A BRIEF HISTORY OF TOP GEAR Top Gear is a BAFTA, multi-NTA and Emmy Award-winning BBC television series about motor vehicles, mainly cars, which began in 1977 as a conventional motoring magazine show. Over time, it has developed a cult status through its quirky, humorous, and sometimes scandalous style. The programme is estimated to have 350 million viewers worldwide and 8 million viewers each week in the UK on BBC2. The show is presented by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, James May and The Stig, an anonymous test driver. In 2007, it was identified as one of the most pirated television shows in the world. Jeremy Clarkson, who helped the original series reach its peak in the 1990s, along with producer Andy Wilman, successfully pitched a new format for Top Gear to the BBC, which reversed a previous decision to cancel the show in 2001. The new series, in its current format, was first broadcast in 2002. Top Gear"s studio is located at Dunsfold Park in Surrey and is centred around a private aerodrome and business park. Top Gear uses a temporary racing circuit which was designed for the show by Lotus and is laid out on parts of the runways and taxiways. A large hangar is used for studio recording with a standing audience who apply to the BBC for free tickets. The new series format incorporates a number of major changes from the old show. The running time has been extended to one hour and two new presenters were introduced: Richard Hammond and Jason Dawe, with James May replacing Dawe after the first series. The Stig, an anonymous masked racing driver, was introduced as the test driver. New segments were also added, including "Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car", "The Cool Wall", "Car News", "Power Laps", and one-off features such as races, competitions and the frequent destruction of caravans. Series 9 was scheduled to air on BBC Two from 8 October 2006. However, on 20 September 2006, Hammond was seriously injured while driving a jet-powered drag-racing car at up to 314 mph (502 km/h) for a feature in the show. On 24 September, the BBC said: "It also confirmed the final part of the Best of Top Gear had been postponed indefinitely and the new series, due to begin on 8 October 2006, will be delayed." Both the BBC and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) carried out inquiries into the accident. On 5 October 2006, filming resumed. The ninth series began on 28 January 2007 and included footage of Hammond"s crash. The first show of the ninth series attracted higher ratings than the finale of Celebrity Big Brother and the final episode of the series had 8 million viewers. This represented BBC Two"s highest ratings for a decade. |
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