men&motors’ Top 10 Bikes series starts in December

Photo: Bill Dale
By Maria Costello
November 8 2004

Northamptonshire’s Maria Costello joined two other journalists - Darryl Young and Chris Moss - at the Granada Studios in Manchester at the weekend, to form a panel of motorcycle experts for a new ‘men&motors’ TV series - Top 10 Bikes.

Fronted by Louise Brady, the studio-based bike show gives a review of the best and worst bikes around. The thirteen-part series is aired on men&motors from December 2004. The dates so far: Episode one - 5th Dec, Episode two - 13th Dec, Episode three - 16th Dec, Episode four - 23rd Dec, Episode five - 30th Dec, Episode six - 6th Jan 2005, Episode seven - 13th Jan, Episode eight - 20th Jan.

Local motorcycle racer and journalist, Maria Costello, will appear on four shows in total, and really enjoyed her first experience of a real studio set up. “I have done other TV, but this felt very different. There must have been about ten people behind the scenes. I’m more used to documentary type filming, where you get a crew of three following your every move.”

Maria’s other TV work includes another men&motors series called ‘Fran’s Angels’, where she filmed with former World Superbike Champion Neil Hodgson - on the Isle of Man where he lives. She was also one of a selection of racers included in ‘The Real TT Heroes’ series, which followed their progress at the 2003 TT races.

As the fastest woman ever to lap the TT course, Maria has got used to some attention from the TV media, but hopes to do more work in this area. “It fits in really well between racing and, although next year’s racing plans are looking busy and really exciting, I would like to do more TV!”