Top Gear - The Best TV Show on the Planet?

David on 10/12/2007 at 19:20

Ok, I want to know which of you despicable people is not yet addicted to Top Gear? Despite it being an almost daily topic on IRC I've just realised we haven't really had a thread it on the forums and this is a travesty that I am amending.

For those not in the know, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_Gear) Top Gear is a car show in the UK. That may not sound too interesting, but it is awesome. It is three middle aged men (Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May) cocking about for 60 minutes a week. Cars may be involved at some point. In fact many of it's viewers are actually not interested in cars because it's is the funniest show on TV (including all those pesky comedies) and has cinematography that puts Hollywood studios to shame.

This is what they've shown this series (so far 9 episodes)
Found out what happens when VW put a Bentley engine into a VW Golf

Found the best driving road in the world in lightweight Supercars, with May in a race-prepped Aston Martin N24 - the most uncomfortable car on the planet. He ends up naked because the car has no air-con and it's so very hot.

Reviewed the Audi R8 versus Richard Hammond's own Porsche 911

Attempted to cross the English Channel in homemade amphibious cars, in traditional Top Gear style they fail miserably for the most part.

Jeremy Clarkson spends an entire dat in the tiniest car I've ever seen - attending meetings in the BBC while inside the car

Raced a Bugatti Veyron (then the world's fastest production car) against a Eurofighter Typoon

Buy a used car for £1500 and drive it all the way across Botswana to mock the people who buy
4x4s and SUVs only to use them around town and never take them offroad. This is a fantastic episode.

Raced an Aston Martin V8 Vantage against a man on rollerskates with a rocket engine in his backpack.

Reviewed the Aston Martin DBS versus the DB9.

Richard drives a modern day Formula One car and stalls it eight times before setting off. Apparently it really is hard to drive!

Jeremy was told by the producers that he wasn't allowed to test any more supercars for the rest of the series, so he reviews the Daihatsu Materia (a terrible and cheap family hatchback) and compares it to a ....similar car - the £300,000 Ascari A10.

James saying the only reason France existed was so you could drive to Italy.

Entered a 24 hour endurance race in a second hand BMW 330d running on diesel they made themselves last series. All the other teams had proper sponsors, like Blue Chip companies etc, so they made some up, Peniston Oils and Larsens Biscuits and positioned them in such a way that when you opened the doors they.. well...

Inline Image:

http://www.ttlg.com/dave/arsebiscuit.jpg

If you've never seen it before you must find an episode (from season 5 and above, as these are the best) and watch it. And if you are a fan, what are your favourite bits and episodes? :D

And if you can't find an episode here are a couple of clips to whet your appetite:

(http://youtube.com/watch?v=HzY_YA0CW00) Audi R8 review with Hammond's own Porsche 911

(http://youtube.com/watch?v=2sHOiBIffVQ) Veyron vs Eurofighter

What are you waiting for? GO GO GO!!

[Edit] Also check out the (http://www.topgear.com) website for loads of videos and stuff. Marvelous!

Ulukai on 10/12/2007 at 20:11

Two of the recent specials spring to mind:

North Pole Adventure: Clarkson becomes the first person to drive to the North Pole in a vehicle, along with James May (who becomes the first person to reach the North Pole in a vehicle, and not be happy about it).

Inline Image:

http://www.zen80200.zen.co.uk/pole1.jpg

American Adventure: The trio go to America, buy cars with an upper spending limit of $1,000 and then proceed with all sorts of antics, including getting chased by yokels after Hammond stops at a petrol station with "Man Love Rules OK" painted on his car, amongst other things...

Inline Image:

http://www.zen80200.zen.co.uk/cow1.jpg

Genius! :D

SubJeff on 10/12/2007 at 20:17

I despised this show a while back, but that was when I was ignorant and didn't realise wtf it was really about.

It's so... indescribable. A car show, yes, but so much more.

I'm not a petrolhead at all and I really like it. The recent race across London with car vs tube vs bicycle vs speedboat was great fun. Especially as the car lost!

Shadow Creepr on 10/12/2007 at 20:58

My husband and I never miss Top Gear when it is on. We enjoy the banter between Jeremy, Richard and James. Well, that and the STIG.

One of our favourite episodes this year was when (http://www.bbc.co.uk/topgear/show/episodes/series10episode4.shtml) they went across Africa. The VW bug always looming in the background as the back-up car if they broke down and the 'African Stig' was priceless.

We liked the race across (http://www.bbc.co.uk/topgear/show/episodes/series10episode2.shtml) the English Channel and it was unbelievable when Jeremy actually made it to France!

The (http://www.bbc.co.uk/topgear/show/episodes/series10episode6.shtml) Motor Home race episode was hilarious, especially as James insisted on keeping his intact inside.

(http://www.bbc.co.uk/topgear/show/episodes/series10episode8.shtml) Lewis Hamilton's guest spot last week, 'I'm in third gear and I'm only doing 56!'

Richard Hammond was interviewed on Paul O' Grady today. They talked about the accident and Richard’s new book. His wife had to help him write it as he still has gaps in his memory.

N'Al on 10/12/2007 at 21:29

To go with the cliché: My sister watches this show, and even she loves it, it's that good!

Some more brilliant episodes:

Olde Cars - One of their challenges whilst testing old 1970s British cars involves driving over a stretch of cobbled street at 30mph to see which of the cars is most robust. Clarkson loses spectacularly when his back door falls off during the drive.

Gone Campin' - The three of them decide to go on a camping trip, culminating in Clarkson comparing the camp site to a concentration camp, and their camper van and neighbour's tent burning down to the ground.

Stretchin' It - Clarkson, Hammond and May build a stretch limo each out of 'normal cars', the highlight being Hammond's sports limo (incl. open-air bowling alley!) made from an (http://img171.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=54554_Bitmap_1017_122_186lo.jpg) MGF. Later, whilst chauffeuring Radio 1 DJ Chris Moyles to the Brit Awards, Clarkson's limo (made from a Fiat Panda) breaks in half, and they drive the rest of the way on two wheels.

Also, more love for the Stig ITT, please!

EZ-52 on 10/12/2007 at 21:30

The highlight of the current format has to be the (http://www.johnshanks.co.uk/?p=11) reliant robin getting turned into a "space shuttle". I was gutted when that thing crashed. That was enginnering brilliance!

The thing is, so much of what is on top gear now is all pre scripted and set up it kind of takes away from it all (such as "Arse Biscuits" and "penis" on the doors of the bmw on last sundays episode), but is still without a doubt one of the best shows on british tv at the moment.

Although i'm not convinced with Hammonds' ling hair. Looked better short.

Scots Taffer on 11/12/2007 at 00:07

I'm a fan, but I can't catch episodes regularly so I'm forced to youtube them on occasion. I'm a big fan of their challenges, such as the Veyron against the Eurofighter, racing the transeuropean train, the cyclist versus some car in a crazy Italian city, and both the continental challenges, U.S. and Africa, were simply amazing television. It's come a long way since it used to be a droll "cars guy" review of the new Renault's handling in the peak hour of city traffic.

crunchy on 11/12/2007 at 00:14

I never used to watch the show but some time back they began repeating it at a time when nothing else was on. I quickly became addicted and often wet my pants from laughter. My favourite epsisode has to be when the three of them go caravaning (is that a word?) and end up burning the thing to the ground as well as the tent next to them (which I highly suspect was a setup).

jay pettitt on 11/12/2007 at 00:38

Good fun - May and Hammond are affable little car nerds - Jeremy Clarkson's taking himself a bit seriously these days and it turns out he's not quite as clever or mildly amusing as he seems to think he is. Given that for most of us a car is something we use to sit in traffic jams, he seems a little confused about how significant (or not) petroleum fuelled escapism is relevant in real life. A deserving figure of fun for cyclists everywhere.

That and it's been the exact same format for how long? And the vignetting got old at least 3 years ago; it's like watching an hour long advert for the car industry - oh wait.

aguywhoplaysthief on 11/12/2007 at 04:45

I love Top Gear, but I think a bit of that endearing small show lack of polish has gone a bit in the last two seasons.