Tag Archives: Canada’s Worst Driver

Discovery orders full season of How Hard Can It Be

Discovery announced today it has ordered a complete 10-episode season of ANDREW YOUNGHUSBAND’S HOW HARD CAN IT BE (working title) from Canadian independent producer Proper Television. Already in pre-production on Season 12 of CANADA’S WORST DRIVER for Discovery, Younghusband is the star of this new documentary series that sees him tackling the hardest, weirdest, and most dangerous activities he can find in an attempt to beat the experts at their own respective games.

The second Discovery original Canadian series to be shot in ultra-vivid 4K UHD, each 30-minute episode of ANDREW YOUNGHUSBAND’S HOW HARD CAN IT BE finds the star bringing his unique comedic take to wildly different experiences as he puts himself in harm’s way to attempt tough jobs, weird pastimes, and bizarre passions. Whether it’s a roller derby dust-up or trying to keep up with his marathon-running mom, competitive professional eatering or demolition derby driving, Younghusband pushes himself to the limits of his physical and mental abilities.

Recently nominated for a Canadian Screen Award for Best Photography in a Lifestyle or Reality /Competition Program or Series, casting for Season 12 of CANADA’S WORST DRIVER is still open! On the heels of an incredible Season 11, ranked in the Top 5 most-watched program on entertainment specialty television in Canada this past fall with an average audience of 625,000 viewers, fans can go online at http://www.canadasworstdriver.com and nominate a friend or family member.

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Comments and queries for the week of January 8

Canada’s Worst Driver careens into Season 11

Why must they use classic cars? They can use brand-new cars all day long … it’s the classic cars that are hard to find. l would enjoy the show a lot more if didn’t have to watch the classics get destroyed. —Carl


Win a 2016 Murdoch Mysteries calendar

My favourite episode would be “Twentieth Century Murdoch,” in which Murdoch investigates a man claiming to have built a time machine. It’s my favourite mostly for the New Year’s Eve party at the end, at which Julia appears. Hélène Joy looks absolutely stunning and the scene, which features the revelation that she’s left her husband, will warm any William & Julia “shipper’s” heart. —Dwayne

My favourite episode is “Murdoch and The Temple of Death.” The episode was filmed in one of the most beautiful spots in Ontario which is the Thomas Foster Memorial in Uxbridge, Ontario. In addition to the great acting as usual, the special effects done for the show are reminiscent of the Indiana Jones movies. Inspector Brackenreid and his sons find a body in the river when they are fishing. Detective Murdoch and Constable Crabtree not only locate where the man was shopping in Markham, but Detective Murdoch invented a system for aerial photography using a balloon. They find the Temple of Death and the alleged troll that is protecting it. —Steve

“Holy Matrimony Murdoch!” Love that they finally got married, even though in true Murdoch fashion they almost missed their own wedding to solve a case. —Shonah

It’s hard to choose, but my favourite episode is “The Incurables,” with Doctor Ogden and Murdoch investigating the murder of a nurse at the asylum, they reunite with some of previous murderesses, with Rose Maxwell seeking revenge on Julia for surviving the cabin. Later on, Julia gets trapped with the patients and while Rose is attacking Julia (but Julia is one hard girl to beat!), Murdoch races to the asylum where he has to let Eva Pierce escape to save Julia. It’s my favourite episode because we get to see all the old best villains in one amazing episode that is scary but not too scary. —Isobel

My favourite episode is from Season 5, “Who Killed the Electric Carriage?” I use this episode as an introduction to our discussion about electric cars in my science class. It also gets them hooked on the show!!! Support Canadian programming!!! Science and history shows are cooler than pseudo-reality TV!!! Go CBC, Yannick Bisson, Hélène Joy, Thomas Craig and Jonny Harris. —Jennifer

Series 4’s “Confederate Treasure.” It’s got Peter Keleghan’s suave and sinister Meyers and it even features Wilfred Laurier … plus some extra-historical cross-border treasure hunting. —Will

My favourite episode is “What Lies Buried,” where a skeleton is found buried under the concrete floor of the basement in Station House No 4. I loved the showdown between Murdoch and Giles. Great scenes between two great actors who seemed to bring out the best in each other. Truly memorable. —Mireille

 

Got a question or comment about Canadian TV? greg@tv-eh.com or @tv_eh.

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Link: Women Behind Canadian TV: Cathie James

From Bridget Liszewski of The TV Junkies:

Women Behind Canadian TV: Cathie James
“I’m not trying to make any kind of statement in my hiring, but I have found in this business, that for this kind of television, on the story side of it, I think women just have a greater affinity for shaping this material. We are dealing with real people and a lot of our job is just listening to them and getting them to tell us, in the most honest and compelling way, their stories. I hate to generalize but that is just something that female culture is more in tune to. We are listeners. I’ve found that sometimes when I’ve put men in those roles they just aren’t as interested in the material.” Continue reading. 

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Canada’s Worst Driver careens into Season 11

You’d think that, after 11 seasons on the air, host Andrew Younghusband would throw up his hands and drive away from Canada’s Worst Driver. After all, instead of slowly improving the way this country’s drivers are, they seem to be getting worse. Then again, Worst Driver is more about entertainment than education, no matter what Cam Woolley, traffic expert and former OPP sergeant; Philippe Létourneau, professional high-performance driving instructor; expert driving instructor Tim Danter; and registered psychotherapist Shyamala Kiru may say. And ratings don’t lie: Season 10 was the most-watched show on Discovery.

Returning Monday to Discovery, Younghusband gamely welcomes nine Canadians and their nominators to the series’ top-secret driving location—not really, it’s Dunnville, Ont.—where they’re put through the paces for the next eight weeks before one is saddled with the dubious title of Canada’s Worst Driver.

This season, challenges will be faster, and all take place in a super-charged Dodge Charger (a beautiful car mistreated by all) in recognition that cars continue to perform at a brisker pace. And in a series first, Younghusband dons a racing suit to introduce higher-speed versions of classic Worst Driver challenges like “Eye of the Needle” and the “Water Tank,” as well as new tests to demonstrate the real-life risks of high-speed driving and its effect on precision and judgment.

As with previous seasons, the producers give viewers a chance to get to know each of the competitors as they drive to Worst Driver‘s track. There’s Renee, who freaks out if she drives over 60 km/h and throws on her four-way flashers to encourage everyone to go around; distracted driver Jordan; lead-footed Tina, who quaffed a vodka cooler and shooter before driving to the show; inadvertent speeder Cameron; angry driver Alex; grandmother Polly; crier Jillian; and siblings Sholom and Shmuel. Yes, Worst Driver is fun to watch, but it’s also damned scary. All of these folks are more focused on texting, eating, drinking and updating their Facebook profiles than they are on the road; what does that say for the people around me on the road every day?

Sure, Worst Driver is about those behind the wheel and loved one’s riding in the backseat or shotgun, but Younghusband is a bona fide star. You can’t help but laugh at his quick wit and expressive face, especially when he’s incredulous at what these competitors do.

It only took me half of Monday’s return to have a grave dislike for Tina. She saw no problem with drinking before hitting the road and confronted Younghusband when he lightly suggested she might have a bad attitude. Still, it is early days, and she may—along with the others—realize the err of her ways and improve. If not? She’ll be Season 11’s Worst Driver.

Canada’s Worst Driver airs Mondays at 10 p.m. ET on Discovery.

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Canada’s Worst Driver celebrates 10 years behind the wheel

One can’t help but be a little ashamed of the fact Canada’s Worst Driver is celebrating 10 seasons on the air. As much as I hate it when shows get cancelled, it would have been nice if Discovery had announced–after a couple of instalments–that no bad drivers could be found for Season 3 or beyond.

Alas, that isn’t the case. Andrew Younghusband, the overseer of the asphalt atrocities, returns to host the Monday night spectacle that once again welcomes eight new participants to the show’s top-secret driving academy where they are put through various challenges in an effort to not only entertain but educate bad drivers about how they can be more safe when behind the wheel. Along for the ride are Cam Woolley, traffic expert and former OPP sergeant; Philippe Létourneau, a professional high-performance driving instructor; expert driving instructor Tim Danter; and therapist Shyamala Kiru.

We asked Younghusband to give us his Top 10 tips–one for each season of the show–for being a safe driver.

10. Never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever drive with a cell phone!

9. If you need to swerve in a car that doesn’t have ABS (anti-lock braking system), don’t hit the brake until after the swerve is done.

8. Get a car with ABS.

7. Get winter tires installed before the first freeze happens every year.

6. Learning to do donuts in a safe, private area will make you a better driver.

5. To reposition a car laterally, drive forward in an “S”, then reverse straight back.

4. Cam Wooley is damn cute.

3. Every Canadian province needs stricter testing with regards to how drivers get their licence.

2. Don’t look at an object you’re trying to avoid.

1. Look where you want to go.

Canada’s Worst Driver airs Mondays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Discovery

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