It has been over 18 months since everyone’s favourite mechanic Edd China announced that he was leaving Wheeler Dealers, with many fans wondering what he’s been up to during that time. Well apart from creating a pilot episode of Edd China’s Garage Revival and working on a new series called Built by Many, China is also back on a YouTube channel you’d least expect. He’s on Wheeler Dealers.
Over the past few months, Wheeler Dealers have steadily ramped up their onslaught of publishing Edd China related videos, outnumbering those featuring current co-host Ant Anstead by a factor of 2:1 over the past month alone.
More recently, Wheeler Dealers also stepped things up a notch by ‘live streaming’ what at first glance looks to be the Volvo PV544 episode from Series 13, but in reality is just a 5-minute excerpt playing on repeat. That 5-minute block has been repeating for more than 8 hours so far.
While there’s nothing to stop Wheeler Dealers from publishing or ‘live streaming’ the episodes online – they own the rights to the episodes even after China’s departure – it is more than a little strange that the emphasis is weighted so heavily towards Edd instead of doing more to promote Ant and his new role on the show.
Edd China revealed that he decided to leave Wheeler Dealers in early 2017 because Velocity planned to reduce the ‘workshop’ aspect of the show for the upcoming season. “This new direction is not something I am comfortable with as I feel the corners I was being asked to cut compromised the quality of my work and would erode my integrity as well as that of the show,” he said at the time. “So I have come to the conclusion that my only option is to let Velocity get on with it, without me.”
The other half of Wheeler Dealers, Mike Brewer, publicly countered Edd China’s claims. “There’s no way on earth that anyone has ever suggested that the mechanical content of the show is going to be reduced,” Brewer said. “Where that came from, I don’t know. It is not going to be reduced, Discovery channel are not going to change the format one iota.”
Series 15 of Wheeler Dealers is currently on break, and will most likey return in October 2018 with the remaining 8 episodes.
18 comments
I can see why Edd left Wheeler Dealers. The fake buddy buddy stuff and attempted humor did not come off well. The last few years I’ve had to fast forward through the ‘stupid bits’ to get to Ant’s stuff. I thought he did a good job of carrying on the best part of the show, which was of course Edd’s segments.
I don’t blame Brewer for trying something new, but I do find the attempt to confuse viewers with ‘new’ Edd content, just when Edd is trying to launch his new show, egregious. I don’t know if that’s Brewer or Velocity but its LOW and has not gone unnoticed by this viewer.
Add Edd China’s labour costs into the equation and not one of the ‘sales’ could happen at the prices broadcast. Mike Brewer has too much of a ‘wide boy’ approach which doesn’t sit well against Edd’s totally professional approach. Additionally, Mike’s public criticism of Edd China comes over as more than slightly desperate.
FFS….I hear this complaint over and over.
If you have created 13 years of content with a host, do you dump that to focus on the new host? No, you leverage your entire library to monetize it. You don’t just list a few episodes of your current catalog. Honestly, I would think people would be more intelligent than this…and understand it isn’t to dilute Edd’s “brand” or somehow is a statement they are lost without him. It’s simply he was there a very long time and did a lot of shows.
HI Donovan, I think the point is the way such short clips of Edd are used, its a clear attempt to pull people who like Edd into watching Ant & Mike…BUT if you’re clicking on Edd – you want to see Edd….not the rather unpleasant Mike; or Ant (no matter how good he is).
Bring back Edd.
He’s been off our TV screens too long. Although Ant is a nice chap & good at what he does there is no substitute for the real deal (sorry Ant)
Discovery & TV needs Edd, so wake up chaps.
Edd china is a machanical genius, multi talented man, can do bodywork, spraying, welding, any repairs totally amazing, love the wd show, never miss it. Skilled tradesman myself so i know a good one instantly, cheers 😉
As the series developed, Brewer worked in an unobtrusive way to get more involved with the stuff Edd normally did. As for the time wasting chit chat in the test drive before the sale – an utter waste of time. The early episodes were the best. Car owners were too relenting when selling to Brewer. I am amazed Edd worked with Brewer for so long.
Ed was the reason I watched wheeler dealers from the very first one then stopped when Ed called it a day no matter what car Ed was given to make right it Ed made it happen if it is the case that mike felt he should have more time on the show and cut Ed’s time he is wrong after reading the comments on here people wanted to see Ed not mike I no longer watch the show as there is no point.
A lot of valuable time on the show is lost with repeating stuff after each commercial break like we forgot what they were doing, duh!
i totally agree with simons comments.
Yeah I love the show I like Ed he is a great Mechanic.Im from Australia I have a nice Jag .
I just saw the advert which shows Ed China. Its the technical stuff Ed shows that interests me as a former mechanic, not more energetic fabrication Ant seems to lke
Just seen an advert, for WD, to start on March 5th, Hinted that Edd was returning, hope so, as good a mechanic as Ant is, he does not have the charisma of Edd China, who made the show, Mike Brewer could be replaced quite easily, with no adverse effect to the show.
As a mechanic in sustralia i enjoy ed not too fussed on ant i pick ideas and some of the places in pommy land to get parts fromone such was the chassis fire wall strengthen kit for the saab
Stuff you dont usually see here would have loved them to bo a HOLDEN (Vauxhall ) MONAROwould have been keen on the english take on an aussie icon
I think a great idea for a new show would be Ed China and Ant without the “gasbag” Brewer. They could do one car per season and show all the work they need to do to restore the car. I watch these shows to get tips and see proper repair practices not to see idiots yelling at each other and all that drama. It seems all the shows on MT (Velocity) are the same garbage now.
Edd was the star and although Ant is a terrific mechanic his constant drone of “I’m taking this off the car” or ” I’m putting the rest on the car” grates on me. In spite of what Mike Brewer says, the garage work has been dumbed down to patronising the viewer and Ant. Shame really because although Ant is a talented mechanic, he has no personality except for a knowing “approving” nod and a cheesy grin.
Ed China was in fact the lynch pin on which Wheeler Dealers succeeded .
Brewer is an irrelevance , a leary motor mouth whose input could be done so much better by others.
His habit of chivying the price off of a punters vehicle and then thrwing his arms around the hapless stooge whilst glowingly telling everyone what he has bought shows him up for the ruthless underhand character he actually is..
Apart from the remarkable engineering skill of China the rest is trivial fawning dialogue .Given the fact that the labour charge is dismissed it makes a mockery of the eventual selling price of the car. Indeed the costs of fixing these vehicles has no relationship whatsoever to the profits made from syndication of these programmes .
I wish Ed China good fortune. I now switch off the volume when Brewer starts parroting.
nicely articulated simon, couldn’t agree more, i could never understand how ed put up with him.