Sir Clive Sinclair 30 July 1940 - 16 September 2021 - Rest in peace. You get the last laugh, the C5 was a success, just ahead of it's time. You made the 80's amazing and prepared this nerdy kid for the world we now live in, thank you.
Yeah, that final scene could perhaps have also had a Tesla drive past too. Just to remind us that the vision behind the C5 was entirely sound - and, indeed, will undoubtedly be the future, as the internal combustion engine will be banned from sale from 2030 onwards in the UK - but that Sir Clive was attempting it decades before the battery technology could reasonably support it. So his "electric car" was too compromised, and was more of a souped-up electric bike (albeit in horizontal, rather than vertical, form) than a true electric car. It didn't start with Elon Musk, or even the EV1 from GM. It started with Sir Clive. RIP Uncle Clive
@@EQuivalentTube2 that’s blatantly not true. He wasn’t anti computer, he said once that it was an expensive fad. Then he capitalised on the fad. Then he got stitched.
HI I've been researching my Dad's history as he actually met Alan Turing while Turing was working on the Manchester computer back in the late 1940's. My Dad did some patent work on the design.
Glad to have grown up in the 80s experiencing first hand the BBC Acorn at school, and the release of the ZX Spectrum at home. Good times. Glad to have been a part of it.
When I was in my first year at high school in 97 they still had Acorn computers in the library, one or two Win 95 machines and a couple of Macintosh's. In primary i got to use a BBC Micro with a pen interface.
My tribute to Sir Clive: It’s because of Sir Clive that I have had a long and rewarding career in IT, my first machine was a ZX81 and although I never got it to work properly it fed the fire for my passion for computers and I then upgraded to a ZX Spectrum 48K+ which I didn’t have for long and then a ZX Spectrum +3. I am typing this on my iPad (which we have thanks to Sir Clive’s Z88) using a Recreated ZX Spectrum keyboard whilst loading “A Day In The Life” on my +2, hearing those glorious tape loading sounds at 1400 baud is soothing to my ears as I reminisce on those many happy and carefree days waiting patiently and in eager anticipation for my programs to load. He gave us the pocket radio, pocket calculators, pocket televisions, digital watches, affordable home computers, notepad computers and electric vehicles, yes the C5 was a commercial failure but his genius and creativity has been emulated all around the world which is now turning towards electric cars. Sir Clive was simply ahead of his time. Rest in peace Sir Clive and thank you, you gave me my future, you gave us all the future. Sir Clive Sinclair 1940 - 2021. RIP
Exactly the same for me; I programmed on a ZX81 aged 9 and became a software developer and still work in IT these days (though not with ZX81s anymore).
@@TheUglyGnome yes they developed the ARM processor. However Clive had the innovation and his ideas were well ahead of their time in my view, case in point: czcams.com/video/PqivyqPW5pM/video.html
ARM is Acorn's most brilliant, powerful and enduring legacy, it really can't be overstated, its massive. So I really appreciated the background reference on the whiteboard that can be seen from 1:18:39 to 1:19:28. Like Obi-wan Kenobi's famous words, "If you strike me down I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine", nobody in the 80's could possibly have imagined just how powerful ARM would become long after Acorn's demise.
Chris Curry said, that there was no chance, that spinning off ARM as a separate business would be a success. He said that, to stay relevant they would need to sell at least 50,000 processors!
Steve Furber and Sophie Wilson should be decorated for this work of genius that is the ARM chip, it's such a massive contribution to todays society, absolutely sums up what made Britain great
I'm forever grateful for the work Sir Clive Sinclair did. His ZX Spectrum machine was so easy to get started on for programming, and quickly get results onscreen and moving around. Paved the way for me to spend my entire life developing computer games, and having great fun while making a good living at it. Hats off to you, Sir.
Mein erster Computer war der ZX81. Den hatte ich mir mühsam zusammen gespart. Auch die Speichererweiterung und den Drucker mit den silbernen Rollen. Ich weiß noch wie viel Freude ich hatte als es mir gelang das Spiel Frogger mit dem speziellen Basic und der Folientastatur zu programmieren. Durch diesen kleinen Computer erwarb ich mir die Grundkenntnisse über Hardware und Programmierung. Auch wenn ich beruflich einen ganz anderen Weg gegangen bin als in der IT zu arbeiten so hat mir dieses Wissen bis heute geholfen. Danke Sir Clive Sinclair. Mögen Sie in Frieden ruhen.
I usually listen or watch this movie when I work designing and making homebrew Electronics and homebrew computers. I feel completely inspired each time I listen the story of BBC Micro and Sinclair. Maybe I've watched this movie 70 or 80 times from 2009 until now...
Being from the states, this is something I love about the British. The head of two big companies have a confrontation in a pub, a scuffle ensues, some choice words, then they go their separate ways. Holy moly, in America there would be police called, lawyers hired, witnesses rounded up and endless litigation. As Noel Redding said, “good bye America, land of litigation “.
In Britain to thing great minds of intelligent, wit, cunning and technology. The golden years with cheap thousand games to the British standards with Spectrums.
I don't think you can blame the US for number 2. Either they had the bomb first, or the Nazis or the Soviet Union would have. I know who I'd rather have it first.@@markhodgson2348
So many of us here got our start with this tech. Extrapolate that influence to the hundreds or thousands of people who we helped get started. Even today, after a long and exciting career in tech I mentor kids around the world in robotics and I know they will all go on to teach others. I am from a family of hard labor workers, but Sinclair's affordable tech busted me out of that mold and changed my life, and many others. Rest in Peace Sir.
Very enjoyable watching this, I found it rather sad at the end seeing Sir Clive driving his C5 only to be overtaken by those 2 trucks, one showing Microsoft, the other showing HP.
Actually, the first truck to be seen is a truck showing the Compaq logo. But you can see it only briefly when the truck is driving by. Probably the BBC didn't get the licence for showing the Compaq logo :)
It was an even better time to be in your 20s. Pure magic. And those old computers were so much fun before everything became about Very Serious Business Uses (even the magazines changed, it was very sad)
Your sentiments resonate with me too, the Spectrum was my first home computer and right from Christmas Day playing the only game available - Spectral Invaders I was hooked and taught myself basic programming on that great machine. My parents said they were going to get me the 16k version but they bought me the 48k version which was a really nice surprise! So many hours and even years of enjoyment I will always be thankful for. Little did we know or really care at that age what was going on behind the scenes of the business. Not sure how accurate this docudrama is but Sinclair had good ideas but the technology wasn’t there to support him sometimes - now we have the Tesla, he had the C5 which is laughable now but from small Acorns ... pun intended!
The biggest legacy of Sinclair's Spectrum is a game you may have heard about called Grand Theft Auto..which was created by DMA Design..a company in Dundee in Scotland who produced games for the Spectrum. They became inspired by a Spectrum driving game called Turbo Esprit, changed their name to RockStar, and went on to produce the most successful and longest running video game in history.
Fun fact: The pub lady ringing the bell at 1:21:23 is Sophie Wilson (formerly Roger Wilson) who played a big part in the development of the ARM processor.
Yes, the long haired skinny guy. Sophie, as he is now known has is probably one of the most intelligent people on the planet. She wrote the entire Risc OS in her head before committing it to paper. Do a Google search for Sophie Wilson to see what she is up to today.
Brilliant! I had a BBC Micro and a ZX Spectrum when I was growing up. I had no idea there was such rivalry. What a shame both companies no longer exist. Great times and very fond memories.
Acorn's 'Acorn Risc Machine' processors are still rather successful, they are now just known as 'ARM' and licensed ARM cores are in everything form mobile phones to washing machines. The company ARM was a spinoff from Acorn so it is essentially a bit of Acorn still in business.
A man ahead of his time in many ways. The spectrum even though he didn't really like the idea of it as a games machine got so many people into computing. The Z80 and ZX81 started the revolution for affordable home computing. If only the C5 had been a Scooter it would have been a sucess
@@markenetube Yes, but the claimed 20 miles was not even close to realistic. The design was mainly influenced by the limited power the lead acid batteries it had could provide. If he had better batteries to work with it would have been a less compromised design with much better actual range. Considering the technology he had to work with the C5 was actually pretty good.
@@schrodingerscat1863 Imaging a modern day mobility scooter design with more room for the batteries. I remeber the news report after it was launched. Lorry drivers were complaining C5's were so low you could not see them. That is why so many were fitted with those huge fiberglass whips with flags on the top. This is a little about it "Even in the 1980s, a time when cars were getting very fast but not really that much safer, the 2'7″ Sinclair C5 was a death trap on public roads. What else would you expect? It was basically a tricycle you could use on the road if you had balls as big toasters. No roll cage."
@@schrodingerscat1863 well, lithium ion batteries, a faster speed, covered driving to protect from the rain and sun, 4 wheels or at least put single wheel at back for better stability, taller so lorries don't flatten them, a reverse gear, ability to go up hills... But other than that, it would have been a roaring success 😉
@@dna9838 Most of the problems you point out were a consequence of very limited power storage and expensive power electronics of the day. There was very little money left for the actual structure of the vehicle to keep it a reasonable price. Modern batteries have huge power densities and are much lighter compared to the lead acid batteries available at the time. Also the kind of efficient power electronics needed and available for pennies these days cost a fortune back then.
Could someone please ask Mr Metzstein or the BBC if they will do a spin-off drama of Micro Men about Steve Furber, Sophie Wilson and the other people at Acorn who went on to produce the ARM CPU? The story of them visiting the Western Design Center in the US is brilliant - they expected to see them in a big building using the latest cutting-edge tech to make their processors, but it turned out that they were essentially working out of a suburban house. lol Steve and Sophie saw what the US guys were doing, and said "we could do that". :) The ARM CPU core the Acorn team developed has been used in over 50 Billion devices to this date! It's a fantastic success story. Even if the original Acorn company itself didn't last the 90s, the innovations it made are now being used by almost all of us on a daily basis.
Holy shit... I had an acorn electron as a kid.. my first computer actually.. ive been coding the ARM CPU for YEARS!!! mainly in the GBA .. NDS.. etc.. NEVER!!! knew it was the acorn team that made it.. how amazing!!! tnx man.. I would love to see that..
sheepthehack Arm originally stood for Acorn Risc Machine - they changed it to “Advanced” when apple placed a big order for it’s Newton. it was actually posted in comp.sys.acorn back in 91 when I was farting about on the ARM 2 in the Archimedes 😀
ARM was a british success story, but alas, sold off to foreign investors, so it's not British anymore. In terms of skills, Britain could be world leading, when applied, but lacks organisation and self-confidence, and ability to raise capital like it's American cousin, that is all.
@@tensevo Sad but true. The UK and in particular Cambridge, where all of this was filmed has turned into a colony of multi-nationals where the only way upwards is a shiny MBA agree and the ability to say "yes boss", which stifles all the talent that could be putting us toe-to-toe with the US.
All the tracks featured in Micro Men are by European artists. No Americans. I suspect that's a design decision rather than a coincidence. [You can make a case that "A Fifth of Beethoven" is by an American (Walter Murphy) but I'm fairly confident Ludwig was the main composer there.]
Fascinating to the point that I am engrossed in this film like few others have ever been able to. Thank you to the up-loader, I was not aware that this moment in history had been produced. I do say that it is better than most Hollywood blockbusters that cost millions.
It won't be, sadly. These days physical media is less important than it was a decade ago, and as someone said in a different thread the music rights would be a real pain.
Absolutely brilliant. I grew up in those times, read all the articles and was totally entranced by computing. It was an exciting time if you were a nerd!
Love this film. Some of lines by Herman Hauser really made me laugh. “You don’t play cards, do you? No!”. Excellent dramatisation of one of the most innovative periods in micro-computer technology.
I had no idea there was such a rivalry going on in England same time Steve Jobs and Bill Gates were beefing in the US! This is great movie and now I am shopping for a Sinclair Spectrum AND a BBC Micro AND an Acorn Atom! hahaha
This was awesome. Never heard of this film before, thanks for posting it. Great to see a perspective on early computing that doesn't just hype Microsoft and Apple.
My first computer was a ZX Spectrum, which got me interested in computer programming, and finally get a job as a software developer. Thanks Clive, and may you rest in peace!
Wonderful, wonderful film. Yes, it's a dramadoc so a few liberties are taken (*cough* Amstrad CPC in a "1981" show scene). But it's still fantastic. Even little things like the old WH Smith logo take me back to the 80s effortlessly. (First computer was a ZX81; these days I have a Beeb. So a foot in both camps. Eventually!)
@@pferreira1983 To my mind, it's only garbage if you expect it to be a pure documentary. The very first screen you see makes it clear some of it is fiction.
I thought it was quite funny when he threw the phone through the window. I bet this in depth look into Sir Clive Sinclair is not too far from the truth in terms of his temper when things didn't go his way. But none the less this was an awesome watch.
Both he and Chris Curry weren't happy with their respective portrayals. Though you cannot help but wonder how truthful they themselves are being. If something in your past is embarrassing then of course you're prone to lying or about or blurring the truth.
Those Acorn guys eating with what’s on hand reminds me of an older colleague that used the same screwdriver for opening oil cans, hydraulic fluid and mixing his coffee, wiping it after each use on his overalls. I really enjoyed it, as I’m putting the bits of British home micro history in order.
Great vid. Armstrong always tickles me in this role; I could almost imagine him in pictured in exactly the same way as here, but in a sitcom of his own.
I love how they characterise Hermann Hauser not knowing how to play games like chess or cards as an analogy to him being a person who doesn't play by the rules.
We should start a Kickstarter to buy Sir Clive a Tesla S.... just so we can post a video of him receiving it, and chucking another phone through a window, only you can be it will be an ARM based mobile, ho the irony.
thanks to all who engaged in the personal computer craze. everything, even the mistakes, pushed digital technology forward to the vastly useful tools we take for granted today.
sick movie :) sinclair wasent a very likable person , but he affected my childhood my parents gave me a digital pen that let me into digital art today i make games. thank you Sinclair. enyone else thinks that the "sinclair" logo looks very 2023. or its timeless i cant make my mind.
Thanks for sharing, really enjoyed watching it again. I learnt to code on a BBC Micro now I 'm a lead developer making apps for schools, funny how things come around.. :)
I remember in high school we were still using BBC acorns in 1994, learning spreadsheets. By then they had all turned a dark beige colour and the IT department had got the caretaker to write the school name in tipex over the top of the keyboards and monitors to deter thief's.😅
I'm not sure if I agree with you. I tend to ignore the gender that people identify with. as it isn't relevant. And respect those with with great minds. And ignore those with small minds. I'm sure you would agree with me?
+Marco Di Franco No. I am jealous of those who have evolved to have great minds, since I have been told that I, as a homophobe, necessarily have a very small mind. Oh well, I'll be dead soon enough and it won't matter.
great movie. I love the point where Acorn is sure they need to move down in price for a gaming alternative, while Sinclair wants to move up in the market to be taken more seriously. They both wanted more pie, but the pie was all gone.
Yeah, things could have been so different if the Sinclair QL and Acorn Electron were never made. Acorn and Sinclair both occupied successful segments in the computer industry, and it was their attempts to take each other on that was the downfall of both of them.
This was great, thanks for uploading it - I'd name my favorite bits, but there are too many. (The guy that played 'Chris' deserved some kind of acting award for his facial expressions alone.)
I have to admit, I have watched this more times than I have any film!!
Sir Clive Sinclair
30 July 1940 - 16 September 2021 - Rest in peace.
You get the last laugh, the C5 was a success, just ahead of it's time.
You made the 80's amazing and prepared this nerdy kid for the world we now live in, thank you.
Amen -_-
@@simonebernacchia5724 Press and hold F to Uncle Sinclair.
He didn't belive in computers, but the Scene did believe in his invention.
Now I have to re-watch this and try not to cry a million times (Canadian owner of three C5s here!)
Yeah, that final scene could perhaps have also had a Tesla drive past too.
Just to remind us that the vision behind the C5 was entirely sound - and, indeed, will undoubtedly be the future, as the internal combustion engine will be banned from sale from 2030 onwards in the UK - but that Sir Clive was attempting it decades before the battery technology could reasonably support it. So his "electric car" was too compromised, and was more of a souped-up electric bike (albeit in horizontal, rather than vertical, form) than a true electric car.
It didn't start with Elon Musk, or even the EV1 from GM. It started with Sir Clive.
RIP Uncle Clive
@@EQuivalentTube2 that’s blatantly not true. He wasn’t anti computer, he said once that it was an expensive fad. Then he capitalised on the fad. Then he got stitched.
Our museum was involved in making this film. Loved every minute of it!! :)
Your museum is awesome! If I won the lottery I would quit my job and come volunteer full time!
i used to go all the time but its a two and a half hour drive
HI I've been researching my Dad's history as he actually met Alan Turing while Turing was working on the Manchester computer back in the late 1940's. My Dad did some patent work on the design.
ewaf88 That's really cool. Your dad had a role in a very important historical event then. Good luck with your research :)
been there and its great. good work guys... and i friggin love this movie.
Glad to have grown up in the 80s experiencing first hand the BBC Acorn at school, and the release of the ZX Spectrum at home. Good times. Glad to have been a part of it.
When I was in my first year at high school in 97 they still had Acorn computers in the library, one or two Win 95 machines and a couple of Macintosh's. In primary i got to use a BBC Micro with a pen interface.
My tribute to Sir Clive:
It’s because of Sir Clive that I have had a long and rewarding career in IT, my first machine was a ZX81 and although I never got it to work properly it fed the fire for my passion for computers and I then upgraded to a ZX Spectrum 48K+ which I didn’t have for long and then a ZX Spectrum +3.
I am typing this on my iPad (which we have thanks to Sir Clive’s Z88) using a Recreated ZX Spectrum keyboard whilst loading “A Day In The Life” on my +2, hearing those glorious tape loading sounds at 1400 baud is soothing to my ears as I reminisce on those many happy and carefree days waiting patiently and in eager anticipation for my programs to load.
He gave us the pocket radio, pocket calculators, pocket televisions, digital watches, affordable home computers, notepad computers and electric vehicles, yes the C5 was a commercial failure but his genius and creativity has been emulated all around the world which is now turning towards electric cars. Sir Clive was simply ahead of his time.
Rest in peace Sir Clive and thank you, you gave me my future, you gave us all the future.
Sir Clive Sinclair
1940 - 2021. RIP
For your iPad you should thank Steve Furber and Roger/Sophie Wilson more than Sir Clive.
Exactly the same for me; I programmed on a ZX81 aged 9 and became a software developer and still work in IT these days (though not with ZX81s anymore).
@@TheUglyGnome yes they developed the ARM processor. However Clive had the innovation and his ideas were well ahead of their time in my view, case in point:
czcams.com/video/PqivyqPW5pM/video.html
@@TheUglyGnome Indeed. The ARM processor is still with us today.
Same here.
ARM is Acorn's most brilliant, powerful and enduring legacy, it really can't be overstated, its massive. So I really appreciated the background reference on the whiteboard that can be seen from 1:18:39 to 1:19:28. Like Obi-wan Kenobi's famous words, "If you strike me down I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine", nobody in the 80's could possibly have imagined just how powerful ARM would become long after Acorn's demise.
^^^ "just how powerful ARM would become" ^^^^ Very good joke, ironic considering it is the low power that counts!
Chris Curry said, that there was no chance, that spinning off ARM as a separate business would be a success.
He said that, to stay relevant they would need to sell at least 50,000 processors!
@@volo870 230 billion arm chips as of 2022.😊
@@dna9838 It is ironic how sales of 200,000 Apple Newtons are deemed a failure for Apple, but a great success for ARM.
Steve Furber and Sophie Wilson should be decorated for this work of genius that is the ARM chip, it's such a massive contribution to todays society, absolutely sums up what made Britain great
Watching this tonight in honour of Sir Clive who died today (16/09/21) R.I.P.
Me too
I'm forever grateful for the work Sir Clive Sinclair did. His ZX Spectrum machine was so easy to get started on for programming, and quickly get results onscreen and moving around. Paved the way for me to spend my entire life developing computer games, and having great fun while making a good living at it. Hats off to you, Sir.
I'm 43 years old. Thank you sir for the very first vivid childhood impressions of the World of Computer Games.
R.I.P.
Such nostalgia! What a brilliant film. Never get bored of watching this over and over. It was a great and exciting time to be growing up in!
brilliant could of have a spinoff, it had buzz, to it
I can't count how many times I've watched this. It's a time machine, takes me back to those exciting years.
Absolutely, this film really does take me back to the early 80's. Great nostalgia as you say.. 😊
I remember me and my brother saving our money together to buy a 16K ZX Spectrum from WH Smiths. What wonderful, lovely days!
Mein erster Computer war der ZX81. Den hatte ich mir mühsam zusammen gespart. Auch die Speichererweiterung und den Drucker mit den silbernen Rollen. Ich weiß noch wie viel Freude ich hatte als es mir gelang das Spiel Frogger mit dem speziellen Basic und der Folientastatur zu programmieren. Durch diesen kleinen Computer erwarb ich mir die Grundkenntnisse über Hardware und Programmierung. Auch wenn ich beruflich einen ganz anderen Weg gegangen bin als in der IT zu arbeiten so hat mir dieses Wissen bis heute geholfen. Danke Sir Clive Sinclair. Mögen Sie in Frieden ruhen.
'Sir Clive Sinclair' The man who bought you Jet Set Fucking Willy. :)
Damn, the 80's were beige.
"It's like trying to read braille through gardening gloves"
Never have I heard a better assessment of the ZX80 keyboard.
That's true, but have you honestly ever smelled anything the same? I'm still trying to find that smell..
RIP Clive Sinclair, gone to silicon heaven.
The most educative movie about what means to be British.
Alexander Armstrong playing Clive Sinclair as more or less a 1970s Dr. Who villain is the kind of unintentional entertainment that just grabs me.
RIP Sir Clive. My first computer was a ZX Spectrum, brought me years of Happy fun.
10 PRINT "THANK YOU "
20 GOTO 10
run
10 PRINT "THANK YOU. ";
RUN
@Mytheroo come on we all know it is
10 REPEAT
20 PRINT "Thank you"
30 UNTIL FALSE
GOTO indeed 😀
What every kid did when in the computer section of the department store, in the 80s.
Bzzzt... Error Code 5!
I wish see similar film about Alan Sugar and Amstrad. :)
I usually listen or watch this movie when I work designing and making homebrew Electronics and homebrew computers. I feel completely inspired each time I listen the story of BBC Micro and Sinclair. Maybe I've watched this movie 70 or 80 times from 2009 until now...
Being from the states, this is something I love about the British. The head of two big companies have a confrontation in a pub, a scuffle ensues, some choice words, then they go their separate ways. Holy moly, in America there would be police called, lawyers hired, witnesses rounded up and endless litigation. As Noel Redding said, “good bye America, land of litigation “.
In Britain to thing great minds of intelligent, wit, cunning and technology. The golden years with cheap thousand games to the British standards with Spectrums.
That's why I bought an American made C64 after the ZX81. Very disappointed with it and couldn't afford the expensive BBC model B
Three things America has brought to the world
1. Fast food obesity
2. the increased threat of nuclear war
3. And Finally, a litigation culture
Stfu, we don't need anymore America haters
I don't think you can blame the US for number 2. Either they had the bomb first, or the Nazis or the Soviet Union would have. I know who I'd rather have it first.@@markhodgson2348
I love how Sophie Wilson is in the background of a film that dramatizes the early days of Acorn Computers, before her transition.
So many of us here got our start with this tech. Extrapolate that influence to the hundreds or thousands of people who we helped get started. Even today, after a long and exciting career in tech I mentor kids around the world in robotics and I know they will all go on to teach others.
I am from a family of hard labor workers, but Sinclair's affordable tech busted me out of that mold and changed my life, and many others.
Rest in Peace Sir.
Very enjoyable watching this, I found it rather sad at the end seeing Sir Clive driving his C5 only to be overtaken by those 2 trucks, one showing Microsoft, the other showing HP.
Actually, the first truck to be seen is a truck showing the Compaq logo. But you can see it only briefly when the truck is driving by. Probably the BBC didn't get the licence for showing the Compaq logo :)
Sophie Wilson (formerly Roger Wilson) serving behind the bar at the end. Nice touch.
Wonderful film. I wish we could go back to the 80's. It was a wonderful time to be a kid.
It was an even better time to be in your 20s. Pure magic. And those old computers were so much fun before everything became about Very Serious Business Uses (even the magazines changed, it was very sad)
@@KevDaly I still have a shitload of those old magazines. Everyone told me to toss then, wel fuck that!
Your sentiments resonate with me too, the Spectrum was my first home computer and right from Christmas Day playing the only game available - Spectral Invaders I was hooked and taught myself basic programming on that great machine. My parents said they were going to get me the 16k version but they bought me the 48k version which was a really nice surprise! So many hours and even years of enjoyment I will always be thankful for. Little did we know or really care at that age what was going on behind the scenes of the business. Not sure how accurate this docudrama is but Sinclair had good ideas but the technology wasn’t there to support him sometimes - now we have the Tesla, he had the C5 which is laughable now but from small Acorns ... pun intended!
I never get bored of watching this! Just fabulous. “Their oxtail soup is warming. And nutritious!”
@The Blue Max my wife has even started saying it! Warming. And nutritious. I’m getting that slogan on a tee shirt!
"Mmm. Very filling!"
I had both a ZX80 and a ZX81 as a child. They were fantastic! I work as a Software Developer today, and that's all thanks to Clive !!!
Actually, a friend of mine had a BBC micro.
Still got my Beeb and my A3000
At once nostalgic, hilarious, and thought-provoking. Thank you for posting.
RIP Sir Clive, you were a true pioneer
Re-re-re-watching this. It always makes me feel sad for what could have been.
The biggest legacy of Sinclair's Spectrum is a game you may have heard about called Grand Theft Auto..which was created by DMA Design..a company in Dundee in Scotland who produced games for the Spectrum. They became inspired by a Spectrum driving game called Turbo Esprit, changed their name to RockStar, and went on to produce the most successful and longest running video game in history.
That's quite a stretch to bring in GTA.
@@pferreira1983 not really
For instance, if they never made spectrum games, then turbo esprit wouldn't have inspired them to make gta
@@badmeme486 There are a lot of companies that started on the Spectrum and continued onto consoles. So?
@@pferreira1983 that wasn't my point - also, gta was first released on DOS i think
Fun fact: The pub lady ringing the bell at 1:21:23 is Sophie Wilson (formerly Roger Wilson) who played a big part in the development of the ARM processor.
Yes, the long haired skinny guy. Sophie, as he is now known has is probably one of the most intelligent people on the planet. She wrote the entire Risc OS in her head before committing it to paper. Do a Google search for Sophie Wilson to see what she is up to today.
She was on Christmas University Challenge over the 2017 season.
How cool. I never spotted that when I watched it before.
@@unlokia No she was made a female with male genitals.
@@unlokia No, but god made you a pleb.
Brilliant! I had a BBC Micro and a ZX Spectrum when I was growing up. I had no idea there was such rivalry. What a shame both companies no longer exist. Great times and very fond memories.
alula media acorn still exists as ARM
Acorn's 'Acorn Risc Machine' processors are still rather successful, they are now just known as 'ARM' and licensed ARM cores are in everything form mobile phones to washing machines. The company ARM was a spinoff from Acorn so it is essentially a bit of Acorn still in business.
I wish I had one (I'm 14 y/o but still I like that stuff)
A man ahead of his time in many ways. The spectrum even though he didn't really like the idea of it as a games machine got so many people into computing. The Z80 and ZX81 started the revolution for affordable home computing. If only the C5 had been a Scooter it would have been a sucess
C5 was a failure because the technology wasn't there, if he had today's lithium ion batteries it would have been a very different story.
@@markenetube Yes, but the claimed 20 miles was not even close to realistic. The design was mainly influenced by the limited power the lead acid batteries it had could provide. If he had better batteries to work with it would have been a less compromised design with much better actual range. Considering the technology he had to work with the C5 was actually pretty good.
@@schrodingerscat1863 Imaging a modern day mobility scooter design with more room for the batteries. I remeber the news report after it was launched. Lorry drivers were complaining C5's were so low you could not see them. That is why so many were fitted with those huge fiberglass whips with flags on the top.
This is a little about it "Even in the 1980s, a time when cars were getting very fast but not really that much safer, the 2'7″ Sinclair C5 was a death trap on public roads. What else would you expect? It was basically a tricycle you could use on the road if you had balls as big toasters. No roll cage."
@@schrodingerscat1863 well, lithium ion batteries, a faster speed, covered driving to protect from the rain and sun, 4 wheels or at least put single wheel at back for better stability, taller so lorries don't flatten them, a reverse gear, ability to go up hills... But other than that, it would have been a roaring success 😉
@@dna9838 Most of the problems you point out were a consequence of very limited power storage and expensive power electronics of the day. There was very little money left for the actual structure of the vehicle to keep it a reasonable price. Modern batteries have huge power densities and are much lighter compared to the lead acid batteries available at the time. Also the kind of efficient power electronics needed and available for pennies these days cost a fortune back then.
Could someone please ask Mr Metzstein or the BBC if they will do a spin-off drama of Micro Men about Steve Furber, Sophie Wilson and the other people at Acorn who went on to produce the ARM CPU?
The story of them visiting the Western Design Center in the US is brilliant - they expected to see them in a big building using the latest cutting-edge tech to make their processors, but it turned out that they were essentially working out of a suburban house. lol
Steve and Sophie saw what the US guys were doing, and said "we could do that". :)
The ARM CPU core the Acorn team developed has been used in over 50 Billion devices to this date!
It's a fantastic success story. Even if the original Acorn company itself didn't last the 90s, the innovations it made are now being used by almost all of us on a daily basis.
The BBC made a pretty good go of the Acorn to ARM story in podcast form. Look up "Stephen Fry: on the Phone".
Holy shit... I had an acorn electron as a kid.. my first computer actually.. ive been coding the ARM CPU for YEARS!!! mainly in the GBA .. NDS.. etc.. NEVER!!! knew it was the acorn team that made it.. how amazing!!! tnx man.. I would love to see that..
sheepthehack Arm originally stood for Acorn Risc Machine - they changed it to “Advanced” when apple placed a big order for it’s Newton. it was actually posted in comp.sys.acorn back in 91 when I was farting about on the ARM 2 in the Archimedes 😀
ARM was a british success story, but alas, sold off to foreign investors, so it's not British anymore. In terms of skills, Britain could be world leading, when applied, but lacks organisation and self-confidence, and ability to raise capital like it's American cousin, that is all.
@@tensevo Sad but true. The UK and in particular Cambridge, where all of this was filmed has turned into a colony of multi-nationals where the only way upwards is a shiny MBA agree and the ability to say "yes boss", which stifles all the talent that could be putting us toe-to-toe with the US.
"HE'S BLOODY WHERE?"
Still blows my mind that these same Acorn guys developed the original ARM CPU, an architecture that is now the most ubiquitous on earth right now.
i absolutely flippin love this drama, it's superb.
One of the best docudramas I have ever seen. Love this one!
JARRE , KRAFTWERK....great music.. great video..lot of memories on those old computers!
All the tracks featured in Micro Men are by European artists. No Americans. I suspect that's a design decision rather than a coincidence.
[You can make a case that "A Fifth of Beethoven" is by an American (Walter Murphy) but I'm fairly confident Ludwig was the main composer there.]
@@careyphillips9401 Dont forget Vangelis Pulsar in the introduction. A cover of the original but.
Fascinating to the point that I am engrossed in this film like few others have ever been able to.
Thank you to the up-loader, I was not aware that this moment in history had been produced. I do say that it is better than most Hollywood blockbusters that cost millions.
With Peter Davison in a (very minor) role, the throwaway remark about Doctor Who is even funnier!
I've watched this many many times, and I still love it.
RIP Uncle Clive. :(
The acting,writing and shooting are great in the film!
The English humor in it is also great!
They should make sequels of this. The story of Amstrad, of Amiga, of Atari, every time other company of the old home micros.
NostalgiaNerd makes good little docs
I love my Amiga
@@OnVentUK good shout, definitely check Nostalgia Nerd's channel - some quality documentaries there
This show needs to be released dvd! It's fantastic!
It won't be, sadly. These days physical media is less important than it was a decade ago, and as someone said in a different thread the music rights would be a real pain.
Yep, I tried to buy it years ago but sadly never transferred to DVD.. ☹️
Absolutely brilliant. I grew up in those times, read all the articles and was totally entranced by computing. It was an exciting time if you were a nerd!
Rest in peace, Sir Clve. You are the reason I went into computers.
A truly fascinating use case in the computer industry with a marvelous performance and thrilling piece of computer history. A superb production!
“Clive Sinclair...the man who brought you Jet set fucking Willy” is one of the best quotes ever
Happy 40th ZX Spectrum
Wonderful. Absolutely stunning performances all round. I have to re-watch this regularly to remind me of those heady, creative times!
the father of computer gaming in the Uk
A true inventor and businessman
Thank you, Clive, for making my early childhood so enjoyable
RIp
Amazing film, nice seeing the history. loved my ZX81.
Love this film. Some of lines by Herman Hauser really made me laugh. “You don’t play cards, do you? No!”. Excellent dramatisation of one of the most innovative periods in micro-computer technology.
I had no idea there was such a rivalry going on in England same time Steve Jobs and Bill Gates were beefing in the US! This is great movie and now I am shopping for a Sinclair Spectrum AND a BBC Micro AND an Acorn Atom! hahaha
AND also get yourself a BBC Archimedes A3000, the successor to the Beeb
This was awesome. Never heard of this film before, thanks for posting it. Great to see a perspective on early computing that doesn't just hype Microsoft and Apple.
I keep thinking that every scene is going to end with Clive Sinclair pressing a button and saying "KILL THEM".
Sinclair throwing the phone and shouting "Bloody fucking hell!!". that's my favourite part. LOL 52:26
My first computer was a ZX Spectrum, which got me interested in computer programming, and finally get a job as a software developer. Thanks Clive, and may you rest in peace!
this comment is how i learnt of his death, rest in peace Sir Clive
Wonderful, wonderful film. Yes, it's a dramadoc so a few liberties are taken (*cough* Amstrad CPC in a "1981" show scene). But it's still fantastic. Even little things like the old WH Smith logo take me back to the 80s effortlessly. (First computer was a ZX81; these days I have a Beeb. So a foot in both camps. Eventually!)
Yeah, that scene is a bit weird, especially with the use of computers that clearly have multi-colour and sound at a time when few machines had either.
@alfa-psi He ain't totally wrong.
@@pferreira1983 To my mind, it's only garbage if you expect it to be a pure documentary. The very first screen you see makes it clear some of it is fiction.
Am I the only one who thinks Clive Sinclair looks and sounds like a supervillain?
he also looks like one
I thought it was quite funny when he threw the phone through the window. I bet this in depth look into Sir Clive Sinclair is not too far from the truth in terms of his temper when things didn't go his way. But none the less this was an awesome watch.
Both he and Chris Curry weren't happy with their respective portrayals. Though you cannot help but wonder how truthful they themselves are being. If something in your past is embarrassing then of course you're prone to lying or about or blurring the truth.
Yes. Retrospective analysis, to pinch a line that Steve Furber used in an interview to describe Herman Hauser's view on past events.
Yeah it's was pretty stupid.
Thanks uploader - never knew this TV show existed. Alexander Armstrong is brilliant as Sir Clive. Love it.
Those Acorn guys eating with what’s on hand reminds me of an older colleague that used the same screwdriver for opening oil cans, hydraulic fluid and mixing his coffee, wiping it after each use on his overalls. I really enjoyed it, as I’m putting the bits of British home micro history in order.
RIP Sir Clive. You changed our childhoods and adulthood.
That "backup life support" bit was hilarious. I love this film.
Are you able to explain exactly what happened
The rise and fall, rage and grace of the British computer market.
Rest in peace Sir Clive Sinclair.
Great vid. Armstrong always tickles me in this role; I could almost imagine him in pictured in exactly the same way as here, but in a sitcom of his own.
It had to end with Jean Michel Jarre :)
I would have prefered Kraftwerk, but what the heck...
Perfection
Great job showing this time period. I love the soundtrack
THIS WAS GREAT! Regards from germany
I love how they characterise Hermann Hauser not knowing how to play games like chess or cards as an analogy to him being a person who doesn't play by the rules.
We should start a Kickstarter to buy Sir Clive a Tesla S.... just so we can post a video of him receiving it, and chucking another phone through a window, only you can be it will be an ARM based mobile, ho the irony.
This has not aged well
@@slothcunt8353 Neither do mortal beings, generally.
thanks to all who engaged in the personal computer craze. everything, even the mistakes, pushed digital technology forward to the vastly useful tools we take for granted today.
sick movie :) sinclair wasent a very likable person , but he affected my childhood my parents gave me a digital pen that let me into digital art today i make games. thank you Sinclair. enyone else thinks that the "sinclair" logo looks very 2023. or its timeless i cant make my mind.
Thanks for sharing, really enjoyed watching it again. I learnt to code on a BBC Micro now I 'm a lead developer making apps for schools, funny how things come around.. :)
I remember in high school we were still using BBC acorns in 1994, learning spreadsheets. By then they had all turned a dark beige colour and the IT department had got the caretaker to write the school name in tipex over the top of the keyboards and monitors to deter thief's.😅
This is the greatest TV show of all time
The last part is fantastic. Still laughing like crazy. Great music too!
Also they used the old Microsoft logo. Great Detail
"A man's reach must exceed his grasp, or what's a heaven for?" - Robert Browning (Thanks for the recommendation, Dave - EEVblog)
I love the way this was shot.
Thanks for the upload.
Superb proggy. I've watched it far too many times, but never caught the HD version.
One more watch can't hurt. lol
i have watched this about 5 times and i love every second
funny , sad , genius a brilliant watch and not clouded by modern newspeak … loved every minute of it
The inclusion or cameo appearance at 1:21:25 of the real Sophie Wilson (formerly Roger Wilson) remains a lovely touch to this story.
Jim Westwood's in it as well, in the background in the WHSmith scene.
The World would be a better place if we had more pioneering and brilliant minds like Sophie Wilson (Roger Wilson)
I'm not sure if I agree with you.
I tend to ignore the gender that people identify with. as it isn't relevant.
And respect those with with great minds.
And ignore those with small minds.
I'm sure you would agree with me?
+Marco Di Franco No. I am jealous of those who have evolved to have great minds, since I have been told that I, as a homophobe, necessarily have a very small mind. Oh well, I'll be dead soon enough and it won't matter.
What a precious documentary. Thank you !
1 of the great movies. Thankyou for making it.
Been looking for this for years. Thank you!
What a great film. Freeman and Armstrong are casting perfection.
RIP Sir Clive and thank you for all you did my 48k speccy started a lifetime love of computers and gaming
Will never ever be forgotten - Thank you Sir Clive!
There should be statues of these guys......
@smylexx lol smylexx
Absolutely BRILLIANT!!!!
great movie. I love the point where Acorn is sure they need to move down in price for a gaming alternative, while Sinclair wants to move up in the market to be taken more seriously. They both wanted more pie, but the pie was all gone.
Yeah, things could have been so different if the Sinclair QL and Acorn Electron were never made. Acorn and Sinclair both occupied successful segments in the computer industry, and it was their attempts to take each other on that was the downfall of both of them.
If you haven't lived through your teenage years with a Sinclair product, you don't understand what influence it has had on our lives.
R.I.P Uncle Clive ... I'll never forget you x
This was great, thanks for uploading it - I'd name my favorite bits, but there are too many. (The guy that played 'Chris' deserved some kind of acting award for his facial expressions alone.)
He reminds me of a hobbit somehow.
@@Sighman killing off Dragon Data in one movie and Smaug in another. Pretty sure the Hobbit is just a sequel to Micro Men :p