Top Gear Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description

This article is about Top Gear, the television series. For the video game, see Top Gear (video game).

Top Gear is a long running BBC television series about carss, motorcycles and motorsport. Starting off as a fairly middle-of-the-road magazine show reviewing new car models and other car-related issues, such as road safety, it saw a massive boost in its audience in the early 1990s when it became a far more controversial, unashamedly petrolhead-oriented program, fronted by Jeremy Clarkson. The show was previously also co-presented by Quentin Willson, a former used car salesman, Tiff Needell, a keen racing driver, and Vicki Butler-Henderson, also a racing driver.

Despite enduring criticism that the show is overly macho, encourages irresponsible driving behaviour, and ignores the environment, under Clarkson's presentation it pulled in huge audiences. It has also become hugely influential with the motor manufacturers, since a critical word from the Top Gear team can spell disaster in the sales department. Every year since the early 90s the team have named and shamed the worst (and the best) of the year's new cars in the J.D Power Top 100 survey.

Top Gear has used the Allman Brothers Band song Jessica as its theme tune for many years, so much so that many viewers are unaware that the track exists as a separate entity from the show.

Since Clarkson left to pursue other aspects of his TV career, the show became more toned down once again, but still retaining something of its influence. The show's format has been widely imitated since the huge success of the mid 90s, for example by Channel 4's Driven show, and ITV's Pulling Power. In 2002, the show's presenters moved to Five with a virtually identical show called 5th Gear when the BBC decided to discontinue the show.

After a period of doing other programmes, Clarkson and producer Andy Wilman pitched a new format for Top Gear to the BBC, who consequently brought it back. The new format show, made at Dunsfold Park in Surrey involves a standing studio audience with whom the presenters interact and with whom Clarkson often good-naturedly argues. There is also a "chat show"-type segment where Jeremy talks to a different guest each week and the video of their on-track performance in a basic car is viewed.

The current presenters are Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May. As of May 2004, the new format show is in its fourth series.

Due to the good viewing figures of the new format show, it also seems to have been awarded an increased budget as there are several expensive experiments and trips into Europe and to America.

External links

• BBC Top Gear, The official BBC Top Gear website.
• Top Gear magazine The 'Top Gear magazine' website

This is an Article on Top Gear. Page Contains Information, Facts Details or Explanation Guide About Top Gear

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