About
Top Gear is a BBC education television series about auto vehicles, most commonly cars, and is the most widely watched factual television programme in the world. The show is currently presented by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May, and has featured at least three different anonymous test drivers all known as The Stig. The programme has received acclaim for its visual style and presentation, and criticism for its content and often politically incorrect commentary made by its presenters.
Cool Wall
The Cool Wall, introduced in the sixth episode of series one, is a wall on which Clarkson and Hammond decide which cars are cool and which are not by placing photographs of them on to various sections of the wall. The categories are, from left to right; “Seriously Uncool”, “Uncool”, “Cool”, and “Sub Zero”. According to Jeremy, an important part of each car’s coolness factor rested on the extent to which he believed they would impress the actress Kristin Scott Thomas.
Star ia a Reasonably-Priced Car
Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car is a segment of Top Gear, where presenter Jeremy Clarkson interviews a celebrity and then shows a clip of their attempt to drive round the Top Gear track, filmed earlier. They are then put on to a board. There have been four reasonably-priced-cars: a Suzuki Liana, Chevrolet Lacetti, Kia Cee’d, and a Vauxhall Astra.
History
Top Gear was first aired in 1977 and been cancelled and revive multiple time until, it’s finally revive in 2002 with a new host Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and Jason Dawe (which is later replaced with James May) with a mysterious test driver named The Stig. The new series added a new features to the show such as: “Star in a Reasonably Priced Car”, “The Cool Wall”, “The News”, “Power Laps”, and other wacky challenges.
Richard Hammond’s Accident
In September 2006, one the host (Richard Hammond) was seriously injured after driving a turbojet named “Vampire”. The show was postponed until Richard had finally recovered. Richard Hammond was driving at 288mph when a tyre burst. The dragster then skidded and flipped over. Hammond had to be cut free from the wreckage.
Somi Guha’s Lawsuit
In March 2014, Indian-born actress Somi Guha filed a lawsuit against the BBC for $1.8 million, for a racist term used after building a bridge over the Kok River in the Burma Special. Upon its completion, Clarkson said, “That’s a proud moment, but there’s a slope on it”, and Richard Hammond added, “Yeah, right. It’s definitely higher on that side”. This led to complaints as it is a derogatory term for an Asian person. In April, Top Gear’s executive producer Andy Wilman apologised for the racist remark.
Reception
Criticisms
Top Gear has been criticized for its racist comments, homophobic jokes, environment issues, and promoting irresponsible driving.
Awards and Impact
Top Gear had spawned a Reddit page, two different Wiki pages, and a YouTube channel. The show has also won an Emmy, multiple BAFTAs as well as other awards and nominations for these awards in other years. Its popularity has spawned localised versions of the show in countries such as Australia, Russia, and the US.
Notable Example
