Following a successful first series, UKTV today announces the commission of two further series of Classic Car Kings (2×6×60’) for free streaming service U and leading factual channel U&YESTERDAY.
Produced by multi-BAFTA-winning Chatterbox Media, the new series will continue to follow the highly skilled and charismatic team at Irv’s Resto Shop in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria - bringing more extraordinary restorations and classic car stories to screen. Led by big personality Paul “Irv” Irving and his family-run team of welders, fabricators, blasters, painters and mechanics, the show brings cars back from the brink - and showcases the technical skill and emotional rewards behind each transformation, and by doing so, celebrates the passion, expertise and ingenuity of one of the UK’s most respected classic car restoration crews.
"The chance to share more of these incredible restorations with fans of classic cars across the UK is a real privilege.”
“We’re really pleased to be back with Classic Car Kings,” said Paul “Big Irv” Irving. “Every car has its own personality and challenges - but the chance to share more of these incredible restorations with fans of classic cars across the UK is a real privilege.”
The double series commission builds on the strong audience response to the first series which helped establish the programme as a standout in U&YESTERDAY’s original slate of shows, which also includes the likes of Bangers & Cash: Restoring Classics and Dream Car Fixers. Classic Car Kings has been commissioned by Commissioning Editor, Emile Nawagamuwa, with Head of Factual and Factual Entertainment Commissioning, Helen Nightingale, and ordered by Director of Programming, Factual & Factual Entertainment, Adam Collings and Director of Commissioning, Hilary Rosen. Executive Producers for Chatterbox Media are Nav Raman and Ali Quirk. Series Producer is David Skudder and Producer/Director is Christian Francis-Davis.
Emile Nawagamuwa, Commissioning Editor at UKTV, said, “I couldn’t be more thrilled that Classic Car Kings is getting a well-deserved double season order. From the moment Chatterbox introduced me to Irv and his gang and I saw the ambition and expertise behind their work, I knew this would be a perfect fit for our audience. There’s an authenticity to the people of Cumbria that you simply can’t manufacture, and it has always been a place close to my heart. We’re excited to get back to the workshop and raise the bar even higher for the next two series.”
Chatterbox CEO Ali Quirk said, “From the outset, we knew Irv and his team had something special - not just extraordinary restoration skills, but real personality and warmth. It’s been fantastic to see the series connect so strongly with viewers, and we’re thrilled to be working with UKTV again to bring not one, but two more series to screen. The trust UKTV has in us to deliver really means a lot.”
UKTV’s Adam Collings, Director, added, “I’m really pleased we can park another two series of Classic Car Kings in our garage. We’ve got an impressive and growing roster of classic motoring content and the compelling personalities at the heart of Classic Car Kings really stand out. We want to show these and their amazing work to an even wider audience, both on U and U&YESTERDAY.”
On U&YESTERDAY, the first series of Classic Car Kings averaged 470k for Total Consumption*. The series saw vehicles including a Type 1 VW Beetle, a Porsche 911, a Lamborghini Espada, a VW Barndoor Samba, a Ford Escort RS1600i, and a Daimler Sovereign Coupe restored by Irv and the team. S1 is available to watch now on U. Classic Car KingsS2 is in production now and TX details and featured restorations, will be announced in due course.
For more information, please contact:
Dave Barnsby, Senior Publicity Manager, UKTV – pressoffice@uktv.co.uk
Notes for Editors:
Image: https://asset.cloudinary.com/uktv-dam/4311d5de874db9fe2bb1b114b77ca955
Picture shows: Irv and sons of Irv's Resto Shop. L-R: Harvey, Irv, Lee, Arron.
*Total Consumption series average - This encompasses the overnight, PVR, VOD (D2C and paid) and all same week repeats, within 28 days of transmission within BARB (inclusive of any preview windowing via box-set drops).
About U
U is UKTV’s free, ad-supported streaming service in the UK, offering on-demand access to programmes from UKTV’s free-to-air channels: U&Dave, U&DRAMA, U&W and U&YESTERDAY.
U is available online at u.co.uk and via the U app on mobile devices and tablets, as well as on smart TVs and streaming platforms including Freeview Play, Freely, Amazon Fire TV, YouView, Samsung TV, Apple TV, Freesat, Sky Glass, Sky Stream, NOW and Roku. Thousands of hours of selected U content are also available on Channel 4’s streaming service.
U provides access to over 9,000 hours of programming, including exclusive original commissions, UK premieres and iconic BBC titles across drama, comedy, entertainment and factual entertainment.
In 2024, U added more than 2,000 hours of new content and doubled its views in two years (+109% January 2023 to December 2024). U was nominated for Best Streaming Service at the 2025 Edinburgh Television Festival Awards.
Programmes available on U include Bergerac, Whitstable Pearl, The Count of Monte Cristo, The Marlow Murder Club, Outrageous, The Bill, Stacey Dooley Sleeps Over, Guy Martin: Proper Jobs, Bangers & Cash, Pete Wicks: For Dogs’ Sake and MasterChef Australia.
U is the streaming home for UKTV’s channel brands and their on-demand catalogue in the UK.
About U&YESTERDAY
TV for curious minds, revealing fascinating factual stories from the world around us.
U&YESTERDAY showcases original series such as Abandoned Engineering, Dream Car Fixers, and Canal Boat Diaries as well as new and exclusive observational documentaries, including Bangers & Cash and Classic Car Kings.
About UKTV
UKTV has been at the forefront of branded television for over 30 years, entertaining the nation with programmes they love. Their leading brands – U&Dave, U&DRAMA, U&W, U&YESTERDAY, U&eden, U&GOLD and U&alibi - span comedy, entertainment, natural history, factual and drama, and are delivered to UK viewers through free streaming service U, Sky, Virgin Media, NOW, Freeview, Freesat and Freely; and to Irish viewers through Sky, Virgin Media, Eir, Vodafone and NOW. Channel & content availability varies by platform. Our content is also available to UK viewers via dedicated FAST channels on Samsung TV Plus, Amazon Freevee, Pluto TV and Virgin Media.
UKTV is a significant investor in British creativity and we are committed to working with new and established writers, directors and programme-makers. UKTV is part of BBC Studios, the UK's most-awarded production company, a world-class distributor with international branded services, and a commercial subsidiary of the world's leading public service broadcaster, the BBC.
corporate.uktv.co.uk | press.uktv.co.uk | @uktv
About Chatterbox Media
Chatterbox is a BAFTA winning, female led production company, founded by senior creatives Nav Raman & Ali Quirk.