Hello CT. My name is Richard Porter and I was the script editor on Top Gear. Ask me anything.
After working on the show for 13 years, 22 series and 175 programmes, there’s quite a lot I can tell you about Top Gear. I know whose idea it was to get a dog, I was there when we got threatened by drug barons in Bolivia, I can give you the real story of that Porsche number plate.
After working on the show for 13 years, 22 series and 175 programmes, there’s quite a lot I can tell you about Top Gear. I know whose idea it was to get a dog, I was there when we got threatened by drug barons in Bolivia, I can give you the real story of that Porsche number plate. I’ve put all these things in my new book, but you can ask me about them anyway. Or something else. Up to you. I’m here all night. Try the soup in a basket.
Comments
Will you fit in my Honda?
I don’t know. How big is your Honda?
How did the BBC convince all these landowners to allow a handful of people to drive over, sometimes absolutely destroying, their property and land?
Asked nicely. Also, if you’re a landowner you can do what you want with your land, usually.
Hi Richard, How do you get permission to do all of the stuff? like racing the corvette in the shopping centre and the formula one cars driving on the road.
Mostly by asking nicely. We had the best, most dedicated team in TV and they would not quit until they’d got what we wanted. The Corvette shopping centre was relatively easy. The problem came afterwards when the owners saw all the tyre marks on the floor.
Are the guys friends of camera? Like, do they grab a beer together after shooting, visit eachother occasionally?
Also, if you start working for their new Amazon show, get them to come film more in Norway ;)
Perhaps a bit at the Gatebil festival? (Google it, its big)
Are You going to Amazon with the old trio?
Who was the craziest star in the reasonably priced car to work with?
Did the trio really build a bridge over a river called “kok” and was it actually an accident that they built it over that river instead of the one they intended?
Did the trio actually have a part in making the contraptions in topgear challenges ? Like the limousines?
Yea, they got involved to some degree but it depending on what it was and how much time we had. They were always the ones who came up with the ideas. Richard was great at that because he can draw, so he’d sketch out these plans for his vision of a Land Rover motorhome or whatever.
How much travelling did you do? Favorite country to visit and film in?
A bit, but not as much as some. Lots of countries very nice. The only one I don’t have a great fondness for is Bolivia. It seemed like everything there was trying to kill you.
Why did the cool wall never make a return? You know…after Fifth Gear burnt it…
The films got longer and that squeezed on studio time, hence the Cool Wall shuffled off. That said, we were going to do it at the end of series 22. I hated the Cool Wall. I’ve explained why in my book. Do you like the subtle plug there?