May bids to build Mecanno motorbike

TOP GEAR star James May must be getting Meccano for Christmas because he is using the classic toy to build a motorbike and sidecar to race the Isle of Man TT circuit for a new show.

The episode of his Toy Stories series, called The Motorcycle Diaries, sees May get to grips with a construction kit to try to build a vehicle capable of carrying him and co-star Oz Clarke around the 37-mile course.

In previous episodes James May and his team have built a giant slot-car racing track, a full size Airfix replica of a Spitfire and a giant toy glider.

By Robert Dex, Press Association