The 3 amigos… The 3 Musketeers… the Heart & Soul of TopGear.
Jeremy Clarkson (below, center), started with small local newspapers writing car reviews and editorials during the ’80s, until becoming part of TopGear (the Magazine). Clarkson was also part of the original TopGear (TG) TV program, the equivalent of our MotorWeek, which aired mostly in Britain from 1977-2001. Clarkson was featured on “old TopGear” periodically during the 1988-2000 seasons. Once TopGear established its “new format” (the reboot we’ve all come to appreciate over the years) in 2002 at Dunsfold Aerodrome, Clarkson was promoted from segment narrator to the shows host. Clarkson alongside producer Andy Wilman are credited with “with turning TopGear into the most-watched TV show on BBC Two – rebroadcast to over 100 countries around the world.” Clarkson portrays the hard charging – more POWA! – leader in the group, who’s solution to most problems is finding a larger hammer.
Richard Hammond (above, left), started his entertainment career in radio and was pushed by a friend to audition for TG in 2002, quickly landing the spot alongside Clarkson. Richard is often referred to as “The Hampster” because of his relative height versus Clarkson and May, and ability to fit into vehicles they cannot #ifitsisits, and adds some comic relief. James May (above, right) on the other hand, aka “Captain Slow” joined TG during the 2003 season and provides the grounded “Professor and Historian” role on the show. But, did you know? – he was featured in several segments of the 1999 season of “old TopGear?” – In any case, all three of these now well known TV presenters were all on the writing staff at TopGear (magazine) at some time between 1993 and 2015.
3 names in the automotive world synonymous with a legacy most people point back to the early ’00s. For 18 years, these friends have been adventurers, met stars, driven and reviewed all sorts of cars, while MacGyver-ing any and every experiment they could dream up!
The enthusiasm, ingenuity, originality and comedy the team brought transformed the automotive show genre all while keeping peoples interests high. Top Gear was great at inviting both petrol-heads and “lay people” to tune in each week. A car show, for all people. The TG:UK format was definitely a winning format, making shows like #1 competitor “Fifth Gear” with names like Tiff Needell (formerly of “old TopGear”) just seem blasé. With all the momentum TG had, it makes sense that they needed to expand to much more specific/local audiences than just the UK and its english-speaking anglophiles around the world. There are versions of TG targeting countries like: Italy, France, Russia, Korea and China with their own casts and not just dub-overs or subtitles. Search for Top Gear + Country and you’ll be surprised what turns up. TG:UK spun off its formula to: TopGear Australia (2008-2012) and TopGear America (2010-2016) being the most popular of its derivatives.
TG Australia was the first official spin-off of TG. It aired from 2008-2012, and followed the TG format with an Aussie twist. I was very fortunate to be able to get a hold of a majority of the seasons of TG:Australia. After review, I found it amusing and not nearly as polished as its British counterpart. But thats OK! Because it was full of UTEs, Off-roading, Bathurst, and many segments TG:UK could only dream of dipping into. Some of the “how hard could it be?!?” segments are just as memorable when stack-ranked against others, especially things like “using a Smart Car as a Hearse.” or the “ALL WILL DRIVE” subaru. #classictopgear.
Bruce v Nigel – The British and Australian Cricket rivalry (“the ashes“) is pretty well known, even if you’re not a fan. Therefore, it seemed appropriate that TG put together a cross-over special (example below) with both teams to introduce the world to TG:Australia. Little known, is that there is an episode of TG:Australia where the UK team comes to them for a rematch.
TopGear: America on the other hand… I can’t speak for everyone, so I won’t speak. But will say that much like the Aussie version, it catered to our audience here at home directly. Partnered with the History channel, it brought in aspects of shows like “Ice Road Truckers“ and other automotive properties that History already owned. That means TG:America was packed for full of big trucks and big muscle. TG:America took a break, and was rebooted in 2017. Take a look at this segment from Season-1 for glimpse into what TopGear: America was like.
The best of the Best!
We might not all agree on which TG:UK episodes are “the best” – but we’ve put together a sample for you anyway – ENJOY!
The Grand Tour & Beyond
Unfortunately, in 2015, TopGear went on hiatus after serious allegations against Clarkson and some of his behavior off screen. This inevitably led to Clarkson’s contract with the BBC being terminated. Instead of staying behind to continue the show, Hammond and May followed their compatriot to whatever adventure awaited them next. Co-creator of “new TopGear” Andy Wilman also followed Clarkson to their next project. Fast forward to November of 2016, the trio return with a new show called “The Grand Tour” on Amazon Prime. The notion was to capitalize on the style of the “TopGear Specials” – which after many years of watching, was what many of us tuned in for. The show started off “same-same but different” to the classic TG style, until the lawyers got involved, and for once that wasn’t a bad thing! Forced to change during Season-2 (2017); the show began to find its footing, loosing some of the segments which didn’t resonate well with audiences as carry overs from TG. By the 3rd season (2018-2019) the Grand Tour was really gaining momentum.
#spoileralert – during the last episode of season 3, alongside a touching piece of documentary surrounding the production end for the Ford Mondeo (a British Automotive staple), the trio announced that they were (in effect) retiring from TV. It was an emotional moment for the viewers as well as the cast. 18 years … 18 exciting years… and for many of us at GTM that have been die-hard fans of Clarkson, Hammond and May, we we’re immediately crushed. Meanwhile, trying to go back to BBC’s TopGear continues to difficult, it’s the “same old format” with several cast revisions featuring names like: LeBlanc, Evans, Harris, Schmidt, and others. #thethrillisgone #nomoremagic
A few months later… Clarkson announced the team would be “back” with periodic specials, in the form of 90-120 minute movies. The most recent one released just before Christmas of 2019 titled “The Grand Tour: Seamen” (official trailer, below).
After reviewing “The Grand Tour: Seamen” – it was hard to provide a stellar review, it doesn’t earn the honor of “amazing” because it still has to stack up against the trios previous adventures like: Bolivia, Argentina, the North Pole, Mongolia, and countless other exotic places. And other than the cars they used to get to the docks, its just about boats. #sadpanda. As Motorsports enthusiasts we can appreciate anything with an engine. The teams chemistry hasn’t changed and its enjoyable to say the least. But this particular episode just doesn’t seem to float as it were #punintended. But like any new endeavor, it has to start somewhere and might not always be perfect right out of the gate.
and on that utter disappointment… I mean, bombshell…
we’ll just have to see that comes next. GOOD NIGHT!
