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Top Gear (UK Version)


Top Gear (UK Version)
Television Show

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Official Site: bbc.co.uk/topgear
Wikipedia: Top Gear (1977 TV series)
Wikipedia: Top Gear (2002 TV series)

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History
Reference Desk
Article Index
A television program produced by the BBC. It's original format was a half hour and ran from 1977-2001, featuring many hosts over its 24 year run.

A year later, a new hour-long format show of the same name started, and would go on to become one of the most popular television programs in the world as well as spawning several regional variants including a United States version.

Hosts (2002 version)
First Season: Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, Jason Dawe, and The Stig.
Second through Twenty-Second Seasons: Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, James May, and The Stig.
Second through Twenty-Second Seasons: Chris Evans, Matt LeBlanc, Sabine Schmitz, Eddie Jordan, Chris Harris, Rory Reid, and The Stig.

History

The following section is an excerpt from Wikipedia's Top Gear (2002 TV series) page on 26 January 2017, text available via the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Top Gear is a British television series about motor vehicles, primarily cars, and is a relaunched version of the original 1977 show of the same name, airing since 2002, and becoming the most widely watched factual television programme in the world. Since the relaunch, the conventional motoring magazine programme has developed a quirky, humorous and sometimes controversial style over time, and has become a significant show in British popular culture. During its first 22 series, the programme received acclaim for its visual style and presentation as well as criticism for its content and often politically incorrect commentary made by its former presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May. Columnist A. A. Gill, close friend of Clarkson and fellow Sunday Times columnist, described the programme as "a triumph of the craft of programme making, of the minute, obsessive, musical masonry of editing, the French polishing of colourwashing and grading".

The show's relaunched format was originally hosted by Clarkson, Hammond and Jason Dawe with Andy Wilman as executive producer. Following the first series, Dawe was replaced by May, and the hosting line-up remained unchanged from 2003 until 25 March 2015, when Clarkson was informed by the BBC that his contract would not be renewed following an incident between him and a producer. Following Clarkson's departure, his co-hosts Richard Hammond and James May, announced, along with Andy Wilman, that they would not return to the show without him, instead working alongside Clarkson to produce a new motoring series that would later be known as The Grand Tour. Hosts for the 23rd series were Chris Evans, Matt LeBlanc, Rory Reid, Sabine Schmitz, Chris Harris and Eddie Jordan. Chris Evans resigned after the series 23 finale. The format also features an anonymous test driver known as "The Stig"; although part of the line-up, "The Stig" has been played by numerous racing drivers over the course of the series.

First-run episodes are broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Two and (from series 20) BBC Two HD. From series 14–19, before the launch of the dedicated BBC Two HD channel, new episodes were also simulcast on BBC HD. The series is also carried on cable television systems in the United States via BBC America, in Latin America via BBC Entertainment and in Europe and South-East Asia via BBC Knowledge.


Reference Desk

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TypeTitle
2010 BookThe Big Book of Top Gear 2010 by BBC Books


Article Index

DateArticleAuthor/Source
3 February 2011British Lawmakers: BBC Should Apologize for Mexico RemarksVOA Breaking News
4 February 2011BBC Apologizes for Anti-Mexican JokesVOA Breaking News
24 April 2012NASCAR Media ConferenceRichard Hammond
Jimmie Johnson
4 October 2012Top Gear Live is coming to the UK Matt Hubbard, Speedmonkey
26 October 2012Top Gear Live sets World Record with Double Loop-the-Loop! Matt Hubbard, Speedmonkey
28 January 2013Top Gear is back, which is good because... Matt Hubbard, Speedmonkey
20 February 2013Fox Hunters and CowboysBill Crittenden
11 May 2013Spotted! Ferrari 360 Spider (Replica) with Top Gear Stunt School stickers Matt Hubbard, Speedmonkey
13 May 2013New Mercedes S-Class - I prefer the one Clarkson designed Matt Hubbard, Speedmonkey
27 May 2013Getting Inside a Car Guy's HeadBill Crittenden
27 June 2013Top Gear's new Reasonably Priced Car is.... Matt Hubbard, Speedmonkey
2 July 2013Stop knocking Top Gear! Matt Hubbard, Speedmonkey
30 July 2013Top Gear this Sunday will feature F1 cars driving round Milton Keynes Matt Hubbard, Speedmonkey
14 October 2013Watch Top Gear Filming the McLaren P1 at Spa Matt Hubbard, Speedmonkey
14 November 2013Land's End to Lowestoft - Is It Possible To Beat Clarkson's Time? Matt Hubbard, Speedmonkey
14 January 2014Why I Want To Live In A Top Gear Special Matt Hubbard, Speedmonkey
22 March 2014Don't Take Jeremy Clarkson Too SeriouslyBill Crittenden
2 May 2014The Jeremy Clarkson N-word Controversy Matt Hubbard, Speedmonkey
11 September 2014Top Gear, Post-Clarkson?Bill Crittenden
3 October 2014El equipo de Top Gear abandona territorio argentino a raíz de un polémico incidente Wikinoticias
18 February 2015Top Gear S22E3 Comments (Homemade Ambulance Challenge)Bill Crittenden
11 March 2015BBC suspend presenter Jeremy Clarkson over 'fracas' with producerWikinews
28 March 2015Done With Jeremy ClarksonBill Crittenden
30 May 2015My One Hope for Top GearBill Crittenden
22 December 2015Eagle Eyes Launches Top Gear Branded High-Performance Driving GlassesEagle Eyes
16 March 2016Top Gear Sunglasses Available NowEagle Eyes Optics





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