Presented by Richard Wilson and timed to mark the 50th anniversary of the first motorway this sees the classic comedy actor steer six classic cars round the twists and turns of six of the best drives of 1958 as described in motoring guide books of the period.

"But one hurdle to overcome is that Richard has only driven automatic cars since passing his test back in 1981 and all the classic cars - which range from the Morris Traveller to the VW Camper Van and the Austin Cambridge to a Bentley - have manual gear boxes," explains Executive Producer Andy Batten-Foster. "Hence the seventh programme which will see Richard struggling to get to grips with the driving experience of another age."

Recent surveys of motorists found that the drives most people love nowadays are virtually the same as 50 years ago though far fewer go driving for driving's sake any more; the joy of the open road has worn off for most of us in the 21st century, as driving has become a chore rather than a pleasure.

Richard will be following the six routes using the dog-eared pages of a 1958 road map and meeting people along the way who will have insight into how these drives have changed over the years and how Britain has changed with them.

The six drives cover most regions of the UK and include: the English Lake District, the Cornish Coast, the Scottish Highlands, the North Yorkshire Moors, the Wye Valley and Snowdonia.