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Top Gear

Happy as a Stig in mud

Stig farm

Following the Ben Collins fallout Top Gear are keen to promote the “discovery” of a new Stig farm as reported by The Sun. Apparently der neue Stig is due to be revealed next week when the latest Top Gear Live tour kicks off in London.

A BBC source has said, “Fans don’t know there is a secret farm where we breed lots of different Stigs. We’ve found just the one.”

It still hasn’t been confirmed if Stiggy in the middle will return to the Top Gear television show, but, it’s probably a good money bet to say he/she/it will. I guess we’ll know that when Season 16 starts early next year.

[Source: The Sun]

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Top Gear

Top Gear movie – Around the world in 80 cars?

Top Gear world tour

As most readers will know Top Gear recently embarked on its latest world tour with their Live show. But, if the Mail Online is to be believed Top Gear will soon be setting off another global challenge. This time, though, it won’t be broadcast on your television screens. No, apparently, Top Gear have plans to make a full length feature film. The flick has already been anointed with the working title of “Around the world in 80 cars”.

The premise of the movie challenge will see Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May circumnavigate the globe in the cheapest and most unreliable cars available.

A Top Gear source has been quoted as saying, “Jeremy and the boys have become increasingly involved in outrageous stunts – but this will be their toughest. Driving around the world in different clapped-out cars will be no mean feat and should make the perfect road movie.”

In a move sure to raise the ire of recent critic Jeremy Bass, the source continued, “A feature-length film of the boys’ adventures is something that can be released in cinemas all over the world. It will also be a guaranteed big-seller on DVD when it is released, and that is a growing market.”

Given Jeremy Clarkson’s role in Love the beast, one wonders if the Top Gear leading man was inspired by Eric Bana’s foray into feature length car movie making.

Whether this rumour proves true or not may be another thing altogether. Filming a movie-length challenge that takes in numerous continents will place huge time demands on the stars and crew. Can they find the time? And, more importantly, can they make it work?

UPDATE 11 January: It appears as though the Top Gear movie plans may have been the fantasy of a Daily Mail reporter. At least, that’s what the chaps at Final Gear are speculating. The link below is now dead, so it may be safe to assume the worldwide special plans are now bunk.

[Source: Mail Online]

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Top Gear

On that bombshell

Top Gear LIVE in Sydney 5-8 February

A quick reminder that Top Gear LIVE makes it Australian premiere this Thursday. Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond will be headlining the show. Its a bit of a shame that James May can’t make it, though.

The Australian season runs from 5-8 February, with all shows taking place at Sydney’s Acer Arena. Also, another reminder that the news conference with Jeremy and Richard discussing their world tour, posted back in November is still online, click here if you’d like to watch it.

There’s a bit of banter about the show on TopGear.com as well.

I’ll be there (thanks Mum), maybe I’ll see you there too.

Categories
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.