Just when we were starting to think that there is nothing on television worth watching, we get our first look at Top Gear series 18. Beyond the jump is a 30 second teaser of the upcoming season, with a glimpse at more episodes filled with Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond.
The cars are there as well, including a very yellow Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Coupe Black Series, NASCAR Top Gear style and some crazy man who jumps out of a plane with a powered wing attached to his back. Oh, and it seems Jezza attacks a trailer park in a Jaguar XJ. Interesting. Hit the jump to watch the action-packed promo for yourself.
Pretty much every time Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson opens his mouth these days, someone takes offense, which does make it hard to tell whether Clarkson is actually offensive.
The latest complaints have come after the Top Gear Christmas special, in which Clarkson and his posse go to India on a “trade mission.” According to The Telegraph, the BBC has received 23 complaints about the show, in which Clarkson is charged with making insensitive remarks about Indian clothing, trains, food and history.
Clarkson’s “funny” bits on the show included dropping his pants in front of Indian dignitaries and outfitting a Jaguar XJS with a toilet seat and then driving around Indian slums, according to the report. Clarkson reportedly described the Jag as “perfect for India because everyone who comes here gets the trots.”
While we haven’t seen the episode, we do know that the XJS has a reputation for crapping out with some frequency. Before you fire up the torrents, check out the episode trailer after the jump.
Mark Thompson, director general of the BBC, has been forced to go to bat for Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson after the television host jokingly suggested striking public sector workers should be shot in front of their own families. Yep. That sounds like Clarkson to us.
According to the UK’s Guardian and Telegraph dailies, members of the UK Parliament then began calling for the government-owned BBC to oust Jezza, with Labor Party member Jim Sheridan asking whether or not Clarkson was a luxury the BBC couldn’t afford. Around 32,000 people sent complaints to the network about the host’s disparaging remarks, but Thompson countered, suggesting that Clarkson is one of the UK’s chief cultural exports at the moment.
The BBC executive also said far more people would be upset to see the gregarious host disappear from Top Gear than had complained about his flippant remarks.
This is just the latest episode in a long line of Clarkson’s skirmishes with various nationalities, religions and organizations, but it doesn’t look like the British personality is going anywhere any time soon.
The Top Gear crew has been spotted filming in China. James May and Jeremy Clarkson have caused a stir in Beijing as they take to the wheel in the newest vehicles available from Chinese automakers.
Judging from the photos that have surfaced so far, it looks like the intrepid duo spent some time in exquisite pieces of engineering like the JAC Binyue and the Greatwall Haval M2, while also taking a look at some of the country’s vehicles that infringe on the copyrights of pay tribute to cars manufactured around the globe. That meant taking a gander at hardware like the Smart ForTwo-inspired Shuanghuan Noble, the BMW X5-flavored Shuanghuan SCO and the Mini Cooper-themed Lifan 320.
The episode is likely to surface next season, and we’re betting it will feature plenty of insightful commentary from all three of the hosts. If this seems like the setup for yet another international incident, you’d be right. But isn’t that why we keep watching? Head over to Car News China for a look at the full gaggle of photos.
Top Gear magazine has officially named the Land Rover Range Rover Evoque its Car Of The Year for 2011 after snagging top honors in the SUV category. Perhaps even more impressively, Jeremy Clarkson also named the Evoque his favorite vehicle of 2011. The compact luxury SUV faced off against the likes of the BMW 1 Series M Coupe, McLaren MP4-12C and Ferrari FF among more common offerings. Top Gear celebrated in classic style by taking the Evoque on an African adventure through the deserts and mountains of Morocco. Sure beats handing an anonymous executive some cheesy trophy on stage.
Readers can find the full tale in any of the magazine’s 29 international editions. Clarkson was joined by Richard Hammond, James May, Top Gear magazine editor-in-chief Charlie Turner and the publication’s full editorial and road testing staff in picking the 2011 car of the year. The crew isn’t the only batch of writers to honor the Evoque. The model has soaked up 34 international awards since it debuted, so you can see why it’s that good.
Jeremy Clarkson says a lot of things, some funny, some not, but all designed to get a rise out of people. We loved it, be it good or bad, and we always take it with a pint of salt and a big laugh. This time, however, he may have crossed a line and offended some narrow-minded people, like always.
“I would take them outside and execute them in front of their families,” said Clarkson, referring to striking workers in Great Britain. “I’d have them all shot. I mean, how dare they go on strike when they’ve got these gilt-edged pensions that are going to be guaranteed while the rest of us have to work for a living?”
While we’re not sure whether Clarkson was “working” while making the comments on BBC television’s One Show, it certainly seems like the celebrity host of Top Gear was joking. Jezza was commenting on the Union workers strike, and that statement was obviously a very big sarcasm, as he was also praising them before making that statement.
But a British union that represents over a million public sector workers isn’t laughing, according to an Associated Press report. Dave Prentis, the general secretary of UNISON, said Clarkson’s comments “were totally outrageous, and they cannot be tolerated.” His group has demanded Clarkson be fired immediately.
While Clarkson’s off-color comments are legendary, his latest gaffe even came to the attention of Prime Minister David Cameron, who vouched for his friend, according to the AP. To his credit, Clarkson has apologized, and so has the BBC. Then again, the truth always hurts, right?
To watch video of Clarkson’s comments, click past the jump. Read more…
See this photo? That’s a Noble, a McLaren MP4-12C and a Lamborghini Aventador being prepped for taping in Lecce, Italy. And what trio of personalities will be piloting these exotic machines? None other than Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond, of course. Top Gear is about to get its Roman and rural Italian groove on.
We’ll look forward to finding out next season why they’ve paired the two English with the Italian – a grouping that, especially in Italy, seems the equivalent of bringing a bull to a knife fight. Hit the jump to see the video featuring lots of rumbling horsepower and behind-the-scenes Clarkson.
Tesla’s libel suit against Top Gear was dealt a crushing blow with London’s court ruling that no Top Gear viewer would have reasonably assumed the Tesla Roadster’s on-track performance on the show relates to its real-world capabilities.
As you might recall, Top Gear‘s review of the Roadster concluded by claiming that, “In the real world, it doesn’t seem to work”. But that’s just Top Gear being, well, Top Gear, implies Justice Tugendhat:
In my judgment, the words complained of are wholly incapable of conveying any meaning at all to the effect that the claimant misled anyone. This is because the contrast between the style of driving and the nature of the track as compared with the conditions on a public road are so great that no reasonable person could understand that the performance on the track is capable of a direct comparison with a public road.
The ruling was handed down verbally by Justice Tugendhat before lunch on Wednesday, October 19th. The Tesla versus Top Gear trial will continue as the automaker is suing BBC for five malicious statements made during the Top Gear’s 2008 review of the electric Roadster. Tugendhat is expected to return a complete verdict within weeks.
We’d assume a sizable share of fans may consider themselves God’s gift to road navigation, but that hasn’t stopped TomTom launching a special edition Top Gear flavour of its GPS device. Navigation is narrated by the voice of Top Gear, Jeremy Clarkson, directing clueless drivers “with the aid of 32 satellites… and me.” The in-car navigation unit is priced at $269.95, including a one-year subscription to traffic updates and incident reports from TomTom. Alongside Clarkson’s familiar tones are some extra Top Gear car icons and Stig mode, where the GPS will remain entirely silent. It’ll also point out race tracks featured in the show, plus any nearby speed cameras. With its main man behind you, how could you possibly lose your way?
The Isle of Man, probably best known for the Isle of Man TT motorcycle race, is producing a series of stamps celebrating another well-known wheeled effort: Top Gear. There are six stamps in the collection, each “lavishly tooled” with an image of a Top Gear creation, such as the homemade electric car or the much-modified Toyota pickup from Iceland built to tackle the North Pole. It isn’t the Isle’s first stab at commemorative, vehicular-themed stamps: earlier this year it produced a set for the Isle of Man TT, and sold chunks of the tarmac course to go with it.
Jeremy Clarkson says a lot of things, some funny, some not, but all designed to get a rise out of people. We loved it, be it good or bad, and we always take it with a pint of salt and a big laugh. This time, however, he may have crossed a line and offended some narrow-minded people, like always.
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