Can James May Escape From Prison? | Man Lab

In another episode of James May Man Lab, a handcuffed James May and his best mate, Oz Clarke, break out of Dartmoor prison and must navigate their way across the treacherous moors with a team of trackers in hot pursuit. James also builds a genuine slate-bed pool table and turns his hand to portrait painting.

In this series from James May, we see him on a mission to save modern man - from themselves! From his Man Lab HQ, James and his team set out on a series of action packed challenges that will help modern man relearn some of the vital skills, once cherished by his forefathers, that are now in danger of being lost forever.

[TheBritishBarman]

If James May went to prison, he'd escape by just serving the full sentence and leave.

[callum]

Ive not laughed so hard in ages 🤣 Rory in the dinner oarty broke me.
"Who are you talking to?"
"My drink" 😭💀

[TrigonsTrailers]

Did I just witness James May running on television?

[servey]

53:55 I forgot that camera operators are invisible and invincible 😂

[entertainingandfun]

Nobody told James may “no” ever, not once, in the entire production of this show. This is so James may 😂. I love it

[MikeHarrison]

The cameraman must have been invisible for the tracker team to not see him.

[bigal]

This is fantastic! I’ve lived here all my 28 years, I know these places like the back of my hand! The bridge spot where they got the stash bag. Those slabs it’s sat on, there is a tunnel beneath them if you find the end you can clamber through and out about 50 meters away behind them. What a fabulous twist to my evening, I was feeling very down and this has made my night. :} many thanks, man lab

[chrismac]

These trackers are histerical, between the brilliant deductions and the matching sticks + gear, it steals the show💀

[brelshar]

May and Oz are such a great combo.. I hope they do something new together, though Oz is getting on a bit.

[CriticoolHit]

that bit about Rory's expression being like he belongs underground was brilliant lol. James was murdering that poor kid.

[andrenightscustoms]

Not gonna lie the pool table that they built is really cool

[Ammar]

Lol Richard has his car shop, Jeremy has a farm and May has MAN LAB!!!!

[andrewince]

Should have checked the map at the stream. Boots off, in that water. Follow it as far as possible toward the target. Running water is great for dissipating disturbance.
Also, the accomplice should have dead-dropped two hiking packs with long sleeve shirts and trousers. Quick change of clothing and a backpack turns you from an escaped convict into a hiker. Not foolproof but it does make identification harder and offers a means to take any evidence with you. Never leave man-made anything, it's a massive giveaway.
When plotting a route, you're best off starting your route moving indirectly. If your target is SSW, walk west, maybe even NWW. Most people beeline, this is super easy to track, it's so obvious.
Change footwear on a solid surface and make a definite change in direction at that point. Also, don't be daft, don't be predictable. If there's a wood nearby, don't touch it. No tracker worth his salt will ignore the odds that you've darted for the trees.
Counter intuitive but, don't duck, dive and hide. Someone will probably spot you, you're just making yourself look suspicious. Don't run over open ground, walk briskly but don't run. Running is a neon sign calling attention to yourself.
Don't go smearing mud on your face. It really doesn't work as well as you think it does. Dirtying the hems of your trousers and maybe a spot on the knees, elbows etc isn't a bad move. This makes you look like a hiker, have a story about falling over like an idiot ready, if you encounter a hiker you'll be able to recite this relatable and moderately humorous event. If people are walking your way, be polite, offer a good conversation and walk with them for a spell. This covers tracks and makes it harder for an observer to identify you. The observer is looking for X people, X+Y will throw them so if possible, get yourself a Y.
Once out of sight, feign fatigue or injury by a well travelled road. Convince traffic to stop for you and ask if you could possibly get a lift home, you're suffering mild heat stroke or you've twisted your knee while hiking. Tell them you're staying at a location close to the target, never the target, "I'm just near the church in Exampleton, thank you so much, you're a life saver". Remember that muddy knee? Yeah, very useful in these situations.

A note on woodland. As Oz and James showed, woodland is not easy to get through. Worse, you're blind in there. You can't see any landmarks and must be sure your navigation is perfect. Woodland is a veritable gold mine for trackers, loads of evidence is left by clumsy escapees.

[TedApelt]

It would have been nearly impossible to do the prison escape if there had been just one helicopter looking for them in that open space.

[NW]

I love how everything is all a work in progress looking but the bar is fully decked out and beautiful

[appnzllr]

All the while James is trying to stay hidden there is a third man with a camera and a fourth with the sound equipment. How did that guy with the binoculars miss four men running across nearly flat ground?

[digitaIgorilla]

I really enjoyed this narrative. My history teacher used to teach in much the same way, not just tell the official story as the book gave it, but the real story of humans being humans, the good and the bad and everything in between. More meaniful, and way more authentic.

[thomasbell]

Through the whole tracking bit I had to keep reminding myself that May and Oz were accompanied by a crew. Their signature was the size of a main battle tank's.

[nighthawkarts]

21:48 might be the best thing ever recorded.

Oz explaining this long-winded drawn out explanation just for “about half an hour”

[sparkledejager]

Love having two analytical people working together. Magic!