Top gear
| Television series | |
|---|---|
| German title | Top gear |
| Original title | Top gear |
 | |
| Country of production | United Kingdom |
| original language | English |
| Year (s) | 1977–2001, since 2002 |
| Production company |
BBC |
| length | about 60 minutes |
| Episodes | 191+ in 24+ seasons ( list ) |
| Broadcasting cycle |
weekly |
| genre | Car magazine |
| Theme music | The Allman Brothers Band - Jessica (instrumental) |
| idea | Jeremy Clarkson Andy Wilman |
| production |
Andy Wilman Chris Hale |
| Moderation |
Jeremy Clarkson (2002–2015) Richard Hammond (2002–2015) James May (2003–2015) Jason Dawe (2002) The Stig (2002–) Chris Evans (2016) Matt LeBlanc (2016–) Eddie Jordan (2016–) Sabine Schmitz (2016–) Chris Harris (2016–) Rory Reid (2016–) |
| First broadcast | October 20, 2002 (UK) on BBC Two |
| German-language first broadcast |
May 4, 2010 on Motorvision TV |
Top Gear (spelling: TopGear ) is a car magazine broadcast by the British television broadcaster BBC Two . It is considered the most successful broadcast on the BBC .
Since the format was redesigned in 2002, 27 seasons have run. The show won the International Emmy for Best Entertainment Show in 2005 . Top Gear has up to 350 million viewers worldwide, five million of them in the UK. Top Gear was hosted by Jeremy Clarkson , Richard Hammond and James May until 2015 . Another permanent team member is test driver The Stig . Season eight also featured the Top Gear Dog , a Labradoodle , and Season 11 introduced the Top Gear Stuntman , although he has only made two appearances so far.
At the end of September 2006, the broadcast was suspended for four months because presenter Richard Hammond was seriously injured in an accident with a dragster while filming the show . The BBC announced at the time that Top Gear would be discontinued for an indefinite period; a decision on the future of the show will be waited for Richard Hammond to recover. After his recovery, the show continued to be produced, although Hammond himself spoke in retrospect in interviews that production was resumed too early for himself.
The Top Gear magazine is from BBC Magazines published. It appears monthly and partly corresponds to the content of the television program.
Occasionally the vehicles of the show drive, e.g. B. in season 15, on German autobahns, which promotes their awareness - in conjunction with the lack of a general speed limit for motor vehicles in Germany - among the international audience.
On March 25, 2015, it was announced that the BBC would not renew Jeremy Clarkson's contract due to a dispute with a producer. The presenters Hammond and May as well as the executive producer Andy Wilman let their contracts with the BBC expire. Top Gear continued with the 23rd season in May 2016 in a new format with a new team of hosts with Chris Evans as the main host .
Top Gear from 1977 to 2001
The Top Gear format was created in 1977. The first presenters were Angela Rippon, Noel Edmonds, William Woollard and Chris Goffey. The show was 30 minutes long at the time.
Originally, Top Gear was a conventional car magazine. It introduced new car models and related topics such as driving safety. The show achieved a massive increase in viewers in the early 1990s, when the producers started to make it more humorous, controversial and with more petrolhead talk (German: conversations among car freaks ). The moderators of this new format were front man Jeremy Clarkson together with Quentin Willson, a former car salesman, and the two racing drivers Tiff Needell and Vicki Butler-Henderson .
Despite the criticism that the show was too macho, led to an irresponsible driving style and ignored the environment and environmental protection, it was successful under Clarkson. Moderator Jeremy Clarkson successfully serves the image of British humor ; Germany and its history in particular are often part of graphic comparisons. But other nations (e.g. France, USA) are also often joked about. Top Gear achieved some influence in the auto industry at times. Criticism from the Top Gear team could and can have a negative impact on sales figures. An example of this was the British counterpart to the Opel Vectra , the Vauxhall Vectra B. Clarkson said of this model: “I know it's the replacement for the Vauxhall Cavalier (here already known as Vectra A) . I know. But I'm telling you it's just a box on wheels. “ Even more critical comments about the Toyota Corolla or praising the Renault Alpine GTA / A610 had no effect.
Top Gear has been running a Top 100 survey since 1980 . It is a statistical survey that uses thousands of UK car owners to determine how satisfied they are with their vehicles. Since the BBC does not allow product placement , the results are only presented in excerpts on the television program and only published in detail in Top Gear Magazine .
After Jeremy Clarkson left in 1999, viewership fell from six million to under three million, which led to the show being discontinued in 2001. Tiff Needell and Vicki Butler-Henderson started the car magazine Fifth Gear at Five in 2002 .
Top Gear from 2002 to 2015
Jeremy Clarkson and producer Andy Wilman began to present a new Top Gear format to the BBC in 2002 . This new format brought some fundamental changes. The show was now a full hour long and two new co-hosts were introduced: Richard Hammond and Jason Dawe . Dawe was replaced by James May after the first season. In addition, the team received a test driver, who was always anonymous and made unrecognizable by his helmet with a tinted visor and black, later white, neutral racing overalls: The Stig . The theme music is a modernized version of the Allman Brothers instrumental track "Jessica" from 1973. According to an interview with the American TV magazine 60 Minutes , Top Gear now has around 350 million viewers.
Richard Hammond's accident
In September 2006, Richard Hammond had a serious accident while filming the ninth season with a jet dragster. At about 460 km / h a tire burst, the car came off the track and overturned. Hammond was admitted to the intensive care unit with severe head injuries. He recovered from the accident and was already working again as a co-host in the ninth season, which aired from January to March 2007.
Separation from Clarkson
On March 10, 2015, the BBC announced that presenter Jeremy Clarkson had been suspended after a (also physical) argument with a producer. The episode, scheduled for March 15, did not air. James May and Richard Hammond, however, were not affected by the suspension. On March 25, 2015, the BBC announced that the expiring contract with Jeremy Clarkson would not be renewed, but the remaining three episodes of the 22nd season should still be broadcast. It remained unclear whether James May and Richard Hammond would continue the show. With the statement by James May that he would now sell his Ferrari on eBay , he further stimulated a discussion of the rumors on this subject. Shortly thereafter, he stated in a newspaper interview that he ruled out appearing on Top Gear with a presenter other than Clarkson.
On June 16, 2015, it was announced that the final episode of the 22nd season, which had not aired following the clashes over Clarkson's behavior, would be shown on BBC2 on June 28. The three moderators had once again included comments and transitions as an obligation from their expired contract. On the same day the BBC announced that Chris Evans had received a three-year contract to host Top Gear and that production for the next season would start soon. Statements about possible co-commentators were avoided. The failure of negotiations by the BBC to work with James May and Richard Hammond is considered to be the trigger for the contract with Evans. In an interview with The Sun newspaper , for which Clarkson writes regularly, Clarkson claimed that he spoke to an unnamed BBC employee who offered him his position as a Top Gear host. The BBC said there was no such offer. Clarkson himself said that he would be under too much scrutiny if he took the job again and that it would no longer be the show he wanted to do, which is why he rejected the idea. In February 2016, the BBC announced that Matt LeBlanc would also host Top Gear.
In July 2015 it was announced that the previous team (Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May) was switching to Amazon Prime Instant Video to put on the new series The Grand Tour . The rights for the “Top Gear” brand are and will remain with the BBC.
Recurring elements
New components are the star guest of the show invited to an interview with Clarkson, who has to do a timed lap on the in-house circuit in a reasonably priced car - in an inexpensive compact class car . Clarkson asks the audience if they want to watch the lap ( "Who would like to see the lap?" ), And after he has commented on the video, the lap time is classified with magnetic, handwritten labels on a metal board. These reasonably priced cars are in no way sporty, which is what makes this time hunt so special: First, a Suzuki Liana was used; from the eighth season onwards, a Chevrolet Lacetti was used , which was "dignified" buried beneath them in 2006 when two 65-meter-high chimneys were blown up; from season 15 to season 19 a Kia cee'd could be seen in action. A Vauxhall Astra Techline, which was built in the Vauxhall plant in Ellesmere Port, England, has been in use since June 2013 with the start of the 20th season . If the guest is a (former) Formula 1 driver, the Suzuki will continue to be used.
The guests invited for an entertaining conversation are often well-known personalities on the British Isles. But also world-famous stars were guests, such as Rowan Atkinson , Tom Cruise , Roger Daltrey , Cameron Diaz , Geri Halliwell , Brian Johnson , Tom Jones , Rick Parfitt , Cliff Richard , Lionel Richie , Christian Slater , David Soul , Patrick Stewart and Mark Wahlberg . German stars such as Boris Becker , Michael Schumacher , Michael Fassbender and Sebastian Vettel were also guests at Top Gear.
The Cool Wall follows the same “magnetic board principle” (which vehicles are “cool” or even “sub-zero” - that is, below zero degrees “cool” - which vehicles are “uncool” or even “seriously uncool”?) Car News , Power Laps (sports car driven by The Stig ) and even a Formula 1 board with well-known Formula 1 drivers such as Rubens Barrichello , Lewis Hamilton , Damon Hill , Nigel Mansell , Kimi Raikkonen , Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber entered. Conversely, Hammond himself once drove a Formula 1 car, a Renault F1 .
What the program also delineates car magazines TV from the usual, is that regularly Supercars and cars of luxury class are presented in detail. In some cases, entire programs were dedicated to one brand by comparing historical vehicles with current models. For example, various vehicles from Lamborghini (from the Miura to the Diablo , the Countach to the Gallardo and Murciélago ) or the Ferrari F40 and the Ferrari Enzo or the Ford GT40 and the Ford GT were shown in detail and with the usual "tough" Comments provided. There are, however, presented everyday cars, it is not limited to effektheischende, for the average consumer unaffordable vehicles: for example, one was Fiat Panda presented and received a very positive assessment.
The topicality is ensured by a further fixed component of the program: the "News", in which the upcoming releases of new cars are regularly shown on a screen and also immediately evaluated in sometimes heated discussions between the three commentators.
Furthermore, special campaigns, "Challenges" and "Epic Races", are an integral part of the program, such as various races between the presenters, initially across Europe and then also globally: car versus train ( Nissan GT-R versus Shinkansen through Japan), Car against airliner, car against ship, car against speedboat ( Ferrari 365 along the Riviera from Portofino to Saint-Tropez) or car against private plane ( Bugatti Veyron 16.4 against Cessna 182 from Northern Italy to London) usually the car wins by a narrow margin. However, James May won the race on the Riviera against Richard Hammond - Jeremy Clarkson was not involved. Clarkson lost the challenge against a marathon runner through London: he did not manage to beat a marathon runner (2 hours 33 minutes) in a Fiat Panda in the morning during rush hour in London.
Furthermore, surprising comparative tests or experiments were integrated into the program, such as "How far does a Volvo 240 station wagon fly over a ramp over some caravans ?" Or "Is a Harrier Jumpjet faster over the usual track than a TVR T350 on the track?" A highlight were the various attempts to virtually destroy a Toyota Hilux pickup: it was driven into a tree, a caravan was dropped on it, it was exposed to the flood off Bristol, it was set on fire and finally placed on a high-rise building, which was blown up has been. He still drove (and only made roadworthy with the standard on-board tools), which earned him an exposed place in the studio (the hangar) in the following broadcasts.
The three presenters repeatedly tease each other, for example Hammond is teased because of his small body size ( hamster ) or May is nicknamed Captain Slow because he shows a very careful, always law-abiding driving style, a preference for small, underpowered cars and has a tendency to elaborate, deliberately boring explanations that tend to get lost in technical details.
The program ends with a rather unspectacular contribution and Jeremy Clarkson's ironic moderation: “… and on that bombshell it's time to end! ... "
Challenges
Another regular part of the program were "Challenges" in which the moderators were given tasks by the producers. They are mostly in competition with one another. The tasks are often humorous and pose unusual challenges. In the eighth season, they were given the task of building amphibious vehicles themselves in order to drive them to a lake and to cross it. Everyone chose a different concept: Jeremy Clarkson built an outboard motor onto a sealed Toyota Hilux pickup and named it "Toybota"; Richard Hammond built a hull on a VW bus and mounted a propeller on the flywheel of the stern engine; James May fitted a Triumph Herald with a mast and variable sword to sail with. On the way to the lake, they got stuck several times due to overheating. James May couldn't go under bridges because of the mast. While the VW bus went down quickly, the Toybota capsized shortly before the target that only the sailing Herald reached. In the tenth season, the challenge was resumed, this time with the aim of crossing the English Channel , which was successfully achieved with the pickup concept from Clarkson, this time a Nissan ("Nissank").
Other competitions included, for example, taking part in a 24-hour race at Silverstone with a biodiesel racing car, converting a Reliant Robin into a rocket, Italian mid-engined sports cars for under £ 10,000, the construction of cheap police cars or a motorcycle for 15,000 , 000 Vietnamese Đồng (US $ 1,000) in Vietnam. In the program, parts of these tasks are referred to as "Cheap Car Challenges" because the moderators for the basic vehicles and the conversion work only receive a small budget from the producers of the show. At the end of a task, the moderators add up the points of the subtasks on a board and usually end the task with the comment: "Top Gear, ambitious but rubbish" (in German: Top Gear, ambitious but useless ). Hammond hasn't won a single challenge. The co-hosts keep coming up with excuses to keep Hammond from being the winner.
If the three moderators are traveling with cheap, self-purchased cars, the producers always provide a replacement vehicle that none of the moderators likes or wants to have. Often the replacement car follows the moderators in a "mysterious" way.
Special programs
Since the new edition of Top Gear, so-called "specials" have been interspersed in the squadrons at irregular intervals. These are then mostly programs that deviate from the usual sequence of a Top Gear episode and that deal with a specific topic either over a large part of the broadcast duration or over the entire length of the episode. It is common here for the three commentators to visit a foreign territory, mostly from a British point of view, and to overcome a series of "challenges" there. Often a big special with cheap cars includes a "backup car", which follows the moderators and which is used if one of the moderators' cars breaks down. This is always a car that all three moderators don't like, e.g. B. a VW Beetle or a Morris Marina and thus a large penalty. In the Vietnam Special, however, it wasn't a car because the moderators didn't have a car either, but a mini-bike, painted in Stars And Stripes and equipped with a radio that only plays the song "Born in the USA" by Bruce Springsteen .
The following list provides a selection of the "Specials":
- American Special
- Polar special
- Vietnam Special
- African special
- Bolivian Special (broadcast on German television as Amazonas Special)
- Middle East Special
- India Special
- Finding the source of the Nile special
- Burma special
- Patagonia Special
In 2007, James May and Jeremy Clarkson and their support team were the first people to reach the Arctic Magnetic Pole (northern magnetic pole) in a car in the special episode Top Gear: Polar Special . For this purpose, two heavily modified Toyota Hilux and an equally modified Toyota Land Cruiser were used. Richard Hammond tried to hit the pickup team with a dog sled, but failed. He didn't make it to the Pole because producers decided it would be unfair to let him go the rest of the way just so Jeremy Clarkson could sardonically delight.
In another special episode, the presenters drove from Saigon to Ha Long in Vietnam with two motorbikes and a Vespa scooter . In the credits of this episode, each actor and employee was given the first name Francis Ford , based on the film Apocalypse Now by director Francis Ford Coppola .
In a special of the tenth season, the presenters had to cross Botswana from east to west with a car purchased locally for GBP 1500 , including via the Makgadikgadi salt pans .
In season 14, the trio was commissioned in another special to reach the Pacific in Chile from the Bolivian rainforest. With their off-road used cars they had to cross through the rainforest, over the Yungas Strait , the Licancabur in the Andes and the Atacama Desert . Richard Hammond bought a Toyota Landcruiser , Jeremy Clarkson a Range Rover and James May bought a Suzuki SJ for their £ 3,500 budget.
In the course of the "Middle East Special" (Season 16, Episode 0) broadcast in December 2010, the moderators were sent from Erbil in Iraq to Bethlehem in the West Bank , where they had to use two-seater convertibles. The route passed through Turkey , Syria and Jordan .
In March 2013, in the course of the 19th season, a two-part special was broadcast for the first time, where the presenters were supposed to find the source of the Nile with normal station wagons (a 5-series BMW , a Subaru Impreza and a Volvo 850 R) . After Lake Victoria, which is often referred to as the source of the Nile, was discarded by the top gear producers, the search in the west of the lake continued, but was also unsuccessful. Clarkson then put forward the theory that it was not the Nile Delta but the Strait of Gibraltar that actually meant the end of the Nile and that the source must therefore be located in the southeast of Lake Victoria, probably in the form of the Grumeti River. On the way from the west side of Lake Victoria to the east side, the Top Gear team must u. a. build a raft for the cars to cross a river with the "backup car" (a Ford Scorpio ) sinking into the water while it is being loaded onto the raft. In the end, James May finds the source of the Grumeti in the Serengeti in northern Tanzania, and this point is also seen as the source of the Nile by the other two moderators.
As the finale of the 21st season, the three presenters drive trucks through the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , only called "Burma" by them, to build a bridge over the Mae Nam Khwae Yai .
Running gags
-
Jeremy Clarkson
- Clarkson is often bullied for his gross motor skills ("orangutan"), his lack of tact and style, his work reluctance and his preference for fast cars. His frizzy hair is also often mentioned (Hammond: "You know Jeremy Clarkson; tall, frizzy, stupid!").
- Clarkson's inability to convert units
- Clarkson's favorite and all-purpose tool is awesome
- When a celebrity or other person mentions the position of the steering wheel, Clarkson always replies that the right position of the steering wheel is on the right
- The rides of the guests in the Reasonably Priced Car or the rides of The Stig are always moderated by Clarkson in a very emotional and slightly sarcastic manner
- Jeremy Clarkson always ends the show with the same sentence: “… and on that bombshell it's time to end! ... "(Eng." ... and with this bomb sensation we have reached the end of our program ... ")
- Clarkson's vehicle always has a loudspeaker during a challenge, which he usually uses to play Genesis music to Hammond
- Clarkson can't operate a fire extinguisher
- Clarkson's extraordinary hatred of the Beetles and various electric cars
- Clarkson's jokes about Americans, especially overweight
- Clarkson likes to address the prejudices / clichés of other countries (e.g. the extremely careful work of the Germans, the gun mania of the Americans and that Mexicans are fat and lazy)
- Clarkson thinks up stories about May's absurd sex life, so he should rub himself with beef broth and other various liquids, dream of a life as a lonely captain on the North Sea, or have a dungeon in his basement where he can do unspeakable things with you Carbon shoehorn hires
- If a "specific" vehicle is tested by Clarkson, unnecessary questions are clarified (e.g. whether the new Kia Cee'd is suitable for eel and sodium dealers or whether John McClane can blow the horn)
-
Richard Hammond
- Hammond is always approached by the other moderators about his small body size (hamster), his aversion to the music of Genesis (especially the song "I know what I like in your wardrobe") is also mentioned humorously, and it is mentioned over the loudspeaker system from Clarkson's vehicle maltreated. It is also popular to imply that Hammond bleaches his teeth and stains his hair
- When Hammond is abroad, he always has the problem that he cannot find any food that he would like to eat; Often his colleagues order the meal, but it is usually unpleasant
- Hammond's aversion to fish and his love of fast food
- Hammond likes to ram the other presenters' cars with his car, he especially likes to ram May's car
- Hammond is an outspoken fan of the Porsche 911
- Hammond's fondness for big cars and America in general
- Hammond always has the "last crutch" turned on at the used car challenges
- When Hammond wins a challenge, he likes to rub that success in the face of his opponent
- Hammond infantile and naive views of life
-
James May
- May is known for his leisurely driving style (Captain Slow / -ly) , for his favorite color beige, his preference for inexpensive cars ( Fiat Panda , Dacia Sandero ), his poor sense of direction, his unnecessary facts about the cars (less often airplanes), his attention to detail, his extremely poor sense of direction and his mostly old-fashioned outfit (knitted sweater with stripes, ...), as well as ridiculed for his shirts
- During the Challenges, Clarkson and Hammond ram May's car when stopped
- When discussing the news, May always mentions the Dacia Sandero when it was not yet for sale, mentions one or two new details about the car before Jeremy Clarkson quickly moves on to other news.
- May is the stereotypical Brit
- May secretly let himself be replaced by The Stig in several challenges (but not always voluntarily)
- Because of his long hair and clothing, May is mostly ridiculed by Clarkson for being gay
- May doesn't run for television, no matter how short of time
-
The Stig
- The Stig is a tame racing driver called (tame racing driver)
- The Stig is announced again and again by Jeremy Clarkson (less often by May or Hammond) through two alleged facts from his life, which always begin and (almost) always end the same: "Some say, he ... All we know is: He's called The Stig! "(Eng." They say he ... All we know is: His name is The Stig! ")
- When driving, The Stig listens to unusual music, if a radio is available, which is not suitable for driving (e.g. Morse code or self-help instructions)
- The Stig has various "cousins" from other countries who then behave or look stereotypically (e.g. Germany, the United States or China)
- The Reliant Robin always tips over, even when The Stig drives it
- The Stig doesn't act like a normal person outside of a car; the trio often compares him to an alien
-
Generally on the show
- The patriotism of the three moderators
- When the moderators interact with locals in foreign countries, they often do not speak English. In order to communicate with the locals, they try to interact in their mother tongue, but they always talk nonsense
- If the moderators change their clothes for their challenges , the price label is never removed, but can always be seen
- If the moderators label their cars with lettering, these are often so “clumsy” that they lead to politically incorrect puns or hints
- If a moderator owns a car that is on the "cool wall" and was rated better than uncool, this car automatically becomes uncool
- Penis jokes
- Any moderator never wins a challenge because of invented excuses and the resulting high negative points of the other moderators
- If a moderator's car breaks down while driving together, it will be "abandoned" by the other moderators according to the Top Gear code of honor ("We are not the US Marines , we are leaving someone behind!")
- If the air conditioning system is (still) intact in the moderator's car during a challenge, it will be destroyed or made unusable in the course of the program
- German history, especially the Third Reich and the Second World War, are often discussed with humor
- Several Morris Marina are destroyed by pianos “falling from the sky” ; other vehicles are partly destroyed by marinas that “fall from the sky”.
- When it rains, the eco-friendly Toyota Prius is always blamed
- The unimaginative design of Porsche is criticized for every new car
- British documentary filmmaker David Attenborough is mentioned in many specials
- The moderators always give each other too big gifts that don't fit in their trunk (e.g. a statue)
- In surveys in the studio, the result represents the opinion of all Brits ([…] percent of all Brits […]!)
- Directions to top secret areas are described in great detail
- If the moderators work with external people (e.g. a director or a racing driver), they are very quickly irritated by the sheer inability of the moderators and then abuse the trio
- Top Gear is hated to the death in Mexico
Top Gear from 2016
After the controversy surrounding the dismissal of Jeremy Clarkson and the failed contract extension of Richard Hammond and James May, Chris Evans, who became famous as a radio host, was named as the successor to Jeremy Clarkson on June 28, 2015 . Nothing was initially announced about any colleagues. In February 2016, the BBC announced that the American actor Matt LeBlanc , the former Formula 1 team owner Eddie Jordan , the German racing driver and TV presenter Sabine Schmitz and the two motor journalists Rory Reid and Chris Harris Evans would be co-moderators . The first episode of the 23rd season of Top Gear aired on the BBC on May 29, 2016 and was premiered by 4.4 million viewers. The total number of viewers for the first episode, including the reruns over the course of the following week, was 6.2 million. According to press information in a BBC survey, viewers rated the show only 60 points, which, with an average of 82 points, is considered a very poor value for a BBC Two program and it is the worst-rated program of the weekend ever does. Following the broadcast of the first episode of the 23rd season of Top Gear was on BBC Three first Extra Gear aired. This is a spin-off presented by Chris Harris and Rory Reid, in which, on the one hand, a look behind the scenes of Top Gear is thrown and in which, on the other hand, the "News" segment, which used to be part of almost everyone Top Gear episode was housed. The 23rd season was sold to 130 countries by BBC Worldwide , the BBC's marketing company, which means more buyers for this season than for the last under the direction of Jeremy Clarkson. Chris Evans announced his retirement as presenter on July 4, 2016 after the last episode of the 23rd season was broadcast. Evans took responsibility for the falling viewership and ongoing media criticism of the show and said he was not good enough for the job. In the meantime, only Rory Reid, Matt LeBlanc and Chris Harris appear as moderators. At the end of season 26, Matt LeBlanc and Rory Reid will retire and be replaced by Paddy McGuinness and Andrew Flintoff .
Test track
The new broadcast is being recorded in an airport hangar at an airfield, the Dunsfold Park Aerodrome in Surrey . The Top Gear circuit is located on the airfield of Dunsfold Park, a course specially designed by Lotus for Top Gear. In the shape of an eight, the route leads 2.8 km across the airfield. It is included in the racing games Forza Motorsport 4 , Gran Turismo 5 , Forza Motorsport 5 and Forza Motorsport 6 as a drivable track that is only available in the game after completing the easiest level of a special racing event designed for this course.
The Stig set the course record in the Renault R24 , a Formula 1 racing car from 2004, with 59 seconds. Michael Schumacher achieved a lap time of 1: 10.7 in his Ferrari FXX . This time was beaten in 2011 by The Stig in a Pagani Zonda R with 1: 08.5. For street legal cars the record is currently 1: 13.8 with a Pagani Huayra .
The geo-coordinates of the site are 51 ° 7 '11 " N , 0 ° 32' 4" W .
The Stig
A recurring element of the series is the character of the racing driver "The Stig", whose true identity has not been revealed. In the first two seasons, the Stig appeared all in black. Since the third season he has always been wearing a white racing suit without advertising, a white helmet with a dark visor and white gloves. His task is to achieve the best time with the cars discussed in the broadcast on the racetrack at the studio. In later seasons, the Stig also takes part in the competitions. His lap time is used as a benchmark for the moderators. Matching “cousins” of the Stig appear in some competitions or special programs.
Jeremy Clarkson, and in rare cases Richard Hammond or James May, moderates the character Stig with the same running gags . This moderation begins with "Some say, he ..." (Eng. "They say he ...") and contains two alleged facts from the life of the Stig. At the end follows “All we know is: He's called The Stig !” (Eng. “All we know is, he's called: The Stig ”). The role is characterized as a kind of driving robot that has no feelings, no private life and only a limited understanding of its environment outside of the car. Only his taste in music is often emphasized: During his laps on the test track, during the cockpit recordings, one often hears music that is completely contrary to the respective drive, such as classical music and older rock songs or audio books and learning CDs, which is intended to underline his looseness, his "coolness" .
From 2002 to 2003, racing driver Perry McCarthy slipped into the role of Black Stig . There is much speculation about the identity of the White Stig , which was introduced after McCarthy left. In the first episode of the 13th season, the Stig took off his helmet for the first time and revealed his identity as Michael Schumacher . At the end of the episode, Jeremy Clarkson questioned this revelation and expressed doubts that Schumacher was the real Stig. Michael Schumacher was also featured in a video on the Top Gear website under the name “Behind the scenes”. It can be assumed that Michael Schumacher actually only slipped into the role of Stig for this one episode, as the black Ferrari FXX that was used for the record lap was his private FXX and he also drove himself.
In 2004 a Stig covered the home route with a time of 59.0 seconds in a Renault Formula 1 car of this season, which - if it was always the same person - speaks for his racing qualities.
In September 2010, the racing and stunt driver Ben Collins confessed in his autobiography ( The Man in the White Suit ) to be "The Stig". The Top Gear producers wanted to prevent this with a court order. However, the judge valued the fact that Ben Collins had signed a confidentiality clause in his contract less than the insistence on the right to freedom of expression. The former Stig officially appears as Ben Collins in season 17 episode 6, where Richard Hammond also mentions him as a former renegade Stig. There he supports one of the shown off-road rally amateur racers, who are former soldiers who have suffered considerable physical disabilities (e.g. amputations of limbs, paralysis) due to injuries during operations. Racing in vehicles adapted to their respective disabilities and working on them is intended to alleviate the psychological consequences of the war experience.
Top Gear in German-speaking countries
Broadcasts
From July 17, 2010 Top Gear was broadcast weekly on free-air German private television on Kabel1 . The program was broadcast into German by voice-over translation. In contrast to the original broadcast material of the BBC, segments of the show, such as "the news", were not broadcast and broadcast segments were cut. Politically incorrect jokes by the moderators were either not translated or translated with a different meaning, such as frequent references to events from the Second World War, puns with Messerschmitts and Spitfires or the use of the term “Nazi”. Due to a lack of viewership, however, the broadcast was soon stopped.
Since May 16, 2011, Top Gear has been broadcast on DMAX on Mondays at 9:15 p.m. (repeats on Sundays at 5:15 p.m.). Also in the program the transmitter Motor Vision TV is Top Gear transmitted. On RTL Nitro older seasons of Top Gear are broadcast as German premieres.
In Switzerland, Top Gear has been running on SRF two since August 14, 2012 , from Tuesday to Friday at 6:05 p.m. SRF two can be received via satellite; the last programs can also be seen on the Swiss television video portal within a week.
synchronization
The German dubbing is done in the studio of Studio Hamburg Synchron in Hamburg . Script and direction: Bernd Lang and Georg Prilog. The synchronization is created using the voice-over process. Instead of completely replacing the spoken original sound, the spoken translations are superimposed on the original sound, with the latter remaining quietly audible in the background.
| Moderator | Voice actor |
|---|---|
| Jeremy Clarkson | Erik Schäffler |
| Richard Hammond | Sascha Rotermund |
| James May | Volker Hanisch |
SRF Zwei, SRF 1 , but also Motorvision TV show, among other things, programs with the original soundtrack and German subtitles that are not yet available on DMAX (as of November 2015).
Episode list
See also
- Top Gear USA
- The Grand Tour , follow-up broadcast by Clarkson, May and Hammond on Amazon Video .
Web links
- Official Top Gear website of the BBC
- Official Top Gear website
- Top Gear in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ BBC parts with "Top Gear" presenter. In: handelsblatt.com. March 25, 2015, accessed on April 22, 2015 : “Top Gear” is the BBC's most successful program. But now the moderator is leaving. The British broadcaster puts Jeremy Clarkson in front of the door - his dropouts had become too much for those responsible. "
- ↑ BBC dismisses "Top Gear" presenter Clarkson! In: blick.ch. March 25, 2015, accessed on April 22, 2015 : "Top Gear" is the BBC's most successful program, it is considered the most-watched program in the world. "
- ↑ Due to the dismissal of Clarkson: BBC boss receives death threats. In: focus.de. March 29, 2015, accessed on April 22, 2015 : “Top Gear” is the most successful information program in the world: it is followed by 6.5 million viewers in Great Britain alone and 350 million worldwide. According to Hall, the consignment should be overhauled for the coming year. "
- ↑ BBC throws "Top Gear" star out. Moderator Clarkson thwarted. In: bild.de. March 25, 2015, accessed on April 22, 2015 : "Top Gear" is the BBC's most successful program: It is followed by 6.5 million viewers in Great Britain alone, and 350 million worldwide. "
- ^ Off for "Top Gear" presenter Clarkson. In: tagesanzeiger.ch. March 25, 2015, accessed April 22, 2015 .
- ↑ BBC: List of the seasons already broadcast ( memento of the original from November 24, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (accessed on July 28, 2012)
- ↑ TV car show host wins online backing for British PM.
- ↑ Autobahn traffic. September 25, 2010, accessed April 22, 2015 .
- ↑ Jeremy Clarkson continues for "Top Gear Live"
- ^ Richard Hammond: Life-threatening car crash left Top Gear presenter. In: The Independent. Retrieved February 14, 2016 (UK English).
- ↑ Clarkson after expulsion: "Will miss 'Top Gear'". April 18, 2015, accessed April 22, 2015 : “Clarkson was suspended in March after an argument with his producer Oisin Tymon. According to an internal investigation, the moderator was upset that after a long day of filming, he only got one cold and no hot meal. For around 20 minutes, he rudely abused Tymon and then hit him. With a broken lip, the producer was then treated in the emergency room. "
- ↑ Top Gear: James May rules out returning without Jeremy Clarkson in: The Guardian, April 23, 2015, accessed June 19, 2015
- ↑ Top Gear: BBC to air final Jeremy Clarkson episode on June 28 in: The Guardian June 16, 2015, accessed June 17, 2015
- ↑ Chris Evans to be new Top Gear presenter on BBC News , June 16, 2015, accessed June 17, 2015
- ↑ Top Gear deal set to make Chris Evans the BBC's highest-paid star in: The Guardian June 17, 2015, accessed June 17, 2015
- ↑ BBC denies Clarkson invited back to Top Gear on BBC News, June 19, 2015, accessed June 19, 2015
- ↑ Top Gear: Jeremy Clarkson claims BBC offered him comeback in: The Guardian, June 19, 2015, accessed June 19, 2015
- ↑ Matt Le Blanc joins Top Gear . In: sueddeutsche.de . ISSN 0174-4917 ( sueddeutsche.de [accessed on February 5, 2016]).
- ↑ The "Top Gear" team switches to Amazon video. In: welt.de. Retrieved August 7, 2015 .
- ↑ Eddie Jordan and Sabine Schmitz join Top Gear line-up - BBC News. In: BBC News. Retrieved February 14, 2016 (UK English).
- ↑ Jasper Jackson, Lukewarm reception greets Chris Evans's revamped Top Gear in: The Guardian, May 30, 2016, accessed May 31, 2016
- ↑ Patrick Foster, Top Gear worst program of last weekend, say viewers in: The Daily Telegraph , June 3, 2016, accessed June 5, 2016
- ↑ Don't forget: 'Extra Gear' is on straight after all-new TG. May 29, 2016, accessed May 31, 2016 .
- ↑ Mark Sweney, Chris Evans' Top Gear 'is bigger global hit than Jeremy Clarkson version'. In: The Guardian. July 12, 2016. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
- ↑ Chris Evans stepping down from Top Gear BBC, July 4, 2016, accessed July 5, 2016.
- ^ John Plunkett, Nadia Khomami: Chris Evans makes Top Gear tribute on Radio 2 breakfast show. In: The Guardian. July 5, 2016, accessed July 5, 2016.
- ↑ Two new Top Gear hosts announced after Matt LeBlanc steps down. October 22, 2018, accessed February 26, 2019 .
- ↑ Auto Talk - The original Stig speaks on autotrader.co.uk
- ↑ The eight drivers behind Top Gear stunt driver The Stig's famous racing whites on dailymail.co.uk
- ↑ Richter exposes “The Stig” - 20 min.ch
- ↑ ( page no longer available , search in web archives: kabeleins.de )
- ↑ kabel eins shows even more car and motorsport programs ; wunschliste.de, May 15, 2010.
- ↑ dmax.de ( Memento of the original from August 19, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ motorvision.de ( Memento of the original from October 17, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ topgear.sf.tv
- ↑ Production mirror Studio Hamburg June-July 2011 p. 21 ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ auto-motor-und-sport.de ( Memento of the original from May 12, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
