Following a successful pilot in 2020, the motor restoration show is back on BBC Two for a full series. And many viewers are curious to know where The Speedshop is based.
Fans of BBC One’s hit show The Repair Shop are bound to love new offering The Speedshop - a reality show which sees engineer Steve 'Titch' Cormack turn broken bikes into bespoke machines. Set in his vintage, rustic workshop, the programme is ideal Sunday night viewing that sees the expert change people’s lives with his renovated creations. Titch Cormack has said of the show: “The Speedshop has been a fantastic experience for the whole team. I'm immensely proud of what we achieved and lives we've changed over the last year.”
Viewers have been just as taken by Titch's quaint garage as they have the transformations. And we've done some research into the mechanic's dwellings which you can actually visit in real life.
Where is the Speedshop based?
Titch’s vintage workshop - named The S Bomb garage - is located on the South Coast of England in Poole, Dorset, on the picturesque waterfront. It can be found on the popular Poole Quay and specialises in selling and building vintage and custom motorbikes.
He opened The S Bomb garage in Poole - where he resides - after being discharged from the special forces back in 2016. Titch has said: “My bag has always been doing my bikes, racing motorcycles and building machines. And with The Speedshop I was just fortunate enough to be offered the opportunity to do exactly that.”
Can you visit the Speedshop in real life?
The Speedshop is based in Titch’s personal garage and yes, you can visit it in real life. Whilst it specialises in vintage and custom motorbikes, visitors can also find bespoke pieces of furniture for sale and a coffee shop with views of the Twin Sails bridge at the garage.
Titch purchased the derelict shellfish-processing hut and turned it into a motorbike workshop after his career with the Special Forces ended. His workshop officially opened in 2017.
Who is Titch Cormack?
Titch - real name Steven - is a former Special Boat Service operator and a motorcycle engineer. Born in Hull, he joined the Marines as a teenager and served for more than 20 years. During his career, he worked his way up to Chief Mobility Instructor for the Special Boat Service. He has fought in Iraq, Afghanistan and South America.
He was medically discharged in 2016 following multiple injuries. Titch has spoken about his time in the Special Forces, admitting that killing for his country still haunts him today. He said: “It's not a position I would wish on anyone. But you train for it.”
Titch added: “I've saved more lives than I've taken.When you're put in a position where potentially if you don't act you'll lose your own life, then you have to do it. It stays with you. It's something I'm glad to leave behind.”
The former soldier has been approached to star in SAS: Who Dares Wins, which launched Ant Middleton’s TV career. But he turned down the opportunity:
“I certainly don’t want to be pushing myself as some sort of TV hardman,” he told The Sun. “Cringey. No! I want to blaze my own trail rather than going down that route. I was asked if I would be interested in doing that one, and I was quite unhesitant in my answer which was, ‘No, I won’t thanks.’”
Instead upon retirement, Titch founded S Bomb and went on to film the pilot for The Speedshop in 2020.
Does Titch Cormack have a wife?
Titch Cormack already has viewers swooning over him and they will be pleased to learn that Titch is in fact single. The motoring presenter confirmed his unattached relationship status in an interview in March 2022.
“I have a four-year-old daughter with an ex I get on with very well with, but I am single,” he told The Times, revealing that he is a single dad.
Judging by his Instagram, it appears that Titch is still very much single. He hasn’t posted any pictures of a partner and is not tagged in any photos with a partner. Most of Titch’s Instagram posts, unsurprisingly, are of him and the bikes he builds and his workouts. So it seems he’s very much focused on his career at the moment.
How many episodes of The Speedshop?
There's six episodes of The Speedshop in total - which airs every Sunday at 8pm on BBC Two. This does not include the pilot episode which was filmed as a one off special and aired in 2020. You can catch up with all episodes of The Speedshop currently on BBC iPlayer.
This series Titch works alongside his two real-life friends: Billy, a mechanic and ex-Tank Regiment Commander who suffered life-changing injuries in an Afghanistan bomb attack. And engineering expert John, a former Staff Sergeant from the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers.
They open the series by creating an adapted motorcycle sidecar for ex-Special Forces soldier Toby, who is paralysed from the neck down having been shot in Afghanistan. Despite needing a mechanical ventilator to breathe, he is determined to experience the joy of being back on a bike.
Later episodes see the crew explore slightly further afield. As they take on a Moroccan desert expedition with a veterans’ charity. They’re tasked with coming up with a solution to enable them to trek hundreds of miles across the stunning snowscapes of Iceland on bikes.
In the series, Titch also pays tribute to the man who inspired his military career - his late grandad, Corporal William Cormack. The touching project sees him aim to ride a custom-built machine to the French beach. This is where his grandfather landed during D-Day. And it's where he wishes to pay tribute to the soldiers who fought during the Second World War.
Speaking of the series, BBC Commissioning Editor Clare Mottershead said: “Titch and his team have infectious chemistry and a never-give-up attitude when it comes to taking on challenging builds and adventures. We’re delighted to be bringing such authentic new talent to our audiences.”
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