TWO-PART NOVA SPECIAL “ULTIMATE CRASH TEST” PREMIERES IN MAY, INVESTIGATES MULTI-CAR PILEUPS IN THRILLING, FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND EXPERIMENT

May 01, 2025

ULTIMATE CRASH TEST: COUNTDOWN premieres May 7, 2025, at 9 p.m.ET/8 p.m. CT on PBS

ULTIMATE CRASH TEST: IMPACT premieres May 14, 2025, at 9 p.m.ET/8 p.m. CT on PBS

New two-part special will also be available for streaming at pbs.org/nova, NOVA on YouTube, and the PBS App

BOSTON, MA – April 30, 2025 – The award-winning PBS science series, NOVA, a production of GBH, today announced the two-part documentary special “ULTIMATE CRASH TEST” will premiere May 7th and 14th, 2025, at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT on PBS (check local listings) and will also be available for streaming at pbs.org/nova, NOVA on YouTube, and the PBS App.

The two-part NOVA special ULTIMATE CRASH TEST explores what really happens in a multi-vehicle collision through a first-of-its-kind experiment that recreates the conditions of a highway pileup in a controlled setting where the data can be thoroughly analyzed to help improve car safety.

The first episode, titled COUNTDOWN takes us to a two-mile span of asphalt on Scotland’s West Coast, where researchers and engineers have devised a unique and intricate experiment to assess a large-scale collision that mimics real-life conditions but in a controlled environment. Carefully chosen civilian drivers are enlisted to take part in an experiment that gives them control of remote-controlled vehicles. They’re told that the purpose of the experiment is to enhance road safety, but what they don’t know is the vehicles they operate remotely will be caught in the middle of a major collision. The intense preparation for the most ambitious crash test ever conducted culminates as the cars barrel down an airport tarmac, not knowing what’s in store for them at the end.

“It’s not every day that the story of engineering an experiment is every bit as fascinating and dramatic as the experiment itself,” said NOVA Co-Executive Producer Chris Schmidt. “This first episode reveals the extreme challenges the engineering team had to overcome to create a multi-vehicle pile-up that produces useful data without putting anyone in harm’s way. The result is pedal-to-the-metal ingenuity capped by a truly epic outcome.”

The second episode, IMPACT, explores the fallout of the crash and puts forensic analysis to the test. The drivers examine the cars they controlled and reflect on the realities of what could have happened if they had been behind the wheel, prompting them to reconsider their own driving habits. At the same time, accident investigators arrive at the scene with no prior knowledge of what happened. They search for clues and reconstruct the event with the help of a 3-D LIDAR scan of the aftermath and meticulous forensic detective work. Then, the findings go into the hands of students at prestigious Cranfield University in England, who will study the effects of high-speed impacts away from a traditional lab-based environment, informing the design of future automobiles to maximize safety.

“As we all grapple with the emergence of automated vehicles and what they mean in the years ahead, ULTIMATE CRASH TEST reminds us that there’s so much more to learn about the human element of driving, which isn’t going away anytime soon,” said Executive Producer Dan Chambers. “The insights that this experiment gleans on driver behavior and vehicle design could very well save lives in the future.”

ULTIMATE CRASH TEST: COUNTDOWN premieres Wednesday, May 7, 2025, at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT on PBS (check local listings). ULTIMATE CRASH TEST: IMPACT premieres Wednesday, May 14, 2025, at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT on PBS (check local listings). Both episodes will be available for streaming at pbs.org/nova, NOVA on YouTube, the PBS Documentaries Prime Video Channel, and the PBS App, available on iOS, Android, Roku streaming devices, Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Samsung Smart TV, Chromecast and VIZIO. PBS station members can view many series, documentaries and specials via PBS Passport. For more information about PBS Passport, visit the PBS Passport FAQ website. ULTIMATE CRASH TEST is being distributed globally by PBS Distribution.

ULTIMATE CRASH TEST: COUNTDOWN and ULTIMATE CRASH TEST: IMPACT are each a NOVA Production by Blink Films for GBH in association with Channel 4 and WeltN24 GmbH. Series Producer is Mike McDowall. Series Director is Liz Biggs. Line Producer is Justine Leahy. Additional Producing and Directing by Grace Kirkwood and Valerie Mellon. Executive Producers for Blink Films are Tom Adams and Dan Chambers. Senior Producer for NOVA is Caitlin Saks. Executive Producers for NOVA are Julia Cort and Chris Schmidt. NOVA is a production of GBH. The film is being distributed worldwide by PBS Distribution.

Funding for this program and NOVA is provided by Carlisle Companies, the NOVA Science Trust with support from the Hoveida Family Foundation, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and PBS viewers.

About NOVA
NOVA is the most popular primetime science series on American television, demystifying the scientific and technological concepts that shape and define our lives, our planet, and our universe. The PBS series is also one of the most widely distributed science programs around the world, and is a multimedia, multiplatform brand reaching more than 55 million Americans every year on TV and online. NOVA’s important and inspiring stories of human ingenuity, exploration, and the quest for knowledge are regularly recognized with the industry’s most prestigious awards. In addition, science educators across the country rely on NOVA for resources used in the classroom as well as in museums, libraries, and after-school programs. NOVA is a production of GBH; more information can be found at pbs.org/nova, or by following NOVA on Facebook,X (formerly Twitter), or Instagram.

About PBS
PBS, with more than 330 member stations, offers all Americans the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and digital content. Each month, PBS reaches over 36 million adults on linear primetime television, more than 16 million users on PBS-owned streaming platforms, 53 million viewers on YouTube, and 60 million people view PBS content on social media, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature, and public affairs and to take front-row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS’s broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the industry’s most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS LearningMedia for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. As the number one educational media brand,PBS KIDS helps children 2-8 build critical skills, enabling them to find success in school and life. Delivered through member stations, PBS KIDS offers high-quality content on TV — including a PBS KIDS channel — and streaming free on pbskids.org and the PBS KIDS Video app, games on the PBS KIDS Games app, and in communities across America. More information about PBS is available at PBS.org, one of the leading dot-org websites on the internet, Facebook,Instagram, or through our apps for mobile and connected devices. Specific program information and updates for press are available at pbs.org/pressroom or by following PBS Communications on X.

About GBH
GBH is the leading multi-platform creator for public media in America. As the largest producer of content for PBS and partner to NPR and PRX, GBH delivers compelling experiences, stories and information to audiences wherever they are. GBH produces digital and broadcast programming that engages, illuminates and inspires, through drama and science, history, arts, culture and journalism. It is the creator of such signature programs as MASTERPIECE, ANTIQUES ROADSHOW, FRONTLINE, NOVA, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE, Arthur and Molly of Denali, as well as WORLD Channel and a catalog of streaming series, podcasts and on-demand video. With studios and a newsroom headquartered in Boston, GBH reaches across New England with GBH 89.7, Boston’s Local NPR®; CRB Classical 99.5; and CAI, the Cape and Islands NPR® station. Dedicated to making media accessible to and inclusive of our diverse culture, GBH is a pioneer in delivering media to those who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind and visually impaired. GBH creates curriculum-based digital content for educators nationwide with PBS LearningMedia and has been recognized with hundreds of the nation’s premier broadcast, digital and journalism awards. Find more information at wgbh.org.