James May's 20th Century is a television series first aired on 10 July 2007 on the British terrestrial channel BBC Two.

The show features the eponymous James May, exhibiting and discussing the implications of many of the major advances and inventions made during this period.

Each episode features some theme, which was discussed in depth during the show, often following sequential advances in chronological order.

[1] The New Statesman thought that James May was "ill-suited to the task in hand" and described the biggest problem as May being unable to "put his wretched motors behind him".

[2] The Lancashire Telegraph wrote positively of the show praising the presenter May as "someone with genuine enthusiasm for what they were doing.