5 Fun Facts About Top Gear

Fun Facts About Top Gear

 

1. Top Gear is watched in over 100 countries and has a global audience of 350 million. It has also made it into the Guinness Book of Records as the most watched factual television program ... in the world.

 

Yes, it even beat out Top Deer, a reality show where Rudolph gets parachuted into a lion enclosure to find out if Santa will rescue him before he gets torn to shreds and eaten.

 

Not going to spoil the ending of the show for you, but it seems either Santa doesn't actually exist, or he just doesn't like Rudolph very much.

 

2. Top Gear is filmed in an old aircraft hanger at Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey, England.

 

One of the primary reasons the producers chose this location was its close proximity to several dozen restaurants and take-aways, which guaranteed a prompt and ultra-quick food delivery service.

 

The show also uses a temporary racing circuit which, as far fetched as it seems, was not based on a 5-year-old's drawing of a spaceship. It was, in fact, designed by Lotus.

 

3. When the show was re-launched in 2002, a tame-racing-driver known as The Stig was introduced.

 

The names of two former Stigs are known, Ben Collins and Perry McCarthy, however, speculation has it that there was more than one Stig during their time on the show.

 

Even Michael Schumacher was revealed to be the Stig on one show.

 

The identity of the current Stig is unknown. But, on his second day of filming, the current Stig spent 17 hours trying to revive three hedgehogs after hitting them with a rocket propelled milk float at 260 mph.

 

It was later pointed out to him that it's near impossible to give a hedgehog mouth-to-mouth resuscitation through a helmet. And that it wasn't the milk float that killed them, it was the Ping-Pong match, spicy curry, and 38 pints of lager the day before.

 

4. As well as all the stunts, pranks, and mostly messing around, the Top Gear team actually test drive cars.

 

For example: Jeremy Clarkson tested a lime green Ford Fiesta in a series of real life tests. It consisted of stunts, pranks, and mostly messing around (he was chased through a shopping mall by baddies and helped the Royal Marines with a beach assault).

 

For the final stunt, I mean "real life" test, they completely waterproofed the Fiesta.

 

When Ford of China saw the show, they began using the Ford Fiesta's waterproofing as a selling point. That was, until Ford of Europe, the party-poopers, took them out for a romantic meal and midnight dance under the stars to break the news gently that Top Gear wasn't a completely factual show.

 

"But, what do you mean?" said Ford of China. "It's in the Guinness Book of Records.

 

5. When Top Gear first aired back in 1977 it was hosted by Noel Edmunds, who later went on to have a successful career opening boxes for stupid people on Deal or No Deal (How is that show still going?

 

Seriously?

 

Do you have a strategy on how you will open the boxes? Err, well randomly. It doesn't actually matter).

 

After its revival, Top Gear was hosted by a trio of Misfits of Science (loved that film, by the way), Jeremy-Don't-Be-Late-With-My-Dinner-Clarkson, James-I-Can-Bore-The-FunStick-Off-A-Donkey-May, and Richard-I-Love-The-Smell-Of-A-Hamster-In-The-Morning-Hammond.

 

After a "fracas" between Jeremy Clarkson and a producer melted social media and news broadcasters, Clarkson was suspended, along with Top Gear.

 

After much soul searching, the BBC decided not to renew Jeremy Clarkson's contract. They obviously though the other two, May and Hammond, would continue. What they didn't count on, was the amount of money Amazon Prime would offer the three of them to make a motoring show for the online broadcaster.

 

Quick Facts About Top Gear

1. The Top Gear Presenters don't actually get any free cars. You'd think they would, but nope. BBC rules prohibit them from receiving gifts of such nature. They have to go buy their own cars from dealers, much like the rest of us mere mortals.

 

2. Jeremey Clarkson, even though he loves speed, in a car, not up his nose, doesn't have any points on his driving licence.

 

3. Up until the demise of the popular show, before the less popular one is transmitted with Chris Evans as presenter, Top Gear was so popular it had a two year waiting list to become part of the audience.

 

4. Top Gear is so popular, and the theme tune so recognisable, 78% of their audience couldn't tell you either the name of the tune or who it was by. Well, it's "Jessica" by The Allman Brothers.

 

5. What the presenters say about a car can actually matter. After Jeremy Clarkson reviewed the Ford Ka, sales took a nose dose. He said it "looked like a frog".

 

6. In contrast, after Top Gear broadcast their DB9 vs Public Transport, Aston Martin said they had taken a whole year's worth of orders in just a few days.

 

7. The Citroen Berlingo apparently also got a huge boost in sales thanks to the praise of Jeremy Clarkson and his fellow presenters.

 

8. Top Gear might be broadcast in over a hundred countries around the world, but it isn't broadcast in Mexico. The show was banned from the country a few years ago after, let's just say, some very risky and close to the bone comments were broadcast on the show.