22 Top Gear UK interesting Facts & Trivia you likely didn't know before : ( TG 2002-2015)
Top Gear is a British television series about motor vehicles, primarily cars, and the most widely watched factual television programme in the world. It began in 1977 as a conventional motoring magazine programme, but over time, and especially since a relaunch in 2002, it has developed a quirky, humorous and sometimes controversial style.
1. The Stig's Helmet
2.Jezza is 9 inches taller than Richard Hammond
3. Studio Location
It is located in Dunsfold Aerodome, in Waverley, Surrey. It was built by the Canadian Army and civilian contractors as a class A bomber airfield forArmy Co-operation Command. It was commanded by the Royal Canadian Air Forcefrom 1942–1944 and was known as Royal Canadian Air Force Station Dunsfold. Under RAF control it was RAF Dunsfold.
4. A plan to move the Studio site
In early 2006, BBC planned to move the film site from Dunsfold to Enstone in Oxfordshire. They had a plan to start filming eighth series ofTop Gear there. But the proposal was rejected by West Oxfordshire council due to noise and pollution concerns.
5. 22nd Series was broadcasted on 50 Countries simultaneously
6. Fifth Gear
It was basically a Relaunched Top Gear by Channel 5. (Top Gear was cancelled in 2001)
Channel 5 originally wanted to carry on using the Top Gear name, but the BBC refused. Several of Top Gear’s ex-presenters, including Quentin Willson, Tiff Needell, and Vicki Butler-Henderson, were hired by Channel 5 to present the series.
7. Richard Hammond's accident
Hammond was nearly killed during season 9 when a jet-powered dragster he was driving blew a tire and flipped over at 314 miles per hour (505 km/h) . He was in an induced coma for two-weeks, missed the rest of the season, he suffered trauma and phycological scars. But fortunately returned in 2007. Top Gear welcomed him back in style, with a circus-like extravaganza, but everyone agreed to avoid mentioning the crash thereafter. (That’s why this is a bit off-radar)
But you’ve probably heard the “Hammond can’t drive on a straight line” joke. And yes, it based on the accident.
8. Studio Recording Waiting List
By 2008, Top Gear had become so popular that the waiting list to get tickets for a recording included more than 300,000 names, or 21 years’ worth of episodes.
9. Jezza has a clean license
No speeding, no DUI, no Law breaking. Sounds interesting….
10. 40% of TG viewers are woman
11. Outstanding achievement
Top Gear has been crowned the world’s most widely watched factual TV programme in the new Guinness World Record 2013 Edition book.
12. Young Jeremy Clarkson
13. Young Richard Hammond
14. Young James May
15.Lotus helped design the Top Gear Test Track
16.The test track is 2.82 km long
17. Burma Special Trouble
In March 2014, Indian-born actress Somi Guha made a formal complaint to BBC for $1.8 million, for a racist term used after building a bridge over the Kok River in the Burma Special.
Here’s why :
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 that “slope” is a derogatory term for an Asian person.
In April, Top Gear’s executive producer Andy Wilman apologised for the racist remark.
18. Jason Dawe
He is Jason Dawe, who was replaced by James May in the 2nd Series of TG.
19. Top Gear Car Of The Year
20. The Stig Evolution
There have been 3 Stigs to date. The first was Perry McCarthy who wore all black and is known as The Black Stig. He appeared on the first 22 episodes of the re - launch in 2002.
The second Stig was Ben Collins, who is known as the original White Stig. He appeared on the show from 2003 until 2010. He was sacked from the programme in 2010 for revealing his identity in his autobiography.
The Stig was the brainchild of series producer Andy Wilman, who along with presenter Jeremy Clarkson, named him after the name given to ‘ new boys ‘ at their former college, Repton School in Derbyshire
21. Their influence on internet
Forget the Reith Lectures or David Attenborough’s latest wildlife epic. The most popular show on BBC was the Top Gear team’s geographically illiterate search for the source of the river Nile, with a staggering 3.4m requests.
22. One of Hamster's interesting story
“Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond abandoned his Porche after being caught up in traffic chaos caused by the floods and pulled on his running gear to race home 16 miles on foot in time for his daughter’s fourth birthday.
Hammond, 37, had been driving from London to Herefordshire when he got stuck in traffic caused by the flooding 16 miles from home.
After a 12-hour journey, the presenter abandoned his 911 Carrera in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, at around 3am on Saturday morning and ran home.”
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So why 22? Because that’s the number of Top Gear seasons/series ever made.
Comments
You really do learn something new every day.
but everyone loved them.
Holystig i miss this show… and at the end of series 22 i genuinely sad when there is only hammond and may
That goodbye though😢
I love them.
I didn’t know the one about Hammond being in a comma
The Stig knows two facts about ducks. Both are wrong.
This is a really great post! I enjoyed it and actually learned some stuff! +1
The Amazon Prime version is going to be soooo good though! I can’t hardly wait.
The Stig was originally going to be called ‘The Gimp’
Great effort fellow CT’zen 😎… I didn’t expect #9 though