Author's product rating: 
| Advantages: |
Great presenters, star guests, great cars, funny, |
| Disadvantages: |
Can be offensive as humour is sometimes edgy |
| Recommend to potential buyers: |
yes |
Top Gear is a programme with a unique ability. It focuses on the subject of motoring, yet it's target audience is far greater than a group of car fanatics. I have spoken to numerous people with little to no interest in motoring who watch Top Gear religiously.
How does the Beeb pull off this feat?
Could it be the three fantastic presenters with their constant banter?
The mysterious and talented Stig?
The ever more amusing and off the wall antics in each episode?
I think it is the sum of all these parts.
The basic premise of the show is that it is hosted by three presenters:
Jeremy Clarkson
Probably the best known of the three, at least until Hammond had his horrific and widely publicised accident. He is arrogant, unforgiving and funny in his critique of the cars they test. He currently writes a column for the Sun and has released several books and dvds.
Richard "The Hamster" Hammond
Richard Hammond is the "cute" one. Everyone loves Hammond. Since finding fame on Top Gear, his success has been phenomenal. He has gone on to host several other
programmes, including Braniac: Science Abuse, Last Man Standing and a fly-on-the-wall about emergency rescue. Undoubtedly, the emergency rescue helicopter show is linked to the rescue of this kind Hammond himself needed in 2006 when he suffered a crash at high speed when testing a jet powered car for the show. Miraculously, Hammond survived the ordeal, albeit with serious head injuries. He has since made an amazing recovery, despite spending a long time in hospital and suffering memory loss and other effects. He has released a book detailing the crash and his recovery, co-written by his wife Mindy.
James May
James is the sensible one of the bunch. Constantly ribbed by the other two for his love of the traditional and old-fashioned and his slow driving, not to mention his "spaniel" hair. James has since gone on to host other shows such as James May's 20th century, James May's Top Toys and probably most popularly, Oz and James big wine adventure.
The presenters usually undertake some kind of challenge/competition in each episode. For instance, modifying normal cars into limos, modifying normal cars into "police" cars etc.
There are a number of segments to the show. How they fit so much into an hour I'll never know. Of course the presenters review cars, both super and ordinary. They also undertake races against other forms of transport, such as the time when Clarkson drove across Europe while Hammond and May tried to beat him by boat. They have also travelled across the Arctic in Hiluxes (well Hammond was on a dog sled!), and played "football" with cars.
There is "the cool wall" where Clarkson and Hammond tend to argue over what's cool and not. The Stig takes a different car around the track every week and sets a lap time for each.
There's also Star in A Reasonably Priced Car. Every week a different star comes on the show for an interview, but there's a difference. They all have to do a lap of the track in the reasonably priced car. They are all competing for the best time as well, because all the times are recorded on a wall. After the Stig takes them round a few times for practice, they're off to set their time. Stars have included (but are not limited to because there are loads so far!):
Helen Mirren
Ray Winstone
Trinny and Susannah
Hugh Grant
Billie Piper
Simon Cowell
Gordon Ramsay
Kirsten Scott Thomas (who Jeremy is obsessed with!)
MIchael Gambon
Chris Evans
and many more...
For some of the stars it is extremely competitive and it's hilarious watching them go around the track with varying success and waiting with baited breath for Clarkson to announce their time.
Top Gear also do a Car of the Year, blow up caravans now and then and generally cause mayhem wherever they go. Top Gear Ground Force for Sports Relief was hilarious, where they turned their hand to making over Sir Steve Redgrave's garden with less than helpful consequences!
I love it, and it seems so do most.
Currently in it's 11th season on the BBC, it's one show I actually don't mind my licence fee going towards, long live top gear.
Can also be caught on the freeview channel Dave very regularly (I sometimes wonder if they air anything else actually but that's fine by me!).
Visit BBC.co.uk/topgear for more details (tickets to the show are free and link provided on the website although I hear there's quite a waiting list!). Top Gear magazine also available in newsagents etc.
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