Tag: James May

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News Top Gear

Clarkson, Hammond and May to Netflix?

Clarkson, Hammond and May to Netflix

The rumours have been around for a while, but it now appears certain former Top Gear presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May will front a new motoring program on the online streaming network Netflix.

According to reports the hosts have had a number of possible options to consider, including UK broadcasters ITV. With a deal now “very close” to being agreed with Netflix it seems we can expect an official announcement soon.

Word also suggests the on-air trio will be joined by former Top Gear exexcutive producer Andy Wilman.

Meanwhile the final episode of Top Gear featuring the regular trio will go to air in the UK on Sunday. It’s expected the final episode will break all viewing records for the BBC. A short trailer can be seen below.

[Source: Business Insider Australia | Thanks to Wes for the tip]

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News Top Gear

Top Gear captured filming in Australia

Top Gear spotted filming in Australia

Finally, Top Gear has come to Australia to film a segment. At least that’s the conclusion to draw after Jeremy, James and Richard were spotted in the Northern Territory town of Katherine last week.

Presumably in the top end to take advantage of reintroduced and extended desrestricted roads, Clarkson was at the wheen of a BMW M6 Grand Coupe, Hammond had a Bentley Continental GT and May had to make do with a troublesome Nissan GT-R.

There’s also been sightings of a drag race at an airstrip in Batchelor, south of Darwin, and it’s understood the cast and crew are heading to Perth. A Darwin–Perth race perhaps?

Presumably the segment being filmed will feature in the upcoming Series 22 and if you’d like to see what else you can expect when the new series airs in early 2015 just take a peak after the jump.

[Pic: Emily Worrall | Thanks to Tiaan for the tip]

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Top Gear

Top Gear Season 21 returns on 2 February

Top Gear, Season 21

Season 21 of Top Gear returns to BBC2 on Sunday 2 February

It should be no surprise that Jeremy didn’t really know the exact date of Top Gear’s return to UK TV screens, but now we know it’ll be back in juts under two weeks.

To preview the next exciting series of Top Gear the BBC has released three new previews to its YouTube channel. There’s one clip each for Jeremy, James and Richard and we can see we’ll be learning a lot about trucks, servicing and lollies. What joy!

[Source: Final Gear]

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Top Gear

Top Gear Series 20 in review

James May, Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond

Top Gear Series 20 finished up a couple of weeks ago. As usual, in amongst the arsing about there was some quality material to entertain revheads around the globe. The lads have dropped in with this video to share their highlights along with the promise of there being more to come.

It doesn’t seem all that long ago that we speculated Top Gear wouldn’t make it past Series 20.

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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.

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Carmageddon News Top Gear

Top Gear – Series 13 (now with budget cuts)

Top Gear - Series 13

Internet speculation suggests the next series of Top Gear will return in March June 2009. What is not speculative, though, is news that Series 13 will be produced for less coin due to BBC budget cuts.

Speaking on his blog, Executive Producer Andy Wilman said, “next year we’re getting a budget cut. No point in moaning about that—all shows are suffering and nobody’s got a pot to piss in anymore anyway, so no reason why we shouldn’t suffer as well.”

“Our problem though is that there is no fat to trim off the show, in that we waste almost nothing behind the scenes and the old cliché of every penny goes on screen is actually true.

“So in 2009 the budget cut has to affect what you watch,” explains Wilman.

The cuts are estimated to be around thirty per cent, which would bring the costs down to around £140,000 per episode, based on current estimates. Perhaps they could start with trimming some fat off Jeremy Clarkson’s salary, believed to be in excess of £4M per year.

[Source: TopGear.com, Telegraph.co.uk and CarAdvice]

UPDATE 17 April: Top Gear, Series 13, will return on 21 June. [Source: finalgear.com]

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Top Gear

Top Gear – Series 12, Episode 6

Top Gear - Series 12, Episode 6

It is often said many car fans live their dreams through the exploits of the Top Gear crew. Well, maybe it’s not said that often. Nevertheless, it is true. I think. Aside from that, Jeremy Clarkson lived one of my dreams in the most recent episode of Top Gear. Driving through a shopping mall. Ever since seeing the Blues Brothers this has been a dream of mine. It would just be so much fun. And I do concur with Jeremy, a new Ford Fiesta would be a much better car for the task than a big oafy Corvette.

Elsewhere in the show Hammond drove a Caterham R500 Superlight and a Veritas RS III around the Top Gear test track. In doing so, he proved that some things are best kept simple. Even though the Veritas isn’t exactly an over complicated beast, it’s no Caterham. The light weight British meccano set with gilt-edged pedigree may not look so great, but it is devastatingly effective around a track.

Jeremy and James tried to find a good communist car. They thought they found one in the Lada Niva, but sanity prevailed.

Speaking of which, I wonder if it will prevail with Boris Johnson? The Mayor of London was the guest and he proved that a political satirist can actually make it into office. I’ve no idea about his politics, or his effectiveness, but he’s mad as a cut snake and, clearly, doesn’t take himself too seriously. I like that.

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News Top Gear

Top Gear UK does 60 Minutes down under

Last weekend’s 60 Minutes program on Channel 9 included a segment with the Top Gear UK lads. They discuss the television show, the stage show and some of the more infamous incidents—including Richard’s crash and the American episode. Here it is for your enjoyment.

Those who remember the Gin and Tonic furore can see the offending footage in this clip at around 6:23.

(Thanks to Tim for the link.)

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Top Gear

Top Gear – Series 12, Episode 3

Top Gear - Series 12, Episode 3

A bit of a meat and veg episode of Top Gear this week. Not particularly outstanding, but thoroughly enjoyable all the same. The James May/Mika Hakkinen segment was the highlight for me. Getting an insight into Finnish driving culture was quite interesting—some tips for Australian authorities there, no doubt. Top Gear is often described as a dream job and James May has now had personal tuition from Sir Jackie Stewart and Mika Hakkinen. Nice work, if you can get it.

Richard introduced us to Toyota’s i-REAL. A funky wheelchair-like contraption. Not sure if it will take over the world like Toyota reckon, but we’ll see.

The news segments in Series 12 have really picked up and, even if scripted more than it may look, they are running along very smoothly with great interaction and humour between the cast. Mark Wahlberg was the guest, a bit cheeky, and very aggressive on the track.

Then, the challenge, a homemade Evo. The guys had to take an unknown donor car and try to make it as quick as an Evo X around the test track (1:28.2). The car? A Renault Avantime. A curious thing. Odd, it has to be said, but with a 3.0 V6 maybe it had the legs?

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Top Gear

Top Gear – Series 12 returns 2 November

TopGear logoA short and quick post to let you all know Top Gear UK will return to Britain’s screens in just a few weeks, with Series 12 starting on 2 November. I have an inkling their recent Vietnam expedition may end up as a stand alone episode, but we shall see.

Source: TopGear.com

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Top Gear

Exclusive: Top Gear enlists for Tour of Duty

Top Gear in Vietnam

*updated—15 December* Confirmed by Jeremy Clarkson at the end of Episode 7 last Sunday, the Vietnam Special will go to air in the UK on Sunday 28 December.

*updated—12 October* Pics of the Top Gear team filming in Vietnam have now surfaced on Facebook. There’s a few more included below, or follow the link from Gaz in the comments section for more [Edit: The Facebook album is no longer accessible]… Extra pics have been removed at the request of the original photographer. For all the latest on this episode, keep an eye on the FinalGear forums.

Series 12 of Top Gear (UK) is expected air on UK screens in November, so it was with great anticipation I heard some interesting news about what to expect in the new series. As this article is being written the Top Gear crew are in Vietnam preparing to film their next in-country challenge. Firm details are sketchy, but it is expected that Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May will be using motorbikes, instead of cars, taking a route from Ho Chi Minh City in the south before finishing up in Hanoi in north, with a visit to the World Heritage site of Halong Bay along the way.

Top Gear is developing quite a body of work for its in-country challenges, with the United States, Botswana and Japan just some of the locations the lads have tackled. No doubt this Vietnam Special, with the potential of seeing the three hosts riding motorbikes, will provide great entertainment. I understand there’s a very interesting powered watercraft waiting for the guys, which is bound to see one of them taking a swan dive.

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Top Gear

Top Gear – Series 11, Episode 6

The final episode of Series 11 already! Yes, I’m afraid that’s it for a few more months. The show kicked off with James May testing a couple of Japanese oddities from well known manufacturer Mitsuoka. Hmm, fair enough. Richard Hammond took us down “Hardcore Street” behind the wheel of the Gumpert Apollo S. A car which proves to be as effective as it is, well, ugly. How effective? You’ll need to check the video above to find out. Jay Kay made his long awaited reappearance on the show to see if he could knock off Simon Cowell’s lap time in the Star in a Reasonably Priced Car segment. He did. Predictably, by 0.1 second. All looked a bit of a setup, so much so that the producers must have asked Jay Kay to see if he could act a bigger wanker than Cowell as well. Which is a shame, as Jay Kay was pretty good value when he first appeared on Top Gear all those years ago. He has a bloody nice car collection, so we’ll forgive him!

Top Gear v DMotor

The show closed out with classic shoot out between the Top Gear crew against Germany’s DMotor crew, featuring Sabine Schmitz and Tim Schrick. The usual “don’t mention the war” banter followed and, of course, Top Gear won the day. Although, one suspects when the film airs on DMotor that there may be a different result, haha. It was all pretty good fun really with the highlight being Jeremy and Sabine lapping the Zolder circuit in a couple of MINI Cooper Ss and Tim Schrick and The Stig duelling in a race going Porsche and an Aston Martin DBRS9.

Top Gear should be back in October with 8 episodes to close out the year. Fifth Gear will return to UK screens on 11 August.