Fear 

Tom seems like the most vanilla guy, but then you hear about stuff hes done and it's mad. Like what average guy has skydived, been on tv quiz shows, ran for parliament as a pirate or created a social network solely out of emojis. Utter mad lad.

Tom looks like a disgraced Labour MP who has been caught in the middle of a scandal and Matt is his weirdly dressed adviser telling him what to say.

Does Toms accent slip back to his Nottingham roots when he reminisces about emotional memories?

Given Matt's established discomfort with dogs, I was pretty impressed by how calm he was when that doggo came over to say hi at the end. Whether because Matt has gotten better with canines or because the dog was small and fluffy, I give this interaction an A+

Good job Tom for overcoming your phobia of roller coasters 🎉

Suddenly realised where I recognise Tom from - I did the same sponsored parachute jump! It has been bugging me for years! Small world...

"Doing it more makes it more terrifying" > the torture of anxiety exposure therapy/recovery is relevant here.

when I skydived, the plane was such a death trap(I'm an aircraft mechanic) I felt less afraid after exiting the plane. I'd do it again, just not at the same place.

My experience with skydiving involved a terrible series of horrible misunderstandings. To start with, I was confused for someone far, far, far more qualified than I actually was at the time, and was asked to assist on a training event for a team of French emergency responders. I was under the impression that the plan was that we all load up this cargo aircraft, climb on, fly around as if we were flying far away to where we were deploying, land at some random airfield, unload, setup, and do the training bit, then head home. Only thing is, one of these steps wasn't actually part of the plan. Specifically the landing of the aircraft before we unloaded. I was kitted out with a parachute from a group of guys who barely spoke any English, and I spoke less French, and the whole time I assumed it was just general safety gear, like being handed a hard hat and high-vis vest. I was wrong. I was so very very wrong.

Can you at least get a red suit?

Watching Tom flail around while he falls out of a plane made my day.

Something looks different about Tom, must be a new haircut.

So what I'm hearing is you guys aren't going to space.

I've been skydiving a few times and I can say that if you do go into freefall your brain just can't recognise how high you are, so there isn't a massive falling sensation. For me, I distinctly remember it as feeling like I was laying on a table, and I didn't get that falling sensation until I was almost at the ground (under canopy) and I could accurately judge how high buildings were. That was when my brain actively started freaking out. However I can also say that the moment where I was inside the plane and they opened the door is absolutely the most horrifying instant in my entire life. According to eyewitness testimony, I went from slightly nervous and pale to absolutely petrified and near-translucent in less than a second. Still, can highly recommend the experience for anybody even a little interested.

Youre right, Tom on the left & Matt on the right is absolutely a feeling of fear & unease

I feel the exact same way about falling. I'm fine with heights as long as I'm fairly confident that what I'm standing on is secure, but the actual sensation of falling terrifies me. I've been on the Grand Canyon Skywalk without any problems, but when I was younger I used to get uncomfortable on glass-backed elevators. I like to think it's more rational than a pure fear of heights since, after all, the fall's the thing that's gonna hurt you anyway, but still. The human mind is a bizarre and deeply flawed thing.

Suit! He's wearing a suit! A SUUUUIIIIIIIT! Okay, I got that out of my system. :)

Tom doesn't have his Red shirt on, this disturbs me greatly unsubbed

We also learned that Tom and Matt are control freaks :P

That ending xD I've never done Sky diving but I used to be a cheerleader (and I was a flyer) - getting used to being basketed (human trampolined) five meters in the air was terrifying the first few times. I also once stood on the shoulders of the tallest man in London, so my head was a good 13-14 feet in the air, towering over everything else. It was cool for 2 seconds and then all I wanted was to make sure I was safe on the floor again. :p I think I'm now substantially less afraid of heights - but still never sure if I enjoy that thrill or not.

It must be said, Tom, that you do clean up nicely. You look quite handsome wearing a suit and glasses.

the thumbnail is blocked somewhat by the timestamp indicator, it took me a second to realize what FEAP was

Oh man, the Sum of All Thrills ride was great. I just found it funny, cause I was in line for about 20 minutes or so, and everyone who rode it before me, not a peep. Silent ride, everyone had fun. When I went on, I was yelling and screaming the whole time, and I had an amazing time. So did the attendant who let me off the ride, who could barely contain his laughter at me. For those who don't know, the ride was indoors, and there was a lot of attractions nearby, none of which are thrilling. So just imagine like a trade show with a giant robot arm set up in the middle, and they stuck a rollercoaster seat on the end, and some idiot was screaming his head off the entire time while riding it. I was that idiot, and I do not regret it at all.

Just couldn't take my eyes off that dog running from left to right at 3:25-4:00

that outro. is that what actually happens before every episode? ahah

I love how this video looks like they found a random security camera and decided to talk at it.

Standing in line for a big coaster, noticed one of my friends (aerospace + planes nerd) studying the coaster and muttering to himself. Asked him what was up, and he went through and described every single one of the bends, rolls, drops, ect. in sequence using the airplane acrobatics terms. That was his way of knowing exactly what it was going to do so he wouldn't soil his pants riding it.

Tom’s “grab-a-branch” had me a little **eeeekk**, not gonna lie.

The free fall is honestly my favorite part of the rollercoaster.

Personally, I loved free fall and hanging under canvas is amazing. Unfortunately, "time it wrong and you break your legs" - yeah, learned that the hard way...

I like the bit where the dog disappeared into Matt's head...

I think the scary thing that Tom and Matt are sat the wrong way around

FYI: Sum of All Thrills closed in September this year. It opened in 2009, so I've never actually seen it with my eyes, even though I've been to Disney quite a few times.

think of myself as 'not scared of heights' but my hand sweats during Tom's description of 'look up....and go' 🤢

That free fall feeling is simply the greatest feeling in the world for me. And yet I am still absolutely terrified of talking in front of a group of people

I'd call you a right pair of wusses for being frightened of rollercoaster and drop rides, but I'm afraid of jump-scares and I cried the first time I went into the London Dungeon...at age 14.

Legoland in Denmark has one of those "programmable" robotic arms Tom is describing at around 5:10 . And I am not the biggest fan of rides like this either but I thought this one sounded alright, since like Tom alluded to I knew what was going to happen. The only problem was that I was there with a friend, who rather enjoys rollercoasters, and we got mixed up so he got my ride and I got his. Needless to say, I didn't have that great of a time and my friend was pretty bored.

the scariest part of this video is that they are sitting the wrong way round

You seemed fairly calm during the Only Connect games. You looked kind of nervous, but you didn't seem panicky at all.

Wait. Matt is 6 FOOT 4??! I never ever would've guessed.

I'm 19 and have never been on a roller-coaster, nice to know there's two well functioning adults who don't like it either. Zip lines are fine for me though.

I'm just now coming back to this after the man (usually) in red found out he actually does like roller-coasters and drops after all.

And now Tom sends himself up in ESA Zero-G simulation flights and with the Red Arrows. What a badass.

I actually love roller coasters and those kind of rides. I'm scared of/really don't like frying things that pop, e.g. sausages.

Completel;y agree with both of you. I can't do rollercoasters etc because I'm not in control. i also have the "drop" problem. I'm very fortunate that I am able to lucid dream so that im my (frequent) falling nightmares, I'm able to change the experience and either begin to fly or change my situation. My scariest time though is trying to get home from an unamed country where I had been told that if I attempted to fly home..i'd be arrested.48 hours without any rest, 3 hours from arriving in the airport to take-off on edge.

That end bit is my new ring tone. Thanks :)

To quote Evenecance, "Fear is only in our minds".

I used to hate falling. For some masochistic reason I forced myself to keep getting on coasters and other rides. Eventually I started to like it. This culminated in me working at a theme park for a summer and riding what was once the world's fastest coaster (from 1991 to 1996) multiple times a day.

I went to a climbing centre where it is automatic so you clip in and it slows you when you drop down. It has a little bit of free fall before it "catches" you. It is really bad and you would hate it. only like one foot but it still is terrifying. You have to just let go of the climbing wall. Oh my god.

5:34 Last time I was at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., they had a flight simulator where it rotated and turned with the joystick, and you could flip all the way around in it. I'm not sure if it's still there, but that sounds like Matt's kind of ride

I really thought you gona bring up that time when you fell in the frozen lake with rusty fragments of old houses below.

The three drop log flume was at American Adventure, right? Great memories of that place!!

Oh my goodness I feel so seen! Hate falling sensations and have vivid memories of the American Adventure log flume 😭

Tom you just explained the exact experience I had when I let go of the aircraft doing static line. however I couldn't bring myself to go up again due to the fear of climbing out onto the wing struts. I might see if I can go up and jump like you did in the future to see if I can do it again.

I agree with how tom feels about roller coasters etc. I love inversions and accelerations and pulling g's but I can't stand freefall

I tabbed away for the end slate thing, so I can't even see Tom's face for that bit at the very end. I nearly died laughing from just the sound of that outta nowhere.

Last time I went to Disneyland I went on Indiana Jones Adventure, which is the closest ride I will get to a roller coaster and even then I still have to close my eyes for a large portion of it. I've been on the ride enough times over the last two decades to know that it has a tendency to work weirdly and break down, but I wasn't expecting it right where the boulder and drop so one time right before the boulder and drop, none of the voice clips of Indy nor the animation of the boulder played so I got dropped into what felt like free fall with no preparation.

I think you look rather dapper in that suit and those glasses, Tom.

You just made me realize that I want to go skydiving again. It's been more than twenty years and I crashed into a tree because it was a wee bit windy that day, but I LOVE conquering my fears. :-D

I love that sinking stomach feeling. I'd even enjoy air holes while flying if it wasn't for the whole being thousands of feet in the air bit. I hate free fall towers, but drops on roller coasters are great.

Tom then: I think the most scared I've ever been is just before I jumped out of a plane while going skydiving Tom now: I just flew a plane, blindfolded

I'm with Tom. The moment where you come over the top of the hill to start your descent and you get that moment of weightlessness/stomach dropping is why I don't do roller coasters.

Live control of the ride you're on with a joystick sounds like a moneymaker. If you can make rides, you could easily make that work.

Tom, the cutaway handle is on the right of the harness, reserve on the left! Don't forget, you never know when you'll need it ;)

I dont know if that makes me scared or nervous or just overload Matt: yeah

I once went on a carnival ride, and I thought it just went in circles, but nope. I wanted to die the entire time as I flew upside down

I had a really similar experience with rollercoasters at Flamingo Land when I was a bit younger. I hated it and really didn't like not being able to have an opt out too

The whole conversation about wanting control of the ride reminds me of this simulator at the London Science Museum where you were in a little box which simulates a jet fighter, and you can use a joystick to go up, down and upside down. It’s really cool, because you can ease yourself into the more intense stuff, and you have control

My attitude to scary things is always to natter on about every single detail of every single thing I am doing, saying, thinking, recursing, regular cursing etc etc, until it's over or I get to the fun part. Being able to verbally dissect my experience is never so useful as it is in that moment, and I think Tom should give it a try because he's better at it than I am. My scariest moment was before I learned to do this, when I fell off a cliff with my mum. Weirdly, at the time, the piggyback that occurred right afterwards (on a friendly skier; I lost a ski to the tree that caught us) might have felt worse, but I don't really remember the actual feelings of the event. I've never liked heights because I hate feeling unstable and, unlike Matt, I trust engineering a lot more than I trust my own body (or anyone else's). I don't recall feeling unstable in the tree, as such,; I just knew that I would fall to my untimely ouchies (death was a little strong for child me) if anything happened to the chain of mother, ski, branch, tree that was keeping me aloft. I'm fine with rollercoasters and I've learned to trust the strength and coordination of others (since I'm medically clumsy it turns out), but I can't stand walking along a narrow wall or steep hill (though I can ski directly down one). Love the pier walk at St Andrews, because it's essentially exactly that and I'm learning to trust myself more (even if the people around me find my rambling dialogue hilarinnoying).

I've never liked rollercoasters either. Been on one maybe 20-odd years ago with my Mom at Canada's Wonderland... I know people like the feeling they get on a coaster, and even my Mother loved it, and I couldn't stand it. I've never been on one again since, and I'm 50 now.

Agree with Tom: zip wires = yes, pirate ship = definitely not!

Matt, how do you tolerate planes? It sounds to me like there would be a lot for you to dislike there, especially at the start and finish.

I absolutely hate the sensation of falling! I was just nodding along with everything you were saying. I won't do roller coasters, and I have zero desire to ever jump from a plane. I don't even like jumping off of high dives into pools because they're high enough to get that sensation. It's awful! So glad to hear y'all have the same issue and I'm not alone on this.

I'm glad I'm not the only one with the control thing. I feel exactly the same. Alpine slide where I control the speed? Not a problem, even going really fast. Riding a tandem bike on the back seat with my dad steering at ~10 km/h? Horrible!

5:00 I was just thinking about Sum of All Thrills when you said that, because I'm the same way, and I love that. I say loved, not because I can't go back to Epcot, I'm going to College (uni/school/however you want to say that) in Florida, so I can get there easily enough, but they've closed it down.

I went on that robot arm ride at Epcot. Loved it because I could just wimp out basically.

Tom, I literally feel the exact same about rollercoasters. I also don't think it helps that I got stuck on Splash Mountain in Disney World a few years ago😂. Halfway though the second ascent we just stopped for about 5 or 10 minutes, leaving a lot of time for me to absolutely freak out about the drops😂

The closest thing to a roller coaster I've been on was a "mini" train ride that went up and down a few hilly bits. The 2 most scary rides for me was An "elevator" where you would sit in a chair with a bar thing over your shoulders and it would droop really fast. The other rides were 2 very steep watersides.

American Adventure! That log flume was the greatest ride of all time! Did you enjoy the rapids?

Tom's so supportive

Sum of All Thrills was discontinued, i was really disappointed to learn that the other day.

12:10 WHAT?!?

Amazing as always 👌🏻

That log flume. Was it Stormforce 10 at Drayton Manor. (The one with lifeboats)

Having just watched Tom on Only Connect, with the next Park Bench be titled "Surprise", with the obvious two next episodes? (Ending there, of course, because we already know about the fifth one.)

I discovered recently that I feel much better on roller-coasters with full over the shoulder harnesses than just a lap bar, even though they are more intense.

My hobby: watching the people in the background of park bench

Abject fear: You guys on that massive cliff in Norway.. all those jelly legs.

Just a question... I'm not a technical man, but isn't there a way to flip the video?

When Matt says he would be happy catching air driving over a hump-back bridge because he's got a (at that point, useless) brake pedal ... I remember a few years ago watching an F1 race where one of the cars flipped and flew through the air, and yes, the driver was still trying to brake while his head was closer to the ground than any of the wheels...

Pity you don't care for roller coasters or skydiving. I've never done the latter, but boy would I love to. At 6'2" though it's very easy to get quickly over their weight limit for tandem jumps.

11:46 That shuckle and sigh...

Matt Gray’s Hypothetical Paragliding

I am exactly the same as Matt with rollercoasters and Tom with log flumes but I love the pirate ships and drop towers XD

In the London Science Museum, there was a plane simulator which had a large joystick in it and you could turn yourself upside down in it. You controlled everything!

Scariest thing that's happened to me was the ten times I tried to get the tetanus and meningitis jabs. I still didn't manage it and I still feel terrible.

There's a roller coaster with brakes in Heavenly (South Lake Tahoe) it feels so much better than a regular roller coaster :D

I can relate to the control thing with the Roller Coasters. I've never actually been on one, firstly because I already get motion sickness in the backseat of a car, secondly because I have to give up control completely and I'm scared. A Rollercoaster going 70km/h? Hell no! Me driving a car at 200km/h? Yeah, sure!

I loose circulation to my legs during moments of stress and also get the tunnel vision! It's horrible

Tom looks so nice in the suit and glasses