Hi, I’m Claire Barratt

you may remember me from such projects as….

Salvage Squad, C4 (32 x 60 minutes of 8pm engineering then repeated endlessly on Discovery)

An eccentric mix of hard-core engineering, dusty archive and hands-on greasy good fun. 30 projects each got an hour to strut their stuff so we managed to cover an awful lot.

Salvage Squad was really all about the people who had fallen in love with the machines and convincing the audience to love them too. History really roared to life as neglected classic vehicles were restored to their former glory. As co-presenter I was mostly seen in a boiler suit, dragging a toolbox from project to project asking questions and getting stuck in. It was great, just great.

The Spotter’s Guide to Urban Engineering, various publishers – UK, USA, Australia

Infrastructure and Technology in the Modern Landscape. Everything from bill boards and manhole covers to nuclear power plants and mobile phone masts, lots of entertaining facts and explanations to draw attention to our mundane and overlooked world. Really entertaining to write, there is just so much out there that we see everyday but never think about.

Britain’s Secret Treasures, ITV (6 x 60 minutes)

A top 50 countdown of archaeological discoveries made by the British public.

As an Industrial Archaeologist I’d rather be tackling a blast furnace than digging around in the dirt for pot  shards but this was pretty good.

I covered three items – the Chalgrove Hoard (up at number 4) – a stash of Roman loose change with a great story , a medieval false nose and a spindle whorl covered in runes. Tiny objects with big stories to tell.

Industrial Revelations: Best of British Engineering, Discovery (6 x 60 minutes )

Series Engineer, providing props and explained the principles behind why things work.

Amongst driving steam traction engines and creating suspension bridges, I fulfilled a lifetime’s ambition and had a go on that staple slapstick comedy plot device; a Railway Handcar.

Steam Driven, Radio 4 (30 minutes, writer and presenter)

A great mix of footplate experience and technical jargon, but absolutely no nostalgia.

It may be almost 50 years since steam disappeared from widespread use on the railways, but the development of steam locomotives has actually never stopped. I met some of the engineers looking to the future, working with modernized locos and hear about the technical stuff behind the UK’s very own new steam loco.

History Detectives, BBC Two (6 x 60 minutes)

Using a single object to explain historical events that affected the wider population

Because of the people involved, my favourite item was a lump of radioactive uranium nicked from a WWII lab and kept ever since in a cat food tin on the sideboard. The story, the experts and the technical background were fascinating.

Labour of Love, Discovery (4 x 30 minutes)

Filmed over two years, an optimistic but reckless couple buy a derelict watermill, then stretch themselves and just £30,000 to turn it into a home. We did most of the work ourselves and yes, I did have a baby on site in a caravan – no camera crew that day.  A great personal record and a rare look by TV at creating a home without being overwhelmed by money or architectural egos.

The filming is long over but because our dreams just get bigger so it really will never be finished. We are now ‘civilised’ and last summer built a workshop out of straw bales.