Top Gear is a BAFTA,^[1] multi-NTA and Emmy Award-winning BBC television series about motor vehicles, mainly cars. It began in 1977 as a conventional motoring magazine show. Over time, and especially since a relaunch in 2002, it has developed a quirky, humorous style. The programme is estimated to have 350 million viewers worldwide^[2] and 8 million viewers each week in the UK on BBC Two.^[3] The show is presented by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, James May and The Stig, an anonymous test driver. In 2007 it was one of the most pirated television shows in the world.^[4][5] Top Gear (in its original 30-minute format) was a car-based BBC television series produced by BBC Birmingham. ... Top Gear may refer to: Top Gear Top Gear (video game) Top Gear (radio show), a Radio 1 music show Top Gear (magazine) This is a disambiguation page — a list of pages that otherwise might share the same title. ... Driving is the controlled operation of a vehicle, usually a motor vehicle such as a truck, bus, motorcycle, or car (for bicycles and mounted animals and—at least in the U.K. and U.S.—motorcycles, the corresponding activity is called riding). ... Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson (born 11 April 1960) is an English broadcaster and writer who specialises in motoring. ... Richard Mark Hammond (born December 19, 1969 in Birmingham), nicknamed Hamster, is an English television and radio presenter best known for co-presenting the television programme Top Gear along with James May and Jeremy Clarkson from 2002 onwards, and co-hosting the live annual motoring show, MPH, in Earls Court... For the British body snatcher, James May, see London Burkers. ... The Stig is the name given to the anonymous racing driver on the BBC motoring show Top Gear. ... Jason Dawe was a presenter on the Top Gear television show on its first season after it was relaunched. ... Jessica is a rock instrumental written by Dickey Betts, guitarist of The Allman Brothers Band. ... Dickey Betts, born Forrest Richard Betts on December 12, 1943 in Jacksonville, Florida, is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, most known for his work as a founding member of the southern blues/rock group The Allman Brothers Band. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... The following is a complete episode list of the BBC television series Top Gear. ... Dunsfold is a village in the Waverley district of the county of Surrey, England, fourteen kilometres south of Guildford. ... , For other places with the same name, see Guildford (disambiguation). ... This article is about the English county. ... For the BBC radio station, see BBC Radio 2. ... 576i is the shorthand name for a video mode. ... Anamorphic widescreen is a cinematography and photography technique for capturing a widescreen picture on standard 35mm film. ... 1080i is a shorthand name for a category of video modes. ... Top Gear (in its original 30-minute format) was a car-based BBC television series produced by BBC Birmingham. ... Stars in Fast Cars was a short-lived humourous motoring gameshow series, in which various celebrities compete at motoring challenges, including recreating movie stunts and racing modified armchairs. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), is a British organization that hosts annual awards shows for film, television, childrens film and television, and interactive media. ... The National Television Awards is a British television awards ceremony, sponsored by the ITV network and initiated in 1995. ... An Emmy Award. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... A television program is the content of television broadcasting. ... Car redirects here. ... The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a country in western Europe, and member of the Commonwealth of Nations, the G8, the European Union, and NATO. Usually known simply as the United Kingdom, the UK, or (inaccurately) as Great Britain or Britain, the UK has four constituent... For the BBC radio station, see BBC Radio 2. ... Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson (born 11 April 1960) is an English broadcaster and writer who specialises in motoring. ... Richard Mark Hammond (born December 19, 1969 in Birmingham), nicknamed Hamster, is an English television and radio presenter best known for co-presenting the television programme Top Gear along with James May and Jeremy Clarkson from 2002 onwards, and co-hosting the live annual motoring show, MPH, in Earls Court... For the British body snatcher, James May, see London Burkers. ... The Stig is the name given to the anonymous racing driver on the BBC motoring show Top Gear. ... The Cathach of St. ...

Top Gear is broadcast in many countries; for a list of these, and of the releases the programme has produced over the years, please see the List of Top Gear broadcasters and video releases. Series 10 of Top Gear has now finished, but the show will return for Series 11 on June 22, 2008.^[6] List of Top Gear broadcasters and video releases. ... is the 173rd day of the year (174th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ...

In the UK, repeats of Top Gear are regularly shown on Dave.

History

See also: Top Gear (original format)

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 in Surrey, a private aerodrome^[7] and business park.^[8] Top Gear uses a temporary racing circuit which was designed for the show by Lotus and is laid out on parts of the runways and taxiways. A large hangar is used for studio recording with a standing audience who apply to the BBC for free tickets. Top Gear (in its original 30-minute format) was a car-based BBC television series produced by BBC Birmingham. ... Top Gear (in its original 30-minute format) was a car-based BBC television series produced by BBC Birmingham. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... Dunsfold is a village in the Waverley district of the county of Surrey, England, fourteen kilometres south of Guildford. ... This article is about the English county. ... Aerodrome can mean: An Austrian music festival: Aerodrome A series of aircraft constructed by Samuel Pierpont Langley. ... Lotus Logo with monogram of its founder, Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman Lotus Cars is a British manufacturer of sports and racing cars based at Hethel, Norfolk, England. ... A cutaway diagram of a hangar. ...

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. Richard Mark Hammond (born December 19, 1969 in Birmingham), nicknamed Hamster, is an English television and radio presenter best known for co-presenting the television programme Top Gear along with James May and Jeremy Clarkson from 2002 onwards, and co-hosting the live annual motoring show, MPH, in Earls Court... Jason Dawe was a presenter on the Top Gear television show on its first season after it was relaunched. ... For the British body snatcher, James May, see London Burkers. ... The Stig is the name given to the anonymous racing driver on the BBC motoring show Top Gear. ... Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car is a recurring segment on the BBC Two motoring programme Top Gear. ... Power Laps is a segment of the BBC Two motoring programme Top Gear, in which the Stig completes a lap around the Top Gear test track to compare the performance of various cars. ... A travel trailer or caravan is a trailer towed behind a road vehicle (or even a horse) to provide a place to sleep which is more comfortable, sheltered and protected than a tent (although there are fold-down tent trailers [1]) . It provides the means for people to have their...

1. Top Photo: Series 1 host lineup from l to r: Jason Dawe, Richard Hammond, and Jeremy Clarkson.
2. Bottom Photo: The current presenters from Series 2 onward. From l to r: James May, Richard Hammond, and Jeremy Clarkson.

Series 9 was scheduled to air on BBC Two from 8 October 2006. However, on 20 September 2006, Hammond was seriously injured while driving a jet-powered drag-racing car at up to 314 mph (502 km/h) for a feature in 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 2006, will be delayed." Both the BBC and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) carried out inquiries into the accident.^[9] On 5 October 2006, filming resumed.^[10] The ninth series began on 28 January 2007 and included footage of Hammond's crash.^[11] The first show of the ninth series attracted higher ratings than the finale of Celebrity Big Brother^[12] and the final episode of the series had 8 million viewers — BBC Two's highest ratings for a decade. Jason Dawe was a presenter on the Top Gear television show on its first season after it was relaunched. ... Richard Mark Hammond (born December 19, 1969 in Birmingham), nicknamed Hamster, is an English television and radio presenter best known for co-presenting the television programme Top Gear along with James May and Jeremy Clarkson from 2002 onwards, and co-hosting the live annual motoring show, MPH, in Earls Court... Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson (born 11 April 1960) is an English broadcaster and writer who specialises in motoring. ... For the British body snatcher, James May, see London Burkers. ... Richard Mark Hammond (born December 19, 1969 in Birmingham), nicknamed Hamster, is an English television and radio presenter best known for co-presenting the television programme Top Gear along with James May and Jeremy Clarkson from 2002 onwards, and co-hosting the live annual motoring show, MPH, in Earls Court... Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson (born 11 April 1960) is an English broadcaster and writer who specialises in motoring. ... For the BBC radio station, see BBC Radio 2. ... is the 281st day of the year (282nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 263rd day of the year (264th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 267th day of the year (268th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 281st day of the year (282nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), reporting to the Health and Safety Commission, is the British government body responsible for the regulation of risks to health and safety in the UK. It was created as a result of the Health and Safety at Work, etc, Act 1974, and has since... For other uses, see 5th October (Serbia). ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 28th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... Celebrity Big Brother 2007 was the fifth series of the United Kingdom reality television series Celebrity Big Brother, a spin-off of Big Brother. ...

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 "Red Light Spells Danger" by Billy Ocean. Red Nose Day 2007, was a fundraising event organised by Comic Relief, broadcast live on BBC One and BBC Two from the evening of March 16, 2007 to early the following morning. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Lethal Bizzle (also known as Lethal B, born Maxwell Ansah) 23, is a rapper from, Walthamstow, East London, born to Ghanaian parents. ... Look up Travis in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For the witnesses who betray information about associated criminals, see Supergrass (informer). ... For the characters of Back To The Future, see McFly family. ... South Korean business tycoon Chung Ju-yung, founder and honorary chairman of Hyundai Group, 1998 Hyundai refers to a group of companies founded by Chung Ju-yung in South Korea, and related organizations. ... Justin David Hawkins (born on March 17, 1975) is an English musician and songwriter, best known for being the former lead singer and lead guitarist of The Darkness, noted for his heavy use of falsetto and charismatic persona. ... Billy Ocean (born Leslie Sebastian Charles, 21 January 1950, Fyzabad, Trinidad[1] [2]) is a UK-based popular music performer who had a string of rhythm and blues-tinged international pop hits in the 1970s and 1980s. ...

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 (as in the case of the North American edition) with specially shot segments in front of the UK audience. UKTV People is a television channel broadcasting in the United Kingdom as part of the UKTV network of channels. ...

The BBC also broadcasts edited Top Gear programmes on its international BBC World TV channel. Episodes are shortened from their original length of one hour 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. World News bulletins form the main part of the channels daily schedule. ...

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.^[13] 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.^[14] This article is about a British tabloid. ...

A special program, Top Gear: Polar Special, was broadcast in the UK on July 25, 2007, and again on July 29. This episode involved a race to the Magnetic North Pole^[15] 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. 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. However research shows that the presenters of Top Gear did not make it to either the geographic north pole, or the current magnetic north pole. Whilst the event took place in 2007, the presenters actually made it to the location of where the magnetic north pole had been in 1996. Since then it had moved around 100 miles away. The geographic north pole was still 800 miles away. is the 206th day of the year (207th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 210th day of the year (211th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This is about the geographic meaning of North Pole. ... Resolute (Qausuittuq) is a small town on Cornwallis Island in Nunavut, Canada, along the shore of Resolute Bay and the Northwest Passage. ... The Toyota Hilux, and Toyota Tacoma, are compact pickup trucks built and marketed by the Toyota Motor Corporation. ... GNSS - Global Navigation Satellite System In 1994 in a meeting of the ECAC, a satellite strategy was approved, with as targets: - firstly developing items for an European supplement on the current satellite systems, now called GNSS-1 - secondly designing and defining future satellite systems for civil use (called GNSS-2... High-definition television (HDTV) is a digital television broadcasting system with greater resolution than traditional television systems (NTSC, SECAM, PAL). ...

On September 9, 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. is the 252nd day of the year (253rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... Britcar is an Endurance Motor Racing series formed in 1997 as a result of a discussion in a Nurburgring bar between Willie Moore and James Tucker. ... Silverstone Circuit is a racing circuit at Silverstone, England. ... This article is about the fuel. ... The BMW 3 Series is a compact executive car manufactured by the German automaker BMW since May 1975. ...

On 19 November 2007, the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS), an Australian Broadcaster, secured the rights to franchise Top Gear and produce an Australian version of the show.^[16] Australia is the first country in the world to secure the rights to make a local version of the show, which mixes performance cars with comedy and celebrities.^[16] Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson added, "I'm delighted that Top Gear is going to Australia. Maybe the first guest could be Jonny Wilkinson."^[16] The Hosts of the Australian show will be Daily Telegraph cartoonist Warren Brown, former Sydney radio newsreader Charlie Cox, and Porsche Australia racing driver Steve Pizzati.^[17] is the 323rd day of the year (324th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... The Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) is one of two government funded Australian public broadcasting radio and television networks, the other being the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). ... Jonny Wilkinson practising his conversions before England vs. ... Charlie Cox was born in Australia in 1960, and brought up in the Sydney suburb of Gymea. ...

A special episode of Top Gear for Sport Relief, entitled Top Ground Gear Force, was broadcast on BBC Two at 10:00 pm on 14 March 2008. This programme, which borrowed the Ground Force format,^[18] saw presenters 'Alan Clarkmarsh', 'Handy Hammond' and 'Jamesy Dimmock May' undertake a one-day makeover of Olympic rower Sir Steve Redgrave's garden. Sport Relief is a biennial charity event from Comic Relief, in association with BBC Sport, which brings together the worlds of sport and entertainment to raise money to fight poverty in the UK and Africa. ... For the BBC radio station, see BBC Radio 2. ... is the 73rd day of the year (74th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... The Ground Force Team From (L) Tommy Walsh, Alan Titchmarsh and Charlie Dimmock. ... Image:Stevebook. ...

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. Clarkson, Hammond and May are expected to be present for the British leg of the tour.^[19] is the 73rd day of the year (74th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... BBC Worldwide Limited is the wholly-owned commercial subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation, formed out of a restructuring of its predecessor BBC Enterprises in 1995. ...

On 5th June 2008 BBC Books will be publishing Top Gear Top Drives - Road Trips of a Lifetime in the World's Most Dramatic Locations BBC Books is the book publishing division of BBC Worldwide, the commercial subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation. ...

Segments

Races

Epic races

The show has featured a number of epic races^[20][21] 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.

The races that have taken place so far are:

• Car vs. Train in a race to Monte Carlo, Clarkson drove an Aston Martin DB9 while Hammond and May caught a bus to Guildford station, a train to London Waterloo, the Eurostar to Gare du Nord in Paris where they transferred to Gare de Lyon using the Paris Métro, the TGV to Nice and another train to Monte Carlo. Series Four, Episode One

• Car vs. Plane in a race to Verbier, Switzerland, Clarkson drove a Ferrari 612 Scaglietti while Hammond and May caught a flight to Geneva, then had two train rides and a short coach ride to the finish. Series Five, Episode Eight

• Car vs. Boat in a race to Oslo, Clarkson drove a Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren while Hammond and May caught a flight to Newcastle, a bus to North Shields Ferry Terminal, a ferry to Kristiansand and a Speedboat to Oslo. Series Six, Episode Six

• Car vs. Private Plane in a race to London from Alba, Clarkson drove a Bugatti Veyron while Hammond and May rode scooters to the airport and flew a Cessna 182 to Lille where they caught the Eurostar to London. Series Seven, Episode Five

• Car vs. Bike vs. Boat vs. Public Transport in a race to see what form of transport was quickest at getting from one side of London to the other during rush hour. Clarkson took a boat, Hammond a bicycle, May a Mercedes-Benz GL 500 and The Stig went by public transport. Series Ten, Episode Five

• Car vs. Dog sled in a race between Clarkson/May and Hammond to the north pole. Clarkson and May drove a Toyota Hilux over the polar ice caps against Hammond who did the expedition with a dog sled.Series Ten, Episode 0, Top Gear Special

• Car vs. Eurofighter Typhoon in a dragrace over one mile, Hammond drove a Bugatti Veyron against an RAF Eurofighter Typhoon

Monte Carlo is a very wealthy section of the city-state of Monaco known for its casino, gambling, beaches, glamour, and sightings of famous people. ... Aston Martin DB9 Coupé - front view Aston Martin DB9 Coupé - rear view The Aston Martin DB9 is a grand tourer launched by Aston Martin in 2004. ... , For other places with the same name, see Guildford (disambiguation). ... Facade of Waterloo Station, London Waterloo is a major train station and transport interchange located in the Waterloo district of London, which was itself named after the Battle of Waterloo in which Napoleon was defeated near Brussels. ... This article is about high-speed trains between London and Brussels / Paris. ... Main entrance to the Gare du Nord The Gare du Nord (English: North Station) is one of the six large terminus stations of the SNCFs main line network in Paris. ... Inside the Gare de Lyon. ... Métro redirects here. ... For the group of heart conditions referred to as TGV, see Transposition of the great vessels. ... Verbier is a ski resort in the Swiss Alps, in the canton of Valais. ... 2006 Ferrari 612 Scaglietti interior The Ferrari 612 Scaglietti (skal-yeti) is a Gran Turismo car produced by Ferrari since 2004. ... For other uses, see Geneva (disambiguation). ... This article is about the capital of Norway. ... The McLaren Mercedes-Benz SLR is a Anglo-German supercar jointly developed by Mercedes-Benz and McLaren Automotive. ... This article is about a city in the United Kingdom. ... County District Sørlandet Municipality NO-1001 Administrative centre Kristiansand Mayor (2004) Per Sigurd Sørensen(H) Official language form BokmÃ¥l Area  - Total  - Land  - Percentage Ranked 287 277 km² 259 km² 0. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Alba is town of Piedmont, Italy, in the province of Cuneo. ... The Bugatti Veyron 16. ... The Cessna 182, marketed under the name Skylane, is a four-seat, high performance, single-engine, light airplane. ... For other uses, see Lille (disambiguation). ... This article is about high-speed trains between London and Brussels / Paris. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... DaimlerChrysler offers a series of full-size luxury crossover SUVs to the public under the Mercedes-Benz brand as GL-Class. ... Cyclone Catarina, a rare South Atlantic tropical cyclone viewed from the International Space Station on March 26, 2004. ... The Bugatti Veyron 16. ...

Races vs. athletes

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.

• Car vs. aerobatics plane: Hammond presented a race between The Stig in a Radical SR3 against British Aerobatic Champion, Tom Cassells,^[22] in a CAP 232 Aerobatic Plane around the Top Gear test track. Series One, Episode Nine

• Car vs. racing pigeons: May used a Ford SportKa equipped with satellite navigation to compete against racing pigeons in a point-to-point race. Series Four, Episode Four

• Car vs. snooker player: Ronnie O'Sullivan had to pot 14 snooker balls while his Mercedes-Benz SL500 was raced around the Top Gear test track by The Stig. Series Four, Episode Four

• Car vs. all-terrain skateboarder: Hammond presented a pair of races on the "Green Mile", a half-mile downhill course in Wales, between double world champion all-terrain skateboarder Tom Kirkman^[23] and a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution Group N rally car, and then a Bowler Wildcat, both driven by Ben Collins. Series Five, Episode Two

• Car vs. bobsleigh: May co-piloted a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution Rally car driven by Henning Solberg, raced Hammond and the Norwegian Olympic bobsleigh team down a mountain in Lillehammer, Norway. Series Five, Episode Eight (repeated in the Winter Olympics Special)

• Car vs. marathon runner: Clarkson raced a Fiat Nuova Panda against marathon runner A.C. Muir around the London Marathon circuit during the morning rush-hour. Series Six, Episode Seven

• Car vs. snowmobile - over water: Hammond visited Iceland and raced a modified off-road vehicle against a snowmobile over Lake Kleifarvatn. Series Six, Episode Ten

• Car vs. rock climbers: Clarkson, in an Audi RS4, competed against two rock climbers, Leo Houlding and Tim Emmet, in a race from the bottom of a French gorge to the top. Series Seven, Episode Two

• Car vs. urban downhill cyclist: May raced a Renault Clio III down the narrow streets of Castle of São Jorge's district in Lisbon against downhill bike racer Gee Atherton. Series Seven, Episode Four

• Car vs. greyhound: Hammond drove a Mazda MX5 against Ireland's most expensive greyhound, Mama Tina, around Shelbourne's greyhound track in a one-lap pursuit style race. Series Seven, Episode Six

• Car vs. speed skater: Clarkson, in a Jaguar XK8, raced against speed skater Eskil Ervik around a speed skating track. Winter Olympics Special

• Car vs. trail of fuel: Clarkson raced a Chevrolet Corvette Z06 against a trail of fuel. The race began when the quarter mile trail of gasoline was lit. Series Eight, Episode Two

• Car vs. motor powered kayak: Hammond visited Iceland and raced a TVR-powered Tomcat 4x4 against a motorised kayak, piloted by its inventor Shaun Baker^[24], over Jökulsárlón. Series Eight, Episode Two

• Car vs. parachutist: Hammond raced two miles (3 km) against a British army parachuter in Cyprus with a Porsche Cayenne Turbo S. Series Eight, Episode Four

• Car vs. traceurs: May raced two traceurs, Daniel Ilabaca and Kerbie, over six miles (10 km) across Liverpool in a Peugeot 207 1.6L Diesel, from the edge of the city to the Liver Building. Series Eight, Episode Seven

• Car vs. fighter jet: Hammond raced a Bugatti Veyron against a Eurofighter Typhoon, piloted by RAF Squadron Leader Jim Walls, to see which one could travel two miles faster (the Bugatti along a runway and back, the Eurofighter climbing a mile straight up and back down). Series Ten, Episode Three

• Car vs. rollerblades: Hammond drove an Aston Martin V8 Vantage against Dirk Auer, a man on roller skates with a turbo powered rocket backpack, in a straight half-mile drag race. Series Ten, Episode Five

• Car vs. tall man: May used an Alfa Romeo 159 in a race against Graham Boanas, to discover who could cross the 1.5-mile (2.4 km) wide^[25] Humber River faster without using the Humber Bridge. Series Ten, Episode Six

• Car vs. BMX bikes: May travelled to Hungary and raced a Fiat Nuova 500 against some BMX cyclists through the streets of Budapest. Series Ten, Episode Nine

Rollcenter Racings Radical SR9 at the 2006 24 Hours of Le Mans. ... Ford Ka (pronounced Ka or K.A.) is a subcompact car from Ford Motor Company marketed in Europe and elsewhere. ... Pigeon redirects here. ... Ronald Antonio Ronnie OSullivan (born December 5, 1975 in Wordsley, West Midlands)[1][2] nicknamed The Rocket (or more recently Mr. ... The Mercedes-Benz R230 automobile was introduced in 2001. ... This article is about the country. ... The Bowler Wildcat is an offroad vehicle made by Bowler Offroad Ltd and is based on the Land Rover Discovery They feature heavily in rallies such as the Dakar, and normally enjoy considerable success. ... Ben Collins driving the #84 car in the 2003 European SCSA championship Ben Collins (born February 13, 1975[1]) is a single seater and sports car driver from Bristol, England. ... The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, colloquially known as the Lancer Evo, is a car manufactured by Mitsubishi Motors. ... Henning Solberg (born 8 January 1973) is a Norwegian World Rally Championship (WRC) driver with Ford M-Sport, and the older brother of 2003 WRC Champion Petter Solberg. ... County Oppland District Gudbrandsdal Municipality NO-0501 Administrative centre Lillehammer Mayor (2005) Synnøve Brenden Klemetrud (Ap) Official language form BokmÃ¥l Area  - Total  - Land  - Percentage Ranked 211 477 km² 450 km² 0. ... The Fiat Panda is a city car from the Italian automotive manufacturer Fiat. ... Kleifarvatn is a lake on the Reykjanes peninsula in Iceland. ... The Audi RS4 is a high-performance version of the Audi A4, a compact executive car produced by German automaker Audi. ... Leo Houlding (born c. ... The Renault Clio is a supermini/subcompact produced by the French automaker Renault. ... For other uses, see Lisbon (disambiguation). ... The Mazda Miata (sold as the Mazda MX-5 in Europe and Australia, and Eunos Roadster in Japan) is a convertible sports car made by Mazda since 1989. ... This article is about the breed of dog. ... Shelbourne can refer to : Shelbourne, a neighbourhood in Dublin, Ireland. ... The Jaguar XK8 began production in 1996 (model year 1997) and was the first 8 cylinder vehicle produced by Jaguar, introducing the new Jaguar AJ-V8 engine. ... The glacial lake Jökulsárlón Jökulsárlón is the best known and the biggest of a number of glacier lakes in Iceland. ... Rip, a traceur (parkour practitioner), vaults over a railing. ... The Peugeot 207 is a supermini produced by the French automaker Peugeot and unveiled in January 2006. ... The Royal Liver Building The Royal Liver Building - Matthew Street Festival 2006 Liver birds tower over Dale Street and the Guildhall The Royal Liver Building as seen from the Pier Head The Royal Liver Building (prounced ) is one of the city of Liverpools most recognisable landmarks. ... The Bugatti Veyron 16. ... This article is about a fighter aircraft. ... The Aston Martin V8 Vantage was first seen at the Geneva motorshow. ... This article is about the road car in 2000s. ... There are several rivers in the world called the Humber River: Humber River, England, on the eastern coast Humber River, Newfoundland, near Corner Brook in Canada Humber River, Toronto The one in England flows southward from the North Sea for 121 km. ... The Humber Bridge is the fourth-largest single-span suspension bridge in the world, near Kingston upon Hull in England. ... Fiat 500 in Piazza San Carlo, Turin. ... For other uses, see Budapest (disambiguation). ...

Small races

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.

• Old cars vs. new cars — road circuit aka Top Gear Generation Game: five of Clarkson's older cars versus five of Hammond's modern vehicles. The pairings were: Golf GTi MKI vs MKIV, Toyota MR2 old vs new, Ford Escort Cosworth vs Focus RS, Peugeot 205 vs 206, Nissan 300ZX vs 350Z. Series Three, Episode Eight

• Diesel vs. petrol: A race between Clarkson in a diesel Skoda Fabia and Hammond in a petrol Mini Cooper to see if diesel had caught up to petrol. Series Four, Episode Eight

• Old cars vs. new cars — road circuit, race vs. showroom: three pairs made up of one classic racer and one showroom car raced against the clock in The Stig's hands. The pairings were: 1974 British Rally Championship-winning Ford Escort vs Ford Focus RS, Four times Le Mans-winning (1966-69) Ford GT40 vs Noble M400; 1983 World Rally Championship-winning Audi Quattro vs Mitsubishi Evo VIII MR FQ-340. Series Five, Episode Eight

• RWD vs. 4WD — rally special stage: May took The Stig to an indoor exhibition rally track of the World Rally Championship at the Millennium Stadium to compare the RWD and 4WD Porsche 911 Carrera. Series Seven, Episode Five

• Old cars vs. new cars — hill climb: May and Hammond oversaw a race against the clock at the Prescott Hill Climb course, which featured an Austin-Healey Sprite and a modified Peugeot 306, both driven by The Stig. Series Seven, Episode Six

• Real life vs. a computer game — road circuit: Clarkson travelled to the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca to compare a real life lap in a Honda NSX with one he did earlier using the same car in the Playstation 2 game Gran Turismo 4. Series Seven, Episode Six

• Biathlon: Clarkson (in a Volvo XC90) raced May (in an Audi Q7), in a car-biathlon, with cross-country driving instead of skiing. Winter Olympics Special

• RWD vs. 4WD — off-road slalom: Clarkson (in a RWD Jaguar XK) and May (in a 4WD Land Rover Discovery) created a slalom course on a frozen lake and raced against the clock. Winter Olympics Special

Gran Turismo 4 (also known as GT4) is a racing video game for Sony PlayStation 2 which is published by Polyphony Digital. ...

Challenges

Main article: Top Gear challenges

James May's Limousine - The 'Salfa - Romeaab'

Novelty challenges and short stunt films are 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. These features have become much less prominent over the life of the programme (they were much more regular during the first four series), being replaced or superseded in later series' by the "How hard can it be?" and "Cheap car" challenges which are much larger in scope. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

Finally, 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 (not always however), and a race track event to determine performance.

Unusual reviews

Another Top Gear trademark is the often unusual approach to 'reviewing' cars. Rather than presenting straight road tests, the presenters find interesting ways of focusing on a specific aspect of a car. These items often take the form of (typically) small challenges.

• Drive until you get bored / Test: enjoyable travel. Clarkson claimed that Jaguars "ease the burden of travel"^[26] 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 a service station. 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 is now stood 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 800 miles (1,300 km) 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 a mountain 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: handling. 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^[27] 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

The Jaguar XJ is a luxury saloon sold under the British Jaguar luxury marque. ... The M25 motorway looking south between junctions 14 and 15, near Heathrow Airport. ... The Toyota Hilux, and Toyota Tacoma, are compact pickup trucks built and marketed by the Toyota Motor Corporation. ... The Toyota Hilux, and Toyota Tacoma, are compact pickup trucks built and marketed by the Toyota Motor Corporation. ... The WAH-64 is a licence-built version of the Boeing AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopter, for the British Army. ... The Lotus Exige (pronounced: ex-seej) is a two-door, two-seat sports car made by Lotus Cars. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... For other uses, see Edinburgh (disambiguation). ... The Audi A8 is a full-size luxury car built by the German automaker Audi to replace the V8 model as its flagship offering. ... The Renault Mégane Scénic was the first European car of its kind: a five-seater based on the chassis of a compact hatchback (in this case the Mégane which had been launched a year earlier) but with a high roof to give it the appearance and practicality... The Ford Focus C-MAX is a compact MPV designed by Ford for the European market and built since 2003. ... The Discovery is a four wheel drive on-road and off-road vehicle from the British car maker Land Rover. ... Smart Forfour The Smart Forfour is a supermini produced by Smart from 2004 to 2006. ... The British FV4034 Challenger 2 is an advanced new generation main battle tank (MBT) currently in service with the armies of the United Kingdom and Oman. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The Toyota Aygo (pronounced , Japanese romaji) is a city car sold since 2005. ... The Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class is a luxury roadster built by the German manufacturer Mercedes-Benz since 1997. ... The Porsche Boxster is a mid-engined roadster built by Porsche. ... This article deals with the current British Army regiment, for historical regiments, see Historical Irish Guards regiments. ... This page refers to the concept and production cars of 2002 and later; for the mid-1960s race car, see Ford GT40. ... Ferrari F430 Spider The Ferrari F430 is a high-performance sports car produced by the Italian automaker Ferrari to succeed the Ferrari 360. ... The Pagani Zonda is a supercar produced by Pagani in Italy. ... The Millau Viaduct (French: ) is a large cable-stayed road-bridge that spans the valley of the River Tarn near Millau in southern France. ... This article is about the capital of France. ... The Suzuki Swift is a supermini car manufactured by Japanese Suzuki Motor Corporation. ... The Volkswagen Fox is a supermini produced and designed by Volkswagen do Brasil and sold in Latin America and Europe. ...

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

The Ford Escort was a small family car manufactured by the Ford Motor Company from 1967 through 2003. ... 1974 Citroën DS23 Pallas Directional headlight detail of a Citroën DS21 Swedish-spec Citroën DS with headlight wipers Citroën DS Break - also known as the Safari, Familiale, or Wagon 1966 Citroën DS Convertible Turn indicators were mounted in the upper corners of the rear window... The Bentley T-Series was even more rarely built than the Rolls Royce Silver Shadow. ... The Rover P5 series (commonly called 3-Litre and 3½ Litre for the engine displacement) was a group of large (in European terms) saloon and coupe automobiles produced from 1958 through 1973. ... For other uses, see Jaguar (disambiguation). ... Le Mans is a city in France, located at the Sarthe River. ... The Jaguar C-type (also called the Jaguar XK 120C) is a racing car built by Jaguar and sold from 1951 to 1953. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ... The Triumph TR6 (1969–76) was a British sports car and the best-seller of the TR range built by Triumph when production ended in July 1976. ... 2003 GM Hy-Wire concept car The Hy-wire (Hydrogen drive-by-wire) is a concept car from General Motors introduced in January 2002[1]. The car runs on hydrogen fuel cells and uses a drive-by-wire system, meaning that the car is controlled electronically. ... For other uses, see BMW (disambiguation). ... The BMW M1 is a supercar produced by the German automaker BMW from 1978 to 1981. ... The BMW M3 is a high performance version (produced by BMW M GmbH ) of the popular compact BMW 3-Series automobile, made by BMW. M3 models have been derived from the E30, E36, E46 and E90/2/3 3-series. ... The BMW M5 is a high-performance version of the BMW 5-Series automobile made by BMW M GmbH. M5 versions of the E28, E34, E39 and E60 5-Series have been made. ... A Lamborghini Miura S. Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Lamborghini Miura Miuras in Los Angeles. ... The Lamborghini Countach was a supercar produced by Italian automaker Lamborghini from 1974 to 1990. ... The Volkswagen Corrado is a hatchback coupé developed by German automaker Volkswagen and built by Karmann in Osnabrück, Germany between 1988 and 1995. ... The VR6 engine is an internal combustion engine configuration developed by the Volkswagen Group. ... 1987 Mercedes-Benz 190E 2. ... 1978 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Coupe The original Aston Martin V8 Vantage was hailed at the time of its 1977 introduction as Britains First Supercar for its 170 mph (274 km/h) top speed. ... The Mercedes-Benz W 113 automobiles were produced from 1963 through 1971. ... The Aston Martin Lagonda was a luxury four-door saloon built by Aston Martin of Newport Pagnell, England, between 1976 and 1989. ... There have been many different Dodge vehicles, on three different platforms, bearing the Charger nameplate. ... 1988 Jaguar XJ-S 1985 XJ-S 5. ... Rover V8 in a Sunbeam Tiger The Rover V8 engine is a compact V8 internal combustion engine with aluminium cylinder heads and cylinder block, originally designed by General Motors and later re-designed and produced by Rover in the United Kingdom. ... Rover SD1 is the code name given to a series of large executive cars made by British Leyland and Austin Rover Group from 1976 to 1987. ... 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing Coupe from the Ralph Lauren collection 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing Coupe from the Ralph Lauren collection Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Category:1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing Coupe The Mercedes-Benz 300SL was available as a two-seat closed sports car with characteristic... The Maserati Biturbo (IPA: bi. ... Maserati 250F (first raced January 1954 - last raced November 1960) were twentysix racing cars made by Maserati of Italy, used in Formula One racing (thus, the «F»). It used the Maserati A6 SSG straight-six 2. ... The Maserati Bora is a Maserati two-seater coupe powered by a V8 engine. ... The 1963 Aston Martin DB5 was an improved DB4. ... A 1963 Series 1 3. ... British racing green, officially known as deep brunswick green, is the international motor racing colour of Great Britain. ... Vanwall was a Formula One team in the 1950s. ... Benz can refer to: Karl Benz, a German automobile engineer and inventor Mercedes-Benz, a brand of automobiles and trucks Kafi Benz, an American writer, historian, designer, and artist, the founder of Friends of Seagate Inc. ... Royal Enfield was the brand of the Enfield Cycle Company, an English engineering company. ... A De Dion-Bouton from 1899, from a French museum in Paris [1] De Dion-Bouton was a French automobile manufacturer operating from 1883 to 1932. ... The Ford Model T (colloquially known as the Tin Lizzie and the Flivver) was an automobile produced by Henry Fords Ford Motor Company from 1908 through 1927. ... The Cadillac Type 51 was a large, luxurious automobile introduced in September 1914. ... The Austin 7 was a vintage car produced from 1922 through to 1939 in the United Kingdom. ...

Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car

Main article: 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. Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car is a recurring segment on the BBC Two motoring programme Top Gear. ...

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. Suzuki Aerio SX wagon The Suzuki Aerio (called the Liana in Europe) is a subcompact car built by Suzuki Motor Corporation for the lower midsize segment in the Japanese and European markets and for the subcompact segment in the North American market. ... The Chevrolet Lacetti is a compact car made by the South Korean automaker GM Daewoo. ...

Ellen MacArthur set the fastest lap time of any celebrity in the Liana. However, before it was retired, The Stig was given the chance to do a lap in the car and set a faster time than MacArthur. Ellen MacArthur Dame Ellen Patricia MacArthur, DBE (born July 8, 1976) is an English sailor from Whatstandwell near Matlock in Derbyshire, now based in Cowes, on the Isle of Wight. ... The Stig is the name given to the anonymous racing driver on the BBC motoring show Top Gear. ...

As of December 2007, Simon Cowell has set the fastest lap time of any celebrity in the Chevrolet Lacetti. Simon Phillip Cowell (born October 7, 1959) is an English artist-and-repertoire (A&R) executive and television personality/producer, best known as a judge on such TV shows as Pop Idol, American Idol, The X Factor, and Britains Got Talent. ...

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. Sir Michael John Gambon, KBE (born October 19, 1940), is an acclaimed Irish-British actor who has worked in television, film and theatre. ... Lionel Brockman Richie, Jr. ... Trevor Eve (b. ... David Soul (born August 28, 1943 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American actor and British citizen and singer best known for his role as the seat-of-the-pants California police detective Ken Hutch Hutchinson (opposite co-star and long-time friend Paul Michael Glaser) in the cult television program...

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. F1 redirects here. ... This article is about the Formula One racing driver. ...

Power Laps

Main article: 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. Power Laps is a segment of the BBC Two motoring programme Top Gear, in which the Stig completes a lap around the Top Gear test track to compare the performance of various cars. ... Image File history File linksMetadata TopGearStig. ... Image File history File linksMetadata TopGearStig. ... The Pagani Zonda is a supercar produced by Italian car manufacturer Pagani. ...

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^[28] 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. For other uses, see Speed bump (disambiguation). ...

The most powerful production car ever featured on Top Gear, the 1,001 PS (987 hp/736 kW) 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.^[29] 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 Bugatti Veyron 16. ...

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. The Renault R24 is a Formula One car that competed in the 2004 Formula One season. ...

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. The Ascari A10 is an automobile currently under development by the British company Ascari Cars. ... The Koenigsegg CCX is a mid-engined roadster from Swedish car manufacturer Koenigsegg. ...

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 Caparo T1 is a British mid-engine, rear-wheel drive, two-seater car built by Caparo Vehicle Technologies, (formally known as Freestream), founded by design director Ben Scott-Geddes and engineering director Graham Halstead, former engineers involved in the development of the McLaren F1. ...

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 "Sub Zero", "Cool", "Uncool", and "Seriously Uncool". 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 seventh series. On one occasion, a particularly uncool car's picture was stuck onto a member of the audience to the left of the board. Look up cool in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Kristin Scott Thomas OBE (born 24 May 1960) is an Academy Award-nominated English actress. ... Fiona Bruce (born 25 April 1964 in Singapore) is a British journalist and television presenter in the United Kingdom. ... Aston Martin DB9 Coupé - front view Aston Martin DB9 Coupé - rear view The Aston Martin DB9 is a grand tourer launched by Aston Martin in 2004. ... // The modern Aston Martin V8 Vantage is a hand built sports car from British manufacturer Aston Martin. ...

An acknowledged rule of the Cool Wall is that cars owned by the presenters cannot be considered cool. In series nine, Clarkson was forced to place the 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 into the Sub-Zero section. Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder The Lamborghini Gallardo () (pronounced: guy-yar-doh) is a sports car built by Lamborghini. ... This page refers to the concept and production cars of 2002 and later; for the mid-1960s race car, see Ford GT40. ...

Frequently Clarkson and Hammond will disagree 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 in his favoured section, preventing the much shorter Hammond from being able to reach it. On one occasion, Hammond began eating the card on which a BMW M6 was featured, preventing it from being used. 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. The BMW M6 is a high-performance version of the 6-Series automobile, designed by the motorsport division of the German manufacturer. ...

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. Clarkson pointed the chainsaw at Hammond and jokingly said, "Run or you'll be a lot shorter". The Ducati 1098 is a 1099 cc L-twin sport bike manufactured by Ducati. ... For other uses, see Chainsaw (disambiguation). ...

In the first episode of series ten, the fire-damaged Cool Wall was featured in the programme. It, along with other studio furniture (including the chairs used during the News segment) had been damaged or destroyed in a fire at the warehouse where props were stored, claimed by Clarkson (jokingly) to have been started by Channel five rival show Fifth Gear. An episode is a part of a dramatic work such as a serial television or radio program. ... This article is about the TV series. ...

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

The Range Rover is a four-wheel drive high-performance luxury SUV produced by Land Rover in the United Kingdom. ... The Rolls-Royce Phantom is a British ultra-luxury saloon automobile made by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, in the United Kingdom. ... The Volkswagen Golf (Mk1 and Mk5 badged as Volkswagen Rabbit in the United States and Canada, Mk1 badged as Volkswagen Caribe in Mexico) is a compact car/small family car manufactured by Volkswagen. ... The Bugatti Veyron 16. ... The Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder is the convertible version of the Lamborghini Gallardo ... The Ford Mondeo is a large family car sold by the Ford Motor Company in various markets throughout the world. ... See also the smaller Impreza-based Subaru Outback Sport Subaru introduced the all-wheel-drive Outback to the US market in 1994 as a 1995 model, deriving the model almost completely from the Subaru Legacy. ...

Ownership 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: Top Gear is a car magazine published by BBC Worldwide, and named after the BBCs Top Gear television show. ... J.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information services firm founded in 1968 which provides consumer ratings on goods from cars to restaurants. ... Experian is a global information solutions company, with operations in over 30 countries around the world, including the USA, UK, most European countries, Argentina, Brazil, South Africa, China, Japan and Australia. ...

The Jaguar XJ is a luxury saloon sold under the British Jaguar luxury marque. ... VW Sharan The VW Sharan is a multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) or people carrier sold by Volkswagen in Europe, in a joint venture with Ford, which sells a version of the same model as the Ford Galaxy. ... “S2000” redirects here. ... The Mercedes M-Class is a midsize luxury SUV sold by Mercedes-Benz. ... “S2000” redirects here. ... The Peugeot 807 is an european minivan seating up to 8 people. ... “S2000” redirects here. ... The Peugeot 807 is an european minivan seating up to 8 people. ...

Novelty car features

The programme has always been able to come up with new ways to answer that old adage "What will they think of next?" For example, squeezing the 6'5" Jeremy Clarkson into a Peel P50, and then getting him to drive round central London and the BBC Television Centre.^[30] Clarkson then promptly described it as "the best car we've had on the show ever." The piece featured Clarkson in various interactions with BBC News journalists — specifically being pulled out of a lift while still in the car by Fiona Bruce (who was also the new muse for the Cool Wall), trying to get the car back from John Humphrys who had taken it for a joyride around the office, and driving to a meeting within the building and appearing in the background on BBC News 24. Ultimately, Clarkson suffered the final ignominy of being turned 180° by Dermot Murnaghan while stuck at a zebra crossing in a car with no reverse gear. Novelty features include: An adage (IPA ), or adagium (Latin), is a short, but memorable saying, which holds some important fact of experience that is considered true by many people, or it has gained some credibility through its long use. ... For the biochemistry term, see P50. ... BBC Television Centre (sometimes abbreviated TVC or TC) in London is home to much of the BBCs television output and, since 1998, almost all of the corporations national TV and radio news output by BBC News. ... This article refers to the news department of the British Broadcasting Corporation, for the BBC News Channel see BBC News (TV channel). ... Fiona Bruce (born 25 April 1964 in Singapore) is a British journalist and television presenter in the United Kingdom. ... Desmond John Humphrys (born 17 August 1943) is a Welsh broadcaster and journalist. ... BBC News 24 is the BBCs 24 hour rolling news television channel in the United Kingdom. ... Image:Dermot Murnaghan. ...

• People carrier racing Series Five, Episode Five
• Clarkson opens the Chipping Norton lido by driving a Rolls-Royce into it Series Six, Episode Three
• The Peel P50 Series Ten, Episode Three
• Motorhome racing Series Ten, Episode Six

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"^[31] 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"^[32] 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'. The following is a complete episode list of the BBC television series Top Gear. ... Björn Kristian Ulvaeus (Swedish IPA: ) (born April 25, 1945) is a Swedish musician and composer, most notable as a member of ABBA. Ulvaeus was born in Gothenburg, but as a child he moved with his family to Västervik. ... Image:Benny Andersson. ... Agnetha Ã…se Fältskog{An-yetta Fälts-kog} (born 5 April 1950) in Jönköping) is a Swedish pop singer, songwriter and producer, most notable for being a member of the popular Swedish pop group ABBA. // Agnetha Fältskog was born the first of two daughters to department... Her Serene Highness Princess Anni-Frid Reuss, Countess of Plauen (born Anni-Frid Synni Lyngstad on November 15, 1945 in BjørkÃ¥sen in Ballangen, Norway), is a singer, best known as Frida Lyngstad, one of the four members of Swedish pop group ABBA.[1] // Anni- Frid had a very... The following is a complete episode list of the BBC television series Top Gear. ... Desmond Mpilo Tutu (born 7 October 1931) is a South African cleric and activist who rose to worldwide fame during the 1980s as an opponent of apartheid. ... Sir Ranulph Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes, 3rd Baronet OBE (born 7 March 1944), usually known simply as Ranulph (Ran) Fiennes, is a British adventurer and holder of several endurance records. ...

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. The Allman Brothers Band is a band from Macon, Georgia, labeled by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as the principal architects of Southern rock. ... Jessica is a rock instrumental written by Dickey Betts, guitarist of The Allman Brothers Band. ... The theme music of a radio or television program is a piece that is written specifically for that show and usually played during the title sequence and/or end credits. ... // In popular music, a cover version, or simply cover, is a new rendition (performance or recording) of a previously recorded song. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Sir Elton Hercules[1] John CBE[2] (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on 25 March 1947) is a five-time Grammy and one-time Academy Award-winning English pop/rock singer, composer and pianist. ... Blue Moves is the eleventh studio album by British singer/songwriter Elton John, released in 1976 (see 1976 in music). ...

In series 6 episode 11, James May recorded the necessary notes to play the theme tune from car engine sounds, it was played over the end credits.^[33]

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. This article is about the band. ... The Chain is a song from Fleetwood Macs best-selling album Rumours. ... This article is about the band. ... Highway to Hell is a hard rock album by Australian band AC/DC, released in 1979 (see 1979 in music). ... For the bands 1969 eponymous debut album, see Led Zeppelin (album). ... Immigrant Song is the opening track on English rock band Led Zeppelins third album, Led Zeppelin III, written and released in 1970. ... Kenny Loggins (born Kenneth Clark Loggins on January 7, 1948 in Everett, Washington) is an American singer and songwriter best known for a number of soft rock and adult contemporary hit singles beginning in the 1970s. ... Danger Zone is a rock song from the soundtrack to the 1986 American motion picture Top Gun. ... This article is about the band. ... Alternate cover Christmas picture sleeve edition For the 1988 live single, see Ace of Spades (live) Ace of Spades is a song by the heavy metal band Motörhead. ... This article is about the rock band. ... Highway Star is one of British rock group Deep Purples most famous songs. ... Steppenwolf is a rock band that helped establish heavy metal music in the late 1960s along with bands like Blue Cheer and Iron Butterfly. ... Born to Be Wild is a rock song written by Mars Bonfire. ... This article is about the singer. ... Bat out of Hell is a rock anthem written by Jim Steinman and performed by Meat Loaf as the opening track to the 1977 album of the same name. ... Golden Earring is a Dutch rock/pop group that was founded in 1961 in The Hague as the Golden Earrings (the s was later dropped). ... Radar Love was the worldwide breakthrough hit by the Dutch rock band Golden Earring. ... Queen are an English rock band formed in 1970 in London by guitarist Brian May, lead vocalist Freddie Mercury, and drummer Roger Taylor, with bass guitarist John Deacon joining the following year. ... Dont Stop Me Now ( ) is a 1979 hit single by Queen, from their 1978 album Jazz. ...

Top Gear annually releases a CD entitled Greatest Driving Songs.

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, The Matrix, The Rock, V for Vendetta, Donnie Darko and Where Eagles Dare, among others. This article is about the film; for the video games see Aliens (Square computer game) and Aliens (arcade game). ... Pirates of the Caribbean is a series of three adventure films directed by Gore Verbinski, written by Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. ... Predator is a 1987 science fiction, action and horror film directed by John McTiernan and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers and Jesse Ventura. ... This article is about the Peter Jackson film trilogy. ... This article is about the 1999 film. ... The Rock (1996) is an Academy Award nominated action film that primarily takes place on Alcatraz Island, and the San Francisco Bay area. ... This article is about the film. ... Donnie Darko is a 2001 drama/psychological thriller/science fiction film written and directed by Richard Kelly The film had a small opening upon its release in the United States, but gained newfound popularity upon its DVD release and a cult following over the years. ... Where Eagles Dare is a 1968 film directed by Brian G. Hutton and starring Richard Burton, Clint Eastwood, and Mary Ure. ...

During the test of the Enzo Ferrari, which was filmed using the car owned by Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason, several clips of Pink Floyd's music were used as Clarkson claimed Mason would only allow them to use his car if they plugged his new book, Inside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd. This article is about the car. ... Pink Floyd are an English rock band that initially earned recognition for their psychedelic or space rock music, and, as they evolved, for their progressive rock music. ... Nicholas Berkeley Nick Mason (born January 27, 1944 in Birmingham, England) is the drummer for Pink Floyd. ...

Awards and nominations

In November 2005, Top Gear won an International Emmy in the Non-Scripted Entertainment category.^[34] An Emmy Award. ...

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. New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ...

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.^[35] 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.^[36] 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. The British Academy Television Awards, also known as the BAFTAs or, to differentiate them from the BAFTA Film Awards, the BAFTA Television Awards, are the most prestigious awards given in the British television industry, analogous to the Emmy Awards in the United States. ... The National Television Awards is a British television awards ceremony, sponsored by the ITV network and initiated in 1995. ...

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, Clarkson read out a letter 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 Roman Abramovich, attempting to fake his rich status. In a different episode, Clarkson read out a letter complaining about the lack of 'Green cars' (referring to environmentally friendly cars) Clarkson then directed the camera to a Lamborghini Murcielago coloured green. Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... The Ford Mondeo is a large family car sold by the Ford Motor Company in various markets throughout the world. ... The Ascari A10 is an automobile currently under development by the British company Ascari Cars. ... The Caparo T1 is a British mid-engine, rear-wheel drive, two-seater car built by Caparo Vehicle Technologies, (formally known as Freestream), founded by design director Ben Scott-Geddes and engineering director Graham Halstead, former engineers involved in the development of the McLaren F1. ... 2003 Vauxhall Corsa 2004 Opel Corsa The Corsa is a small car or supermini produced by General Motors in Europe. ... The Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé is the latest convertible made by Rolls-Royce which debuted at the 2007 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan on January 7, 2007. ... Roman Arkadyevich Abramovich (IPA: ; Russian: ; born on 24 October 1966 in Saratov, Russian SFSR, USSR) earned his money after taking investment advice from Sir Oliver Bienias and Lord James Orchard. ...

Top Gear has also been censured on many occasions for allegedly promoting irresponsible driving,^[37] causing ecological damage and favouring performance over fuel efficiency and conservation.

Conversely, 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 2, Series 10), despite Top Gear having considerably higher viewing figures.^[38] Snooker is a cue sport that is played on a large baize-covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long side cushions. ... A snooker table English Billiards is a form of billiards played on a 6 × 12 rectangular table with pockets in the four corners and in the middle of the long sides (see Snooker for markings and a diagram). ...

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.^[39]

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.^[40] Enstone is the largest parish in Oxfordshire, comprising the villages of Neat Enstone, Church Enstone, Fulwell, Gagingwell, Glympton and Lidstone. ... Oxfordshire (abbreviated Oxon, from the Latinised form Oxonia) is a county in the South East of England, bordering on Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, and Warwickshire. ... Renault F1 is the Renault companys Formula One racing team. ... , Chipping Norton is a town in Oxfordshire, England, located north west of Oxford. ...

Tree damage

The BBC compensated a Bristol local parish in 2004 after Clarkson crashed a Toyota Hilux into a tree^[41] 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. The Toyota Hilux, and Toyota Tacoma, are compact pickup trucks built and marketed by the Toyota Motor Corporation. ...

On 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^{[citation needed]} and German^{[citation needed]} news media, and led to viewers' complaints reaching the BBC Board of Governors.^[42] In July 2006, the BBC Governors’ Programme Complaints Committee rejected the protests: is the 317th day of the year (318th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see BMW (disambiguation). ... For the original Mini produced by the British Motor Corporation, see Mini. ... The Tokyo Motor Show is an annual auto show held in November in Tokyo, Japan. ... Gold and enamel tea set made by David Andersen in the 1930s, as a royal gift from the Norwegian crown prince to president Roosevelt. ... Adolf Hitler and others at a Nazi party rally in Nuremberg, Germany, performing the salute. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Global Navigation Satellite System. ... Nazism in history Nazi ideology Nazism and race Outside Germany Related subjects Lists Politics Portal         Nazism or National Socialism (German: Nationalsozialismus), refers primarily to the ideology and practices of the Nazi Party (National Socialist German Workers Party, German: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP) under Adolf Hitler. ... For the Soviet Unions military action against Poland under the same alliance, see Soviet invasion of Poland (1939). ... Hitler redirects here. ... For other uses, see Propaganda (disambiguation). ... Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ... The Board of Governors of the BBC is a group of twelve people who together regulate the BBC and represent the interests of the public, in particular those of viewers and listeners. ...

"...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..."^[43]

On 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."^[44] Homosexuality refers to sexual interaction and / or romantic attraction between individuals of the same sex. ... Cockney rhyming slang is a form of English slang which originated in the East End of London. ...

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.^[45] 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.^[46] 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. A travel trailer or caravan is a trailer towed behind a road vehicle (or even a horse) to provide a place to sleep which is more comfortable, sheltered and protected than a tent (although there are fold-down tent trailers [1]) . It provides the means for people to have their... The Daily Mail is a British newspaper, currently published in a tabloid format. ... Dorset (pronounced DOR-sit or [dÉ”.sÉ™t], and sometimes in the past called Dorsetshire) is a county in the south-west of England, on the English Channel coast. ... For other uses, see Slapstick (disambiguation). ... Brainiac: Science Abuse is a television programme showing in the UK on Sky One (and repeated on Sky Mix). ...

Dead cow incident

Both the BBC and the UK media regulator OFCOM^[47] received complaints about the dead cow tied to the roof of Clarkson's Camaro in the American Special (the third programme of the ninth series). The cow had died several days previously due to natural causes. For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... Ofcom is a regulator for communication industries in the United Kingdom. ...

Train crash stunt

Another point of controversy regards the airing of a staged train crash in Series 9 Episode 5. The reconstruction of a collision between a train and a car positioned across the level crossing in hibalstow, North Lincolnshire, nr Scunthorpe was criticised due to the Cumbria train crash only 2 days earlier. The reconstruction, which was organised by Network Rail as part of its 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."^[48] 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.^[49] The episode was replaced with a "Best of Top Gear" episode. Viaduct carrying the West Coast Main Line near the scene of the accident The Grayrigg derailment was a train crash that occurred at 20:10 (GMT) on 23 February 2007, at Grayrigg, Cumbria, in north-west England. ... Network Rail is a British not for dividend company limited by guarantee whose principal asset is Network Rail Infrastructure Limited, a company limited by shares. ... Anthony Smith (born March 30, 1926) is, among other things, an explorer, author and former Tomorrows World television presenter. ... logo The body whose statutory name is the Rail Passengers Council, but which since 25 January 2006 has styled itself [“Passenger Focus”][1], was established by section 19 of the Railways Act 2005. ... is the 60th day of the year (61st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ...

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 the 2007 series. 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.^[50]

International Top Gear series

On 19 November 2007, it was revealed that a localised Australian series of Top Gear would be produced by the SBS network in conjunction with Freehand Productions, BBC Worldwide's Australasian partner. 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.^[51] SBS ran a competition to find hosts for the show, interested applicants were invited to apply via the SBS Top Gear website. 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. ^[52] is the 323rd day of the year (324th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... Holden Special Vehicles (usually abbreviated to HSV) is the officially designated performance vehicle division of Australian motor car manufacturer Holden. ... SBS refers to: // SBS Broadcasting Group, originally Scandinavian, now also operating in various other European countries Special Broadcasting Service, an Australian multilingual and multicultural radio and television service Seoul Broadcasting System, a South Korean television network Shizuoka Broadcasting System, a Japanese radio and TV broadcasting station in Shizuoka Prefecture Spanish... Charlie Cox was born in Australia in 1960, and brought up in the Sydney suburb of Gymea. ...

NBC is also commissioning a version of the show for broadcast in the United States^{[citation needed]}, which will have different presenters than the UK version. The National Broadcasting Company or NBC is an American television broadcasting company based in New York Citys Rockefeller Center. ...

International Broadcasts of the original British Top Gear series

Top Gear is broadcast worldwide on the BBC World channel and Canvas, the Flemish public broadcaster, picked up the show after the success of the Top Gear North Pole special. World News bulletins form the main part of the channels daily schedule. ... Canvas is a Belgian public TV station, owned by the VRT who also owns één. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

See also

• List of Top Gear episodes
• Power Laps
• Top Gear (magazine)

The following is a complete episode list of the BBC television series Top Gear. ... Power Laps is a segment of the BBC Two motoring programme Top Gear, in which the Stig completes a lap around the Top Gear test track to compare the performance of various cars. ... Top Gear is a car magazine published by BBC Worldwide, and named after the BBCs Top Gear television show. ...

References

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), is a British organization that hosts annual awards shows for film, television, childrens film and television, and interactive media. ... is the 73rd day of the year (74th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 116th day of the year (117th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 1st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 2nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 101st day of the year (102nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 264th day of the year (265th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 277th day of the year (278th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 1st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 2nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Top Gear is a car magazine published by BBC Worldwide, and named after the BBCs Top Gear television show. ... BBC Magazines is the magazine publishing division of BBC Worldwide, the commercial subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 264th day of the year (265th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 49th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 5th October (Serbia). ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 49th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 347th day of the year (348th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 13th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 29th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 31st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article refers to the news department of the British Broadcasting Corporation, for the BBC News Channel see BBC News (TV channel). ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 99th day of the year (100th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 99th day of the year (100th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about a British tabloid. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 205th day of the year (206th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 206th day of the year (207th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 323rd day of the year (324th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 47th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 26th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 26th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 128th day of the year (129th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 26th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 26th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 301st day of the year (302nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... The domain name bbc. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 346th day of the year (347th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The domain name bbc. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 346th day of the year (347th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The domain name bbc. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 327th day of the year (328th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For information on Wikipedia press releases, see Wikipedia:Press releases. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 362nd day of the year (363rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 108th day of the year (109th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 1st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 102nd day of the year (103rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 362nd day of the year (363rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 32nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 65th day of the year (66th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 223rd day of the year (224th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 51st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 51st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 52nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 9th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 214th day of the year (215th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 313th day of the year (314th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 350th day of the year (351st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the album. ... is the 210th day of the year (211th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 56th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 60th day of the year (61st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 105th day of the year (106th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... News. ... is the 323rd day of the year (324th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 323rd day of the year (324th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 149th day of the year (150th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 149th day of the year (150th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Top Gear at bbc.co.uk
• 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)