Category: Top Gear

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Fifth Gear Top Gear

Ben Collins joins Fifth Gear

Ben Collins

Ben Collins has joined former Top Gear presenters Vicki-Butler Henderson and Tiff Needell at rival television program Fifth Gear.

Collins has been at a bit of a loose end since he outed himself and his Stig gig went belly up. He is now welcoming a new chance to perform “Stig-like” duties saying, “I’m delighted to be joining the Fifth Gear team.”

“I am looking forward to a new set of exciting challenges, apparently with and without the helmet,” he continued.

Series 18 of Fifth Gear will go to air later this year (later this week if twitter is to be believed) and The Artist Formerly Known As The Stig is expected to feature in at least five episodes.

Channel 5 exec, Steve Gowans, is excited too, “We’re delighted to have the Ben on board – it will be fascinating to see how he does in a head-to-head with Tiff and Jason [Plato] – the best drivers on TV.”

[Source: The Guardian | Pic: Tim Ireland/PA | Thanks to Richard for the tip]

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Top Gear Top Gear Australia

Top Gear Australia – Series 3 returns

Top Gear Australia cast, 2010

Top Gear Australia, Series 3—aka The Channel 9 version—makes its debut on Tuesday at 7:30pm. The new series kicks off with a 90 minute show dubbed “The Ashes Special” which will see the Aussies take on the Poms. Could the new series jump the shark in its very first episode?

Below is the text from the IceTV guide:

“Cricket passions transfer to automobiles when the Aussie Top Gear mavens, Shane Jacobson, Ewen Page and Steve Pizzati, go to England to take on the originals – Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond on their home turf. A bit like the cricket actually.”

Ewen Page also has a preview on the Top Gear website. Let’s hope its not as cringe worthy as it sounds.

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Top Gear

Jeremy Clarkson talks about the Ben Collins fallout

Jeremy Clarkson

As well all know Ben Collins was The Stig. The fallout from Collins’ decision to out himself has been massive. For one it’s cost him his job. But it also looks like it has cost him a few friendships, as well.

Jeremy Clarkson was interviewed by internet-only TV station WitneyTV. It’s a low budget community-based outfit covering news in the West Oxfordshire region of England. Now, though, they are reaching a worldwide audience.

Here’s a few quotes from the interview:

“It was a shock. It was horrible, actually. I liked him. He came around to my house, and had drinks, and all that time he was writing a book.”

“TopGear is damaged, but not out.”

“If you’re watching this children, greed is bad.”

“Put it this way, he’s history, as far as we’re concerned. He’s sacked.”

You can see a trailer for the interview after the break, or follow this link for the full interview (Episode #17, fast forward to the 27 minute mark).

[Thanks to Richard for the tip]

Continue reading “Jeremy Clarkson talks about the Ben Collins fallout”
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Lamborghini Top Gear

Raging bulls

Top Gear US - Lamborghnini preview

As you are probably aware the Top Gear franchise is heading Stateside. The History Channel bring us this preview clip of Adam, Tanner and Rutledge thrashing three Lamborghini supercars; the Gallardo, the Gallardo Balboni and the Murcielago Super Veloce. Even the Yanks couldn’t stuff this up, surely! The preview is all yours after the break. Make sure you turn your sound up to eleven.

Continue reading “Raging bulls”
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Top Gear

UK court says Ben Collins can tell the world he is The Stig

Ben Collins

The High Court in Britain today overruled the BBC’s bid to protect the identity of Top Gear test driver The Stig. Ben Collins has got his way, then, and his autobiography, titled The man in the white suit, can be released later this month as planned.

Speaking after the ruling a BBC spokesperson said, “The BBC brought this action as we believe it is vital to protect the character of the Stig which ultimately belongs to the licence fee payer.

“Today’s judgement does not prevent the BBC from pursuing this matter to trial and the BBC will not be deterred from protecting such information from attack no matter when or by whom it should arise.”

A brief news report from Sky News can be seen after the break.

[Source: Sky News]

UPDATE: Here is a link to a BBC report. Apparently James May is a bit perplexed by the news, “Obviously I’m now going to have to take some legal action of my own, because I have been the Stig for the past seven years, and I don’t know who this bloke is, who’s mincing around in the High Court pretending it’s him.”

Continue reading “UK court says Ben Collins can tell the world he is The Stig”
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Top Gear

Some say… The Stig has been sacked

The Stig

Following last week’s news confirming the Ben Collins is The Stig theory comes today’s revelation that Collins has been sacked by the BBC. Proving that the Beeb doesn’t muck around it’s also been reported that a new Stig has already been employed.

According to UK newspaper The Mirror a new man in white was seen working for Top Gear at the Nürburgring as recently as last Friday.

The whole story erupted on 19 August when it became apparent the man in white wanted to out himself in an autobiography to be published by HarperCollins. The book is due for release in mid September and the BBC is continuing to fight in the British courts to have the autobiography suppressed.

Speaking on the Top Gear website Executive Producer Andy Wilman said, “So on Monday there I was, dressed like somebody who works behind the till at NatWest, having to listen to people from HarperCollins telling me that they have the right to reveal who the Stig is.

“Well actually, that’s tosh. The whole point of the Stig is the mystique – the bizarre characteristics he has, the wonderment created about what he might think, feel, do or look like. Kids adore the conceit, and I believe adults, although they know it’s a man in a suit (or is it?), gladly buy into the whole conceit because they find it entertaining.”

[Source: Mirror.co.uk]

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Top Gear

Some say… The Stig is Ben Collins

Ben Collins

Media reports from around the globe are reviving old rumours that Ben Collins is The Stig. Speculation on the true identity of the famous Top Gear test driver was thrown into the spotlight last week when it was revealed the man inside the white race suit wanted to out himself, only to be silenced by BBC lawyers.

Now it would appear others have done the dirty work for him. Details from the financial records of Collins Autosport were published in The Sunday Times on the weekend and revealed a sharp boost in income back in 2003 for “driving services provided for the BBC, mainly in the Top Gear programme.”

The timing is in line with the Black Stig’s replacement, following the revelation that former F1 driver Perry McCarthy was the original Stig. McCarthy is understood to have been sacked by the BBC once he revealed his true identity in his autobiography Flat out, flat broke.

Rumours of Collins’ identity first emerged following Richard Hammond’s serious crash in September 2006 when he was named in the accident report.

A tradesman also shed light on the matter some time back after doing some work at Collins’ house and seeing The Stig’s driving suit and gloves hanging up inside the home in a display cabinet.

It has been reported The Stig earns up to AU$17,000 per episode for his services to Top Gear. However, the unconfirmed driver is believed to want a larger slice of the revenue derived by Stig merchandising sold by the BBC.

[Source: Telegraph | Pic: Collins Autosport | Thanks to Sean for the tip]

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Top Gear

Some say… he thinks lawyers are the devil incarnate

The Stig

Kids, sit down, I have something to tell you. Santa Claus isn’t real. The Easter Bunny? No, nope real, either. The Tooth Fairy is a fraud, too. You may not be surprised to learn, then, that some say The Stig is not real; that he is just a person like you and me.

And it turns out The Stig himself actually thinks this is the case as well. But the lawyers at the BBC are in denial. Massive denial. And it is understood the situation is fast approaching breakig point. You see The Stig, well, the person inside the The Stig, wants to write his autobiography. Naturally, he reckons he might snag a few book sales if he comes out and says, “Hey, you’ll never guess what. I am The Stig!”

I reckon he’d be right, too. But the BBC silks don’t think so. They’re threatening legal action and pointing out The Stig is contractually obliged to keep mum about his identity. Supposedly a handful of BBC execs and the three hosts—Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May—are the only people who know The Stig’s true identity. Although, there are some reasonably well accepted theories as to who he might be.

Some say the irony of an organisation with the initials B and C in it preventing The Stig from revealing his true identity is a bit cute.

[Source: Daily Mail]

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Top Gear

Top Gear, Season 16 – due to start in early 2011

Top Gear cast

UPDATE 2 January 2011: Season 16 is scheduled to start on 23 January [more…].

—

Fans of Top Gear will have to wait until early next year for Series 16 to go to air. The news was published in the above snippet taken from the UK version of Top Gear magazine (September 2010 issue).

Traditionally, a series of Top Gear airs on British TV screens in the third quarter of each year. We can only speculate as to why Season 16 has been pushed back, but hopefully the lads will be back in January.

So far, then, we’ve only had seven episodes of Top Gear to tide us over in 2010; the final ep from Season 14 and the recently completed Season 15. There’s not been such a barren spell since 2006, which was the year Richard Hammond had his high speed accident. Apart from that that exception Top Gear have historically produced 13 or more episodes per year.

There is also a small rumour suggesting there could be a Top Gear Christmas Special, possibly even two, broadcast later this year.

[Source: FinalGear]

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Bugatti Top Gear

Veyron Super Sport sets new Top Gear track record

Bugatti Veyron Super Sport

The 1200bhp Bugatti Veyron Super Sport recently set a new world record for the fastest production car ever made. The average top speed recorded during the record run was an astounding 431km/h. But what is it like around the Top Gear track? Watch the clip from episode 15×05 below and see just how the Super Sport claimed another prized record; it now sits atop the Top Gear Power Lap board.

James May also returned to the driver’s seat of the Veyron to experience the “Bloody Nora” speeds all for himself.

Continue reading “Veyron Super Sport sets new Top Gear track record”
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Kia Top Gear

Cruise and Diaz to appear in Top Gear 15×05

Tom Cruise & Cameron Diaz

Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz will appear in the next episode of Top Gear. They will be the guests at the wheel of the Kia Cee’d in the “Star in a reasonably priced car” segment.

The news has just been revealed by Richard Porter on TopGear.com. Porter explains, “Back in 2002 when we were planning New TopGear, we used to reflect on the newly minted idea of a star in a Reasonably Priced Car and cackle quietly to ourselves.

“‘Tom Cruise!’ we would smirk. ‘Tom Cruise in a crappy Korean hatchback!’

“That was the gag: massive A-list celebrities finding themselves shoehorned into the kind of car they’d normally never be seen dead in. The whole thing was deliberately preposterous.”

Episode 5 of Season 15 is shaping up as cracker with an Ayrton Senna tribute scheduled, as well as James May nearing 400km/h in a Bugatti Veyron Super Sport.

[Source: TopGear.com | Pic: imdb.com]

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Kia Top Gear

Top cee’d

Kia cee'd

If you haven’t caught up with the news the Kia cee’d is Top Gear‘s new Reasonably Priced Car. This fact was revealed overnight when episode 15×01 went to air on BBC2. Understandably the top brass at Kia UK are making some noise.

Stephen Kitson, Kia Motors UK spokesman said, “The last time Top Gear paid us any attention I think they tried to build one of our cars out of washing machines – so this is quite a step forward in their understanding of just how Kia has changed over the last six years.”

To see the cee-apostrophe-d in action on Top Gear you’ll need to scour the resources on the interwebz or just wait for Channel Nine to pull their fingers out.

Does this mean an end to those bloody annoying Todd Woodbridge ads is nigh?

Continue reading “Top cee’d”