The show has received considerable acclaim for its visuals and presentation, as well as a number of criticisms for its content and comments made by presenters. Columnist A. A. Gill described the show as, "a triumph of the craft of programme-making, of the minute, obsessive, musical masonry of editing, the french polishing of colourwashing and grading. Groups such as the Environmental Investigation Agency have criticised the BBC for allowing Top Gear to film in environmentally sensitive areas such as the Makgadikgadi salt pan in Botswana.
New episodes are initially broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Two. Episodes of Top Gear are also broadcast on Dave, BBC America, and a number of other television channels around the world. The popularity of the show has led to the creation of two international versions, with local production teams and presenters, for Australia and the United States. Initial episodes of both versions are scheduled to be broadcast in the second half of 2008.
History
Jeremy Clarkson, who helped the original series reach its peak in the 1990s, along with producer Andy Wilman, successfully pitched a new format for Top Gear to the BBC, reversing a previous decision to cancel the show in 2001. The new series was first broadcast in 2002. Top Gear's studio is located at Dunsfold Park, a privately-owned aerodrome and business park in Waverley, Surrey. Top Gear uses a temporary racing circuit which was designed for the show by Lotus and is laid out on parts of Dunsfold's runways and taxiways. A large hangar is used for studio recording with a standing audience who apply to the BBC for free tickets, albeit with an estimated 21-year waiting list.
The new series format incorporates a number of major changes from the old show. The running time was extended to one 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 the test driver. New segments were also added, including "Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car", "The Cool Wall", "Car News", "Power Laps", and one-off features such as races, competitions and the frequent destruction of caravans.
In early 2006, the BBC had planned to move the filming site from Dunsfold to Enstone, Oxfordshire for filming of the eighth series of Top Gear, but the move was rejected by the community due to noise and pollution concerns. Filming of the series went ahead at Dunsfold in May despite not having a permit to do so, with a revamped studio set, a new car for the "Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car" segment, and the inclusion of one of Hammond's dogs, named "Top Gear Dog", in studio tapings and films.
On 20 September 2006, Richard Hammond was seriously injured while driving the Vampire turbojet-propelled drag-racing car at up to for a feature in the show. The BBC indefinitely postponed the broadcast of Best of Top Gear and announced that production of the show would be delayed until Hammond had recovered. Both the BBC and the Health and Safety Executive carried out inquiries into the accident. Filming resumed on 5 October 2006. The ninth series began on 28 January 2007 and included footage of Hammond's crash. The first show of the ninth series attracted higher ratings than the finale of Celebrity Big Brother and the final episode of the series had 8 million viewers — BBC Two's highest ratings for a decade.
A special programme, Top Gear: Polar Special, was broadcast in the UK on 25 July 2007 and was the first episode to be shown in high-definition. It involved a race to the North Magnetic Pole from Resolute, Nunavut, Canada, with James May and Jeremy Clarkson travelling in a 'polar modified' Toyota Hilux, and Richard Hammond on a dog-drawn sled — or, as they became known, "Team Dog". All three presenters had experienced explorers with them, and Clarkson and May became the first to reach the 1996 North Magnetic Pole by car, using the vehicle's satellite navigation. Since 1996, the North Magnetic Pole had moved approximately . The recorded 1996 location is the target used by Polar Challenge and was used by the Top Gear team as their destination; the Geographic North Pole is approximately further north.
On 9 September 2007, Top Gear participated in the 2007 Britcar 24-hour race at Silverstone, where the hosts (including The Stig) drove a race-prepared, second-hand diesel BMW 330d to win 3rd in class and 39th overall.
Also on 14 March 2008, BBC Worldwide announced that the Top Gear format would provide the basis for a live event that will visit fifteen countries. The Top Gear Live tour starts on 30 October 2008 in Earls Court, London, moving on to Birmingham in November then at least 15 other countries worldwide. Produced by former Top Gear producer Rowland French the event promises to:
"bring the tv show format to life... featuring breath-taking stunts, amazing special effects and and blockbusting driving sequences featuring some of the world’s best precision drivers".
On 17 June 2008, in an interview on BBC Radio 1's The Chris Moyles Show, Hammond and May confirmed that in Series 11 there will be a new "occasional regular host". The series' executive producer, Andy Wilman, has also revealed that future programmes will have less time devoted to big challenges:
"We've looked back at the last two or three runs and noticed that a programme can get swallowed up by one monster film — a bit like one of those Yes albums from the 70s where side one is just one track — so we're trying to calm down the prog-rock side. We'll inevitably still have big films, because it's the only way you can enjoy the three of them cocking about together, but they'll be shorter overall, and alongside we'll be inserting two- or three-minute punk songs.
The show has won several awards, including a BAFTA in 2007 for Best Features, an International Emmy Award in 2005 for Non-Scripted Entertainment, two consecutive National Television Awards in 2006 and 2007 for Most Popular Factual Programme (after having been nominated in 2004 and 2005), and a Television and Radio Industries Club in 2008 for TV Entertainment Programme.
Broadcasts
For their initial broadcasts, new episodes of Top Gear are shown in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on Sunday evenings at 8:00 pm. Each show is an hour in length with no interruption for adverts.Repeats of earlier series are currently shown on Dave and UKTV People, cut to 45 minutes to allow it to fit in an hour-long slot while leaving room for adverts. Since mid-October 2007 the channel Dave has begun showing new episodes of Top Gear only three weeks behind BBC Two. The new episodes are also shown in an edited 45-minute version. Top Gear has been broadcast in other countries either in its original format, in a re-edited version, or with specially shot segments in front of the UK audience. For example, Canvas, the Flemish public broadcaster, picked up the show after the success of the Top Gear: Polar Special programme.
The BBC also broadcasts edited Top Gear programmes on its international BBC World TV channel. Episodes are shortened to 30 minutes, often leaving dangling references and inconsistencies. Additionally, the original transmission order is sometimes not adhered to, so references to un-aired events are common. The only footage specially shot for the international version is for the end of each episode, when Clarkson bids his goodbye to BBC World viewers, instead of BBC viewers. BBC America also broadcasts repeats of Top Gear, with two episodes shown back-to-back, but with segments edited to allow for commercials.
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.
Charity specials
As of July 2008, Top Gear have produced three specials for Comic Relief. The first, titled Stars in Fast Cars, was broadcast on 5 Feburary 2005, and starred Hammond and May as presenters, with Clarkson and five other British television personalities racing against each other.The second was filmed for Comic Relief's Red Nose Day 2007 fund-raising event, and is titled Top Gear of the Pops. It 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". It concluded with a performance by Clarkson, Hammond and May with Justin Hawkins of "Red Light Spells Danger" by Billy Ocean.
The third, titled Top Ground Gear Force, was broadcast on BBC Two at 10:00 pm on 14 March 2008 as part of Sport Relief. This programme, which borrowed the Ground Force format, saw presenters 'Alan Clarkmarsh', 'Handy Hammond' and 'Jamesy Dimmock May' undertake a one-day makeover of Olympic rower Sir Steve Redgrave's garden.
Segments
Races
The show regularly features various races. There have been a number of epic races where Clarkson or one of the other presenters drives a car against other forms of transport, typically involving Hammond and May taking the same journey by combinations of plane, train or ferry.
A number of smaller scale 'novelty' races have also taken place that demonstrate various strengths and, more often, weaknesses of cars. These races involve one of the presenters, in a carefully chosen car, racing head-to-head against an athlete in conditions that favour the latter. The programme has also featured a variety of small races, typically lasting a couple of minutes, that pit two similar cars against each other, for example old vs. new.
Challenges
Early series featured novelty challenges and short stunt films, typically based on absurd premises, such as a bus jumping over motorcycles (as opposed to the more typical scenario of a motorocycle jumping over buses) or a nun driving a monster truck. No stunt films appeared between series seven and ten, but series eleven saw the introduction of segments with an anonymous stunt man (credited as "Top Gear Stunt Man") performing car jumps.
Starting with series five, many of the show's films were introduced with the tag-line, "How hard can it be?". These included films where the presenters attempted to build a convertible Renault Espace, being roadies for The Who, and participating in the Britcar 24-hour endurance race at Silverstone Circuit.
Starting with series four, one episode of each series has featured a film built around the premise of "Cheap cars", whereby the presenters are given a budget (typically around £1,500, but it has been between £100 and £10,000 depending on the type of car) to buy a used car conforming to certain criteria. 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, fuel economy, and a race track event to determine performance.
Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car
In each episode, a celebrity is interviewed by Clarkson. Then, Clarkson, the guest and the studio audience watch footage of the guest's fastest lap around the Top Gear test track. The times are recorded on a leader board. For the first seven series of Top Gear's current format, the car driven was a Suzuki Liana. At the beginning of the eighth series, the Liana was replaced by a Chevrolet Lacetti. Consequently, as the Lacetti is more powerful, the leader board was wiped clean. The format for setting a lap time was also changed: each celebrity is allowed five practice laps, then a final timed lap. No allowance is made for any errors on this final timed lap.
Ellen MacArthur set the fastest lap time of any celebrity in the Liana, and as of July 2008 Simon Cowell has set the fastest lap time of any celebrity in the Chevrolet Lacetti.
There have been several mishaps in the past with this feature. Sir Michael Gambon went around the final corner of the track on two wheels, prompting Jeremy to rename the corner in Gambon's honour. Lionel Richie and Trevor Eve lost a wheel and David Soul destroyed the clutches of both the main car and the back-up car. Several celebrities have come off the track in practice, with Clarkson showing the footage to the audience.
There is a separate Formula One drivers' leader board. The Stig is top of this board, but the presenters consider Lewis Hamilton's time to be more impressive: it is only three tenths of a second behind, despite being set on a very wet and oily track. In the past Clarkson has told drivers that they may deduct 4 seconds for a wet lap in the Suzuki Liana making Hamilton's lap even more impressive. All Formula One times, even those set after the seventh series, are set in the Suzuki Liana.
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 and be able to go over a speed bump which is referred to sometimes in the UK as a 'sleeping policeman'. There is a separate unofficial board of times for non-production car times.
The most powerful production car ever featured on Top Gear, the Bugatti Veyron, has not yet been driven around the track by The Stig. According to Clarkson, this is because Bugatti has not given Top Gear permission to run the car through a power lap. 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 drive it around the track, offering up to £30 to do so.
The car that recorded the fastest lap time on the Top Gear track was the Renault F1 car, at fifty nine seconds (0:59.00), although it was disqualified because the rules only include production cars able to get over speed bumps.
As of the Tenth Series the fastest road legal car that met the 'sleeping policeman' requirement was the Ascari A10 in a time of 1:17.3. This is only 0.3 seconds faster than the former lap leader the Koenigsegg CCX with the Top Gear rear spoiler.
Without the 'sleeping policeman' requirement the fastest time around the track for a road legal car would be the Caparo T1. The Caparo posted a time of 1:10.6 despite its reliability problems.
The Cool Wall
Introduced in the sixth episode of series one, Clarkson and Hammond decide which cars are cool and which are not by placing photographs of them on to various sections of a large board. The categories are, from left to right; "Seriously Uncool", "Uncool", "Cool", and "Sub Zero". According to Jeremy, an important part of each car's coolness factor rested on the extent to which he believed they would impress the actress Kristin Scott Thomas. More recently, BBC newsreader Fiona Bruce has also been used as a notional judge. Both have since been the celebrity guest for the Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car feature, with disastrous results for Jeremy's pride. When Scott Thomas appeared on the show in series nine, many of her own judgments on which vehicles were "cool" and "uncool" were the opposite to the show's verdicts (her own set of wheels being a Honda Civic, previously dubbed "uncool"). Later, when Bruce came on in series 11, her preferred choice of transport - a Citroen Picasso - visibly horrified Clarkson.
In the first episode of series four, a separate fridge section, on a table to the right of the board, was introduced after Jeremy declared that the Aston Martin DB9 was too cool even to be classified as "Sub-Zero". It initially contained just the DB9, but was eventually joined by the Aston Martin V8 Vantage in the seventh series. At the other end of the scale, James May's car - the Fiat Panda - was placed several metres to the left of the "uncool" side, on a banner at the back of the hangar.
This was partly due to an acknowledged rule by the presenters that cars owned by themselves cannot be considered cool. In series nine, Clarkson was forced to place the Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder in the Uncool section because he had just bought one. He then revealed that he had sold his Ford GT, allowing him to move the car back into the Sub-Zero section.
The humour of this section often lies in Clarkson and Hammond disagreeing over which section a car should be placed in, with Clarkson nearly always winning the argument — sometimes by placing the car at the very top of the wall, preventing the much shorter Hammond from being able to reach it. Hammond has occasionally got his revenge, such as when he ate the card on which a BMW M6 was featured, preventing it from being used, or during series six, after Clarkson had slipped two intervertebral discs and was unable to bend down, Hammond ended an argument by placing the car in question at the bottom of the board.
The Cool Wall was mostly destroyed in the fire that occurred in August 2007, prior to the beginning of the tenth series, and was subsequently not used in that entire season. A new Cool Wall was introduced in the second episode of series eleven.
Unusual reviews
Another common theme on Top Gear is an approach to reviewing cars that combines standard road tests and opinions with an extremely unusual circumstance, or with a challenge to demonstrate a notable characteristic of the car.
- Drive until you get bored / Test: enjoyable travel. Clarkson claimed that Jaguars "ease the burden of travel" and devised a test for the Jaguar XJ to see how far he could drive one before he got bored. Series Two, Episode Four
- Lap of the M25 / Test: fuel economy. Clarkson drove a lap of the M25 in a diesel Volkswagen Lupo, while another driver used the petrol version to see which would achieve more miles per gallon. Clarkson was allowed to spend any money he saved over the petrol version on a gift at South Mimms services. He chose a small gold model of a cockerel, which made a reappearance in later series as 'The Golden Cock' - the award given to the presenter who'd made the most embarrassing mistake of the year. Series Three, Episode One
- Toyota Hilux destruction / Test: toughness. Clarkson and May used various methods in an attempt to destroy a Toyota Hilux. The heavily damaged (but still driveable) Hilux now stands on a plinth in the Top Gear studio. Series Three, Episodes Five & Six
- Helicopter gunship evasion / Test: handling. Clarkson tried to avoid being caught in missile lock from an WAH-64D Apache attack helicopter while driving a Lotus Exige. Series Four, Episode One
- London to Edinburgh and back again on a single tank of fuel / Test: fuel economy. Clarkson attempted to drive a diesel Audi A8 on a single tank of fuel. Series Four, Episode Four
- Minicab road testing / Test: toughness and practicality. Hammond and May worked as minicab drivers in order to subject a Renault Scenic and Ford C-MAX to a year's worth of hard abuse in one evening. Series Four, Episode Seven
- Off-road up a mountain / Test: off-road ability. Clarkson tried to drive a Land Rover Discovery from the beach to the top of Cnoc an Fhreiceadain in Scotland, completely off-road. It was heavily criticised by environmentalists for the damage done by the vehicle's tyres. This stunt was memorable in that Clarkson left the mountain by helicopter with the Discovery's keys in his pocket delaying its removal from the hill. Series Five, Episode Three
- 24 hours in a car / Test: comfort. Hammond and May spent 24 hours in a Smart Forfour to assess the marketing claim that the car is "designed like a lounge". Series Five, Episode Four
- Tank evasion / Test: off-road ability. Clarkson discovered if a Challenger 2 tank could lock its main cannon on to a Range Rover Sport. Series Six, Episode One
- Car Football / Test: toughness and handling. Hammond and May, along with a selection of professional drivers, played a football match using Toyota Aygos. Series Six, Episode One
- Sniper evasion / Test: handling. Clarkson drove around a deserted village in a Mercedes SLK55 AMG and a Porsche Boxster S, trying to evade snipers of the Irish Guards. Series Six, Episode Five
- Road Test Russian Roulette / Test: random road testing. Hammond and May worked as ScooterMen in order to road-test as many (randomly selected) cars as possible, the catch being that they wouldn't know what they'd be road-testing and had to do it in the presence of the cars' owners. Series Six, Episode Nine
- Supercars / Superbridge / Test: illustrate the point of supercars. The trio took three supercars (a Ford GT, a Ferrari F430 and a Pagani Zonda S) on a road trip to the recently opened Millau Viaduct via Paris. Series Seven, Episode Three
- Car Ice Hockey / Test: toughness and handling. Hammond and May, along with a selection of professional drivers, played an ice hockey match using Suzuki Swifts, while Clarkson acted as referee. Winter Olympics Special
- Horse racing camera platform / Test: smooth ride. Clarkson reviewed the Citroën C6 and put it to work as a mobile camera platform covering a horse race. Series Eight, Episode Five
- Car Football 2 / Test: toughness and handling. Hammond and May, along with a selection of professional drivers, staged another football match using Toyota Aygos against a new contender, the Volkswagen Fox. Series Eight, Episode Five
Significant cars
The programme will on occasion, sometimes to celebrate an anniversary, present short review films of non-contemporary cars to highlight why they are significant. These reviews are distinct from the various challenges involving old cars, because the subject matter is addressed in a more serious and factual manner. Reviews include:
- Ford Escort RS1800 Series One, Episode Two
- Citroën DS Series One, Episode Three
- Bentley T2 Series Two, Episode One
- Rover P5 Series Two, Episode Two
- Jaguar Le Mans C-Type & Mark 2 Series Two, Episode Four
- Triumph TR6 Series Two, Episode Five
- GM HyWire Series Two, Episode Nine
- BMW M1, M3 & M5 Series Three, Episode Two
- Lamborghini Miura Series Three, Episode Four
- Lamborghini Countach Series Three, Episode Four
- Volkswagen Corrado VR6 & Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5-16 Cosworth Series Three, Episode Five
- Aston Martin V8 Vantage Series Three, Episode Six
- Mercedes-Benz 280SL Series Three, Episode Eight
- Aston Martin Lagonda Series Three, Episode Eight
- Dodge Charger 440 R/T Series Four, Episode Three
- Jaguar XJS Series Four, Episode Six
- Rover V8 engine & Rover SD1 Series Four, Episode Eight
- Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing Series Five, Episode Five
- Maserati Biturbo & 250F Series Six, Episode Two
- Maserati Bora Series Six, Episode Three
- Aston Martin DB5 & Jaguar E-type Series Six, Episode Five
- British racing green & Vanwall F1 Series Seven, Episode Two
- Modern control layout Featuring: Benz Motorwagen, Royal Enfield quad bike, De Dion-Bouton, Ford Model T, Cadillac Type 53, Austin 7 Series Ten, Episode Eight
Car of the Year
At the end of each autumn series the hosts present an award to their favourite car of the year, that they can all agree on. Winners have included:
- 2002 – Land Rover Range Rover
- 2003 – Rolls-Royce Phantom
- 2004 – Volkswagen Golf GTI
- 2005 – Bugatti Veyron
- 2006 – Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder
- 2007 – Ford Mondeo or Subaru Legacy Outback
Ownership survey
From 2003 to 2006, Top Gear conducted an annual survey which consults thousands of UK residents on their car-ownership satisfaction. The survey asks respondents to score cars on build quality, craftsmanship, driving experience, ownership costs, and customer care. While for legal reasons the survey is now conducted via the Top Gear 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. 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 |
Ending credits
The programme occasionally alters the end credits to reflect its locale, replacing every first name in the credits with one reminiscent of the area. In the "Winter Olympics Special episode, filmed in Lillehammer, Norway; everybody was named Björn (except for Hammond, May and The Stig; who took the names Benny, Agnetha and Anni-Frid respectively), whilst in the "African Adventure Special all were called Archbishop Desmond. Furthermore, in the Polar Special all first names in the ending credits were replaced with Sir Ranulph, in reference to the explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes. In Series 9, The America Challenge ending credits named Clarkson as 'Cletus Clarkson', Hammond as 'Earl Hammond, Jr.', May as 'Ellie May May', The Stig as 'Roscoe P. Stig' and replaced the first names of all other crew members with 'Billy Bob'.
Soundtrack
Top Gear has always used an adaptation of The Allman Brothers Band's instrumental hit "Jessica" as its theme song. Initially the show used part of the original Allmans' recording of the song, but later episodes 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.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.
In addition, pre-recorded film segments use a wide variety of background music clips. Along with classic and contemporary rock and occasionally dance tracks, excerpts from movie soundtracks are often used, including Aliens, Pirates of the Caribbean, Predator, The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, The Matrix, The Rock, V for Vendetta, Lord Of War, Donnie Darko and Where Eagles Dare, among others. Members of the fan web site "Final Gear" compile lists of the music used in Top Gear broadcasts.
DVD and CD releases
Top Gear have released several collections of "driving songs" on CD. These releases started during the original series run in the 1990s.| Name | Release date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Top Gear - The Greatest Driving Album This Year! | 10 November 2003 | 2-CD package |
| Top Gear - The Ultimate Driving Experience | 14 November 2005 | Packaged as a 2-CD box set |
| Top Gear Anthems | 21 May 2007 | 2-CD package. The first four tracks are selections from the top driving songs as decided in series 6 |
| Top Gear - Seriously Cool Driving Music | 12 November 2007 | |
| Top Gear Anthems 2008 - Seriously Hot Driving Music | 2 June 2008 |
A number of DVDs have been released as well.
| Name | Release date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Top Gear - Back in the Fast Lane: Best of BBC Series 1 & 2 | 27 October 2003 | |
| Top Gear - Best of Series Three and Four | ||
| Top Gear - Revved Up | 6 June 2005 | Contains footage from series 3, 4, and 5 |
| Top Gear: Winter Olympics | 5 June 2006 | Same as original TV broadcast; contains additional footage and outtakes |
| Top Gear - Box Set | 18 December 2006 | Contains "Revved Up", "Winter Olympics", and "Best of Top Gear" (series 1 &2) |
| Top Gear - The Challenges | 21 May 2007 | Contains re-edited and spliced together presentations of: Robin Reliant Space Shuttle, Amphibious Cars, Building a Limo, Building a Convertible, Parkour vs. Peugeot 207, Veyron Race from Alba, Crap 70s Supercars |
| Richard Hammond's BBC Top Gear Interactive Challenge | 12 November 2007 | Interactive DVD |
| Top Gear - The Great Adventures | 3 March 2008 | Contains Polar Special and American Special; the Polar Special contains additional footage, and the American Special has been edited down in size |
| Top Gear: The Challenges 2 | 2 June 2008 | Contains Amphibious Cars: The Sequel, Bugatti Veyron vs. Eurofighter, Race Across London, Motorhome Racing, The Greatest Driving Road, Fiat 500 vs. BMX, The 24-hour race, and additional new footage |
Awards and nominations
In November 2005, Top Gear won an International Emmy in the Non-Scripted Entertainment category. 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 in 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. In 2004 and 2005, Top Gear was also nominated for a National Television Award in the Most Popular Factual Programme category; it won the award in 2006 and 2007. Accepting the award in October 2007, Richard Hammond made the comment that they really deserved it this year, because he didn't have to crash to get some sympathy votes. Also, in Series 10, Richard Hammond won the award for the 'Best TV Haircut' and James May won the award for the worst, while James May also won an award for "weird celebrity crush" revealed during the news.
Criticism
Top Gear is often criticised for not featuring enough "affordable" cars, instead featuring expensive supercars. In the final episode of series 10, the Ford Mondeo — historically one of the UK's best selling cars — was the show's Car of the Year despite it not being reviewed; the £350,000 Ascari A10 and £235,000 Caparo T1 were featured instead. The programme occasionally acknowledges this criticism and turns it into a joke. For example, during a news segment (Series 8, Episode 3), Clarkson mentioned a viewer who had phoned the BBC asking for more 'normal' cars to appear. He then displayed a picture of the up-coming Vauxhall Corsa on the set's TV screen for a few seconds without comment from either the other presenters or the audience, then moved on to the next item. And when introducing May's road test of the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé, Clarkson read out a letter reading Dear Top Gear, why don't you feature more affordable cars, for normal people like me, Clarkson then rounded off the letter by saying 'From Mr. R. Abramovich, of Chelsea' implying that the letter is supposedly from multi-billionaire Roman Abramovich.
Top Gear has also been censured on many occasions for allegedly promoting irresponsible driving, causing ecological damage and favouring performance over fuel efficiency and conservation.
Clarkson himself has been critical of the BBC over handling of the programme. 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 the length of the series and for often replacing the show with snooker (which Clarkson labelled as "drunk men playing billiards" at the end of episode two of series 10), despite Top Gear having considerably higher viewing figures.
General complaints
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.Top Gear was in negotiations to move to Enstone in north 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.
Tree damage
The BBC compensated a Bristol local parish in 2004 after Clarkson crashed a Toyota Hilux into a tree during a segment on proving the sturdiness and reliability of the truck through a series of torture tests. Nobody knew how the damage occurred until film of the incident was broadcast. Until then, it had been presumed that the damage had been accidental or vandalism.Germans
During the 13 November 2005 episode, a news segment featuring BMW's MINI Concept from the Tokyo Motor Show showcased a car that Hammond quoted as supposedly being "quintessentially British", the only added feature being an 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, 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, and led to viewers' complaints reaching the BBC Board of Governors. In July 2006, the BBC Governors’ Programme Complaints Committee rejected the protests:- "...the Committee did not believe that, when looking at the audience as a whole, they would have felt that the comments were anything more than Jeremy Clarkson using outrageous behaviour to amuse his audience, and that the remarks would not have led to anyone entertaining new or different feelings or concerns about Germans or Germany...
Homosexuality
In December 2006, the BBC upheld complaints from four viewers after comments made by Jeremy Clarkson were considered to be derogatory references to homosexuality and had the potential to offend and should not have been broadcast. In a programme broadcast in July 2006, Clarkson had agreed with a member of the audience that a car was "a bit gay". He also described the vehicle as "very ginger beer", taken to be rhyming slang for the term "queer". The BBC 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.Caravan fire
Top Gear presenters have been criticised for their negative views and depiction of caravans; once claiming to have received 150 complaints after they destroyed a caravan on a 'caravan holiday' during one of many caravan destruction segments. James Tapper, writing in the British 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. Hammond also presented a show called Brainiac: Science Abuse, where at the end of each programme a caravan is blown up with a different kind of explosive.Dead cow incident
Both the BBC and the UK media regulator OFCOM received complaints about the dead cow tied to the roof of Clarkson's Camaro in the American Special (Series 9 Episode 3). However, the BBC defended the programme against the complaints received. The cow had died several days previously due to natural causes.Train crash reconstruction
Another point of controversy regards the airing of a staged train crash in Series 9 Episode 5. The showing of a reconstruction of a collision between a train and a car positioned across the level crossing in Hibaldstow, North Lincolnshire, near Scunthorpe was criticised due to the Cumbria train crash only 2 days earlier, even though it was not caused by a track incursion. The reconstruction, which was organised by Network Rail as part of its Don't Run The Risk campaign, was criticised 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." 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 film without "offending" somebody. A repeat of this episode due to be aired on the 1 March 2007 was not broadcast after another death on a level crossing earlier that morning. The episode was replaced with a "Best of Top Gear" episode.Insensitivity to brain injury victims
The BBC apologised to a number of Top Gear viewers after Clarkson asked the returning Hammond the question "Are you now a mental?" May also offered a tissue in case he "dribbled" during the first episode of series 9. The comments were meant as a joke about the head injuries Hammond sustained during his crash before the series, but an apology was made after several viewers complained..Drinking while driving
During the Polar Special, Jeremy Clarkson was seen to be drinking a gin and tonic whilst driving. Despite the producer's claims that they were in international waters at the time, the BBC trust found that the scene could "glamorise the misuse of alcohol", and that the scene "was not editorially justified in the context of a family show pre-watershed".International Top Gear productions
United States
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. 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 US, away from his family.NBC announced it has ordered the pilot for an American version of Top Gear, which will be produced by BBC America, and presented by television and radio host Adam Carolla, stunt driver Tanner Foust, and television carpenter Eric Stromer.
Australia
On 19 November 2007, it was revealed that a localised Australian series of Top Gear would be produced by the Special Broadcasting Service network in conjunction with Freehand Productions, BBC Worldwide's Australasian partner. Top Gear Australia. This announcement marks the first time a deal has been struck for a version of Top Gear to be produced exclusively for a foreign market. No indication has been given yet as to the exact makeup of the show, other than that it will have a distinct Australian style. It is believed that the Australian show idea was sparked by Clarkson's love of the Australian performance car brand Holden Special Vehicles. SBS ran a competition to find hosts for the show, and in May 2008, SBS Television confirmed that the presenters for the Australian program were to be Charlie Cox, Warren Brown, Steve Pizzati and a local 'cousin' of The Stig. Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson added, "I'm delighted that Top Gear is going to Australia. Maybe the first guest could be Jonny Wilkinson."References
External links
- Top Gear at BBCAmerica
- Top Gear magazine website
- BBC News article on Top Gear's history (21 September 2006)
- Top Gear on UKTV
- List of Cars appearing on Top Gear courtesy of theIMCDb
- Needcoffee.com post and BBC Worldwide America press release regarding the American version (15 January 2008)
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The show has received considerable acclaim for its visuals and presentation, as well as a number of criticisms for its content and comments made by presenters. Columnist A. A. Gill described the show as, "a triumph of the craft of programme-making, of the minute, obsessive, musical masonry of editing, the french polishing of colourwashing and grading. Groups such as the Environmental Investigation Agency have criticised the BBC for allowing Top Gear to film in environmentally sensitive areas such as the Makgadikgadi salt pan in Botswana.
New episodes are initially broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Two. Episodes of Top Gear are also broadcast on Dave, BBC America, and a number of other television channels around the world. The popularity of the show has led to the creation of two international versions, with local production teams and presenters, for Australia and the United States. Initial episodes of both versions are scheduled to be broadcast in the second half of 2008.
History
Jeremy Clarkson, who helped the original series reach its peak in the 1990s, along with producer Andy Wilman, successfully pitched a new format for Top Gear to the BBC, reversing a previous decision to cancel the show in 2001. The new series was first broadcast in 2002. Top Gear's studio is located at Dunsfold Park, a privately-owned aerodrome and business park in Waverley, Surrey. Top Gear uses a temporary racing circuit which was designed for the show by Lotus and is laid out on parts of Dunsfold's runways and taxiways. A large hangar is used for studio recording with a standing audience who apply to the BBC for free tickets, albeit with an estimated 21-year waiting list.
The new series format incorporates a number of major changes from the old show. The running time was extended to one 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 the test driver. New segments were also added, including "Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car", "The Cool Wall", "Car News", "Power Laps", and one-off features such as races, competitions and the frequent destruction of caravans.
In early 2006, the BBC had planned to move the filming site from Dunsfold to Enstone, Oxfordshire for filming of the eighth series of Top Gear, but the move was rejected by the community due to noise and pollution concerns. Filming of the series went ahead at Dunsfold in May despite not having a permit to do so, with a revamped studio set, a new car for the "Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car" segment, and the inclusion of one of Hammond's dogs, named "Top Gear Dog", in studio tapings and films.
On 20 September 2006, Richard Hammond was seriously injured while driving the Vampire turbojet-propelled drag-racing car at up to for a feature in the show. The BBC indefinitely postponed the broadcast of Best of Top Gear and announced that production of the show would be delayed until Hammond had recovered. Both the BBC and the Health and Safety Executive carried out inquiries into the accident. Filming resumed on 5 October 2006. The ninth series began on 28 January 2007 and included footage of Hammond's crash. The first show of the ninth series attracted higher ratings than the finale of Celebrity Big Brother and the final episode of the series had 8 million viewers — BBC Two's highest ratings for a decade.
A special programme, Top Gear: Polar Special, was broadcast in the UK on 25 July 2007 and was the first episode to be shown in high-definition. It involved a race to the North Magnetic Pole from Resolute, Nunavut, Canada, with James May and Jeremy Clarkson travelling in a 'polar modified' Toyota Hilux, and Richard Hammond on a dog-drawn sled — or, as they became known, "Team Dog". All three presenters had experienced explorers with them, and Clarkson and May became the first to reach the 1996 North Magnetic Pole by car, using the vehicle's satellite navigation. Since 1996, the North Magnetic Pole had moved approximately . The recorded 1996 location is the target used by Polar Challenge and was used by the Top Gear team as their destination; the Geographic North Pole is approximately further north.
On 9 September 2007, Top Gear participated in the 2007 Britcar 24-hour race at Silverstone, where the hosts (including The Stig) drove a race-prepared, second-hand diesel