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EspañolTOP GEAR (CURRENT FORMAT)
:''This article is about the current Top Gear format, for the original Top Gear format that ran from 1977 to 2001 see Top Gear (original format), for other uses of 'Top Gear' see Top Gear (disambiguation)''
The current format of '''Top Gear''' is a BAFTA[1] and Emmy Award-winning BBC television series about motor vehicles, mainly cars. The programme is estimated to have 8 million viewers each week in the UK on BBC Two.[2]
''Top Gear'' is presented by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, James May and The Stig, an anonymous test driver.
The ninth series of ''Top Gear'' premiered on 28 January 2007, having been delayed since October 2006 because of Hammond's car accident in September 2006.[3] The last episode of Series Nine was broadcast on 4 March 2007. ''Top Gear'' is scheduled to return in October 2007.[4]
The original ''Top Gear'' was a half-hour show produced by BBC Birmingham that ran from 1977 to 2001. ''Top Gear magazine'' is a separate publication produced by BBC Magazines which shares some contributors, editors and features with the TV show including contributions by the presenters.
''Top Gear'' started in 1977 as a 30-minute regional programme in the Midlands which was offered to BBC2, with William Woollard as the main presenter until 1991. Through the years, Noel Edmonds, BBC newsreader Angela Rippon, Tony Mason and Chris Goffey all made contributions.
Originally, ''Top Gear'' was a conventional magazine show aimed at a general audience. It reviewed new car models and focused on car-related issues such as road safety, but it saw a massive boost in its audience in the late 1980s with the involvement of Clarkson. Among Clarkson's contemporary presenters were Quentin Willson, a former used-car salesman, Vicki Butler-Henderson and Tiff Needell.
Despite enduring criticism that the show was overly macho, encouraged irresponsible driving behaviour and ignored the environment, it became hugely influential with motor manufacturers.
Following on from ''Top Gear's success, a number of similar programmes have been produced including Channel 4's ''Driven'', ITV's ''Pulling Power'', Five's ''Fifth Gear'', Sky One's ''Vroom Vroom'' and BBC World India's ''Wheels''.[5]
James May was brought in to present following Clarkson's departure but, despite various changes to the presenting team, the slide in viewers was not reversed, leading the BBC to cancel the programme in 2001.
Later that year, Channel 5 started a similarly-themed programme called ''Fifth Gear''. Some of the original production and presenting team moved to the new programme, and it still runs to this day.
In 2002, the decision to cancel the programme was reversed by BBC2 and the production was moved to London from Birmingham.
After a period of recording other programmes, Clarkson, along with producer Andy Wilman, successfully pitched a new format for ''Top Gear'' to the BBC, and a new series began airing in 2002.
The format incorporated a number of major changes. The show was lengthened to an hour and two new presenters were introduced: Richard Hammond and Jason Dawe, with James May replacing Dawe after the first series. The Stig, an anonymous masked racing driver, was introduced as test driver.
New segments were also added, including "Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car", the "Cool Wall", "Car News", "Power Laps" as well as one-off features such as races, competitions and the frequent destruction of caravans.
The programme is filmed at Dunsfold Park, a former airfield in Surrey, where a custom race circuit was built and a large hangar is used for inside filming. A standing studio audience of about 400 people, who apply to the BBC for free tickets, was also included.
Series 9 was scheduled to air on BBC Two from 8 October 2006 and end sometime in November. However, on 20 September 2006 Hammond was seriously injured while driving a jet-propelled drag-racing car at up to 314 mph (502 km/h) for a feature for the show. On 24 September the BBC said: "It also confirmed the final part of the Best of Top Gear had been postponed indefinitely and the new series, due to begin on 8 October, will be delayed". Both the BBC and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) carried out inquiries into the accident.[6]
On 5 October, filming resumed on features for the new series that Hammond was not involved with.[7] The ninth series began airing on 28 January 2007, and footage of Hammond's crash was shown with Hammond's commentary and reaction from the presenters.[8] The first show of the ninth series attracted higher ratings than the finale of ''Celebrity Big Brother''[9] and the final episode of the series getting 8 million viewers — BBC2's biggest ratings for a decade.[10].
A special edition of Top Gear - filmed for Red Nose Day 2007 - called ''Top Gear of the Pops'' mixed the show's typical format with music and appearances from artists Lethal Bizzle, Travis, Supergrass, and McFly with a challenge to write a song including the words "sofa", "administration" and "Hyundai" and a performance by Clarkson, Hammond and May with Justin Hawkins of a song by Billy Ocean.
Repeats of earlier series are currently shown on UKTV G2 and UKTV People, cut to 45 minutes to allow it to fit in an hour-long slot while leaving room for adverts. ''Top Gear'' has been broadcast in other countries either in its original format, in a re-edited version, or (as in the case of the North American version) with specially shot segments in front of the UK audience.
The BBC also broadcasts edited versions of ''Top Gear'' on its international BBC World TV channel. Episodes are edited from their original length of one hour to 30 minutes, often leaving dangling references and inconsistencies in the episodes. Additionally, the original order of the episodes is sometimes not kept, so references to un-aired events are common. The only footage specially shot for the international version is for the end of each episode, where Clarkson bids his goodbye to BBC World viewers, instead of BBC viewers.
Recently, BBC World has not shown cut versions of the current series, but has resorted to "best of" collections of the previous series. In both cases the BBC World edition mainly features the challenges and races from the normal episodes, with Clarkson's 'stronger' remarks removed. Interviews and "Car of the Year" are generally not shown.
In April 2007, the BBC reported on a ''Sun'' story that ''Top Gear'' had been in talks about creating an American version. The current presenters would remain as hosts, but the show would focus on American cars and include American celebrities.[11] ''The Sun'' reported in July, however, that plans for an American version had been shelved, partly over Clarkson's misgivings about spending several months in the U.S., away from his family.[12]
A special programme ''Top Gear: Polar Special'' was broadcast in the UK on July 25 2007, and again on July 29.[13] [14] This episode involved a race to the Magnetic North Pole[15] from Resolute, Canada, with James May and Jeremy Clarkson travelling in a 'polar modified' Toyota Hilux, and Richard Hammond on a dog-drawn sled. All three presenters had experienced explorers with them, but Clarkson and May became the first people to reach the magnetic North Pole by car, using the vehicle's Satellite Navigation to pinpoint their co-ordinates with the known coordinates of the pole. It was the first episode of the programme to be shown in high-definition.
''Top Gear'' has always used The Allman Brothers Band's instrumental hit "Jessica" as its theme tune. Initially the show used part of the original Allmans' recording of the song, but later series of ''Top Gear'' use updated cover versions. For the original series run, the end credits music was "Out of the Blue", an instrumental from the 1976 Elton John album, ''Blue Moves''.
In series 6 episode 11, May recorded the necessary notes to play the theme tune from car engine sounds, and subsequently played it as the final credits.[16]
In November 2005, ''Top Gear'' won an International Emmy in the Non-Scripted Entertainment category.[17]
In the episode where the presenters showed the award to the studio audience, Clarkson joked that he was unable to go to New York to receive the award since he was too busy writing the script for the show.
''Top Gear'' has also been nominated three consecutive years, 2004-2006, for the British Academy Television Awards in the Best Feature category. Clarkson was also nominated in the best "Entertainment Performance" category in 2006.[18] In 2004 and 2005, ''Top Gear'' was also nominated for a National Television Award in the Most Popular Factual Programme category; they won the award in 2006.[19]
''Top Gear'' has come under fire on many occasions for promoting irresponsible driving,[20] causing ecological damage, and favouring performance over fuel efficiency and conservation.
Clarkson has spurred several controversies in his capacity as a presenter for ''Top Gear''. During the 13 November 2005 episode a news segment featuring BMW's MINI Concept from the Tokyo Motor Show showcased what Hammond quoted as a "quintessentially British" integrated tea set. Clarkson responded by mocking that they should build a car that is "quintessentially German." He suggested turn signals that displayed Hitler salutes, "a sat-nav that only goes to Poland" in reference to the Nazi invasion of Poland that marked the start of World War II in Europe, and "ein fanbelt that will last a thousand years," a reference to Adolf Hitler's propaganda slogan of "the thousand-year Reich". These statements gained negative attention in the British and German news media.[21]
The BBC compensated a Bristol local parish in 2004 after Clarkson rammed a Toyota Hilux into a landmark tree[22] during a segment on proving the sturdiness and reliability of the truck through a series of torture tests. The parish had no idea the damage had been caused by a BBC television show until the item was aired, believing that it had been an accident or the work of vandals.
''Top Gear'' was in negotiations to move to Enstone in Northwest Oxfordshire, close to the home of the Renault F1 team's British base and to Clarkson's home in Chipping Norton, but has so far been unable to negotiate a deal after their initial application was blocked due to opposition by local citizens because of fears that ''Top Gear'' would create pollution and noise.[23]
Clarkson has been critical of the BBC. In the February 2006 issue of ''Top Gear Magazine'', Clarkson voiced his opinion that the BBC did not take ''Top Gear'' seriously. He also appears to be annoyed with BBC bosses for often replacing the show with snooker, despite ''Top Gear'' having considerably higher viewer ratings, and the show's shortening series runs.[24]
In July 2006 the BBC rejected a variety of complaints about the issues ''Top Gear'' chooses and the way they are covered by Clarkson, Hammond and May. The BBC argued that their "provocative comments are an integral part of the programme and are not intended to be taken seriously." Regarding offensive remarks traded between presenters and members of the audience, the BBC said "this is part of the appeal of the show [and] we trust most viewers are familiar enough with the style and tone of the show not to take offence." The BBC pointed out that they would act if such statements and actions were carried out with any degree of seriousness or if the programme breached legal and safety requirements.[25]
In December 2006, the BBC upheld four complaints that comments Clarkson made about a car were derogatory references to homosexuality, had the potential to offend and should not have been broadcast. Clarkson had agreed with an audience member that a car was "a bit gay" on a programme screened in the UK in July, and also described the vehicle as "very ginger beer", taken to be rhyming slang for the term "queer". The BBC complaints unit said there was "no editorial purpose" for the remarks, and the "''Top Gear'' team had been reminded of the importance of avoiding such comments about sexual orientation."[26]
Top Gear has also come under some criticism for their negative views and depiction of caravans; once claiming to have received 150 complaints after they destroyed a caravan on a 'camping trip' during one of many caravan destruction segments.[27]
Both the BBC and the UK media regulator OFCOM[28] have received complaints about the dead cow incident in the third programme of the ninth series for the sequence in which a dead cow is seen tied to the roof of Clarkson's car. The cow is dumped to the ground by reversing and turning the vehicle.
Another point of controversy regards the airing of a staged train crash in Series 9 Episode 5. The accident in which a train collides with a car positioned across a level crossing is being criticised by some due to the Cumbria train crash only 2 days earlier. The piece, which was organised by Network Rail as part of their ''Don't Run The Risk'' campaign, has been condemned by several people, including Anthony Smith, chief executive of the rail watchdog Passenger Focus who said: "We need to raise awareness of the issue, but now is not the right time." "Top Gear to screen train stunt" BBC . However, this item had already been delayed several weeks because of an earlier fatal level crossing crash, and with only one programme remaining in the series and the frequency of level crossing accidents it may have been considered that there was no "appropriate" time to show the piece without offending somebody. A repeat of this episode due to be aired on the 1 March 2007 was pulled after someone was killed on a level crossing earlier that morning.[29] The episode was replaced with a "Best of Top Gear" episode.
The BBC also had to apologise to a number of Top Gear viewers after Clarkson referred to Hammond as "a mental" during the first episode of the season. This incident was supposed to be part of a joke about the head injuries Hammond sustained during his crash before the season, but a complaint was filed after some viewers were offended.[30]
Recently, environmentalists were angered over the crew filming a Clarkson segment on a salt flat in Botswana, claiming irresponsible damage to the salt flat. However, permission to film was given by Botswana's government, the area was specifically chosen to have the least environmental impact, and any change made to a salt flat is erased come the next rainfall.
As well as car reviews and time trials around the Top Gear track by the Stig, Top Gear features a number of recurring segments:
Main articles: Top Gear races
The show has featured a number of races where Clarkson drives a car against other forms of transport, typically involving Hammond and May taking the same journey by combinations of plane, train, ferry or bus; the most recent example of this was Clarkson driving a Bugatti Veyron against a Cessna 182 light aircraft flown by May. The race was held between Alba in northern Italy and Tower 42 in London. In all such races Clarkson has won, defeating May and Hammond.
Top Gear regularly reaffirms that the races do actually take place, but that many of the shots used in the film are then recorded over a few days by retracing the journey. In the case of the Bugatti Veyron race, the Stig drove the car back to Italy, although these shots are filmed so that it is not apparent that Clarkson is not driving.
Another common feature of Top Gear is a race between a presenter and an athlete; for example, a race was held with Clarkson driving a Fiat Nuova Panda against a runner AC Muir on a modified London Marathon route on a weekday morning rush hour. Clarkson has also attempted to reach the top of a gorge in an Audi RS4 faster than two rock climbers. On most occasions, these races have been won by the athlete.
A recurring feature on Top Gear involves the hosts undertaking a number of bizarre challenges involving cars. The segments involving the challenges are usually preceded by Clarkson, Hammond or May asking the audience and viewers: ''"How hard can it be?"''
★ 'Convertible People Carrier' - the presenters were set the task of building a convertible people carrier. They succeeded in removing the roof from a used Renault Espace and replaced it with a canvas fold-down top. The resulting convertible was able to travel over 100 mph without losing its roof, and was driven though an animal park without mishap. However, a trip through a car wash resulted in the brand-new million-pound wash facility catching fire.
★ 'Build a Car' - the presenters, based at Knockhill Racing Circuit in Scotland, were set the task of building a Caterham Seven Kit car from scratch faster than the Stig could reach the track from the Caterham showroom in south London, using a pre-built Caterham Seven Kit car. The presenters won the challenge when the Stig was arrested for speeding.
★ 'Car Interior Design' - Clarkson bought an old Mercedes-Benz S-Class and designed his perfect interior based upon his house. The car, dubbed "Anne Hathaway's Cottage," features a wood-burning stove, kitchen chairs, a flagstone floor and wood with a cement base, even plastered insides of the doors. James May and Richard Hammond then tested the car. No seatbelts and unsecured seats meant they went flying at first, however eventually, with May holding Hammond's seat, a 0-60 time of 35.4 seconds was established.
★ 'Amphibious Vehicles' - the presenters were set the challenge of building amphibious cars, and using them to get to, and across a reservoir. May, using the rig of a Mirror dinghy, turned a classic Triumph Herald sports car into a sailing boat, Hammond transformed a VW camper van into a narrowboat style "damper van", and Clarkson attached an outboard motor to a modified Toyota Hilux pickup truck, which he dubbed the "Toybota." In the subsequent challenge, Hammond's "damper van" sank due to massive leaks after losing its prop, May made it to the far end of the resivour with everything working aside from a wet clutch, and Clarkson capsized after a high-speed turn just before reaching the slipway. May was declared the winner by audience vote.
★ 'Present a drive time radio show' - the presenters tried to host a drive time radio show on BBC Southern Counties Radio in Brighton, but ended up with some complaints from the listeners. This was mainly because Clarkson's travel bulletins focused on hounding motorists he could see dawdling on CCTV, rather than issuing the more normal information on the location of problem areas and how to avoid them.
★ 'Reliant Space Shuttle' - Hammond and May, with major of assistance from the British Amateur Rocket Society, set out to design and build a rocket ship that could lift off, rise thousands of feet and come safely back down to earth to be reused. The rocket, built from a Reliant Robin, was designed in the style of the Space Shuttle.[31] It was intended to be reusable, separating from the fuel tank and rocket boosters and gliding back to earth. The launch was initially remarkably successful, but a failure of one of the explosive bolts linking the main fuel tank to the 'shuttle' caused it to crash spectacularly.
★ 'Stretch Limos' - the presenters were sent out to buy normal cars that are available in Britain, then turn them into stretch limousines. Once the presenters built their limos, they had to chauffeur three celebrities across London to the Brit Awards. Hammond chauffeured Jamelia in the MG F ''"Sports Limo"'', arriving with a stuck throttle. Clarkson chauffeured Chris Moyles using a greatly lengthed, dual rear axle Fiat Panda, arriving with only half a car after it split in two mid-journey. James May attempted to chauffeur Lemar in the ''"Salfa Romaab"'' (a cross between a Alfa Romeo 164 and a Saab 9000), who ultimately gave up and left after May got repeatedly lost. Clarkson was deemed the winner as he got one photograph of his celebrity into the papers, although, as his co-presenters pointed out, the image appeared as part of Clarkson's own newspaper column in The Sun.
★ 'Grow your own petrol' - the presenters decided to grow their own "petrol" by planting rapeseed in a field. For this each presenter needed to research and purchase a tractor. They then carried out a series of challenges at the airfield, including a 'drag race', in which they raced each other while dragging something found around the airfield. Subsequently they travel to a field where they attempt to prepare and plow the field for planting. After several setbacks James May incorrectly operated the planter, causing all the seed to be dumped in one spot. Clarkson forced him to spend the night re-sowing the seed, until "[his] seed was evenly distributed in every furrow [he] could find." This is an unfinished project and the rapeseed will be harvested and converted into biodiesel (not petrol) in the next season.
Main articles: Top Gear Cheap Car Challenges
Another recurring feature are the Cheap Car Challenges, in which the presenters are given a budget (typically around £1,500, but has been between £100 and £10,000 depending on the type of car) and must buy a used car conforming to certain guidelines. Once purchased, the presenters compete against each other in a series of tests to establish who has bought the best car. The presenters have no prior knowledge of what the tests will be, although they generally involve a long journey to determine reliability, and a race track event to determine performance. There is also the recurring element of the presenters spending their change from the initial budget on improving the cars, and selling the cars at the end of the challenge, trying to make a profit or at least lose the least money. The three are highly competitive, and any presenter whose car breaks down during a challenge will typically be abandoned to make their own way to the designated destination.
During series 6, May hosted a segment showing nominations for the greatest song to drive to, the final list of ten was voted for by write-in nominations on the ''Top Gear'' website, the top five were then submitted for phone vote by viewers of the show. Songs in the top 10 were:
It included continual complaining from the presenters about the presence of "Bat Out of Hell" on the list (which was leading as of the selection of the top five) and its promotional segment included such visuals as cars being towed away and gridlocked streets. On the other hand, the equivalent "Don't Stop Me Now" segment was the exact opposite, featuring open roads and being described as "a joy" and "a song for life" in the voiceover.
Top Gear annually releases a CD entitled 'Greatest Driving Songs'.
Main articles: Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car
During most programmes, a celebrity, usually of British fame, is interviewed by Clarkson. The light-hearted discussion focuses on car-related matters, such as the celebrity's car history. Then Clarkson, the guest and the studio audience watch footage of the guest's fastest lap around the ''Top Gear'' test track, filmed earlier.
For the first seven series of its current incarnation, the car driven was a Suzuki Liana. Starting with the eighth series, this was replaced by a Chevrolet Lacetti, with a new blank scoreboard. The format was also changed so that instead of the best lap of several attempts being recorded, each star would have five practice laps, and then a final timed lap, with no allowance being given for mishaps.
For a long period Simon Cowell was at the top of the leaderboard until Jimmy Carr beat his time, only to be knocked off very shortly by Ellen MacArthur who was rated the top driver of the year by the Top Gear team. Incidentally the first person to actually beat Jimmy Carr's time was Damon Hill but due to his past Formula 1 racing career a special board was appointed to all Formula 1 drivers.
There have been several mishaps in the past with this feature, Ian Wright and Sir Michael Gambon have both nearly rolled the car (the latter on the final corner of the track, prompting it to be renamed after him), Lionel Richie & Trevor Eve lost a wheel and David Soul destroyed the clutch on the main car and the backup car.
Main articles: Power Laps
In the Power Laps segment, the Stig completes a lap around the ''Top Gear'' test track to gauge the performance of various cars.
The qualifications for the normal Power Lap Board is that the car being tested must be a road-worthy car.[32] There is a separate unofficial board of times for non-production car times.
The most powerful production car ever featured on ''Top Gear'', the 1001 bhp (746 kW) Bugatti Veyron, has not yet been taken around the track by the Stig. According to Hammond, this is because Bugatti has not given ''Top Gear'' permission to run the car through a power lap.[33] This was confirmed on the Veyron's second appearance in February 2007, when Clarkson made an appeal to Veyron owners to let Top Gear borrow their car and allow the Stig to take it around the track, offering up to £30 to do so. Therefore the Koenigsegg CCX (with the Top Gear wing) is top of the power board, the presenters make a joke of its awkward name by putting a series of random letters on an extra long strip of paper.[34]
Main articles: The Cool Wall
Introduced in the sixth episode of series one, Clarkson and Hammond decide which cars are cool, and which aren't, by placing photographs of them onto various sections of a large board. The categories are ''Sub Zero'', ''Cool'', ''Uncool'', and ''Seriously Uncool'', and a vehicle's placement has nothing to do with how good or bad a car it is. Initially, part of the coolness factor rested on the extent to which the presenters believed each car would impress English actress Kristin Scott Thomas, although more recently, BBC newsreader Fiona Bruce has replaced Scott Thomas as their notional judge. When Scott Thomas appeared on the show in series nine, she turned out to dislike all the 'cool' cars and like all the 'uncool' cars. They have also added a separate 'DB9 Section', a mini fridge on a table to the right of the board, for those cars considered "super cool". It initially contained just the DB9, with the V8 Vantage, nicknamed the "Baby Aston", joining it in the 7th series. On one occasion, a particularly uncool car's picture was stuck onto a member of the audience to the left of the board.
An acknowledged rule of the Cool Wall is that no car owned by one of the presenters can be considered cool. This has led to a certain amount of anguish, as in series nine, when Clarkson was forced to place the Gallardo Spyder in the Uncool section, despite both protests from the audience and his personal feelings, on the grounds that he had just bought one. He then revealed that he had sold his Ford GT, allowing him to move the car into the Sub-Zero section.
Frequently Clarkson and Hammond will disagree over which section a car should be placed in, with Clarkson always winning the argument by placing the car at the very top of the wall in his favoured section, preventing the comparatively diminutive Hammond from reaching it to move it. In series six Clarkson slipped two spinal disks from "repetitive oversteer injury" and was unable to bend down. Taking advantage of this Hammond ended an argument by placing the car in question at the bottom of the board.
In the fourth episode of series nine Hammond attempted to place a Ducati 1098 motorcycle on the wall, but due to his hatred of motorcycles Clarkson removed it (and some of the wall) with a chainsaw.
Each year the show presents a "Car of the Year" for the best new car in that year. Winners have included:
★ 2001 – Ford Mondeo
★ 2002 – Land Rover Range Rover
★ 2003 – Rolls-Royce Phantom
★ 2004 – Volkswagen Golf GTI
★ 2005 – Bugatti Veyron
★ 2006 – Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder
Every year ''Top Gear'' conducts a survey which consults thousands of UK residents on their car-ownership satisfaction. While for legal reasons the survey is now conducted via the magazine, the results are still used on the show. The survey, which used to be done in conjunction with J.D. Power, is now conducted by Experian. The survey asks respondents to score cars on build quality, craftsmanship, driving experience, ownership costs, and customer care. Based on these weighted criteria, the best and worst ranked cars from the survey are:
In an episode from the show's eighth series, all three presenters go on a camping holiday. In one dramatic segment, the team appear to accidentally set fire to a caravan and watch as it burns to the ground. The emergency services are contacted and begin to tackle the fire amid the apparent chaos and confusion. However, James Tapper, writing in the English ''Mail on Sunday'' newspaper, claimed the episode's action had been staged and that Dorset emergency services had been paid around £1,000 by the BBC for a six-man fire crew to participate in the mock fire. A BBC spokeswoman confirmed that the fire had been planned for safety reasons, and that viewers were not misled due to the stunt's slapstick nature.[35] It was also clear from the scenery that the location had been changed, and that was no real danger in the caravan park.
The magazine is a long-running publication by the BBC and is out monthly. With contributions from Jeremy Clarkson, James May and sometimes Richard Hammond, the magazine is intended to inform the audience of motoring news and topics. Among these greats, lie some less-well-known authors including Matt Master (MM), Tom Ford (TF), Jeremy Hart, Emma Parker Bowles, Bill Thomas (BT), Paul Horrell (PH) and others. The publishing director is Adam Waddell, with Michael Harvey as the editor. The Magazine has a consistent formatt, with regulars that include: Metal, informing us of cars to come; Faces, with inteviews, and columns; Drives with road tests. Then there is TG 2 with second hand information and Lifers in which cars are kept for a year and any problems recorded in the section. There is then a comprehensive and informative New Car guide, with specs, prices and performance figures.
★ List of Top Gear broadcasters and video releases
★ List of Top Gear episodes
1.
BAFTA winners and nominees 2000-2005
2.
Top Gear will return, BBC insists
3.
BBC indefinitely postpones Top Gear
4. Top Gear on BBC2
5.
Road Shows
6.
Top Gear's Chequered Past Mark Savage
7.
Filming resumes on Top Gear show
8. "Hamster Attends TG Awards." 13 December 2006. Retrieved on 13 January 2007.
9. "Top Gear crash wins ratings clash." 29 January2007. Retrieved on 31 January 2007.
10. Top Gear will return, BBC insists
11. BBC Top Gear in US TV deal talks
12. The Sun It's Stop Gear for the States
13. http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctwo/listings/programme.shtml?day=wednesday&service_id=4224&filename=20070725/20070725_2000_4224_19452_60
14. http://www.bbc.co.uk/topgear/
15. Top Gear Team in Hot Water Over Pole Race
16. Top Gear Series 6 Episode 11
17.
18. "This year's nominations." BAFTA. Retrieved on 18 April 2006.
19. "Awards for "Top Gear"." IMDb. Retrieved on 1 January 2006.
20. "'Petrolheads' under attack." BBC. 12 April 2005. Retrieved on 28 December 2005.
21. Germans up in arms over Clarkson's mocking Nazi salute The Scotsman. Accessed 2 August 2006.
22. "BBC stumps up for tree stunt." BBC. 21 February 2004. Retrieved on 9 January 2006.
23. "Villagers put the brake on Top Gear." Telegraph. 20 February 2006. Retrieved on 20 February 2006.
24. "Clarkson's right on cue." Top Gear Magazine. 1 February 2006. Retrieved on 6 March 2006.
25. "Top Gear - General approach taken by the programme" BBC
26. "BBC condemns Clarkson 'gay' jibe" BBC
27. Top Gear - Series 8 Episode 7 2006.07.23 News Segment ''Clarkson:...we were slightly rude about caravans... Hammond: Yeah, we sorta set one on fire a bit. Clarkson:...150 complaints.
28. Top Gear dead cow stunt garners 91 public complaints
29. One dead in level crossing crash
30. BBC apologises after Clarkson calls Hammond 'mental'
31.
Series 9 - Episode 4
32. Top Gear Power Laps Top Gear Website Retrieved on 2006.11.13 ''In order to qualify for the power laps board, a car must be road legal, and be a car. For this reason the F1 car (0.59.0), Aston Martin DBR9 (1.08.6) and Sea Harrier (0.31.2) do not appear.''
33. Top Gear Season 8, Episode 2 2006.05.14 ''Richard Hammond: You know, I think the only time that the Zonda F is gonna get knocked off the board is when Bugatti finally let us put a Veyron on our track.''
34. Top Gear Season 9, Episode 2 2007.02.04
35. "BBC admit ''Top Gear'' caravan blaze was a fake", James Tapper, Mail On Sunday Newspaper July 29 2007
★ Official BBC ''Top Gear'' website
★ ''Top Gear'' magazine website
★ BBC News article on ''Top Gear's'' history (21 September 2006)
★ ''Top Gear'' on UKTV
★ Trucks'' - some background info on the trucks used for the polar adventure episode
The current format of '''Top Gear''' is a BAFTA[1] and Emmy Award-winning BBC television series about motor vehicles, mainly cars. The programme is estimated to have 8 million viewers each week in the UK on BBC Two.[2]
''Top Gear'' is presented by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, James May and The Stig, an anonymous test driver.
The ninth series of ''Top Gear'' premiered on 28 January 2007, having been delayed since October 2006 because of Hammond's car accident in September 2006.[3] The last episode of Series Nine was broadcast on 4 March 2007. ''Top Gear'' is scheduled to return in October 2007.[4]
The original ''Top Gear'' was a half-hour show produced by BBC Birmingham that ran from 1977 to 2001. ''Top Gear magazine'' is a separate publication produced by BBC Magazines which shares some contributors, editors and features with the TV show including contributions by the presenters.
History
1977 to 2001
''Top Gear'' started in 1977 as a 30-minute regional programme in the Midlands which was offered to BBC2, with William Woollard as the main presenter until 1991. Through the years, Noel Edmonds, BBC newsreader Angela Rippon, Tony Mason and Chris Goffey all made contributions.
Originally, ''Top Gear'' was a conventional magazine show aimed at a general audience. It reviewed new car models and focused on car-related issues such as road safety, but it saw a massive boost in its audience in the late 1980s with the involvement of Clarkson. Among Clarkson's contemporary presenters were Quentin Willson, a former used-car salesman, Vicki Butler-Henderson and Tiff Needell.
Despite enduring criticism that the show was overly macho, encouraged irresponsible driving behaviour and ignored the environment, it became hugely influential with motor manufacturers.
Following on from ''Top Gear's success, a number of similar programmes have been produced including Channel 4's ''Driven'', ITV's ''Pulling Power'', Five's ''Fifth Gear'', Sky One's ''Vroom Vroom'' and BBC World India's ''Wheels''.[5]
James May was brought in to present following Clarkson's departure but, despite various changes to the presenting team, the slide in viewers was not reversed, leading the BBC to cancel the programme in 2001.
Later that year, Channel 5 started a similarly-themed programme called ''Fifth Gear''. Some of the original production and presenting team moved to the new programme, and it still runs to this day.
In 2002, the decision to cancel the programme was reversed by BBC2 and the production was moved to London from Birmingham.
2002 to present
After a period of recording other programmes, Clarkson, along with producer Andy Wilman, successfully pitched a new format for ''Top Gear'' to the BBC, and a new series began airing in 2002.
The format incorporated a number of major changes. The show was lengthened to an hour and two new presenters were introduced: Richard Hammond and Jason Dawe, with James May replacing Dawe after the first series. The Stig, an anonymous masked racing driver, was introduced as test driver.
New segments were also added, including "Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car", the "Cool Wall", "Car News", "Power Laps" as well as one-off features such as races, competitions and the frequent destruction of caravans.
The programme is filmed at Dunsfold Park, a former airfield in Surrey, where a custom race circuit was built and a large hangar is used for inside filming. A standing studio audience of about 400 people, who apply to the BBC for free tickets, was also included.
Series 9 was scheduled to air on BBC Two from 8 October 2006 and end sometime in November. However, on 20 September 2006 Hammond was seriously injured while driving a jet-propelled drag-racing car at up to 314 mph (502 km/h) for a feature for the show. On 24 September the BBC said: "It also confirmed the final part of the Best of Top Gear had been postponed indefinitely and the new series, due to begin on 8 October, will be delayed". Both the BBC and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) carried out inquiries into the accident.[6]
On 5 October, filming resumed on features for the new series that Hammond was not involved with.[7] The ninth series began airing on 28 January 2007, and footage of Hammond's crash was shown with Hammond's commentary and reaction from the presenters.[8] The first show of the ninth series attracted higher ratings than the finale of ''Celebrity Big Brother''[9] and the final episode of the series getting 8 million viewers — BBC2's biggest ratings for a decade.[10].
A special edition of Top Gear - filmed for Red Nose Day 2007 - called ''Top Gear of the Pops'' mixed the show's typical format with music and appearances from artists Lethal Bizzle, Travis, Supergrass, and McFly with a challenge to write a song including the words "sofa", "administration" and "Hyundai" and a performance by Clarkson, Hammond and May with Justin Hawkins of a song by Billy Ocean.
Repeats of earlier series are currently shown on UKTV G2 and UKTV People, cut to 45 minutes to allow it to fit in an hour-long slot while leaving room for adverts. ''Top Gear'' has been broadcast in other countries either in its original format, in a re-edited version, or (as in the case of the North American version) with specially shot segments in front of the UK audience.
The BBC also broadcasts edited versions of ''Top Gear'' on its international BBC World TV channel. Episodes are edited from their original length of one hour to 30 minutes, often leaving dangling references and inconsistencies in the episodes. Additionally, the original order of the episodes is sometimes not kept, so references to un-aired events are common. The only footage specially shot for the international version is for the end of each episode, where Clarkson bids his goodbye to BBC World viewers, instead of BBC viewers.
Recently, BBC World has not shown cut versions of the current series, but has resorted to "best of" collections of the previous series. In both cases the BBC World edition mainly features the challenges and races from the normal episodes, with Clarkson's 'stronger' remarks removed. Interviews and "Car of the Year" are generally not shown.
In April 2007, the BBC reported on a ''Sun'' story that ''Top Gear'' had been in talks about creating an American version. The current presenters would remain as hosts, but the show would focus on American cars and include American celebrities.[11] ''The Sun'' reported in July, however, that plans for an American version had been shelved, partly over Clarkson's misgivings about spending several months in the U.S., away from his family.[12]
A special programme ''Top Gear: Polar Special'' was broadcast in the UK on July 25 2007, and again on July 29.[13] [14] This episode involved a race to the Magnetic North Pole[15] from Resolute, Canada, with James May and Jeremy Clarkson travelling in a 'polar modified' Toyota Hilux, and Richard Hammond on a dog-drawn sled. All three presenters had experienced explorers with them, but Clarkson and May became the first people to reach the magnetic North Pole by car, using the vehicle's Satellite Navigation to pinpoint their co-ordinates with the known coordinates of the pole. It was the first episode of the programme to be shown in high-definition.
Theme music
''Top Gear'' has always used The Allman Brothers Band's instrumental hit "Jessica" as its theme tune. Initially the show used part of the original Allmans' recording of the song, but later series of ''Top Gear'' use updated cover versions. For the original series run, the end credits music was "Out of the Blue", an instrumental from the 1976 Elton John album, ''Blue Moves''.
In series 6 episode 11, May recorded the necessary notes to play the theme tune from car engine sounds, and subsequently played it as the final credits.[16]
Nominations and awards
In November 2005, ''Top Gear'' won an International Emmy in the Non-Scripted Entertainment category.[17]
In the episode where the presenters showed the award to the studio audience, Clarkson joked that he was unable to go to New York to receive the award since he was too busy writing the script for the show.
''Top Gear'' has also been nominated three consecutive years, 2004-2006, for the British Academy Television Awards in the Best Feature category. Clarkson was also nominated in the best "Entertainment Performance" category in 2006.[18] In 2004 and 2005, ''Top Gear'' was also nominated for a National Television Award in the Most Popular Factual Programme category; they won the award in 2006.[19]
Criticism
''Top Gear'' has come under fire on many occasions for promoting irresponsible driving,[20] causing ecological damage, and favouring performance over fuel efficiency and conservation.
Clarkson has spurred several controversies in his capacity as a presenter for ''Top Gear''. During the 13 November 2005 episode a news segment featuring BMW's MINI Concept from the Tokyo Motor Show showcased what Hammond quoted as a "quintessentially British" integrated tea set. Clarkson responded by mocking that they should build a car that is "quintessentially German." He suggested turn signals that displayed Hitler salutes, "a sat-nav that only goes to Poland" in reference to the Nazi invasion of Poland that marked the start of World War II in Europe, and "ein fanbelt that will last a thousand years," a reference to Adolf Hitler's propaganda slogan of "the thousand-year Reich". These statements gained negative attention in the British and German news media.[21]
The BBC compensated a Bristol local parish in 2004 after Clarkson rammed a Toyota Hilux into a landmark tree[22] during a segment on proving the sturdiness and reliability of the truck through a series of torture tests. The parish had no idea the damage had been caused by a BBC television show until the item was aired, believing that it had been an accident or the work of vandals.
''Top Gear'' was in negotiations to move to Enstone in Northwest Oxfordshire, close to the home of the Renault F1 team's British base and to Clarkson's home in Chipping Norton, but has so far been unable to negotiate a deal after their initial application was blocked due to opposition by local citizens because of fears that ''Top Gear'' would create pollution and noise.[23]
Clarkson has been critical of the BBC. In the February 2006 issue of ''Top Gear Magazine'', Clarkson voiced his opinion that the BBC did not take ''Top Gear'' seriously. He also appears to be annoyed with BBC bosses for often replacing the show with snooker, despite ''Top Gear'' having considerably higher viewer ratings, and the show's shortening series runs.[24]
In July 2006 the BBC rejected a variety of complaints about the issues ''Top Gear'' chooses and the way they are covered by Clarkson, Hammond and May. The BBC argued that their "provocative comments are an integral part of the programme and are not intended to be taken seriously." Regarding offensive remarks traded between presenters and members of the audience, the BBC said "this is part of the appeal of the show [and] we trust most viewers are familiar enough with the style and tone of the show not to take offence." The BBC pointed out that they would act if such statements and actions were carried out with any degree of seriousness or if the programme breached legal and safety requirements.[25]
In December 2006, the BBC upheld four complaints that comments Clarkson made about a car were derogatory references to homosexuality, had the potential to offend and should not have been broadcast. Clarkson had agreed with an audience member that a car was "a bit gay" on a programme screened in the UK in July, and also described the vehicle as "very ginger beer", taken to be rhyming slang for the term "queer". The BBC complaints unit said there was "no editorial purpose" for the remarks, and the "''Top Gear'' team had been reminded of the importance of avoiding such comments about sexual orientation."[26]
Top Gear has also come under some criticism for their negative views and depiction of caravans; once claiming to have received 150 complaints after they destroyed a caravan on a 'camping trip' during one of many caravan destruction segments.[27]
Both the BBC and the UK media regulator OFCOM[28] have received complaints about the dead cow incident in the third programme of the ninth series for the sequence in which a dead cow is seen tied to the roof of Clarkson's car. The cow is dumped to the ground by reversing and turning the vehicle.
Another point of controversy regards the airing of a staged train crash in Series 9 Episode 5. The accident in which a train collides with a car positioned across a level crossing is being criticised by some due to the Cumbria train crash only 2 days earlier. The piece, which was organised by Network Rail as part of their ''Don't Run The Risk'' campaign, has been condemned by several people, including Anthony Smith, chief executive of the rail watchdog Passenger Focus who said: "We need to raise awareness of the issue, but now is not the right time." "Top Gear to screen train stunt" BBC . However, this item had already been delayed several weeks because of an earlier fatal level crossing crash, and with only one programme remaining in the series and the frequency of level crossing accidents it may have been considered that there was no "appropriate" time to show the piece without offending somebody. A repeat of this episode due to be aired on the 1 March 2007 was pulled after someone was killed on a level crossing earlier that morning.[29] The episode was replaced with a "Best of Top Gear" episode.
The BBC also had to apologise to a number of Top Gear viewers after Clarkson referred to Hammond as "a mental" during the first episode of the season. This incident was supposed to be part of a joke about the head injuries Hammond sustained during his crash before the season, but a complaint was filed after some viewers were offended.[30]
Recently, environmentalists were angered over the crew filming a Clarkson segment on a salt flat in Botswana, claiming irresponsible damage to the salt flat. However, permission to film was given by Botswana's government, the area was specifically chosen to have the least environmental impact, and any change made to a salt flat is erased come the next rainfall.
Segments
As well as car reviews and time trials around the Top Gear track by the Stig, Top Gear features a number of recurring segments:
Races
Main articles: Top Gear races
The show has featured a number of races where Clarkson drives a car against other forms of transport, typically involving Hammond and May taking the same journey by combinations of plane, train, ferry or bus; the most recent example of this was Clarkson driving a Bugatti Veyron against a Cessna 182 light aircraft flown by May. The race was held between Alba in northern Italy and Tower 42 in London. In all such races Clarkson has won, defeating May and Hammond.
Top Gear regularly reaffirms that the races do actually take place, but that many of the shots used in the film are then recorded over a few days by retracing the journey. In the case of the Bugatti Veyron race, the Stig drove the car back to Italy, although these shots are filmed so that it is not apparent that Clarkson is not driving.
Another common feature of Top Gear is a race between a presenter and an athlete; for example, a race was held with Clarkson driving a Fiat Nuova Panda against a runner AC Muir on a modified London Marathon route on a weekday morning rush hour. Clarkson has also attempted to reach the top of a gorge in an Audi RS4 faster than two rock climbers. On most occasions, these races have been won by the athlete.
Challenges
James May's Limousine - The 'Salfa Romeaab'
A recurring feature on Top Gear involves the hosts undertaking a number of bizarre challenges involving cars. The segments involving the challenges are usually preceded by Clarkson, Hammond or May asking the audience and viewers: ''"How hard can it be?"''
★ 'Convertible People Carrier' - the presenters were set the task of building a convertible people carrier. They succeeded in removing the roof from a used Renault Espace and replaced it with a canvas fold-down top. The resulting convertible was able to travel over 100 mph without losing its roof, and was driven though an animal park without mishap. However, a trip through a car wash resulted in the brand-new million-pound wash facility catching fire.
★ 'Build a Car' - the presenters, based at Knockhill Racing Circuit in Scotland, were set the task of building a Caterham Seven Kit car from scratch faster than the Stig could reach the track from the Caterham showroom in south London, using a pre-built Caterham Seven Kit car. The presenters won the challenge when the Stig was arrested for speeding.
★ 'Car Interior Design' - Clarkson bought an old Mercedes-Benz S-Class and designed his perfect interior based upon his house. The car, dubbed "Anne Hathaway's Cottage," features a wood-burning stove, kitchen chairs, a flagstone floor and wood with a cement base, even plastered insides of the doors. James May and Richard Hammond then tested the car. No seatbelts and unsecured seats meant they went flying at first, however eventually, with May holding Hammond's seat, a 0-60 time of 35.4 seconds was established.
★ 'Amphibious Vehicles' - the presenters were set the challenge of building amphibious cars, and using them to get to, and across a reservoir. May, using the rig of a Mirror dinghy, turned a classic Triumph Herald sports car into a sailing boat, Hammond transformed a VW camper van into a narrowboat style "damper van", and Clarkson attached an outboard motor to a modified Toyota Hilux pickup truck, which he dubbed the "Toybota." In the subsequent challenge, Hammond's "damper van" sank due to massive leaks after losing its prop, May made it to the far end of the resivour with everything working aside from a wet clutch, and Clarkson capsized after a high-speed turn just before reaching the slipway. May was declared the winner by audience vote.
★ 'Present a drive time radio show' - the presenters tried to host a drive time radio show on BBC Southern Counties Radio in Brighton, but ended up with some complaints from the listeners. This was mainly because Clarkson's travel bulletins focused on hounding motorists he could see dawdling on CCTV, rather than issuing the more normal information on the location of problem areas and how to avoid them.
★ 'Reliant Space Shuttle' - Hammond and May, with major of assistance from the British Amateur Rocket Society, set out to design and build a rocket ship that could lift off, rise thousands of feet and come safely back down to earth to be reused. The rocket, built from a Reliant Robin, was designed in the style of the Space Shuttle.[31] It was intended to be reusable, separating from the fuel tank and rocket boosters and gliding back to earth. The launch was initially remarkably successful, but a failure of one of the explosive bolts linking the main fuel tank to the 'shuttle' caused it to crash spectacularly.
★ 'Stretch Limos' - the presenters were sent out to buy normal cars that are available in Britain, then turn them into stretch limousines. Once the presenters built their limos, they had to chauffeur three celebrities across London to the Brit Awards. Hammond chauffeured Jamelia in the MG F ''"Sports Limo"'', arriving with a stuck throttle. Clarkson chauffeured Chris Moyles using a greatly lengthed, dual rear axle Fiat Panda, arriving with only half a car after it split in two mid-journey. James May attempted to chauffeur Lemar in the ''"Salfa Romaab"'' (a cross between a Alfa Romeo 164 and a Saab 9000), who ultimately gave up and left after May got repeatedly lost. Clarkson was deemed the winner as he got one photograph of his celebrity into the papers, although, as his co-presenters pointed out, the image appeared as part of Clarkson's own newspaper column in The Sun.
★ 'Grow your own petrol' - the presenters decided to grow their own "petrol" by planting rapeseed in a field. For this each presenter needed to research and purchase a tractor. They then carried out a series of challenges at the airfield, including a 'drag race', in which they raced each other while dragging something found around the airfield. Subsequently they travel to a field where they attempt to prepare and plow the field for planting. After several setbacks James May incorrectly operated the planter, causing all the seed to be dumped in one spot. Clarkson forced him to spend the night re-sowing the seed, until "
Cheap Car Challenges
Main articles: Top Gear Cheap Car Challenges
Another recurring feature are the Cheap Car Challenges, in which the presenters are given a budget (typically around £1,500, but has been between £100 and £10,000 depending on the type of car) and must buy a used car conforming to certain guidelines. Once purchased, the presenters compete against each other in a series of tests to establish who has bought the best car. The presenters have no prior knowledge of what the tests will be, although they generally involve a long journey to determine reliability, and a race track event to determine performance. There is also the recurring element of the presenters spending their change from the initial budget on improving the cars, and selling the cars at the end of the challenge, trying to make a profit or at least lose the least money. The three are highly competitive, and any presenter whose car breaks down during a challenge will typically be abandoned to make their own way to the designated destination.
Greatest Driving Song
During series 6, May hosted a segment showing nominations for the greatest song to drive to, the final list of ten was voted for by write-in nominations on the ''Top Gear'' website, the top five were then submitted for phone vote by viewers of the show. Songs in the top 10 were:
| Rank | Band | Song |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Fleetwood Mac | "The Chain" |
| 9 | AC/DC | "Highway to Hell" |
| 8 | Led Zeppelin | "Immigrant Song" |
| 7 | Kenny Loggins | "Danger Zone" |
| 6 | Motörhead | "Ace of Spades" |
| 5 | Deep Purple | "Highway Star" |
| 4 | Steppenwolf | "Born to Be Wild" |
| 3 | Meat Loaf | "Bat Out of Hell" |
| 2 | Golden Earring | "Radar Love" |
| 1 | Queen | "Don't Stop Me Now" |
It included continual complaining from the presenters about the presence of "Bat Out of Hell" on the list (which was leading as of the selection of the top five) and its promotional segment included such visuals as cars being towed away and gridlocked streets. On the other hand, the equivalent "Don't Stop Me Now" segment was the exact opposite, featuring open roads and being described as "a joy" and "a song for life" in the voiceover.
Top Gear annually releases a CD entitled 'Greatest Driving Songs'.
Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car
Main articles: Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car
During most programmes, a celebrity, usually of British fame, is interviewed by Clarkson. The light-hearted discussion focuses on car-related matters, such as the celebrity's car history. Then Clarkson, the guest and the studio audience watch footage of the guest's fastest lap around the ''Top Gear'' test track, filmed earlier.
For the first seven series of its current incarnation, the car driven was a Suzuki Liana. Starting with the eighth series, this was replaced by a Chevrolet Lacetti, with a new blank scoreboard. The format was also changed so that instead of the best lap of several attempts being recorded, each star would have five practice laps, and then a final timed lap, with no allowance being given for mishaps.
For a long period Simon Cowell was at the top of the leaderboard until Jimmy Carr beat his time, only to be knocked off very shortly by Ellen MacArthur who was rated the top driver of the year by the Top Gear team. Incidentally the first person to actually beat Jimmy Carr's time was Damon Hill but due to his past Formula 1 racing career a special board was appointed to all Formula 1 drivers.
There have been several mishaps in the past with this feature, Ian Wright and Sir Michael Gambon have both nearly rolled the car (the latter on the final corner of the track, prompting it to be renamed after him), Lionel Richie & Trevor Eve lost a wheel and David Soul destroyed the clutch on the main car and the backup car.
Power Laps
Main articles: Power Laps
The Stig driving a Pagani Zonda F
In the Power Laps segment, the Stig completes a lap around the ''Top Gear'' test track to gauge the performance of various cars.
The qualifications for the normal Power Lap Board is that the car being tested must be a road-worthy car.[32] There is a separate unofficial board of times for non-production car times.
The most powerful production car ever featured on ''Top Gear'', the 1001 bhp (746 kW) Bugatti Veyron, has not yet been taken around the track by the Stig. According to Hammond, this is because Bugatti has not given ''Top Gear'' permission to run the car through a power lap.[33] This was confirmed on the Veyron's second appearance in February 2007, when Clarkson made an appeal to Veyron owners to let Top Gear borrow their car and allow the Stig to take it around the track, offering up to £30 to do so. Therefore the Koenigsegg CCX (with the Top Gear wing) is top of the power board, the presenters make a joke of its awkward name by putting a series of random letters on an extra long strip of paper.[34]
The Cool Wall
Main articles: The Cool Wall
Introduced in the sixth episode of series one, Clarkson and Hammond decide which cars are cool, and which aren't, by placing photographs of them onto various sections of a large board. The categories are ''Sub Zero'', ''Cool'', ''Uncool'', and ''Seriously Uncool'', and a vehicle's placement has nothing to do with how good or bad a car it is. Initially, part of the coolness factor rested on the extent to which the presenters believed each car would impress English actress Kristin Scott Thomas, although more recently, BBC newsreader Fiona Bruce has replaced Scott Thomas as their notional judge. When Scott Thomas appeared on the show in series nine, she turned out to dislike all the 'cool' cars and like all the 'uncool' cars. They have also added a separate 'DB9 Section', a mini fridge on a table to the right of the board, for those cars considered "super cool". It initially contained just the DB9, with the V8 Vantage, nicknamed the "Baby Aston", joining it in the 7th series. On one occasion, a particularly uncool car's picture was stuck onto a member of the audience to the left of the board.
An acknowledged rule of the Cool Wall is that no car owned by one of the presenters can be considered cool. This has led to a certain amount of anguish, as in series nine, when Clarkson was forced to place the Gallardo Spyder in the Uncool section, despite both protests from the audience and his personal feelings, on the grounds that he had just bought one. He then revealed that he had sold his Ford GT, allowing him to move the car into the Sub-Zero section.
Frequently Clarkson and Hammond will disagree over which section a car should be placed in, with Clarkson always winning the argument by placing the car at the very top of the wall in his favoured section, preventing the comparatively diminutive Hammond from reaching it to move it. In series six Clarkson slipped two spinal disks from "repetitive oversteer injury" and was unable to bend down. Taking advantage of this Hammond ended an argument by placing the car in question at the bottom of the board.
In the fourth episode of series nine Hammond attempted to place a Ducati 1098 motorcycle on the wall, but due to his hatred of motorcycles Clarkson removed it (and some of the wall) with a chainsaw.
Car of the Year
Each year the show presents a "Car of the Year" for the best new car in that year. Winners have included:
★ 2001 – Ford Mondeo
★ 2002 – Land Rover Range Rover
★ 2003 – Rolls-Royce Phantom
★ 2004 – Volkswagen Golf GTI
★ 2005 – Bugatti Veyron
★ 2006 – Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder
Top Gear Survey
Every year ''Top Gear'' conducts a survey which consults thousands of UK residents on their car-ownership satisfaction. While for legal reasons the survey is now conducted via the magazine, the results are still used on the show. The survey, which used to be done in conjunction with J.D. Power, is now conducted by Experian. The survey asks respondents to score cars on build quality, craftsmanship, driving experience, ownership costs, and customer care. Based on these weighted criteria, the best and worst ranked cars from the survey are:
| Year | Best Ranked | Worst ranked |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Jaguar XJ | Volkswagen Sharan |
| 2004 | Honda S2000 | Mercedes M-Class |
| 2005 | Honda S2000 | Peugeot 807 |
| 2006 | Honda S2000 | Peugeot 807 |
Allegations of staging
In an episode from the show's eighth series, all three presenters go on a camping holiday. In one dramatic segment, the team appear to accidentally set fire to a caravan and watch as it burns to the ground. The emergency services are contacted and begin to tackle the fire amid the apparent chaos and confusion. However, James Tapper, writing in the English ''Mail on Sunday'' newspaper, claimed the episode's action had been staged and that Dorset emergency services had been paid around £1,000 by the BBC for a six-man fire crew to participate in the mock fire. A BBC spokeswoman confirmed that the fire had been planned for safety reasons, and that viewers were not misled due to the stunt's slapstick nature.[35] It was also clear from the scenery that the location had been changed, and that was no real danger in the caravan park.
Magazine
The magazine is a long-running publication by the BBC and is out monthly. With contributions from Jeremy Clarkson, James May and sometimes Richard Hammond, the magazine is intended to inform the audience of motoring news and topics. Among these greats, lie some less-well-known authors including Matt Master (MM), Tom Ford (TF), Jeremy Hart, Emma Parker Bowles, Bill Thomas (BT), Paul Horrell (PH) and others. The publishing director is Adam Waddell, with Michael Harvey as the editor. The Magazine has a consistent formatt, with regulars that include: Metal, informing us of cars to come; Faces, with inteviews, and columns; Drives with road tests. Then there is TG 2 with second hand information and Lifers in which cars are kept for a year and any problems recorded in the section. There is then a comprehensive and informative New Car guide, with specs, prices and performance figures.
See also
★ List of Top Gear broadcasters and video releases
★ List of Top Gear episodes
References
1.
BAFTA winners and nominees 2000-2005
2.
Top Gear will return, BBC insists
3.
BBC indefinitely postpones Top Gear
4. Top Gear on BBC2
5.
Road Shows
6.
Top Gear's Chequered Past Mark Savage
7.
Filming resumes on Top Gear show
8. "Hamster Attends TG Awards." 13 December 2006. Retrieved on 13 January 2007.
9. "Top Gear crash wins ratings clash." 29 January2007. Retrieved on 31 January 2007.
10. Top Gear will return, BBC insists
11. BBC Top Gear in US TV deal talks
12. The Sun It's Stop Gear for the States
13. http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctwo/listings/programme.shtml?day=wednesday&service_id=4224&filename=20070725/20070725_2000_4224_19452_60
14. http://www.bbc.co.uk/topgear/
15. Top Gear Team in Hot Water Over Pole Race
16. Top Gear Series 6 Episode 11
17.
18. "This year's nominations." BAFTA. Retrieved on 18 April 2006.
19. "Awards for "Top Gear"." IMDb. Retrieved on 1 January 2006.
20. "'Petrolheads' under attack." BBC. 12 April 2005. Retrieved on 28 December 2005.
21. Germans up in arms over Clarkson's mocking Nazi salute The Scotsman. Accessed 2 August 2006.
22. "BBC stumps up for tree stunt." BBC. 21 February 2004. Retrieved on 9 January 2006.
23. "Villagers put the brake on Top Gear." Telegraph. 20 February 2006. Retrieved on 20 February 2006.
24. "Clarkson's right on cue." Top Gear Magazine. 1 February 2006. Retrieved on 6 March 2006.
25. "Top Gear - General approach taken by the programme" BBC
26. "BBC condemns Clarkson 'gay' jibe" BBC
27. Top Gear - Series 8 Episode 7 2006.07.23 News Segment ''Clarkson:...we were slightly rude about caravans... Hammond: Yeah, we sorta set one on fire a bit. Clarkson:...150 complaints.
28. Top Gear dead cow stunt garners 91 public complaints
29. One dead in level crossing crash
30. BBC apologises after Clarkson calls Hammond 'mental'
31.
Series 9 - Episode 4
32. Top Gear Power Laps Top Gear Website Retrieved on 2006.11.13 ''In order to qualify for the power laps board, a car must be road legal, and be a car. For this reason the F1 car (0.59.0), Aston Martin DBR9 (1.08.6) and Sea Harrier (0.31.2) do not appear.''
33. Top Gear Season 8, Episode 2 2006.05.14 ''Richard Hammond: You know, I think the only time that the Zonda F is gonna get knocked off the board is when Bugatti finally let us put a Veyron on our track.''
34. Top Gear Season 9, Episode 2 2007.02.04
35. "BBC admit ''Top Gear'' caravan blaze was a fake", James Tapper, Mail On Sunday Newspaper July 29 2007
External links
★ Official BBC ''Top Gear'' website
★ ''Top Gear'' magazine website
★ BBC News article on ''Top Gear's'' history (21 September 2006)
★ ''Top Gear'' on UKTV
★ Trucks'' - some background info on the trucks used for the polar adventure episode
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