As a child, I used to come home from school and instantly put on my favorite NASCAR television show while I had my afternoon snack. After a few years, the Speed Channel took that show off the air. As any car guy or girl knows, automotive television shows are just a part of life. In its place, they put the most boring show in its place about fixing random 1980s Ford Broncos. To me, at least at the time, was very, very boring. So instead of getting my automotive fix, I turned to Nickelodeon and watched Spongebob for the next four years. Okay, maybe not quite that long, but you get the picture.
One day I was home from school (of course I was sick) and there seemed to be nothing on TV that day. It was between boring science documentaries or a show, at that time, I had just found called “Top Gear” (the UK edition.) I watched one episode and I was instantly hooked. It was not your average, boring let’s-learn-how-to-replace-a-cracked-intake-manifold show, but it was a car show for people who enjoy watching TV.
However, I did see the show one time before. The very first time I saw “Top Gear”, I thought it was rather stupid. While I was watching it, it seemed like there were a few British people racing cars down a drag strip against German people. They were also swearing quite a bit, or so it seemed. Now I know it wasn’t that at all. Since I wasn’t hooked at that point, I shut the show off.
After I watched it again, I realized, this is the show is the replacement for the old NASCAR show I used to watch.
“Top Gear,” actually started way back in 1977, but was taken off the air because of poor ratings and multiple presenter switches. Much later, in 2002, the BBC launched the refreshed addition of “Top Gear,” which is what we see on TV today. The new addition was started by current executive producer Andy Wilman and one of the current presenters who is also a weekly British newspaper columnist, Jeremy Clarkson. The relaunched show also included journalists Richard Hammond and journalist and weekly columnist James May (aka “Captain Slow.”)
The show itself is filled with several different segments that are unique to the show. These segments are Races, (or as Jeremy Clarkson calls them, “Epic Races” because they are usually across great distances), Challenges, Power Laps or what The Stig does after a standard road test of a car, The News about new stuff in the car world, The Cool Wall, which rate how cool a car is by looks, Unusual Reviews, which are quite unusual, and Star in a Reasonably Priced Car or where a guest is put in a cheap car and drives as fast as they can around the “Top Gear” Test Track. Not every episode features all of these segments, but when they are featured, they are usually quite entertaining.
The show opens with “Top Gear’s” theme song, “Jessica” by The Allman Brothers Band as a montage cars and the silhouettes of the presenters go across the screen. Suddenly Jeremy Clarkson starts announcing, “Tonight on “Top Gear.” What he says sometimes has nothing to do with the content actually in episode or is something that happens in the episode that is not part of the big picture. Since, the openings are so funny, it hooks me right into the show even if I’ve seen the episode a whole bunch of times. Then, usually, Jeremy Clarkson welcomes the excited live studio audience and starts his monologue to introduce the first segment of the show. The majority of the episodes, it is a standard road test. However, the presenter who is reviewing the car adds some comedy to keep the audience entertained. Sometimes in the standard road tests, they test more than one car and compare them to see which one is better.
If you would like a more thorough test drive and review of the car, you won’t find it anywhere else. The reviewer of the car talks about everything from the look, to the engine, to how it feels when you sit in it. Just about everything is discussed. Once the review is over, the camera pans back to the studio where the cars are discussed between the presenters. However, as usual, they get to no conclusion.
After the formal review of the car is finished, they let The Stig take the car out on the “Top Gear” Test Track and see how fast it can go around the track. To keep the show entertaining (once again) the presenters make up rumors about The Stig. The character of The Stig is completely unknown besides the fact that he wears a white fire suit and a white racing helmet. The audience roars with laughter as the screen changes to a camera view of the track with the previously reviewed car.
With sheer excitement, Jeremy Clarkson takes the character as commentator as he announces the cars all the way around the track. Then when the car or cars have crossed the finish line, he writes the times on a magnet and reveals them to the audience. He then sticks them on a magnetic piece of sheet metal that says “power lap times” in red on top of the board. I particularly don’t like this segment all that much unless there is a car that I am really interested in learning about. Even though there is comedy in this segment, this is usually the part of the show where I get up to refill the chip bowl, but I don’t shut it off because I know whatever is coming up next will be very entertaining.
Sometimes, after the previous segment, the “Top Gear” presenters will do the news together. They talks about headlining news in the car section of the newspaper (which is quite small.) This is a great segment, they capture something in here that keeps you watching. In the next segment of the show, the unusual review, the presenters are given challenges that have to do with a common overarching goal in which the presenters have to complete certain tasks. These tasks are given by producers. Usually the unusual review is one giant challenge split up into many smaller challenges. These smaller challenges could quite literally be anything! Also points are awarded to the person who wins a challenge or taken away from a person for doing something downright stupid (or funny from the audiences perspective.) It makes the show all that much more fun to watch.
Usually, the unusual review is split up into multiple parts. In a lot of the episodes, the Star In the Reasonably Priced Car will go here. The guest for the episode is brought out into the studio and interviewed by Jeremy Clarkson. They discuss things such as the star’s new work, the star’s personal collection of cars, or just cars in general. Then, Clarkson segues into the video of the lap the star did around the track. Clarkson once again announces the car all the way around the track with sheer excitement. Once that is complete, the camera is panned back to the studio and another magnet is written on with the time the star went around the track. The magnet board is just a giant competition between stars to see who can go around the “Top Gear” Test Track the fastest. Again, unless the star is someone I actually want to see, this is another moment where I get up to go fill the chip bowl.
Once the unusual review is finished, the points are given and tailed and a winner is chosen between the presenters. After about an hour, the show ends with a bombshell.
“Top Gear UK” is truly a great show. The way the show is formatted and executed is simply amazing. Not to mention the chemistry between the presenters gives added enjoyment. What ever the BBC did to get those three guys as the presenters was amazing. They did a great job making such a great show. The very first time you watch the show, you might find it stupid, but it really isn’t. You’ll learn after a while that it’s all about fun, but they are trying to get to a serious point at the same time. They try to notify the viewers about a new car on the market, that most people cannot buy.
Although everyone likes hearing about Lamborghinis and Ferraris, the average person will most likely never own one. If you actually are looking to buy a car that is not a supercar or a sports car, then I would steer you away from this show. Though if you want to hear about supercars and get some good automotive entertainment, then this is the show to watch. No show on the planet is anything like this. It is simple brilliant.
I think I’ve finally found the show that replaced that old NASCAR show. It has all of the elements I’m looking for in automotive TV.
“Top Gear UK” can be seen here in the United States on BBC America (check your local listings) and Netflix. You can also buy DVD versions of all of the “Top Gear UK” seasons online. For more information about any aspect of this television show, please go to www.topgear.com
