0:00:20 > 0:00:24Hello, I'm John Bishop, and this is a caravan.
0:00:28 > 0:00:30Welcome to Top Gear: From A To Z.
0:00:32 > 0:00:36Once upon a time, Top Gear was a bit...dull?
0:00:36 > 0:00:41Doors very wide, 70% of the passenger compartment...
0:00:41 > 0:00:44Then, in 2002...
0:00:45 > 0:00:47..all that changed.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50A new team rolled onto the set, doing 120,
0:00:50 > 0:00:53and Top Gear became something else entirely.
0:00:53 > 0:00:54Whoa-oh-oh!
0:00:56 > 0:00:58120.
0:00:58 > 0:00:59Into fourth.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01A car show that refused to be a car show.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04I can just see sky, sea, sky, sea!
0:01:06 > 0:01:10A BBC success story that never felt...well, very BBC.
0:01:10 > 0:01:14If anybody has an objection to what we're doing here, do, please,
0:01:14 > 0:01:17feel free to keep that objection to yourself.
0:01:17 > 0:01:22This is the definitive guide to that Clarkson, Hammond and May era,
0:01:22 > 0:01:26an era defined by moments of soaring ambition,
0:01:26 > 0:01:28ludicrous risks...
0:01:28 > 0:01:29I am now terrified.
0:01:29 > 0:01:30Ugh.
0:01:30 > 0:01:32..and utter, utter silliness.
0:01:32 > 0:01:36James and Richard think it's all over. And they're right!
0:01:37 > 0:01:4013 years that pushed the boundaries to the limits
0:01:40 > 0:01:42and quite a long way beyond.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45Car shows would never be boring again.
0:01:45 > 0:01:46We are away!
0:01:47 > 0:01:51Over the next 26 letters, we're going to look at what it was
0:01:51 > 0:01:53that made Top Gear so extraordinary.
0:01:53 > 0:01:57Let's start with a little reminder because A is for...
0:02:03 > 0:02:04I am an alien!
0:02:05 > 0:02:07I am a driving doll!
0:02:07 > 0:02:09HE LAUGHS
0:02:09 > 0:02:11What is Top Gear? What IS Top Gear?
0:02:14 > 0:02:16Top Gear - entertainment show.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22A bizarre telly phenomena.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24Oh, God!
0:02:24 > 0:02:27You can't describe Top Gear in three words.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33Big. Bad. Bawling.
0:02:33 > 0:02:35I wasn't expecting that.
0:02:35 > 0:02:36Schoolboy stupid?
0:02:36 > 0:02:38This is bloody brilliant!
0:02:40 > 0:02:41Infuriating.
0:02:41 > 0:02:43- We welcome homosexual couples. - Yeah.- We do.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46- We particularly like the lesbian sort.- Oh, God!
0:02:46 > 0:02:47AUDIENCE LAUGHS
0:02:47 > 0:02:49Shocking!
0:02:50 > 0:02:52SNIPER FIRE
0:02:52 > 0:02:53Pure entertainment.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56Controversial.
0:02:56 > 0:02:58Guess what, you're in a hick town, man.
0:02:58 > 0:02:59We're going to die now.
0:02:59 > 0:03:00Experimental.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04A fun, wild ride.
0:03:05 > 0:03:06BLEEP!
0:03:06 > 0:03:08Informative?
0:03:08 > 0:03:10There is still room in the boot
0:03:10 > 0:03:11for a zebra's head.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14Informed a bit. Educated ever so slightly.
0:03:14 > 0:03:16But really entertained.
0:03:18 > 0:03:20I am king of the forest.
0:03:20 > 0:03:22HE LAUGHS
0:03:22 > 0:03:23This is fast.
0:03:26 > 0:03:28Why don't all cars have no doors?
0:03:37 > 0:03:40The thing about the world's most popular car show
0:03:40 > 0:03:42is that it wasn't really about cars at all.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45It was about three mates having a laugh, and enjoying the time
0:03:45 > 0:03:49of their lives, mucking about on a grand scale and getting away with it.
0:03:49 > 0:03:51The team had a very simple mantra -
0:03:51 > 0:03:54it had to be big, it had to be stupid,
0:03:54 > 0:03:56it had to be almost impossible.
0:03:56 > 0:03:58Ambitious but rubbish.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03Right, chaps, we've got to get that...
0:04:03 > 0:04:06to jump further than him
0:04:06 > 0:04:12in the Top Gear Winter Olympics Ski Slash Car Jumping Champio.
0:04:24 > 0:04:25LAUGHTER
0:04:25 > 0:04:26The wall's going to be needed!
0:04:28 > 0:04:31HUGE LAUGHTER
0:04:31 > 0:04:32We were a bit short.
0:04:32 > 0:04:36I think we probably lie to ourselves and say it's about the cars,
0:04:36 > 0:04:40but, really, it's just about three fun people cocking around.
0:04:40 > 0:04:42HAMMOND SCREAMS
0:04:42 > 0:04:45- Yes!- We're still here!
0:04:45 > 0:04:48It worked! It worked! It worked!
0:04:48 > 0:04:52- We went down a weir! - And we're alive!- What a machine!
0:04:52 > 0:04:55It's the things that kids would love to do,
0:04:55 > 0:04:59but they know that it's far too dangerous to even think about it.
0:04:59 > 0:05:04And it's things that adults think it's just so crazy that...
0:05:04 > 0:05:07I'd love to watch somebody try and do it.
0:05:07 > 0:05:09Do you want to just shoot from in here?
0:05:09 > 0:05:11Would that be more comfortable?
0:05:11 > 0:05:12GUNFIRE
0:05:12 > 0:05:15They've just got the job we all dream for
0:05:15 > 0:05:19when everyone else is, you know, stuck doing a 9-5 job,
0:05:19 > 0:05:22they've just been given a budget to just go and mess around.
0:05:28 > 0:05:29What you're witnessing here, viewers,
0:05:29 > 0:05:33is the maiden voyage of the world's first caravan airship.
0:05:33 > 0:05:38Everybody wins. Driving is more fun, caravanning is more exciting.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41I think, you know, the best British stuff
0:05:41 > 0:05:44includes a very healthy
0:05:44 > 0:05:47sense of, um... being able to laugh at yourself.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49Being able to accept...
0:05:50 > 0:05:52..er, failure.
0:05:52 > 0:05:53It's going down.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56No!
0:05:56 > 0:05:57SCRAPING
0:05:58 > 0:06:00Mayday!
0:06:01 > 0:06:04Oh, bloody hell, stop!
0:06:04 > 0:06:06Stop! Stop!
0:06:06 > 0:06:09So, in order for those real high peak moments,
0:06:09 > 0:06:12we have to spend a lot of time...
0:06:12 > 0:06:14in the terrible troughs.
0:06:14 > 0:06:18And, so, I think this is a show that kind of celebrates those troughs.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22In 2007, they almost overreached themselves.
0:06:22 > 0:06:23The task was simple.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26Take three celebrities to the Brit Awards
0:06:26 > 0:06:27in chauffeur-driven limousines.
0:06:27 > 0:06:32But what do you do if all the limos in town are booked? Simple.
0:06:32 > 0:06:36You make your own and you stretch them to breaking point.
0:06:36 > 0:06:37Oh, my God.
0:06:38 > 0:06:40Hello.
0:06:40 > 0:06:45- Mr Lemar?- Yes.- My name's May, I'm your chauffeur for the day.- OK.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48The question I get asked mostly, wherever I go,
0:06:48 > 0:06:52more than songs, more than music, more than anything,
0:06:52 > 0:06:55is was it true what happened to me on Top Gear?
0:06:55 > 0:06:58Um, this is your car.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02- Oh, my God! - SHE LAUGHS
0:07:02 > 0:07:05This is your luxury limousine transportation.
0:07:05 > 0:07:06It's not what I had in mind.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09I saw the limo, and I thought...
0:07:09 > 0:07:13is this...is this what it is?
0:07:15 > 0:07:20I thought, OK, prepare yourself, you know, for what is about to happen.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22- HORN BLARES - Oh.
0:07:22 > 0:07:24Why's it doing that?
0:07:24 > 0:07:25HORN BLARING CONTINUES
0:07:25 > 0:07:28- This is the intercom.- Yes. - You press that button
0:07:28 > 0:07:30if you want to talk to me. If it starts to rain,
0:07:30 > 0:07:32don't press it, because you'll get electrocuted.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38- Are you comfortable?- No.
0:07:38 > 0:07:40BLARING CONTINUES
0:07:40 > 0:07:42'I just remember so many people'
0:07:42 > 0:07:45with cameras, like, "Ah, what's going on here with this fancy...?"
0:07:45 > 0:07:47I'm not sure if you can call it a car.
0:07:47 > 0:07:52It was a cut and shut, really. It was two cars welded together.
0:07:52 > 0:07:54MUSIC: Theme From Taxi by Bob James
0:07:54 > 0:07:58The reason this car will go around these very small corners is
0:07:58 > 0:08:00because you can steer it from both ends, but I'm afraid
0:08:00 > 0:08:02I'll have to ask you to sit in the Alfa Romeo and steer.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05I just thought what...has gone on?
0:08:05 > 0:08:08- Turn left.- Right. Left?
0:08:08 > 0:08:10Yes, your left.
0:08:10 > 0:08:11- My left?- Yep.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13HE GROANS
0:08:13 > 0:08:16That's it. That's perfect, you see? Straight around a very tight bend.
0:08:16 > 0:08:17You see, now, a normal limousine
0:08:17 > 0:08:20wouldn't go around like that, would it?
0:08:20 > 0:08:22Sorry about the fan thing, trying to chat you up there.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25- That was a bit awkward for you, I'm sure, but...- I can't hear you.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27- Ooh! - CRUNCHING AND THUDDING
0:08:27 > 0:08:30- You're crushing it.- There's nothing wrong with it. Shush.
0:08:30 > 0:08:31METAL GRINDS
0:08:31 > 0:08:34We need to straighten up a bit, so we're crabbing.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37Well, I can't, because the old wheel thing is a bit...
0:08:38 > 0:08:41I did think, wow, you know,
0:08:41 > 0:08:45I don't know how I got into this scenario, or why,
0:08:45 > 0:08:49but here I am and let's just get to the end and then go to the Brits.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52There is a small issue with the congestion charge because,
0:08:52 > 0:08:55as I'm sure you know, the camera records the rear view of the car.
0:08:55 > 0:08:57- Yeah.- But when they look at the photographs,
0:08:57 > 0:09:00it will give the registration end of the Saab,
0:09:00 > 0:09:02but the photograph will show the front of an Alfa.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05So, it will look as though somebody with the wrong sort of car
0:09:05 > 0:09:08for the numberplate has reversed into London.
0:09:09 > 0:09:11HORNS BLARE
0:09:11 > 0:09:14- I can't make this turn, Chris, at all.- Look where you're going!
0:09:14 > 0:09:15SHE SCREAMS
0:09:15 > 0:09:18- Oh, my God! Richard, you're the worst driver! Ha-ha!- Sorry!
0:09:21 > 0:09:23Whoa.
0:09:23 > 0:09:25I'm going to be an hour late or something like that.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28First time I'm nominated, Best Male in the UK. The Best Male. Come on!
0:09:28 > 0:09:30- Where are you going? - HORN BEEPS
0:09:30 > 0:09:34Surely, sir, in the music business, it's fashionable to be quite late.
0:09:34 > 0:09:35Nobody ever turns up on time.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38There's fashionably late, and there's stupidly late.
0:09:38 > 0:09:40BRAKES SQUEAK
0:09:40 > 0:09:43Ah, now I'm going to let my customer out.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46No, on the other side! On the other side!
0:09:46 > 0:09:47PHOTOGRAPHERS SHOUT
0:09:49 > 0:09:52Sorry about the ladder thing. The steps weren't ideal.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03I'm always asked, you know, "Oh, was it true what happened at the end?
0:10:03 > 0:10:04"Why did you storm out of the car?"
0:10:04 > 0:10:07I think, if we go right, I can go around the back.
0:10:07 > 0:10:08What do you mean right?
0:10:08 > 0:10:10People tweet me on Twitter.
0:10:10 > 0:10:12- If we go right... - Are you doing this intentionally?
0:10:12 > 0:10:13"Can't believe you're such a jerk!"
0:10:13 > 0:10:15Have you come to mess up my day?!
0:10:15 > 0:10:16Come on, where's my Bafta?
0:10:16 > 0:10:18I'm not taking this any more! Open this damn door!
0:10:18 > 0:10:21- For crying out loud. - BANGING ON DOOR
0:10:21 > 0:10:23ANGRY MUTTERING
0:10:23 > 0:10:26Now I'm here today, and you've asked me this question. I don't get it.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29You know... I don't understand. You keep going on about this.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32I've just had enough, man! Forget it. Forget it!
0:10:32 > 0:10:33DOOR SLAMS, HANDLE THUDS
0:10:33 > 0:10:38A Scottish lady called Jackie Stewart wrote to us
0:10:38 > 0:10:39- saying that... - LAUGHTER
0:10:39 > 0:10:41..she could get anyone of us
0:10:41 > 0:10:44to any racetrack in the country in any car,
0:10:44 > 0:10:45get us to set our best time,
0:10:45 > 0:10:49and then, she could get us to knock 20 seconds off that time.
0:10:49 > 0:10:50He.
0:10:50 > 0:10:55- It's a he. Jackie Stewart's a he. - Righto.- Anyway...
0:10:55 > 0:10:58Anyway, the point is we decided to accept his challenge.
0:10:58 > 0:11:03Only we gave him the most difficult pupil of them all.
0:11:03 > 0:11:04Him.
0:11:04 > 0:11:05LAUGHTER
0:11:06 > 0:11:08C is for James May.
0:11:08 > 0:11:10But that begins with a J, so we're going to call him
0:11:10 > 0:11:12by his official title...
0:11:12 > 0:11:15- You know they call me Captain Slow? - Oh, do they?- Yeah.
0:11:15 > 0:11:19Well, I've seen the bigger guy drive very aggressively.
0:11:19 > 0:11:21- Hmm, and not very well, I thought. - JACKIE LAUGHS
0:11:21 > 0:11:22Who wouldn't give their right arm
0:11:22 > 0:11:27to be taught how to drive a vehicle by the legend that's Jackie Stewart?
0:11:27 > 0:11:28Do you think you can do it?
0:11:28 > 0:11:31Well, never having driven with you before, it's difficult to say, but
0:11:31 > 0:11:35I'd be surprised if you didn't turn out to be better than the other two.
0:11:36 > 0:11:38I like that.
0:11:40 > 0:11:432 minutes, 26 seconds.
0:11:43 > 0:11:45Sod it! Now, come on.
0:11:45 > 0:11:49'Captain Slow was not a brave driver. Just kind of...'
0:11:49 > 0:11:54really relaxed and kind of, "Oh," loose type of guy.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56Now you're going to go short of room here.
0:11:56 > 0:11:58James is serious.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01He brings in a more kind of practical side.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04This is probably what will happen to me in hell.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07A TVR, a racetrack and a pedantic Scotsman.
0:12:07 > 0:12:08JACKIE LAUGHS
0:12:08 > 0:12:11'It's very difficult to consume information
0:12:11 > 0:12:12'when you're on your limit.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15'And that's what he was on most of the time.'
0:12:15 > 0:12:19In, in, in, in, in, in.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21Brake. Brake. Brake!
0:12:21 > 0:12:24'I'm busy trying to talk him through it.'
0:12:24 > 0:12:27Brake now, brake now, brake now!
0:12:27 > 0:12:29Um, because the king of the late breakers
0:12:29 > 0:12:31is not always the fastest around the corner.
0:12:31 > 0:12:32Get all the work done,
0:12:32 > 0:12:35so that you can concentrate on finding speed in the corner.
0:12:35 > 0:12:37'All of that took a lot of time.'
0:12:37 > 0:12:39And, in fact, we filmed the entire day.
0:12:39 > 0:12:41From nine o'clock in the morning,
0:12:41 > 0:12:43it went on till I think 4:30 in the afternoon.
0:12:43 > 0:12:472 minutes, 23 seconds! Power off. Brake. Down a gear.
0:12:47 > 0:12:49Keep your head together.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51Too busy! You feel the car responding badly?
0:12:51 > 0:12:55Turn it in, turn it in, turn it in. Power on full.
0:12:55 > 0:12:562 minutes, 15!
0:12:56 > 0:12:58You want him to do really well.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01You can't help but love James, because everything he stands for,
0:13:01 > 0:13:03"You know what, I'll still give it a go,
0:13:03 > 0:13:07"I'll do my best, but if I lose, hey-ho, we've had a bit of fun."
0:13:07 > 0:13:09Oopsa-daisy.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12Don't put the power on till you know you never have to take it off.
0:13:12 > 0:13:142:10.
0:13:14 > 0:13:15Now you've got to concentrate.
0:13:15 > 0:13:17You're not using the same road as you were before.
0:13:17 > 0:13:19Get your head together.
0:13:19 > 0:13:23'That day, in certain corners, well, in certain laps,'
0:13:23 > 0:13:28Captain Slow was actually creaming it really well.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31- Go on, full power. - Yes, yes, yes! That's good.
0:13:31 > 0:13:33'So, he was no longer Captain Slow.'
0:13:33 > 0:13:35- Good.- Yes!- That's good.
0:13:35 > 0:13:362 minutes, 09.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39I'm sitting at home thinking, you know, I'm not a racing driver.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42I can't drive fast. You don't get the opportunity to do it,
0:13:42 > 0:13:45so everybody's thinking, "Well, I'm James May. That could be me."
0:13:45 > 0:13:48- JAMES LAUGHS - Good lap so far, keep going.
0:13:48 > 0:13:49In more, in more. Tease it out.
0:13:49 > 0:13:51Full power. Full!
0:13:53 > 0:13:57You've just done 2 minutes, 6.74.
0:13:57 > 0:14:02- Hang on, let me just... - You've done it.- Yes, yes! I knew it!
0:14:06 > 0:14:08So, does Sir Jackie reckon he's made James
0:14:08 > 0:14:11a better driver than the bigger guy?
0:14:11 > 0:14:14Jeremy thinks he's the best driver.
0:14:15 > 0:14:19Captain Slow, I think, will remain to be Captain Slow.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24And the other wee guy, a man of average height...
0:14:25 > 0:14:27..he could turn out to be the best driver.
0:14:32 > 0:14:33For their Bolivia special,
0:14:33 > 0:14:36the team drove along the Camino de la Yungas.
0:14:36 > 0:14:38Which sounds sort of...
0:14:38 > 0:14:41MUSIC: "The Mexican Hat Dance"
0:14:41 > 0:14:43LORRY HORN BLARES
0:14:44 > 0:14:47Oh. It goes by another name, too...
0:14:50 > 0:14:54The world's most dangerous road claims around 300 lives a year.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57In 2009, it was nearly 303.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01- This is insane. - HORN TOOTS
0:15:01 > 0:15:02Whoa!
0:15:02 > 0:15:05The grasses stick up and you don't necessarily see
0:15:05 > 0:15:08what a long way down it is, then you get one of those little gaps,
0:15:08 > 0:15:11and then you just see down and it is a long way.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14That splashing sound was the BBC health and safety manual
0:15:14 > 0:15:16landing in the river.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19Oh, God, that's real fear now.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22I've watched and thought sometimes they are going
0:15:22 > 0:15:24to go a bit too far.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27And, you know, there's always... That element of jeopardy
0:15:27 > 0:15:28I think helped the programme.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33God Almighty, that is high.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41Oh, gee, look at that. That's narrow.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45'There are elements of real drama in there.
0:15:45 > 0:15:47'You were a bit on the edge of your seat thinking,
0:15:47 > 0:15:51' "This isn't going to end well!" And by not ending well, I mean,'
0:15:51 > 0:15:54you know, bad things could happen here.
0:15:54 > 0:15:56Oh, God. Crosses.
0:15:59 > 0:16:03They'd just end up in situations where they just take it...
0:16:03 > 0:16:06They push it just that little bit too far.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08'And, then, underneath the waterfall,
0:16:08 > 0:16:10'I learned why there were so many crosses up here.'
0:16:14 > 0:16:15Oh, my God.
0:16:15 > 0:16:16No.
0:16:18 > 0:16:19Oh, my...!
0:16:21 > 0:16:22Stop there!
0:16:35 > 0:16:37And it was literally just crumbling.
0:16:37 > 0:16:41'The ledge, crumbling away. I mean, he's pretty brave.'
0:16:41 > 0:16:43That is going, that is going!
0:16:43 > 0:16:45'Crazy! Crazily brave.'
0:16:50 > 0:16:53'You don't get a second chance. You don't get a second chance.
0:16:53 > 0:16:55'I'd like to be hugging the inside.'
0:16:55 > 0:16:58But, er...but yeah, pretty amazing.
0:16:59 > 0:17:00Bloody hell.
0:17:08 > 0:17:10- JODIE:- 'That's why it's the Death Road.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13'And that's why we love Jeremy.'
0:17:13 > 0:17:16Whoo! No. Unbelievable!
0:17:20 > 0:17:23Moving on now to brown rice eco-cars.
0:17:23 > 0:17:25Jeremy is a divisive figure, isn't he?
0:17:25 > 0:17:29Um, some people think he's like a true British hero,
0:17:29 > 0:17:31and some people think he's an absolute cock.
0:17:31 > 0:17:35This car would be less annoying to eco-mentalists
0:17:35 > 0:17:38if its engine ran on sliced dolphin.
0:17:38 > 0:17:40One thing Top Gear hasn't been known for
0:17:40 > 0:17:43is its commitment to saving the environment.
0:17:43 > 0:17:45Because it hasn't got one.
0:17:45 > 0:17:47I mean, it really hasn't got one.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50Electric car sales are down by half,
0:17:50 > 0:17:54which must mean that loonies are fewer and fewer between.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56The future is definitely electric cars,
0:17:56 > 0:17:58because they're silent, and that way Jeremy would
0:17:58 > 0:18:00get to hear the sound of his own voice even more.
0:18:00 > 0:18:04They're all built in wheat-free multiethnic factories with
0:18:04 > 0:18:07one eye on Johnny Polar Bear, but this just isn't.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11Back in 2002, Jeremy might have looked like he had a beard
0:18:11 > 0:18:13nesting on top of his head,
0:18:13 > 0:18:15but he was never going to win an environmentalism award.
0:18:15 > 0:18:17I think, next week, we won't bother
0:18:17 > 0:18:19doing anything to do with the environment. In fact,
0:18:19 > 0:18:23I think we might kick a couple of barn owls to death just for fun.
0:18:23 > 0:18:27Not happy with mooning the environment from the back end
0:18:27 > 0:18:30of the car, he sometimes had a go with the front end as well.
0:18:32 > 0:18:36This Somerset parish thought their tree had been damaged by vandals.
0:18:36 > 0:18:38It wasn't until they watched Top Gear that weekend
0:18:38 > 0:18:40that they realised they were right.
0:18:40 > 0:18:42HE LAUGHS
0:18:42 > 0:18:45Top Gear has always shunned the likes of Greenpeace
0:18:45 > 0:18:49in favour of not giving a monkeys about the monkeys.
0:18:49 > 0:18:54To prove this, they've driven a Land Rover up a virgin peak mountain,
0:18:54 > 0:18:58hared across protected salt pans,
0:18:58 > 0:19:01and driven a Toyota Hilux through a polar bear's back yard.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06They make you feel very uncomfortable.
0:19:06 > 0:19:08At least they make me feel uncomfortable
0:19:08 > 0:19:10when I see some of the things they do,
0:19:10 > 0:19:12and they make me feel slightly...
0:19:12 > 0:19:16cross with myself, because I've joined in the laughter,
0:19:16 > 0:19:18and there's a little bit of me that says, "Hmm...
0:19:18 > 0:19:20"Um, that's not really funny, is it?"
0:19:20 > 0:19:22Well, yeah, actually, it was.
0:19:22 > 0:19:23Jeremy must be running on
0:19:23 > 0:19:26whatever the equivalent of empty is for a battery.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29The only thing these boys like to be electric on a car is the windows.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32This is the future of motoring here.
0:19:33 > 0:19:34Maybe the air con.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37Anything else electric should be replaced immediately with
0:19:37 > 0:19:40something that needs petrol.
0:19:40 > 0:19:42But in 2009, the boys realised
0:19:42 > 0:19:46it was time to take the electric car challenge seriously.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49Well, all right. Not that seriously.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52You know that you're about to see abject failure,
0:19:52 > 0:19:56and utter humiliation which, of course, is what we're watching for.
0:19:56 > 0:19:57It's all very simple, really.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00I am in charge of the batteries and the electric motor.
0:20:00 > 0:20:04Clarkson is in charge - God help us - of the bodywork and interior
0:20:04 > 0:20:08and Richard Hammond is in charge of the chassis and the brakes.
0:20:08 > 0:20:09And there...
0:20:09 > 0:20:14is the precious chassis. That is the basis of everything we're doing.
0:20:14 > 0:20:15Doddle!
0:20:18 > 0:20:19Look at this.
0:20:19 > 0:20:21Batteries, but here's the clever bit.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24They are recharged by that.
0:20:24 > 0:20:26That is a diesel generator.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28- That means that you'll never run out of electricity.- Exactly.
0:20:28 > 0:20:32It's a diesel electric, I got the idea from old railway locomotives.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35I think that that's where they're very clever.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38They can slip in that piece of technical information
0:20:38 > 0:20:40that would normally bore people, you know,
0:20:40 > 0:20:43unless you're really interested in that,
0:20:43 > 0:20:46in such a great way
0:20:46 > 0:20:49that you don't realise you're being educated.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52Did I just say that Top Gear educated me?
0:21:00 > 0:21:01That's brilliant.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04It's a hybrid. We've built a Prius!
0:21:05 > 0:21:10You don't think the producers are messing with the subtitles, do you?
0:21:10 > 0:21:12No, they wouldn't do that!
0:21:12 > 0:21:15Part of its genius was that it looked so kind of like
0:21:15 > 0:21:18an idea that you would cook up in the cafe or the pub,
0:21:18 > 0:21:21but you know behind the scenes... and, you know, let's pay tribute
0:21:21 > 0:21:25to what must have been and is an exceptional production team.
0:21:25 > 0:21:27How fast is that?
0:21:27 > 0:21:28Barely ten.
0:21:28 > 0:21:32You've built a car that will only do 10mph?
0:21:33 > 0:21:35Actually, that wasn't such a bad thing,
0:21:35 > 0:21:39on account of a design flaw with Jeremy's shiny bonnet.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42THEY YELL AND EXCLAIM
0:21:42 > 0:21:44My head's being cooked in a box!
0:21:44 > 0:21:47You do realise Oxford loathes the motorcar,
0:21:47 > 0:21:49but this one will be welcomed.
0:21:49 > 0:21:53They will think that it's the second coming.
0:21:53 > 0:21:54Hippy, a hippy.
0:21:54 > 0:21:56See the happy hippies!
0:21:56 > 0:21:57Did you see the cyclist smiling at us?
0:21:57 > 0:22:01I would love them to have something that gives us some credibility
0:22:01 > 0:22:04for sort of exploring the electric car option,
0:22:04 > 0:22:07but they ain't going to do that, cos that's not them.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10In the end, the boys decided their hideous hybrid
0:22:10 > 0:22:12was ready to sell on the open market.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15And that meant it had to pass one or two safety tests.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19This is designed to measure how a car will stand up
0:22:19 > 0:22:23to being sideswiped by a bus or a truck.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31Frankly, it was hard to see how we could possibly pass this,
0:22:31 > 0:22:34but then James came up with a plan.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37- Right, the camera...- Uh, yeah.
0:22:37 > 0:22:42'A plan that would fool even the most astute EU bureaucrat.'
0:22:42 > 0:22:44- PRODUCER:- Action! - ALL:- Wow!- Wow!- Wow!
0:22:46 > 0:22:47- PRODUCER:- Pendulum.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52Now our car is going to face the fearsome pendulum test.
0:22:56 > 0:22:58- PLAYED BACKWARDS:- Wow!- Wow!- Wow!
0:22:58 > 0:23:00'Wow, indeed.'
0:23:00 > 0:23:03I love engineering, I love tech,
0:23:03 > 0:23:07and it's unusual to have a programme that's involved with tech
0:23:07 > 0:23:08that's that entertaining.
0:23:13 > 0:23:18I think it must be kind of great to be in the Top Gear ideas department,
0:23:18 > 0:23:20if such a thing exists,
0:23:20 > 0:23:23because, just having to come up with new ideas for,
0:23:23 > 0:23:25"What can we do to cars this time?"
0:23:27 > 0:23:29They seem to keep coming up with amazing ideas,
0:23:29 > 0:23:31but I suppose they do get more and more ridiculous.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34You're tempted to go further and further with what you're doing.
0:23:36 > 0:23:37I think Britain has always had
0:23:37 > 0:23:39a great tradition of pushing boundaries
0:23:39 > 0:23:42with new technologies and I think these three presenters
0:23:42 > 0:23:46from Top Gear are absolutely in that same vein of that tradition.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51Who thinks of sending a Robin Reliant into space?
0:23:51 > 0:23:53I mean, it's just genius.
0:23:57 > 0:24:02In 2007, Top Gear went where no car show had gone before.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05Clanburne Military Training Ground, just off the A68.
0:24:05 > 0:24:08Right, gentlemen, what we want from you
0:24:08 > 0:24:11is THE most difficult type of space rocket - a...
0:24:14 > 0:24:15..space shuttle.
0:24:15 > 0:24:16If you can make all this work
0:24:16 > 0:24:19and we can bring it into this controlled landing,
0:24:19 > 0:24:22we will probably get funding from the EU for a proper space mission.
0:24:22 > 0:24:24Have you got a spare 1 billion?
0:24:24 > 0:24:26No, you see, that's why we've come to you,
0:24:26 > 0:24:29because you're from Manchester and you'll be able to do it for 10/6d.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31And there'll be as much tea as you can drink.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34No, no, no, no, you can't do that with a car.
0:24:34 > 0:24:37You can't do it with any car, let alone a Robin Reliant.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40It was the largest non-commercial rocket launch in European history
0:24:40 > 0:24:44and, as you'd expect, it was ambitious.
0:24:44 > 0:24:45- But rubbish.- It is...
0:24:45 > 0:24:49difficult in every single way.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52As a rocket, it's the most awful shape it could ever be.
0:24:52 > 0:24:56But I thought the Robin was a good place to start, because...
0:24:56 > 0:24:58it's pointy at one end.
0:24:58 > 0:25:02There is a potential for disaster to strike at any moment
0:25:02 > 0:25:05and genuine disaster, it's not orchestrated by,
0:25:05 > 0:25:07"Let's stop filming now and start filming again."
0:25:07 > 0:25:10So the big question...
0:25:10 > 0:25:12will it fly?
0:25:12 > 0:25:14If they were too easy, everyone would just do them,
0:25:14 > 0:25:15you know what I mean?
0:25:15 > 0:25:19There wouldn't be this kind of expectation or surprise around them.
0:25:20 > 0:25:22Oh, ladder's coming out.
0:25:22 > 0:25:27Again, at Nasa, they don't keep a stepladder on the launch pad.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30- One small stepladder for... - THEY LAUGH
0:25:32 > 0:25:35James, stop laughing! They're getting really cross!
0:25:35 > 0:25:40But later, in our suite at the local Ritz-Sheraton, I was a worried man.
0:25:41 > 0:25:42CRICKETS CHIRRUP
0:25:44 > 0:25:46Hammond?
0:25:46 > 0:25:48- What?- You know when we do these big things,
0:25:48 > 0:25:51they usually end in some sort of massive disaster?
0:25:55 > 0:25:56I'd quite like this one to work.
0:26:00 > 0:26:02TIMER BUZZES
0:26:13 > 0:26:15Oh, yeah!
0:26:15 > 0:26:16CHEERING
0:26:20 > 0:26:21Go on!
0:26:25 > 0:26:27SHOUTING AND CHEERING
0:26:30 > 0:26:31CHEERING
0:26:36 > 0:26:37It's not come off!
0:26:40 > 0:26:42Separate, separate!
0:26:44 > 0:26:46SHOUTING
0:26:52 > 0:26:54- Separate!- 12,000.
0:26:58 > 0:27:00SHOUTING
0:27:14 > 0:27:17Oh-ho-ho! No!
0:27:17 > 0:27:21- That's why... - How are we going to use it again?
0:27:28 > 0:27:30APPLAUSE
0:27:30 > 0:27:34There was lots of news on Top Gear, sometimes interesting news,
0:27:34 > 0:27:38sometimes bad news, and sometimes this.
0:27:38 > 0:27:42Good news, because the Dacia Sandero is on sale in the UK
0:27:42 > 0:27:45and taking the nation by storm!
0:27:45 > 0:27:47- Great(!) - IRONIC CHEERING
0:27:47 > 0:27:49- Now, the Mercedes SLS... - LAUGHTER
0:27:49 > 0:27:53Good news, because the Dacia Duster
0:27:53 > 0:27:58has been named Budget 4X4 Tow Car Of The Year.
0:27:58 > 0:28:00Great(!) Now, I've bought a bicycle.
0:28:00 > 0:28:02- Oh, bad news!- What?
0:28:02 > 0:28:05- The Dacia Sandero, it's delayed. - Oh, no(!)
0:28:05 > 0:28:07Anyway, last week...
0:28:07 > 0:28:08- Great news!- What?
0:28:08 > 0:28:11The Dacia Sandero, I've got a new picture.
0:28:11 > 0:28:14- LAUGHTER - Ooh(!)
0:28:14 > 0:28:17Anyway, I think we've had more signposts sent in.
0:28:17 > 0:28:19- Great news!- What?!- The Da...
0:28:19 > 0:28:21- The... - LAUGHTER
0:28:21 > 0:28:23They know what it is.
0:28:23 > 0:28:25- Good news, chaps.- No, what?!
0:28:25 > 0:28:27- There's a new Dacia. - AUDIENCE: Wahey!
0:28:27 > 0:28:31- Here it is, it's called the Lodgy. - That's a looker, isn't it(!)
0:28:31 > 0:28:33Anyway, moving on...
0:28:33 > 0:28:36I have bought you a Dacia Sandero.
0:28:36 > 0:28:38- I'm quite touched. - That's fantastic.- Can I drive it?
0:28:38 > 0:28:40Yeah, why don't you go off and drive it
0:28:40 > 0:28:42- while we're putting these on? - All right.
0:28:42 > 0:28:44The Lamborghini is all very well,
0:28:44 > 0:28:46that's like the ultimate expression of what a car can be,
0:28:46 > 0:28:50but this is the essence of a car, all the bits you need, nothing more.
0:28:50 > 0:28:52No flim-flam. That is an excellent present.
0:28:52 > 0:28:55I don't know what he was actually thinking of there,
0:28:55 > 0:28:57cos his presents are supposed to be irritating,
0:28:57 > 0:28:59but that's not irritating.
0:28:59 > 0:29:00That's superb.
0:29:00 > 0:29:02- You're back.- Yeah.
0:29:02 > 0:29:05- How is it?- Fun, great. Basic, small, wroughty.
0:29:05 > 0:29:09But you haven't got the little side joke, have you?
0:29:09 > 0:29:11- What?- Well, you can't take it back hand luggage.
0:29:11 > 0:29:13- I'll drive it back. - What, all the way?- Yeah.
0:29:13 > 0:29:16It took two and a half days to get here...
0:29:16 > 0:29:17No!
0:29:18 > 0:29:21- Stop! - CLARKSON LAUGHS
0:29:21 > 0:29:26In series ten, the team took part in the Britcar 24-Hour Endurance Race
0:29:26 > 0:29:29at Silverstone and this gave them their toughest challenge to date -
0:29:29 > 0:29:32having to play nicely with each other.
0:29:36 > 0:29:39We arrived at Silverstone assuming the Britcar 24
0:29:39 > 0:29:42would be amateur event for beginners like us.
0:29:42 > 0:29:44We were badly wrong.
0:29:44 > 0:29:46MUSIC: Theme from Star Wars by John Williams
0:29:46 > 0:29:49The other drivers were chisel-jawed and battle-hardened.
0:29:51 > 0:29:52They had blue-chip sponsors,
0:29:52 > 0:29:54tonnes of equipment,
0:29:54 > 0:29:56they'd turned up with laptops
0:29:56 > 0:29:59and luxury motor homes with girls in them.
0:30:01 > 0:30:04Our motor home wasn't quite as professional as that.
0:30:04 > 0:30:06And nor was our catering.
0:30:06 > 0:30:08Nor was our car.
0:30:08 > 0:30:11Their particular car wasn't ready for the start of the race.
0:30:11 > 0:30:13That's their first major mistake.
0:30:13 > 0:30:16You can't go to a race, which you've known about for months,
0:30:16 > 0:30:18and then find that the car's not ready.
0:30:18 > 0:30:20Whatever you do,
0:30:20 > 0:30:23don't go downstairs and look at the car.
0:30:23 > 0:30:25It's got no front end,
0:30:25 > 0:30:29no lights, no radiator, no bumper, no splitter,
0:30:29 > 0:30:31no front of the engine, no bonnet.
0:30:31 > 0:30:33James will be exaggerating.
0:30:33 > 0:30:34James isn't exaggerating.
0:30:36 > 0:30:37And it's... And it's leaking.
0:30:37 > 0:30:40It's very entertaining at times, but you ask yourself
0:30:40 > 0:30:43why you'd allow yourselves to be put in that position.
0:30:43 > 0:30:44'The BMW that they worked on'
0:30:44 > 0:30:47was far inferior to everything else
0:30:47 > 0:30:49that was out there. It was just a bog-standard car.
0:30:57 > 0:30:59It's just done a 2:17.
0:30:59 > 0:31:01- No, I'm sorry, 2:16!- Whoa!
0:31:01 > 0:31:03He's just taken another second off it!
0:31:03 > 0:31:06So he's made up 20 places in...
0:31:06 > 0:31:08One hour and 20 minutes.
0:31:08 > 0:31:11My worry is now that he'll be going too hard on it.
0:31:11 > 0:31:13Endurance racing is a complete team game
0:31:13 > 0:31:16and the Stig is a very good racing driver
0:31:16 > 0:31:18and, as much as you'd want to leave him in the car
0:31:18 > 0:31:21for as long as possible, nobody can drive that long.
0:31:21 > 0:31:24You're not allowed to drive a stint for that long.
0:31:24 > 0:31:25JAUNTY 1940s MUSIC
0:31:25 > 0:31:28- JAMES OVER RADIO:- Absolutely everything going past.
0:31:28 > 0:31:30But never mind.
0:31:30 > 0:31:34I didn't know it would take this long for him to get round.
0:31:34 > 0:31:36Thank you, doing my best.
0:31:36 > 0:31:39'A few minutes later, though, something amazing happened.'
0:31:39 > 0:31:43I've overtaken someone!
0:31:43 > 0:31:47Don't want you to get all daft and giddy, OK? You just did a 2:24.
0:31:47 > 0:31:48- I'm- BLEEP- loving this!
0:31:58 > 0:32:00As night began to fall,
0:32:00 > 0:32:04the sheer effort required for endurance racing began to tell.
0:32:04 > 0:32:06SCREECHING TYRES
0:32:06 > 0:32:09What you can't allow for is tiredness.
0:32:09 > 0:32:12We've all driven and know what it's like to be tired.
0:32:12 > 0:32:15That was very dangerous, what they did.
0:32:15 > 0:32:19The thing with fatigue is it creeps up on you all of a sudden.
0:32:19 > 0:32:23One minute, your concentration's right on,
0:32:23 > 0:32:26and through, maybe you're dehydrated,
0:32:26 > 0:32:29maybe you're hungry - your reaction times slow right down.
0:32:29 > 0:32:32Normally, I'd be on the phone to him now being fatuous and stupid
0:32:32 > 0:32:35and telling him he's Captain Slow and he's got to hurry up,
0:32:35 > 0:32:38but honestly, the absolute last thing you want
0:32:38 > 0:32:41is anyone clowning around on your headphones, on your radio.
0:32:41 > 0:32:43There's so much to think about.
0:32:43 > 0:32:45Where's the corner? Where's the other car?
0:32:45 > 0:32:47What gear should I be in? When do I brake?
0:32:47 > 0:32:49I can't think about being a TV presenter,
0:32:49 > 0:32:52- you can't think about anything. - GRAVEL CRUNCHES
0:32:52 > 0:32:54Sorry, I'm off.
0:32:54 > 0:32:57Even though the car was good for another 90 minutes,
0:32:57 > 0:32:59we had to rest James.
0:32:59 > 0:33:02- JACKIE STEWART:- 'Driving at night and driving in the rain
0:33:02 > 0:33:04'and driving with a whole load of other people chopping you up
0:33:04 > 0:33:08'and then the really good guys... Whoa! ..getting past you,'
0:33:08 > 0:33:11and you staying out of trouble - that's competition.
0:33:12 > 0:33:13Because you are
0:33:13 > 0:33:17right at your limit. You know that, one mistake, and you're dead.
0:33:17 > 0:33:19And, in the case of car racing, actually,
0:33:19 > 0:33:20so could many other people be.
0:33:20 > 0:33:22- DAVID HAYE:- 'The human body shuts down in darkness.
0:33:22 > 0:33:24'It's how we're designed as human beings.
0:33:24 > 0:33:26'You're supposed to be awake when it's light
0:33:26 > 0:33:28'and go to sleep when it's dark,
0:33:28 > 0:33:30'but if you try to push through whilst you're tired,'
0:33:30 > 0:33:32whilst your brain's been active all day long,
0:33:32 > 0:33:34the chances are you're going to come a cropper.
0:33:34 > 0:33:36TYRES SCREECH, LOUD CRASH
0:33:38 > 0:33:39- HAMMOND OVER RADIO:- Guys...
0:33:39 > 0:33:41I've binned it.
0:33:43 > 0:33:45I'd say it was game over.
0:33:49 > 0:33:50HE SIGHS
0:33:53 > 0:33:55I'm sorry, lads.
0:33:55 > 0:33:56I... I'm sorry.
0:33:56 > 0:33:59Right, everyone who's not involved, get back.
0:33:59 > 0:34:02Sleep deprivation is incredibly difficult to deal with.
0:34:02 > 0:34:06It's used as a form of torture and I understand that from sailing -
0:34:06 > 0:34:08that you get to that point where you are absolutely edge
0:34:08 > 0:34:12and you have nothing else left inside you and you have to find more
0:34:12 > 0:34:13and that's brutal.
0:34:13 > 0:34:17- JAMES MAY:- 'It took nearly three hours to get the car running again,
0:34:17 > 0:34:20'by which time we were stone-dead last.
0:34:23 > 0:34:25'The field was now spread out,
0:34:25 > 0:34:28'but in the next three hours, the Stig climbed eight places.
0:34:31 > 0:34:34'Then, when it was my turn, the fog came.
0:34:37 > 0:34:39'I was completely blind.'
0:34:39 > 0:34:40- BLEEP- Nora.
0:34:40 > 0:34:42It's not glamorous.
0:34:42 > 0:34:45Endurance racing is just all about getting through the race,
0:34:45 > 0:34:46it's about finishing.
0:34:52 > 0:34:54Concentrate. I'm losing my concentration.
0:34:58 > 0:35:00Please, car,
0:35:00 > 0:35:03please make it to the end of this race, I beg of you.
0:35:03 > 0:35:06Come on, car. Please make it.
0:35:09 > 0:35:13This has been one of the best Top Gear companions of the lot.
0:35:13 > 0:35:14A ratmobile.
0:35:16 > 0:35:18It wants to make the finishing line.
0:35:21 > 0:35:22It's there!
0:35:26 > 0:35:30Ye-e-e-e-e-e-es!
0:35:32 > 0:35:35You brilliant little car!
0:35:35 > 0:35:37God, this is just brilliant!
0:35:40 > 0:35:42That's absolutely epic.
0:35:52 > 0:35:54WESTERN MUSIC PLAYS
0:35:54 > 0:35:58Over the years, Top Gear smashed up a lot of stuff.
0:35:58 > 0:36:01I mean, let's face it, smashing things up can be fun.
0:36:01 > 0:36:03In fact, they smashed up more things
0:36:03 > 0:36:05than Jeremy Clarkson's had hot dinners.
0:36:05 > 0:36:08But in series three, they met the Toyota Hilux,
0:36:08 > 0:36:11the Terminator of the car world.
0:36:11 > 0:36:16I really loved the Toyota pick-up that they did everything to.
0:36:16 > 0:36:18That was absolutely fantastic.
0:36:22 > 0:36:25Ooh, deary me! That was a bit uncomfortable.
0:36:25 > 0:36:26Oh-oh-oh!
0:36:26 > 0:36:30I had a Hilux. It was actually the second car I ever had.
0:36:30 > 0:36:31I thought they were brilliant
0:36:31 > 0:36:34and it was great to see one nearly destroyed.
0:36:34 > 0:36:37It told you that the show wasn't just going to be
0:36:37 > 0:36:40about the high-end cars that you could never possibly afford.
0:36:40 > 0:36:43You can all own one of these and, in actual fact, you don't have to be
0:36:43 > 0:36:45quite as violent with it.
0:36:47 > 0:36:49That's got it.
0:36:49 > 0:36:50ENGINE STARTS
0:36:54 > 0:36:56They did absolutely everything that they possibly can
0:36:56 > 0:36:59to destroy this car and it is indestructible.
0:37:01 > 0:37:02Look what's happened.
0:37:02 > 0:37:04This is the Severn Estuary,
0:37:04 > 0:37:06home to the second-biggest tide in the world.
0:37:07 > 0:37:1140 feet and it moves at 8mph.
0:37:11 > 0:37:14That's why the RNLI have tethered my car in place.
0:37:15 > 0:37:18I'm not going to get that out for hours!
0:37:25 > 0:37:27Windscreen's still in.
0:37:28 > 0:37:30LAUGHTER
0:37:33 > 0:37:35'But then, disaster.
0:37:39 > 0:37:42'The ropes tying it down had snapped!'
0:37:46 > 0:37:51- It could be out in the channel. - You may never see it ever again.
0:37:51 > 0:37:55I don't think you've quite got this.
0:37:55 > 0:37:56We've got to get it back.
0:37:56 > 0:37:58THEY LAUGH
0:37:58 > 0:38:03And it didn't turn up until the tide had gone out five hours later.
0:38:07 > 0:38:10SHOUTS OF ENCOURAGEMENT
0:38:10 > 0:38:11CHEERING
0:38:14 > 0:38:20Well, the mechanic has worked on it now for 40 minutes or so, I think.
0:38:20 > 0:38:21And, uh, it's not looking good.
0:38:23 > 0:38:26It seems, then, that, if you want to kill one of these things,
0:38:26 > 0:38:29the beach, the sea, salt water
0:38:29 > 0:38:30is the answer.
0:38:32 > 0:38:34Sorry.
0:38:34 > 0:38:36ENGINE COUGHS AND TURNS OVER
0:38:36 > 0:38:38ENGINE STARTS
0:38:41 > 0:38:44I do not believe it!
0:38:44 > 0:38:46When they do that so early in the new Top Gear,
0:38:46 > 0:38:47I think it was just perfect,
0:38:47 > 0:38:50because it showed that it wasn't just an hour solid
0:38:50 > 0:38:54of boring car chat, or boring reviews, or whatnot,
0:38:54 > 0:38:55it was fun!
0:38:59 > 0:39:01What do you have to do to kill one?
0:39:06 > 0:39:08All the way through, I thought,
0:39:08 > 0:39:11"There is no way that that engine is going to start now after this.
0:39:11 > 0:39:13"There is no way," and it was funny in the end.
0:39:13 > 0:39:17You just think, "What do you need to do to make it stop working?"
0:39:17 > 0:39:19DRAMATIC ORGAN MUSIC
0:39:35 > 0:39:38WESTERN MUSIC
0:39:44 > 0:39:45Is this it?
0:39:48 > 0:39:50ENGINE COUGHS
0:39:52 > 0:39:54Come on!
0:39:54 > 0:39:56ENGINE SPLUTTERS
0:39:56 > 0:39:58ENGINE TURNS OVER AND STARTS
0:40:00 > 0:40:02CHEERING
0:40:07 > 0:40:09That's just...!
0:40:09 > 0:40:13They could have probably just left it parked in Glasgow city centre
0:40:13 > 0:40:16on a Saturday night and it wouldn't be working come Monday morning,
0:40:16 > 0:40:18so they didn't go the full hog.
0:40:20 > 0:40:23Some vehicles are designed to be driven slowly
0:40:23 > 0:40:25by people wearing uniforms.
0:40:25 > 0:40:27So, naturally, Top Gear's pet hamster
0:40:27 > 0:40:29and a bunch of touring car drivers
0:40:29 > 0:40:31occasionally took them to a race track
0:40:31 > 0:40:34and floored them like massive dodgems.
0:40:34 > 0:40:36This is a pretty serious scientific experiment,
0:40:36 > 0:40:38so I have stressed to the other drivers
0:40:38 > 0:40:41in the strongest possible terms
0:40:41 > 0:40:43absolutely no body contact whatsoever.
0:40:43 > 0:40:46He knows full well, as soon as he's finished saying that,
0:40:46 > 0:40:49there's going to be loads and loads of contact.
0:40:49 > 0:40:51TIMER BUZZES
0:40:55 > 0:40:56Yeah!
0:40:56 > 0:40:58HORNS BLARE
0:40:59 > 0:41:02Only a very small minority of people
0:41:02 > 0:41:05watch Top Gear for the actual car reviews themselves.
0:41:05 > 0:41:07It's just about entertainment,
0:41:07 > 0:41:10it's about the way these guys are driving buses and limos
0:41:10 > 0:41:14round a track that looks so dangerous, you think,
0:41:14 > 0:41:18"How have the BBC sanctioned this show?" It doesn't make sense.
0:41:18 > 0:41:23It's so far away from what the BBC's about that it just works.
0:41:23 > 0:41:26When we have all the touring car drivers in all of these vehicles,
0:41:26 > 0:41:29we are there to basically cause carnage...
0:41:29 > 0:41:30LOUD CRASH
0:41:30 > 0:41:33..and have loads and loads of fun at the same time.
0:41:35 > 0:41:37TYRES SCREECH
0:41:37 > 0:41:41Huge slide from the limo! That's incredible!
0:41:42 > 0:41:44Richard's actually a good driver.
0:41:44 > 0:41:46He actually understands the limit of the car.
0:41:46 > 0:41:48He knows when the tyres are giving up
0:41:48 > 0:41:50or whether it's understeer or oversteer
0:41:50 > 0:41:52and he's very brave to race against us,
0:41:52 > 0:41:54cos we're the best in Britain, or the world, in touring cars.
0:41:54 > 0:41:56Richard just puts his helmet on,
0:41:56 > 0:41:59he's obviously talking to the camera while going round
0:41:59 > 0:42:01and we were like, "Wrrrr!", trying really hard.
0:42:02 > 0:42:06Whoa! The limo takes himself off entirely.
0:42:07 > 0:42:09We obviously try and make things as safe as possible.
0:42:09 > 0:42:12I mean, a good example was the American New York taxi.
0:42:12 > 0:42:14It's designed with a huge bull bar on the front,
0:42:14 > 0:42:16which made sure that, if it went through a brick wall
0:42:16 > 0:42:19or through a stretch limo, cos there might just be one in front of you...
0:42:21 > 0:42:23..that the car didn't come out like a banana.
0:42:23 > 0:42:25Oh, my word!
0:42:25 > 0:42:27The stairs in front of me now,
0:42:27 > 0:42:29well, they're a bit of an unknown...quantity!
0:42:29 > 0:42:30Oh, my God!
0:42:33 > 0:42:35We like contact, we like to hit...
0:42:35 > 0:42:36Sh!
0:42:36 > 0:42:38..um, and, er, and Richie gets stuck in.
0:42:41 > 0:42:42Whoa!
0:42:42 > 0:42:45Where did he come from?! You bloody idiot!
0:42:48 > 0:42:50I thought the easiest thing in the world
0:42:50 > 0:42:51would be to roll a double-decker bus.
0:42:51 > 0:42:52You have no idea.
0:42:54 > 0:42:56We put bags of sand on the second floor.
0:42:56 > 0:42:59Like, I can't remember how many hundreds of kilos of sand
0:42:59 > 0:43:01we put up there. We put a lot of sand up there.
0:43:02 > 0:43:05I was on dirt, so I had to go left, then right,
0:43:05 > 0:43:08and give it a bit of a Scandinavian flick and hit the bump.
0:43:08 > 0:43:11In my first attempt, I got it to about 40 degrees
0:43:11 > 0:43:13and I thought, "It's going to go, it's going to go,"
0:43:13 > 0:43:16and my natural reaction was to put lock on and put it back down,
0:43:16 > 0:43:20cos it's how I've been brought up, I can't let something roll
0:43:20 > 0:43:22- and I went like that I was like... - HE SIGHS
0:43:22 > 0:43:23"I was supposed to roll that."
0:43:26 > 0:43:28Wow, look at the single-decker go! What a manoeuvre!
0:43:28 > 0:43:30I had my old friend Anthony Reid,
0:43:30 > 0:43:32who's in the single-decker bus, who's actually going,
0:43:32 > 0:43:35"What I'm going to do is give you a little tap from behind, like 2004.
0:43:35 > 0:43:37"Do you remember in the British Touring Cars?
0:43:37 > 0:43:40"I'm going to give you a tap from behind and see if that helps."
0:43:40 > 0:43:42You're sitting, "Right, mate, you nutter!"
0:43:42 > 0:43:44Sort of hanging on and you think it's easy
0:43:44 > 0:43:45to roll a double-decker bus.
0:43:45 > 0:43:48It's not easy and you do need help from your friends sometimes.
0:43:50 > 0:43:54'It was now all down to me, the catering truck and the stairs.
0:43:55 > 0:43:58'Correction - make that me and the catering truck.'
0:43:58 > 0:44:00TYRES SCREECH
0:44:01 > 0:44:04Oh, that is the catering truck out of it!
0:44:04 > 0:44:06That is good news indeed! Yeah!
0:44:08 > 0:44:13From now on, all airport vehicles will be based on the fire engine,
0:44:13 > 0:44:16which will be brilliant, as long as there isn't a fire.
0:44:23 > 0:44:25In keeping with the show's green credentials,
0:44:25 > 0:44:28Top Gear recycled a lot of caravans.
0:44:28 > 0:44:30They recycled them into piles of rubble,
0:44:30 > 0:44:32swept them up and stuck 'em in the bin.
0:44:36 > 0:44:37Oh!
0:45:04 > 0:45:05Go on!
0:45:05 > 0:45:06- Yes!- Ye-e-e-es!
0:45:13 > 0:45:16It was easy to kill a caravan. Too easy.
0:45:16 > 0:45:20After a while, the boys tired of this senseless cycle of destruction
0:45:20 > 0:45:24- and tried to make peace with the enemy.- "5mph maximum"?
0:45:24 > 0:45:26- Well, that's about...- Dream on!
0:45:26 > 0:45:29'James told Richard and I to get out,
0:45:29 > 0:45:32'because he reckoned he could do the parking thing more easily
0:45:32 > 0:45:34'if we weren't there to help him.'
0:45:37 > 0:45:39Now, let me think about this.
0:45:39 > 0:45:43I've got to turn it that way, that way...
0:45:44 > 0:45:45That's good.
0:45:45 > 0:45:47The only organic thing on Top Gear
0:45:47 > 0:45:49was the chemistry between the three presenters.
0:45:49 > 0:45:53Unbelievably, it was four series before someone thought
0:45:53 > 0:45:56to put the three of them together outside the studio.
0:45:56 > 0:45:58The key to the show's success is the personalities.
0:45:58 > 0:46:01That was something which they clearly couldn't cast originally.
0:46:01 > 0:46:03It just evolved.
0:46:03 > 0:46:05- Ooh!- Oh, dear. - HAMMOND CHORTLES
0:46:06 > 0:46:07Oh, my word!
0:46:07 > 0:46:10- Whoa!- Whoa!- Oh, my God! - CUTLERY AND CROCKERY CRASH
0:46:10 > 0:46:12LAUGHTER
0:46:12 > 0:46:15Hang on, we've got to put the legs down.
0:46:15 > 0:46:17We're not brilliant at this, are we?
0:46:17 > 0:46:20They clearly, you know, bounce off each other very well
0:46:20 > 0:46:22um, and they kind of bring out
0:46:22 > 0:46:24'both the best and the worst in each other.'
0:46:24 > 0:46:27- TRAIN HORN TOOTS - Train.
0:46:27 > 0:46:30- It's peaceful.- It's not peaceful and I don't like...
0:46:30 > 0:46:32You aren't allowed to have a fire,
0:46:32 > 0:46:34you aren't allowed to play ball games,
0:46:34 > 0:46:37you aren't allowed to play music, you have to be in bed by 11,
0:46:37 > 0:46:41you have to park within two feet of a post, you have to keep quiet,
0:46:41 > 0:46:44you can't have anything. This is not a holiday.
0:46:44 > 0:46:45It's a concentration camp.
0:46:45 > 0:46:48But those rules are for the benefit of everybody.
0:46:48 > 0:46:50They bring strength through joy.
0:46:50 > 0:46:52All of them together, it seems to work, doesn't it?
0:46:52 > 0:46:53It's like The Three Stooges.
0:46:53 > 0:46:55Why is this good, Hammond?
0:46:55 > 0:46:57- What, walking?- Yep.
0:46:57 > 0:47:00Because, um, well, it's bracing, it's good exercise, you see stuff.
0:47:00 > 0:47:03- Look.- What am I seeing here that's interesting?
0:47:03 > 0:47:06I'm from Oxfordshire, which is all green, I've come to Dorset
0:47:06 > 0:47:09- and it's all green.- It's a different sort of green, though.
0:47:09 > 0:47:12- It isn't.- It is.- It just isn't.
0:47:12 > 0:47:13Jeremy, Richard and James
0:47:13 > 0:47:16have perfect comedy timing.
0:47:16 > 0:47:19'For three factual presenters to have that
0:47:19 > 0:47:22'and that obvious bond between them,
0:47:22 > 0:47:23'it's unique.'
0:47:23 > 0:47:26- Look at that camper van, what's that?- Ooh, good work, sir!
0:47:26 > 0:47:29- It's a Westfalia! - No... It IS a Westfalia!
0:47:29 > 0:47:33They're just like three completely naughty boys at public school.
0:47:33 > 0:47:37Jeremy, it's going to go and then you'll break your back in the night
0:47:37 > 0:47:39and that'll wake everybody.
0:47:39 > 0:47:41You two are sleeping in the double bed.
0:47:41 > 0:47:44I'm going to ring the Daily Mail immediately.
0:47:44 > 0:47:45Jeremy is the bully boy.
0:47:45 > 0:47:49You've got the poor old Hamster, who's a bit of a fag,
0:47:49 > 0:47:53and James May, who's the goody-goody who the teacher loves.
0:47:53 > 0:47:54Oh, good, a train(!)
0:47:54 > 0:47:56- TRAIN WHEELS CLATTER - Nice, that's nice.- Listen.
0:47:58 > 0:48:01- How often is that going to happen all night?- That's all right.
0:48:01 > 0:48:06- It's romantic.- Don't say things like that! I'm on the same bed as you.
0:48:06 > 0:48:10Well, I think the three of them are definitely able to kind of...
0:48:10 > 0:48:14amazingly, er, seem representative of the British public.
0:48:14 > 0:48:17Um, er... How they manage to pull that off,
0:48:17 > 0:48:20I have no idea, cos they're all oddballs.
0:48:20 > 0:48:22- Hello.- How do you do? I'm Jeremy Clarkson.- I know.
0:48:22 > 0:48:27- This is Richard Hammond. - I'm Richard, nice to see you.- Oh!
0:48:27 > 0:48:29They were family.
0:48:29 > 0:48:31You know, you could catch up with them week after week
0:48:31 > 0:48:34and see what's developing, see what's happening,
0:48:34 > 0:48:36see what's going on in their strange lives.
0:48:36 > 0:48:38I can't come into your... Jeremy, help me.
0:48:38 > 0:48:40You're going to be taken into a caravan. Let's go.
0:48:40 > 0:48:42Don't follow them in there.
0:48:42 > 0:48:44- I... I'll just...- You can bring the dog in as well.
0:48:44 > 0:48:47I really can't take the dog in the...
0:48:47 > 0:48:49- Mummy!- No, you can take the dog in as well.
0:48:49 > 0:48:52Top Gear is an entertainment.
0:48:53 > 0:48:56Oh, God. Um, Richard!
0:48:56 > 0:49:00- What?- Richard, have you got a fire extinguisher?- No, why?
0:49:00 > 0:49:02They make you laugh at silly things.
0:49:02 > 0:49:03Obviously, they draw you in,
0:49:03 > 0:49:07because they say, "We know that you're bonkers about cars
0:49:07 > 0:49:11"and we're going to talk about cars," but cars, in a way,
0:49:11 > 0:49:15that's the excuse for what they do, which is entertain.
0:49:15 > 0:49:19- How do you put a pan fire out? - Uh, tea towel in water.
0:49:19 > 0:49:21Richard, is there any water?
0:49:21 > 0:49:23No, I used it all on my hair.
0:49:23 > 0:49:27They provoke, and for all sorts of reasons, that's fine,
0:49:27 > 0:49:30but above all, they make you laugh.
0:49:30 > 0:49:33If they didn't make you laugh, it wouldn't work, but they do.
0:49:33 > 0:49:35It is no longer a pan fire, it's a van fire.
0:49:35 > 0:49:37- It is as well.- You are joking.
0:49:39 > 0:49:42- How in the name of...?!- God in heaven!- Put it out, put it out.
0:49:43 > 0:49:45- Use the oven glove. - The cushion's on fire now!
0:49:45 > 0:49:50This episode prompted over 200 complaints about cruelty to caravans,
0:49:50 > 0:49:53presumably from people who'd never seen Top Gear before.
0:49:56 > 0:49:58Richard, don't go back in there, the gas.
0:50:04 > 0:50:10All things considered, how do you think the holiday went?
0:50:10 > 0:50:11I think well.
0:50:22 > 0:50:27Top Gear is simply showing you things that you can't have.
0:50:27 > 0:50:30Sometimes, Top Gear like to drop all the silliness
0:50:30 > 0:50:32and get in a very fast car
0:50:32 > 0:50:35and drive it around a very fast racetrack very fast
0:50:35 > 0:50:37and very, very loud.
0:50:44 > 0:50:45Let's make some noise.
0:50:45 > 0:50:47ENGINE REVS
0:50:47 > 0:50:48TYRES SQUEAL
0:50:48 > 0:50:51Oh, that is breathtaking!
0:50:59 > 0:51:019,000 rpm...
0:51:01 > 0:51:02BOOM!
0:51:08 > 0:51:10280.
0:51:12 > 0:51:14Braking!
0:51:14 > 0:51:16That is acceleration unlike anything else.
0:51:16 > 0:51:19I love looking at glamour sometimes.
0:51:19 > 0:51:21Does it matter that they're talking about a car?
0:51:21 > 0:51:24Yeah, it does. That's what the programme stands for.
0:51:24 > 0:51:28You know, it's called Top Gear, that's what you turn it on for.
0:51:28 > 0:51:30But they made the car look beautiful.
0:51:30 > 0:51:33It was very superhero-like and the car was the star.
0:51:35 > 0:51:39It's that electric power that gives it so much punch off the line.
0:51:41 > 0:51:45I have 500 foot pound of torque at 800 rpm...
0:51:45 > 0:51:46800!
0:51:46 > 0:51:50To present any show, you have to love what you're talking about.
0:51:50 > 0:51:53You have to have an appetite for it and you can safely say
0:51:53 > 0:51:55these boys have an appetite for cars.
0:51:55 > 0:51:58It just wakes up, it's like a sprinter,
0:51:58 > 0:52:00falling out of bed and going straight into a world record
0:52:00 > 0:52:03while all the others are still eating cornflakes
0:52:03 > 0:52:05and thinking about having a poo.
0:52:05 > 0:52:08If you look at the cinematography, it's stunning.
0:52:08 > 0:52:10It isn't just a straightforward car show.
0:52:10 > 0:52:12There is an element that you're watching
0:52:12 > 0:52:14a beautifully-crafted movie as well.
0:52:17 > 0:52:19The photography is fantastic.
0:52:19 > 0:52:20And quite pioneering, too.
0:52:20 > 0:52:24I'd not seen cameras used like that just on motoring shows.
0:52:24 > 0:52:26It's time to attack some corners.
0:52:32 > 0:52:33Hell's bells!
0:52:37 > 0:52:38That grip!
0:52:44 > 0:52:48This thing corners and I mean flat.
0:52:48 > 0:52:49Totally flat.
0:52:52 > 0:52:54He's very passionate. I do like to see that.
0:52:54 > 0:52:57Even if it's something I don't give a monkey's about.
0:52:57 > 0:52:59I still like to see people being passionate.
0:53:03 > 0:53:08The back end breaks away like a rear-wheel drive car.
0:53:08 > 0:53:10A lot of people might watch that
0:53:10 > 0:53:13and go, "That's ridiculous! It's only a car!"
0:53:13 > 0:53:15until you start to realise what a thrill it is
0:53:15 > 0:53:18driving an incredible car and kind of throwing it about a racetrack.
0:53:18 > 0:53:20It is an amazing experience.
0:53:20 > 0:53:23It's almost like a life-affirming moment for them.
0:53:39 > 0:53:44If they made those same films and it was about a Renault Clio,
0:53:44 > 0:53:46would I watch it? No.
0:53:48 > 0:53:52Supercars are one thing, but what about the man in the street?
0:53:54 > 0:53:59Occasionally, Mr Needham wrote in suggesting that a car review show
0:53:59 > 0:54:01should review cars, sensible cars,
0:54:01 > 0:54:05that sensible people like Mr Needham would drive.
0:54:05 > 0:54:07Ever willing to oblige,
0:54:07 > 0:54:10Jeremy hit the road in a sensible car and reviewed it.
0:54:10 > 0:54:14Renault's sporty little Twingo 133...
0:54:14 > 0:54:17I think other car shows are boring. Top Gear is fun.
0:54:17 > 0:54:22It's so nimble and agile, it's... it's like driving a mosquito.
0:54:22 > 0:54:25Not literally, of course, Mr Needham.
0:54:25 > 0:54:29It's impossible to drive an insect and cruel to even try.
0:54:29 > 0:54:32Well, the purpose of Mr Needham is just to give them
0:54:32 > 0:54:34the platform for their jokes.
0:54:37 > 0:54:40Well, it's got a radio, air conditioning,
0:54:40 > 0:54:44electric windows and electric door mirrors.
0:54:44 > 0:54:47But I'm afraid to say, no parachute system.
0:54:51 > 0:54:54So, if you wake up one morning to find that someone has
0:54:54 > 0:54:58put your car on top of a Harland and Wolff crane,
0:54:58 > 0:55:01you're never going to get it down again.
0:55:01 > 0:55:03Bad mark for Renault there.
0:55:03 > 0:55:05If you want sensible reviews then, you know,
0:55:05 > 0:55:08you read car reviews in...in newspapers or magazines. I mean,
0:55:08 > 0:55:12you know, if you want an alternative review, you watch Top Gear.
0:55:16 > 0:55:20You would be amazed how often I get asked that question,
0:55:20 > 0:55:23so, to get an answer, I've come to the network of sewage tunnels
0:55:23 > 0:55:26underneath Belfast and, obviously, for the next few minutes,
0:55:26 > 0:55:30we've asked the people in the city to, um, cross their legs.
0:55:32 > 0:55:33God!
0:55:35 > 0:55:38If this goes wrong, I really am in a world of sh...
0:55:40 > 0:55:43Here we go!
0:55:43 > 0:55:47HE YELLS, BRAKES SCREECH
0:55:47 > 0:55:49Yes!
0:55:49 > 0:55:52HE LAUGHS
0:55:53 > 0:55:54Here you are, Mr Needham.
0:55:54 > 0:55:59If you're looking to drive upside down through the tunnels of Belfast,
0:55:59 > 0:56:01Twingo 133 - absolutely ideal.
0:56:01 > 0:56:04When it's one particular car that they're reviewing,
0:56:04 > 0:56:07like the Renault Twingo, which was hilarious, I think, you know,
0:56:07 > 0:56:11you've got to give the show scope to do it in a funny and different way.
0:56:13 > 0:56:16Obviously, it's not a very large car,
0:56:16 > 0:56:21but if you push those rear seats all the way back,
0:56:21 > 0:56:23there is enough room back there for children
0:56:23 > 0:56:27and then, if you pull them all the way forwards...
0:56:28 > 0:56:31..there is enough space in the boot for...um...Ross Kemp.
0:56:31 > 0:56:36- Um, so, Ross, you OK in there? - A bit of a squeeze, but quite comfy.
0:56:36 > 0:56:40Quite comfy? Good. Good mark for Renault there.
0:56:40 > 0:56:42When you're asked to go on those shows, you know,
0:56:42 > 0:56:45and kind of laugh at yourself, there's some shows
0:56:45 > 0:56:49that you would do it for and there's others that you won't, you know?
0:56:49 > 0:56:53And the ones that you do it for are the ones that have got credibility.
0:56:53 > 0:56:55Top Gear had tons of credibility.
0:56:56 > 0:57:00- Agh! - ROSS LAUGHS
0:57:00 > 0:57:01That really hurt.
0:57:09 > 0:57:10Come on!
0:57:11 > 0:57:15Being late for a ferry can drive a man mad.
0:57:24 > 0:57:26BLEEP!
0:57:29 > 0:57:32Just because it's left does not mean I'm going to give in.
0:57:33 > 0:57:37- When I get out of here, I'm going to hurt you.- Here we go!
0:57:37 > 0:57:38TYRES SQUEAL
0:57:45 > 0:57:47HE YELLS
0:57:56 > 0:57:59'You happy now, Mr Needham?
0:57:59 > 0:58:01'Well, that's it for part one.
0:58:01 > 0:58:04'We're out of petrol, but we'll fill up for part two,
0:58:04 > 0:58:05'when, amongst other things,
0:58:05 > 0:58:08'you'll see a very good-looking English comedian...'
0:58:08 > 0:58:10Go on, son!
0:58:10 > 0:58:13'..with fine teeth and a strange Northern accent...'
0:58:13 > 0:58:15Get a load of that, Stiggy boy.
0:58:15 > 0:58:18'..do one of the fastest laps in Top Gear history.'
0:58:19 > 0:58:21There's loads of other stuff, too.
0:58:23 > 0:58:25But, to be honest, mine is the best bit. See you then.