be visually effective and understandable by the general public.

I personally suggested a lot more emphasis on high-tech diagnostics and workshop. However, the budget for the whole program including the cars and equipment was less than £10K.

We spent several months traveling around the UK, interviewing and testing young technicians, from 200 whittled down to the final six.

You only saw a snap-shot of their capabilities; nobody was more disappointed than I on some of their performances in the final show.

However, I feel very proud of being part of revolutionary show which highlighted the up-and-coming talent in our trade.

I was equally surprised having interviewed many talented and promising young technicians who failed to spot the simplest of visual checks on what was a very basic car during the un-televised part of the competition.

I would like to assure you that the final six deserved their chance in the final having excelled in previous rounds.

This competition was widely publicised in the media. Perhaps some of the young critics here would like to enter next year? I personally look forward to your applications in the next series!

Finally, I would like to add that Umar Butt’s presence in the final was well-deserved and I stand by my decision having the benefit of judging him throughout the series both on and off camera.

If you listened carefully you would have heard me say there was nothing to choose between their work in the final and I had no hesitation on recommending Umar’s presence in the final based on an excellent attitude and I am confident with the right training and motivation he will go on to be a first class technician. – David Massey

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