The Knowledge: The World’s Toughest Taxi Test
Duration: 1 x 52'
Play Trailer Play Screener Contact SalesUsing fixed-rig cameras, this fun and sometimes nerve-wracking film follows the London Black Cab drivers as they prepare to take one of the hardest exams in the world: The Knowledge of London.
By instinctively tapping into ancient memory techniques, these colourful characters are bucking the trend when it comes to our dependence on technology.
Candidates must memorise the capital’s ever changing 100,000 points of interest, 25,000 streets and traffic restrictions. They are tested in nail-biting one-on-one oral exams known as ‘appearances’. The volume and detail of information is often compared to doing a degree in law or medicine. It takes an average of four years of grit and determination to pass. The dropout rate is 70%.
We follow a surprising range of characters, each at various stages of the process, including a single mum, a Kosovan immigrant and a bus driver. These are ordinary people doing something extraordinary to secure a better life for themselves and their families.
You’ll never look at a Black Cab driver the same way again.
For Channel 4
