The podcast dedicated to classic bangers - or clangers as we like to call them. Join Tom, Craig and Mike as they ponder the best and worst elements of clanger ownership and driving. Nothing fancy, nothing expensive (apart from the repair bills), just normal, forgettable everyday cars from the 1990s and early 2000s that take up far too much of our time.
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Car interiors are back — and this time, we’re going properly inside.
After last week’s episode was cut short by Craig having somewhere to be, Mike, Tom and Craig return to the subject of clever, curious and catastrophically bad car cabins from the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Expect curry hooks, Mercedes seat-belt butlers, Airscarves, Skoda umbrellas, built-in Volvo child seats, pop-off stereos, questionable green-and-blue trim combinations and the Range Rover whose seats turned blue. There’s also the car interior that helped send its maker into bankruptcy, plus a TVR-assisted jump-start in a field during the tennis.
As ever, the three former road testers and serial crap-car collectors begin by finding out what Craig has bought or sold this week—before introducing a new(ish) game: What IS Craig On About?
Subscribe, leave us a review, and find us on Instagram at @clangerspod or on Facebook as Clangers Podcast. Let us know what you think—and which cars you’d like us to cover next.
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14 Sept 2026
Episode 16: Inside Job
This week on the Clangers Pod, Mike Askew, Tom Barnard and Craig Cheetham turn their attention to the interiors of some of their favourite Clangers – celebrating the clever, the quirky and the downright questionable cabins of the late 1990s and early 2000s.
We discover how Porsche helped engineer a minicabber’s favourite, which car came with an optional shower, why one particular brand smells of fish, and whether big windscreens have become a thing of the past. There’s also questionable upholstery, peeling soft-touch plastics, cars with wildly different interiors depending on where they were built – and some truly spectacular colour combinations.
Plus, Craig reveals what he’s bought or sold, Tom has another quiz, and we play What IS Mike On About?
If you love the cars that sit somewhere between classic and banger, this one’s for you.
Follow the Clangers Pod on Instagram @clangerspod or find us on Facebook, and let us know which cars you’d like us to cover next.
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10 Aug 2026
Episode 15: Gloriously Unexceptional FOTU special + Craig's dream Clanger!
This week on Clangers, Mike, Tom and Craig dive into the wonderful world of the unexceptional – those cars from the late 1990s and early 2000s that sit somewhere between modern classic and banger.
Craig has bought another car, and surprisingly, it’s actually desirable. We also tackle a listener question inspired by the Festival of the Unexceptional: when does a well-preserved old banger become a Clanger?
Along the way, we discuss the cars that enthusiasts adore despite their distinctly unexceptional reputations, including the Mercedes W210 and Vaneo, SsangYongs, Hyundai Amica, Renault Vel Satis, Honda Logo, Chrysler Neon, CityRover, Kia Shuma and Kia Sedona.
Plus, Mike faces another round of “What IS Mike On About?”, involving an old Men & Motors press release, a mysterious mini-MPV and some familiar names from the world of motoring journalism.
And, of course, there’s Craig’s latest purchase and plenty of arguing about what deserves a Clanger rosette.
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25 Jun 2026
Episode 14: The Special Edition Edition: stripes, stickers and sales targets
This week, the Clangers dive headfirst into the wonderfully strange world of special editions. Not the exotic homologation specials or limited-run supercars, but the everyday hatchbacks, saloons and family runabouts that were given a second lease of life with some stripes, a fancy badge and a tempting finance deal.
From the Citroën AX Salsa and Mini Special to the Nissan Micra Wave, Fiat Panda Italia ’90 and the legendary Skoda Felicia Fun, Mike, Tom and Craig celebrate the cars manufacturers created to shift stock and keep buyers interested. Along the way there are tales of dead dogs in car boots, a brand-new game called What IS Tom On About?, and plenty of debate over the greatest special editions ever made.
Plus, what should we tackle next? Could an EV ever become a true Clanger? Which new cars are future Clangers in waiting? And are there cars people dismiss as Clangers that clearly aren’t?
If you love obscure trim levels, forgotten badges and automotive marketing madness, this is the episode for you.
Follow us on Instagram @clangerspod, find us on Facebook, and don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review.
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22 May 2026
Episode 13: The cars we got COMPLETELY wrong!
Episode 13 of The Clangers Pod dives into the cars that went from overlooked underdogs to fully fledged modern classics.
This week, Mike, Tom and Craig look back at the cars they dismissed when new — but which are now loved, collectable and, in some cases, surprisingly valuable. Did the road testers get it wrong, or were these cars hiding secret talents all along?
Expect debate, nostalgia and questionable opinions on everything from the Rover 75 and Mercedes A-Class to the Toyota Yaris Verso, Jaguar X350, Citroën Berlingo and humble Ford Escorts and Sierras.
There’s also:
* Craig’s latest automotive purchase
* A new game: “What IS Tom On About?”
* Memories of forgotten heroes and misunderstood motoring oddballs
* Teasing next week’s special editions episode (with potentially disastrous consequences)
If you love late-90s and early-2000s cars stuck somewhere between bangers and classics, this is the podcast for you.
Follow us on Instagram @clangerspod and find Clangers Podcast on Facebook.
Please subscribe, leave a review and tell us which forgotten cars deserve future classic status.
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18 Apr 2026
Ep 12: Dead Brands Pt2, Bad Decisions and the Granite Dashboard
The Clangers are back for another dive into the automotive graveyard, and there are still plenty of ghosts rattling around. In Part 2 of our dead brands special, we dig up even more forgotten names from the late ‘90s and early 2000s… the ones that fell through the cracks, quietly disappeared, or probably should have known better.
Before that, as tradition demands, we check in with Craig to find out what he’s bought (or offloaded) this week – featuring yet more questionable life choices and an MX-5 saga that involves a bit of “pass the roadster.”
Then it’s onto the main event: From the bizarre to the brilliant (and occasionally both), we revisit marques like Marcos, Jensen, Lancia (sort of), and Maybach, plus tales of rallying a Lada Niva, a Proton with a fax in the glovebox, and the general chaos of brands that didn’t quite make it. Why did they fail? Were they misunderstood? Or were they doomed from the start?
Expect nostalgia, mild disbelief, and the usual Clangers-level tangents.
We wrap up by teeing up next week’s episode: cars that weren’t winners when new, but have since become unlikely heroes (think BMW Z8, Ford Puma Racing, and more).
Got a Clanger we should cover? Let us know!
Follow us on Instagram @clangerspod or find Clangers Podcast on Facebook.
And if you enjoy the pod, please subscribe and leave a review—it helps more than you think (and yes, our egos too).
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9 Mar 2026
Episode 11: Rust in Peace: Dead Brands part 1 and the metallic red head gasket curse
Bloomin' eck, we've made it to episode 11. To celebrate, we're donning our black arm bands to remember the Clangers brands that no longer grace the car scene. Among others, we remember (with varying degrees of fondness) the likes of Saab, Daihatsu and Daewoo, and recall the time that we gave one of TVR's head honchos a pink Charade in exchange for a week in a Cerbera. All this plus Craig's head gasket-busting new purchases. Entertainment guaranteed...
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21 Feb 2026
Episode 10: Mercedes W211, the misery-spec Peugeot and the suicidal Alfa
In the episode we've opted to call number 10, Tom, Craig and Mike discuss one of Craig's all-time favourite cars - the Mercedes W211. Or rather, Craig waxes lyrical about it while Tom and Mike list the (many) reasons why they would choose something else. Even the depressed Alfa 159 gets a mention. The team also found out what crate Craig has bought in the past week and recount more banal stories about the good old days. What larks.
Join in on Instagram @clangerspod.
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18 Jan 2026
Episode 9: Imprezas, EVOs, the turkey tray Volvo and the gravel trap Ghibli
In the episode we're defying all logic to call episode 9, Tom, Craig and Mike discuss cars that defined performance car motoring in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The Subaru Impreza Turbo and Mitsubishi EVO took over from the hot-hatch as the ultimate sporting family cars. With supercar performance and actual rally-bred mechanicals, these beasts graced the cover of car magazines for years. This week, we also discuss the most calamitous group test ever and discover why one of Craig's old smokers had the ability to change its own oil....
And, of course, we discover what new crate(s) Mr Craig Cheetham has acquired this week. What larks.
Join in on Instagram @clangerspod.
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17 Dec 2025
Episode 8: Forbidden Frenchies and the Morten Harket decorative plate: Twingo, Ka + Lupo
In the episode we've been advised by the police to call episode 8, Tom, Craig and Mike discuss the pint-sized Clangers that tugged at our heart strings. Among the tiddlers talked about are the Ford Ka, Volkswagen Lupo, Fiat Cinquecento (briefly) and the SEAT Arosa. We also discover how Tom and Craig forged a dubious connection with pop legends A-Ha and why a brown envelope with £4k in cash gave us the scoop of our careers.
We also discover what new crate(s) Mr Craig Cheetham has acquired this week. What larks.
Join in on Instagram @clangerspod.
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3 Dec 2025
Episode 7: VW's platform boots, the toilet break TT and a set of Bora clubs
In the episode we're calling episode 7 for legal reasons, Tom, Craig and Mike discuss the almost-too-many-to-count Clangers that owed their existence to the Volkswagen Group's PQ34 platform - aka the Golf platform. Including (but not limited to), the Audi A3, Škoda Octavia, VW Beetle and Bora and the SEAT Leon and Toledo.
We also discover what new crate(s) Mr Craig Cheetham has acquired this week. What larks.
Join in on Instagram @clangerspod.
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19 Nov 2025
Episode 6: Topless treat: MGF and BMW Z3 roadsters special!
In the episode known under its codename of episode 6, Tom, Craig and Mike discuss their favourite topless models - and decide whether the MGF and the BMW Z3 are worthy members of the Clangers Hall of Fame. Is Rover's cobbled together MGF greater the sum of its (Metro) parts, and was the BMW Z3 overrated?
We also discover what new crate(s) Mr Craig Cheetham has acquired this week. What larks.
Join in on Instagram @clangerspod.
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5 Nov 2025
Episode 5: Go big or go bang: Range Rover L322 + BMW 7-Series (the ugly one)
In the episode we're reluctantly calling episode 5, Tom, Craig and Mike discuss the Range Rover L322 (which inexplicably has a hex on Tom and Craig) and the BMW 7-Series - the first Bangle-era beemer. We also discover what new crate(s) Mr Craig Cheetham has acquired this week. What larks.
Join in on Instagram @clangerspod.
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22 Oct 2025
Episode 4: The cars that killed themselves: Audi A2 + Mercedes A-Class
In the episode we're cryptically titling episode 4, Tom, Craig and Mike discuss the small German cars that proved masters of their own downfall – the Mercedes A-Class (which fell foul of an Elk) and the Audi A2, (which fell foul of the accountants). We also discover what new crate(s) Mr Craig Cheetham has acquired this week. What larks.
Join in on Instagram @clangerspod.
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8 Oct 2025
Episode 3: The Joy of Six (and a bit of MINI on the side)
In the episode we're marketing to global markets as episode 3, Tom, Craig and Mike discuss the merits and (many) failings of the Fiesta Mk6 (or Mk5 depending on location) and the rebooted MINI R50 - often referred to as the BMW Mini (although Craig takes issue with that.) We also discover what new crate Craig has acquired this week.
Join in on Instagram @clangerspod.
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24 Sept 2025
Episode 2 - The English Patience: Rover 75 + Jaguar X-Type
In the show we're logically calling Episode 2, Tom, Craig and Mike discuss the Jaguar X-Type and the Rover 75 – two great cars that managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. We discuss what went right (not much) and what went wrong with these two prestige British clangers.
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Message us:
mikeaskew@mac.com
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10 Sept 2025
Episode 1 - Peugeot 206 & Citroën AX: sole destroyer vs pasta pedals
In this, the first actual episode, Tom, Craig and Mike discuss the shoe-eating capabilities of the Peugeot 206 and how not to run one cheaply. The Citroen AX tugs at our heart-strings and we discover what crates Craig has bought this week.
Follow us:
http://www.instagram.com/clangerspod
Message us:
mikeaskew@mac.com
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28 Aug 2025
Pilot episode: Nissan Micra + Citroen Xsara: the takeaway god and the assassin
In this very special pilot episode, clangers devotees Tom, Craig and Mike discuss (among many things) the mighty Nissan Micra K11 and the Citroen Xsara (including 'lively' VTS version) and found out what pile of trouble Craig has picked up this week.
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5.0 / 5
20 ratings
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