150-469: Top Gear: Patagonia Special is a full length special that was aired as a two-part episode for the BBC car show Top Gear ; the first part was aired on 27 December 2014, while the second part was aired a day later on 28 December. The special sees hosts, Jeremy Clarkson , Richard Hammond , and James May , using a selection of cars with V8 engines to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the small-block V8 engine, on
300-436: A Porsche 928 , which both Hammond and May berated for being "boring". Hammond had bought a Ford Mustang , which though both Clarkson and May initially liked, they pointed out the numerous flaws with the car, in that most of the car's features were "pointless". May, arriving last, had bought a Lotus Esprit , a decision that both Clarkson and Hammond were stunned by; both proceeded to ridicule May for his choice of vehicle, citing
450-452: A Top Gear "Christmas Special", with the last three split into two parts. These specials are listed below: At the end of each autumn series, hosts Clarkson, Hammond, and May presented an award ceremony in which they picked out cars on various aspects. While some were serious, others were meant as jokes against cars that the presenters hated. One award given was to one of the presenters, referred to as "Cock of Year", in which they had conducted
600-412: A Rally-Cross Car". While it stuck to the same format as "Reasonably Priced", it featured a number of changes. The first change was that the interview, conducted with Evans, was much longer, with the celebrities involved discussing what was their favourite car in a certain field and the studio audience voting on which one they preferred. The second change, which was the primary reason for the change in name,
750-439: A Rally-Cross Car". The most negative feedback received for the 23rd series was towards Evans' involvement – his presentation style was largely criticised, along with the lack of chemistry he had with LeBlanc. In addition to feedback, several newspaper articles highlighted the fact that the new series struggled to make reasonable viewing figures, with this partly blamed on its broadcast schedule putting it up against live broadcasts of
900-426: A back-up car would be provided for the celebrity to use to continue practising, and/or to do their timed lap in. Although only one celebrity is involved in this segment, in a number of episodes, including the majority of the eleventh and twenty-third series, it sometimes featured two celebrities taking part, with footage of each timed lap shown one after the other. From the first series to the twenty-second series, when
1050-667: A base to defend its sovereignty claims in the southernmost part of South America. This led to the Strait of Magellan being recognized as Chilean territory in the Boundary Treaty of 1881 between Chile and Argentina . Punta Arenas' geopolitical importance has remained high in the 20th and 21st centuries due to its logistic significance in accessing the Antarctic Peninsula . Since 2017, the city and its region have been on their own time zone , using summer time throughout
1200-402: A bit like one of those Yes albums from the 1970s where side one is just one track – so we're trying to calm down the prog-rock side. We'll inevitably still have big films, because it's the only way you can enjoy the three of them cocking about together, but they'll be shorter overall, and alongside we'll be inserting two- or three-minute punk songs." The success of the programme soon led to
1350-500: A bridge, when Clarkson, seeing an Asian man crossing it, remarked that the bridge "had a slope on it". As a result of these matters, the broadcaster issued a "final warning" against Clarkson. The programme then suffered another incident, when production of its next special in Argentina was dogged by major issues that placed the team at serious risk of harm, as one of the car licence plates had read "H982 FKL" in an alleged reference to
1500-431: A car and another form of transportation – and completing a variety of challenges, mostly with cheap, second-hand cars. In early 2006, the BBC made plans to move the programme's film site from Dunsfold to Enstone, Oxfordshire , in preparation for its eighth series . These were later cancelled, after West Oxfordshire District Council strongly objected to the planned move, on the basis of noise and pollution concerns. As
1650-537: A company possessing 3 million hectares in southern Chile and Argentina, with over 2 million head of sheep. The headquarters of this company and the residences of the owners were in Punta Arenas. The Sarah Braun Museum is now established at the former Braun-Menéndez mansion, in the centre of Punta Arenas. The Punta Arenas harbour, although exposed to storms, was considered one of the most important in Chile before
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#17327942111951800-504: A crew of 21 people ( captain , eighteen crew, and two women), plus cargo, to accomplish the mandate. The founding act of the settlement took place on 21 September 1843. The fort was well-positioned on a small rocky peninsula , but the location could not support a proper civilian settlement. With this in mind the Military Governor, José de los Santos Mardones, decided in 1848 to move the settlement to its current location, along
1950-498: A different part of the world for a road trip using second-hand cars, with a number produced to be aired as a Christmas special. Despite growing popularity, an interview made with the Radio Times by Wilman revealed that future programmes would have less time devoted to big challenges, stating the following: "We've looked back at the last two or three runs and noticed that a programme can get swallowed up by one monster film –
2100-441: A direct result, the broadcaster ordered that filming continued at Dunsfold during May of that year, despite having no permit to do so, with the eighth series unveiling a revamped studio set. In addition, the "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" segment was modified with new rules along with a new car, while Hammond included one of his dogs for the series throughout its studio segments, along with a number of films made for this series and
2250-454: A film that had been shown prior to footage of their timed lap, and viewed footage of a practice lap in which Harris tutored them on how to get around the circuit in the new car, before the footage of their timed lap. This was altered slightly in Series 25, with it returning to only one part with the training run still shown. The segment was dropped in Series 29 to maintain social distancing during
2400-436: A full departure from Ushuaia, but protesters warned that there would be violence if they had not departed in under 3 hours. The crew made a hasty departure, though the presenters initially had to remain in the hotel. They then went to a nearby airport, together with the two female crew members, and flew out as it was assumed the rest of the crew would be left without the presenters accompanying them. The crew were to be escorted by
2550-706: A full-size replica of the first ship ever to circumnavigate the world: Ferdinand Magellan's Nao Victoria . Since October 2011, the museum has displayed a full-size replica of the James Caird , used by Ernest Shackleton during his Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition with the Endurance . The Museum of Remembrance of the University of Magallanes Instituto de la Patagonia displays examples of heritage buildings, old machinery and tools. They are part of an Open Museum, with high attendance and regional identity and
2700-515: A journey across Chile and Argentina , starting from Bariloche and ending on the outskirts of Ushuaia , and includes the infamous scene involving the protesters that the presenters and their film crew encountered and the events that happened; it is the last Top Gear special to be filmed with the hosts, prior to Clarkson's exit from the show in March 2015 followed by Hammond, May, and Executive Producer Andy Wilman shortly afterwards. The incident with
2850-413: A lap time in the new car. Up until the eighth series, the rules of the segment were that celebrities were given a set number of laps to do, with the fastest amongst these being recorded, but from the ninth series onwards, the rules were changed so that they were now given a few practice laps to get to grips with both the car and the track, before conducting a timed lap. In some episodes, the invited celebrity
3000-429: A large mob had prepared for their arrival, and, more worryingly, were organising a blockade. As they drove through the town, they discovered the main road blocked by a large truck, slowing the convoy down allowing the protesters to begin egging the cars and pelting them with rocks. Several car windows were shattered and two crew members were hit. After a while they pulled over to attend to the injured crew members and repair
3150-682: A live-version format being created called Top Gear Live ; produced by a former producer of the programme, Rowland French, the touring show aimed to attempt to "bring the TV show format to life... featuring breath-taking stunts, amazing special effects and blockbusting driving sequences featuring some of the world's best precision drivers". The Live tour began on 30 October 2008 in Earls Court, London, moving on to Birmingham in November before being performed in at least 15 other countries worldwide. As
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#17327942111953300-419: A mile and a half from the destination and be abandoned by May and Clarkson. When Hammond caught them up, they were informed by producers that they must continue driving southward to Ushuaia . Once there, they were to play a game of football using their cars. Their route to Ushuaia - planned by Jeremy - took many odd turns along the way. The trio took a side road that ended up leading them to a strange area where
3450-554: A mistake while filming the show for that year, while another was given to the celebrity who drove well, and not necessarily the fastest. The most important award given out in this special segment was "car of the year", in which the only criterion was that all three presenters must come to a unanimous choice on the winning car. Past winners were: Punta Arenas Punta Arenas ( Spanish pronunciation: [ˈpunta aˈɾenas] , historically known as Sandy Point in English)
3600-573: A motoring magazine format to one that was studio-based. Amongst the ideas that were pitched included: the involvement of a fixed location for car reviews and other films, alongside locations across Britain and abroad; putting notable cars through a timed lap of a circuit; the involvement of test driver with veteran racing experience, who handles driving some of the cars for the programme; and the participation of celebrity guests who would be invited to take part in an episode, undertake an interview over motoring matters, such as their car history, and take part in
3750-454: A nationalistic designed van, which had "Las Malvinas son Argentinas!" ("The Falklands are Argentinian!") written on it. Protesters entered the hotel, followed by the local police. The protesters noted that if the crew didn't cease filming, then they would have to cause trouble. The locals had taken offense to the license plate of the Porsche, which read "H982 FKL". The protesters believed that
3900-499: A nearby beach filled with boulders and other various rocks, where they were landed by a commercial Chilean ship, which could not transport the three directly to Ushuaia for political reasons . Shortly before arriving in Ushuaia, Hammond's Mustang broke down again in the snow, leaving May and Clarkson to continue in belief that Hammond would follow them in the 2CV. May and Clarkson crossed a nearby river, after which Hammond joined them in
4050-424: A number of series – because the new car was often different, in terms of engine specifications, power, speed, handling, and other factors, a new leaderboard would be created a direct result. In addition, the introduction of a new car would be reserved for the opening episode, with the celebrity segment pre-recorded before the series began – it featured no interview, and involved a group of celebrities taking part to set
4200-418: A nun driving a monster truck. However, these later changed into situations in which the presenters were either competing against each other with a car they chose in a series of tests, or working together to accomplish a goal, with the tagline "How hard can it be?" becoming a common phrase for the introduction of some of the challenges featured on the programme. Challenges that appear in episodes, mainly fall under
4350-410: A place. On 17 June 2008, Hammond and May revealed during an interview on BBC Radio 1 's The Chris Moyles Show , that the eleventh series would feature a new "host" in the line-up, who was later revealed on the programme as "Top Gear Stunt Man", an individual who made few, occasional appearances on the programme. From the twelfth series, feature-length specials were created for the show, each visiting
4500-587: A population of about 301 in 2002, the islands are largely uninhabited. Clarence Island had a population of five. Due to its far southern latitude, Punta Arenas has a subpolar oceanic climate ( Köppen climate classification Cfc , Trewartha climate classification Eolk ). The seasonal temperature in Punta Arenas is greatly moderated by its proximity to the ocean, with average lows in July near −1 °C (30 °F) and highs in January of 14 °C (57 °F). It
4650-399: A positive reception compared to the mixed reviews of the previous few series. During the broadcast of the twenty-eighth series in early 2020, it was announced that, from the twenty-ninth series , the show would move channels to BBC One following the positive reception of the new presenting lineup. The twenty-ninth series itself, which was broadcast in late 2020, also saw some changes as
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4800-518: A result of filming and broadcast during the COVID-19 pandemic , including the show moving out of the studio and onto the runway, in a 'drive-in festival' style, to enable the audience members to remain physically distanced, and the dropping of the Star in a ... Car segment to maintain social distancing. Further changes were made to the thirtieth series , broadcast in early 2021, due to restrictions as
4950-474: A result of the COVID-19 pandemic : studio segments were recorded during a two-night shoot outside Television Centre, London , instead of the previous location at Dunsfold Aerodrome , with no full audience, and all of the films in the series were recorded in the UK. The new outdoor studio at Television Centre was retained for the thirty-first series , which was broadcast later that year. The revamped show fronted by
5100-438: A significant number of foreign visitors, especially during the spring, summer and autumn seasons. It has 8 heritage wooden buildings; 40 antique vehicles and transport of great historical value; machines; and innumerable tools, mainly associated with livestock and oil production. As a "comuna" (commune) Punta Arenas is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a municipal council , headed by an alcalde who
5250-488: A significant role. Tourism has contributed to the city's economy and steady growth. Tourist destinations include the Cathedral and other notable churches, the city cemetery, and the statue of Magellan. Some cruise ships to Antarctica depart from Punta Arenas's port, which also serves as a hub for many cruise lines that travel along the channels and fjords of the region. A scheduled ferry service connects Punta Arenas with
5400-432: A small number of segments were dropped, the studio received a revamp to its layout, the celebrity segment was redesigned to feature a rallycross-styled challenge, while Evans and LeBlanc would front the show with the other co-presenters appearing "when required". On 27 April 2016, BBC Three announced that a spin-off programme to Top Gear had been commissioned, entitled Extra Gear . Designed to be aired after each episode of
5550-415: A special challenge to do a timed lap in a designated car. Following the pitch, the BBC decided to green-light the new format, in order to create a programme to compete with Channel 5 's new motoring show Fifth Gear , to which several original Top Gear presenters including Tiff Needell , Vicki Butler-Henderson and producer Jon Bentley went. Production began in mid-2002, with the broadcaster securing
5700-604: A timed lap, the episode either shows the film of each car one after the other, or alongside each other. After the film is shown, the presenter reveals the time to the studio audience and the viewer – abbreviations next to lap times, such as "W" for "wet", highlight if they were conducted under certain track conditions. In order to qualify for a place on the Power Lap Board, cars that undergo a Power Lap must fulfil certain requirements: As such, vehicles that do not qualify have their times mentioned, but do not get included on
5850-533: A variety of international versions in various countries, including the United States, Australia, South Korea, China, and France. After the BBC cancelled the original format of Top Gear in December 2001, Jeremy Clarkson and producer Andy Wilman met together to work out ideas for reviving the programme for television. This led to them eventually meeting the broadcaster to pitch the idea of changing it from
6000-455: A vehicle through its paces in an arranged scenario, or to demonstrate and showcase an exceptional quality that it exhibited. An example of this comes from the "Toyota Hilux Destruction" film, divided between two episodes of the third series – to prove the strength of a Toyota Hilux pick-up truck, presenters Clarkson and May set about subjecting it to various, mainly destructive tests to see if it could survive against them and still run, allowing
6150-409: A week later on 20 December, Wilman admitted that the three presenters were now "playing to their TV cartoon characters a bit too much". His statement included referring to "this incarnation of Top Gear " being close to its end, and that the production team would be working towards keeping its "dignity still intact", while experimenting with new ideas for the programme. Nevertheless, a one-off special of
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6300-408: A week later, Evans revealed that both men would also be joined by Eddie Jordan , motoring journalist Chris Harris , German motor racing driver Sabine Schmitz , and motoring journalist Rory Reid . Filming for the twenty-third series soon began in early 2016. While the show still retained the use of the show's presentation style and its test driver The Stig, the format received a number of changes –
6450-565: Is also known for its strong winds (up to 130 km/h [81 mph]), which are strongest during the summer. City officials have put up ropes between buildings in the downtown area to assist pedestrians with managing the strong downdrafts. Since 1986, Punta Arenas has been the first significantly populated city in the world to be affected directly by the thinning ozone layer . Its residents are considered to be exposed to potentially damaging levels of ultraviolet radiation . Two early Spanish settlements were attempted along this coast (on
6600-456: Is directly elected every four years. The 2016–2020 alcalde is Claudio Radonich ( National Renewal ). Within the electoral divisions of Chile , Punta Arenas is represented in the Chamber of Deputies by Sandra Amar ( UDI ), Karim Bianchi (IND- PRSD ) and Gabriel Boric ( CS ) as part of the 60th electoral district, which includes the entire Magallanes and Antartica Chilena Region . The commune
6750-515: Is home to the southernmost Hindu temple in the world, which is used by the relatively small, but significant, Sindhi community in Punta Arenas. Sindhi merchants began arriving in the area during the early 1900s, and today constitute one of the largest communities of Indians in Chile . By 2006 the economy of Punta Arenas and the region had diversified. Chile's principal oil reserves are close by, along with some low-grade coal . Agricultural production, including sheep and cattle, continues to play
6900-588: Is known for stable constant temperatures, which vary only slightly with the seasons. Rainfall is highest in April and May, and the snowy season runs all through the Chilean winter (June until September). As in most of Patagonia , average annual precipitation is quite low, only 380 mm (15 in) because of a rain shadow created by the Andes. The average temperature does not go below 1 °C (34 °F). The city
7050-514: Is located on the northeastern shore of Brunswick Peninsula. Except for the eastern shore, containing the settlements of Guairabo, Rio Amarillo and Punta San Juan, the peninsula is largely uninhabited. The municipality of Punta Arenas includes all of Brunswick Peninsula, as well as all islands west of the Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego and north of Cockburn and Magdalena channels. The largest of those are: Except Dawson Island , which had
7200-428: Is one of the world's most southerly ports and serves as an Antarctic gateway city . Punta Arenas is the world's southernmost city with more than 100,000 inhabitants and claims the title of southernmost city in the world, although this title is also claimed by Ushuaia in Argentina, which lies farther south but is slightly smaller than Punta Arenas. Since 1977, Punta Arenas has been one of only two free ports in Chile,
7350-501: Is represented in the Senate by Carlos Bianchi Chelech (Ind.) and Carolina Goic B. ( DC ) as part of the 19th senatorial constituency (Magallanes Region). Carlos Ibáñez del Campo airport is located 20 kilometers from the city centre. Rental car services, duty-free shops and custom office services are available in the building (there is no duty-free shop in the terminal, despite the representations of tourist literature). Airlines serving
7500-570: Is the capital city of Chile 's southernmost region , Magallanes and Antarctica Chilena . Although officially renamed as Magallanes in 1927, the name was changed back to Punta Arenas in 1938. The city is the largest south of the 46th parallel south and the most populous southernmost city in Chile and the Americas . Due to its location, it is also the coldest coastal city with more than 100,000 inhabitants in Latin America . Punta Arenas
7650-457: The 1977–2001 show of the same name for the BBC , and premiered on 20 October 2002. The programme focuses on the examination and reviewing of motor vehicles, primarily cars, though this was expanded upon after the broadcast of its earlier series to incorporate films featuring motoring-based challenges, special races, timed laps of notable cars, and celebrity timed laps on a course specially-designed for
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#17327942111957800-478: The Aston Martin DBR9 Le Mans racer. Another major segment in the programme, featured in the majority of episodes broadcast, the format for this involves a celebrity being invited to take part in a timed lap around Top Gear ' s test track in a car provided for the segment. They then join the presenters in the studio for an interview, mainly about their car history, their performance in
7950-422: The COVID-19 pandemic , and did not return in later series. As part of Top Gear ' s format, every episode has contained at least a number of segments involving challenges. In the first few series, these were focused on novelty challenges and stunts that were typically based on absurd premises, such as a bus jumping over motorcycles (as opposed to the more typical scenario of a motorcycle jumping over buses) or
8100-608: The Chilean Magallanes . The greatest immigration continued to be by the British until 1906, when Croatians surpassed them in numbers. An 1877 mutiny, known as El motín de los artilleros (Mutiny of the Artillerymen), led to the destruction of a large part of the town and the murder of many civilians not directly associated with the prison. In time the city was restored. The growth of the sheep farming industry and
8250-512: The Chilean flag during the news section, in a show of gratitude for the sanctuary provided to the crew. The Ford, Porsche and Lotus were kept in police custody until 2017, when they were destroyed to prevent further protests. Top Gear (2002 TV series) Top Gear is a British automotive magazine and currently inactive motoring-themed entertainment television programme. It is a revival devised by Jeremy Clarkson and Andy Wilman of
8400-485: The Falklands War of 1982. The controversial incident it created was covered by international news media, but despite the issues faced, the special was later aired as part of the BBC's Christmas schedule for 2014, though with amendments to its ending and the inclusion of an introduction for it. On 10 March 2015, the 22nd series of the programme was abruptly put into hiatus by the BBC. The broadcaster's actions were
8550-460: The Las Minas river, and renamed it Punta Arenas. In the mid-19th century, Chile used Punta Arenas as a penal colony and a disciplinary posting for military personnel with "problematic" behaviour. It also settled immigrants there. In December 1851, a prisoners' mutiny led by Lieutenant Cambiaso , resulted in the murder of Governor Muñoz Gamero and the priest, and the destruction of the church and
8700-611: The Salesians religious congregation, and is maintained by voluntary contributions made by the community. The museum is located at Pedro Montt No. 981, next to the Military Museum. It holds a historical collection of the Chilean Armed Forces during the colonization of the territory of Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica . The museum is located 7.5 km north on Route Y-565 to Rio Seco. This museum exhibits
8850-493: The UEFA Euro 2016 championships. On 4 July, following the series finale, Evans announced his resignation from Top Gear , based on feedback. As a result, the BBC announced on 26 September that, among the remaining five presenters, LeBlanc would be joined by Harris and Reid to become the main hosts for the next series. To make amends for its dismal performance, Top Gear underwent a more thorough revamp, which included redoing
9000-492: The discovery of gold , as well as increasing trade via sailing ships, attracted many new settlers, and the town began to prosper. Between about 1890 and 1940, the Magallanes region became an important sheep-raising region, with one company ( Sociedad Explotadora de Tierra del Fuego ) controlling over 11,000 square kilometres (4,200 sq mi). In 1910, Sociedad Explotadora merged with Sociedad Ganadera, resulting in
9150-540: The "Magallanes Regional Museum" has been operating here, which has material from the contemporary history of the region. The museum is located at Avenida Bulnes no. 374, next to the Santuario María Auxiliadora. It is the most important in the area, and has a complete collection of species from the region and the Selk'nam culture. Samples from Antarctica are also on display. It was created in 1893 by
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#17327942111959300-621: The "foreseeable future". Top Gear has been one of the BBC's most commercially successful programmes since its relaunch. It has become a significant show in British popular culture , with episodes also broadcast internationally in many countries in Europe, North America, Southeast Asia and more, making it the most widely broadcast factual television programme in the world. Its success has led to various forms of merchandising, including live tours, special DVD editions, and books, as well as spawning
9450-546: The (2012 Census) by the National Statistics Institute . The population grew by 5.1% (5,830 persons) between the 1992 and 2002 censuses and further rose to 127,454 at the 2012 Census. The city was populated by many colonists from Spain and Croatia in the mid-nineteenth century, and many of their descendants remain. Other national ethnic groups represented are German , English , Italian , Swiss and Irish . Croatian immigration to Punta Arenas
9600-445: The 14th series was being broadcast in late 2009, the programme began to attract criticism from some viewers, over its predictability through the over-reliance on stunts and forced humour at the expense of serious content. On 13 December 2009, controller of BBC Two Janice Hadlow appeared on the BBC's Points of View to reject such comments, purely on the evidence of Top Gear ' s ratings and audience appreciation figures. However,
9750-425: The 2007 Britcar 24-hour race at Silverstone , using a race-prepared, second-hand diesel BMW 330d , fuelled by biodiesel refined from crops they had sown as part of an earlier feature. With popularity for the show rising to considerable levels, the waiting list to get a ticket for a recording became extensive – an individual seeking a ticket, found that they would be required to wait for 21 years before securing
9900-501: The 22nd series. Clarkson's forced departure soon had a considerable impact on the programme, beginning with that year's Top Gear Live – as a result of the BBC's decision, the tour's name was changed to "Clarkson, Hammond and May Live" and announced on 1 April 2015. Wilman later revealed on 23 April that he would be resigning from the programme, along with Clarkson's co-presenters May and Hammond, having stated that they would not continue working on Top Gear without Clarkson; however,
10050-469: The BBC aired a special edition episode entitled Top Gear: Polar Special . It was one of the first episodes of the programme to be shown in high-definition , and the third special to be produced, focusing on a race to the North Magnetic Pole , at its recorded location in 1996, between a "polar modified" Toyota Hilux and a dog sled. Considerable planning and co-ordination for the filming of
10200-400: The BBC announced that Top Gear would not return on TV for the "foreseeable future" following Flintoff's accident, though the statement left open the possibility of the show resuming production in the future. Each episode of Top Gear focus a series of segments, switching between those filmed within the programme's main studio before a studio audience, and pre-recorded films conducted before
10350-463: The Esprit's famed unreliability and poor craftsmanship. The producers then presented them with a challenge: they were to drive from Bariloche to Butch Cassidy 's house. Amazed by the apparent ease of their challenge, the three set off towards their destination. Though May and Clarkson enjoyed the journey, Hammond's Mustang struggled, with poor steering and heavy fuel consumption, causing him to break down
10500-688: The Lapboard. Examples of this include the Renault F1 car (0:59.0) and the Caparo T1 (1:10.6), which were disqualified for failing the speed bump requirement; the Ferrari FXX (1:10.7), which was disqualified for using slick tyres ; and the Pagani Zonda R (1:08.5), which was disqualified for not being road legal. In addition, non-production cars are also disallowed from the board, such as
10650-463: The Mustang for the final straight to Ushuaia. Prior to the trio's arrival in Ushuaia, the residents of the town got word of their upcoming arrival. Preparations were made by the residents to protest their arrival. The trio had received news about the protests which prompted them to check into a nearby hotel, but there were a small number of Falklands War veterans gathered outside of the building with
10800-433: The Porsche being driven by Clarkson, "H982 FKL", was a seen as a reference to the Falklands War and the year it took place, but in reality, it was a random number plate chosen by the manufacturer. Comments on Twitter, discovered by a member of the crew during the start of filming, led to the replacement of the vehicle's original plate to one reading "H1 VAE" as they neared the city. The change of plate did little to help, as
10950-575: The Punta Arenas section in 1961. The University of Magallanes has campuses in Punta Arenas and Puerto Natales as well as a university centre in Puerto Williams . University of Magallanes publishes the humanities and social sciences journal Magallania twice a year. There is a German school, Deutsche Schule Punta Arenas. The museum is located in the Braun Menéndez Palace, which is a National Monument. Since February 1983,
11100-614: The Straits of Magellan). The first was founded in 1584 and was called Nombre de Jesús. It failed due to the harsh weather and difficulty in the settlers' obtaining food and water, and the enormous distances from other Spanish ports. A second colony, Ciudad del Rey don Felipe , was attempted about 80 kilometres south of Punta Arenas. This became known later as Puerto del Hambre , which translates to Port Famine . Spain had established these settlements in an attempt to protect its shipping and prevent piracy by English pirates , by controlling
11250-447: The Straits of Magellan. An English privateer , Thomas Cavendish , during his circumnavigation , rescued the last surviving member of Puerto del Hambre in 1587. In 1843 the Chilean government sent an expedition to build a fort and establish a permanent settlement on the shores of the Strait of Magellan. It built and commissioned a schooner called Goleta Ancud. Under the command of John Williams Wilson , Chilean Navy, it transported
11400-536: The Tierra Del Fuego people of Argentina. You lot can sod off." This came after an incident where Clarkson missed an airline flight in Stuttgart, Germany , which he claimed was caused by an airline worker purposefully impeding him, stating, "I'm from Argentina..." For the following series of Top Gear , each introduction to a segment would include a subtle reference to Chile , as well as using mugs bearing
11550-525: The UK registry, the plate "H982 FKL" has been registered to the Porsche since its manufacture in May 1991. Later that month, on 31 October, Argentine ambassador Alicia Castro demanded a formal apology for the incident when she met with Danny Cohen , the BBC Director of Television, which was refused by the BBC after they stated their intention to broadcast the two-part special as a fair representation of
11700-468: The accident, with filming later resuming on 5 October. The opening episode of the ninth series, aired on 28 January 2007, included footage of Hammond's crash; while it was not repeated like other episodes in the programme, it attracted higher ratings than the finale of Celebrity Big Brother , providing one of the highest ratings for BBC Two for a decade, alongside the series finale, which attracted around 8 million viewers. Later that summer, on 25 July,
11850-444: The airport include LATAM Chile and Sky Airline , as well as charter flights. The civilian airport and the military airport make up the larger complex. The city has sea, land, and air connections. By road, a connection to other regions of Chile requires passing through Argentine territory. By sea, several cruises and ferries can take visitors to the city, although the costs are higher because they include stops at tourist sites along
12000-530: The board depending on how cool the car was perceived to be. The segment was introduced in the sixth episode of the first series and was mainly presented by Clarkson and Hammond. The two presenters often argued with each other and members of the audience about which category a particular car should be placed in. Clarkson based some of his arguments on how well the car would impress actress Kristin Scott Thomas , and later, BBC newsreader Fiona Bruce . There
12150-400: The broadcast of an episode – these films primarily cover major segments of the episodes, with studio segments often used as links or breaks between them. The most common forms of segments used in the show's history are "Car Reviews", "Power Laps", "Star in a ... Car", "Cool Wall", "Challenges" and "Races". A major segment of the programme, happening at least once in most episodes, it focuses on
12300-618: The capital of the Argentine province of Tierra Del Fuego . The Magallanes region is considered part of Chilean Patagonia . Magallanes is Spanish for Magellan , and was named after Ferdinand Magellan, the Portuguese explorer sailing for Spain . While circumnavigating the Earth for Spain, he passed close to the present site of Punta Arenas in 1520. Early English navigational documents referred to this site as "Sandy Point." The city proper
12450-415: The car and a look back to the highlights from their practice laps. After viewing footage of their timed lap, their time is stated and recorded onto a leaderboard, much in a similar fashion to lap times for Power Laps, including the use of abbreviations to denote track conditions the celebrity faced. In the event that the car being used was put out of action by serious mechanical damage during practice sessions,
12600-404: The car driven by The Stig. Often used after the main review of an episode, it mainly involved the car or cars from the review, though it sometimes featured vehicles that either had been reviewed in a previous episode but couldn't be put on the track due to problems or unfavourable conditions on the track, or were special models (such as racing versions of the car). On occasions when multiple cars did
12750-548: The city for many years. Since about 1970, the availability of other colours in protective finishes has resulted in greater variety in the characteristic metal roofs. Located on the Brunswick Peninsula , Punta Arenas is among the largest cities in Patagonia . In 2012, it had a population of 127,454. It is roughly 1,419 km (882 mi) from the coast of Antarctica and 635 km (395 mi) from Ushuaia ,
12900-408: The common theme was that the presenters conducted a road trip, mainly using a series of second-hand vehicles that they put through a series of challenges along their journey. The format often saw the presenters conduct a small filmed segment to provide an insight of what they were doing; the exception to this format was Top Gear ' s Polar Special . A number of specials were designed to be aired as
13050-554: The construction of the Panama Canal . It was used as a coaling station by the steamships transiting between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Today it is mostly used by tourism cruises and scientific expeditions. The city is often a base for Antarctic expeditions; Ushuaia (Argentina) and Christchurch (New Zealand) are also common starting points. In 2012 Punta Arenas recorded a population of over 127,000 inhabitants for
13200-401: The departure of Clarkson, and the subsequent departure of May, Hammond and Wilman, the BBC began searching for their replacements. On 16 June 2015, Chris Evans was confirmed as one of the new hosts, with it later suggested he would be hosting the show alone as part of a new format, despite a previous announcement that the broadcaster was holding open audition for his co-presenters; this claim
13350-402: The ending for the special. Fans of the show also gave mixed reactions on Twitter following the broadcast of the two parts, but were generally positive about its ending. Filming for the episode garnered widespread media attention after an incident occurred in which the presenters and film crew became the target of a group of protesters when close to Ushuaia , who believed that the number plate on
13500-559: The episode was conducted by both Top Gear ' s production team and Toyota , with both Clarkson and May, driving the Hilux, being the first people to reach the recorded location of the North Magnetic Pole by car. It was one of a number of challenges in which the presenters had to be focused and serious, despite the comedic scenes shown, with another being on 9 September, when the presenters, including The Stig, participated in
13650-671: The events that occurred. On 28 May 2015, the BBC Trust ruled that there was not a "cover-up" with the number plate and that it had not been a deliberate reference to the Falklands War, taking no further action as a direct result of its own ruling. The number-plate controversy was later lampooned by the hosts during a feature in Australia, where the cars' number plates were very tenuously linked to anti- republican themes. In 2016 Clarkson tweeted "Happy Christmas to everyone. Except
13800-418: The first series, Dawe was replaced by James May , with the line-up unchanged until the end of the twenty-second series, when the BBC chose to not renew Clarkson's contract on 25 March 2015, following an incident during filming. His dismissal from Top Gear prompted the departure of Hammond, May and Wilman from the programme, who joined Clarkson in forming a new motoring series, The Grand Tour . After
13950-463: The following categories: Another part of the show's format was the inclusion of a race in every series by the presenters. Such races (which were sometimes referred to as "epic" by Clarkson) were mainly conducted over long distances, though each fell under a certain category: "The Cool Wall" was a board in the studio divided into sections titled "Seriously Uncool", "Uncool", "Cool" and "Sub Zero". Photographs of cars were sorted into different places on
14100-465: The game of car football. Attempts to placate the officials were unsuccessful; in fact, if anything, the attempts to reason with the officials may have escalated the scenario even further as, shortly afterwards, Clarkson received word from the producers that they had been ordered by the officials to leave the Tierra del Fuego area immediately. It was estimated that it would have taken 24 hours to organise
14250-410: The group consented to making one final episode for the BBC consisting of the trio's final films, which was aired as a special on 28 June 2015. Following this episode, Hammond, May and Wilman joined up with Clarkson, and subsequently signed a deal with Amazon to produce a new motoring programme in the same vein as their former show, which debuted in 2016 under the title of The Grand Tour . Following
14400-415: The group encountered the protesters on 2 October 2014, after being forced into a hotel upon hearing news of the growing protests of their arrival; had it not occurred, or the controversial incident in general, filming would have continued for three more days in Ushuaia before the presenters and crew left. Discussions between the show's producers and representatives of the protesters failed to achieve calm with
14550-416: The group's departure, others were appointed as hosts for the programme, including Chris Evans and Matt LeBlanc , both joined by four co-presenters for the twenty-third series: Rory Reid , Sabine Schmitz , Chris Harris and Eddie Jordan . After negative feedback on this series, Evans resigned from the programme, with LeBlanc joined by Harris and Reid as the main hosts for the following three series. From
14700-400: The growing tensions, leading to the group being forced to leave the country as a result; the presenters left with the women of the film crew for Buenos Aires , while the rest of the team were forced to drive back to the border with Chile with their equipment, taking the presenters' cars with them before eventually abandoning them during their retreat. The episode featured footage that included
14850-404: The hospital. The mutiny was put down by Commander Stewart of HMS Virago assisted by two Chilean ships: Indefatigable and Meteoro . In 1867, President José Joaquín Pérez issued a decree offering land grants in an effort to get Chileans or foreigners to settle around Punta Arenas. The first British immigrants arrived in 1867, and their number increased as sheep farming grew in
15000-466: The long-running US news programme 60 Minutes featuring Clarkson, Hammond, and May, attracted 16 million viewers in October 2010. Towards the end of 2014, the BBC became concerned over Clarkson's behaviour on the programme, including its production. Their concerns were raised by two incidents that year. The first involved an un-aired take from the 19th series emerging on national news media, featuring
15150-578: The main island of Tierra del Fuego , and a less frequent ferry runs to the Chilean town of Puerto Williams . University of Magallanes (UMAG) is in the southern Chilean city of Punta Arenas. It is part of the Chilean Traditional Universities . The University of Magallanes was established in 1981 during the neoliberal reforms of Chile's military regime as the successor of Universidad Técnica del Estado 's Punta Arenas section. Universidad Técnica del Estado had established
15300-475: The main road to cover their backs in case the mob discovered their ruse. Arriving at the river border crossed previously, the crew were to illegally cross the border into Chile, which they were all able to do successfully. Once in Chile, their escape had been completed, leaving Clarkson, May and Hammond to pay a Butch Cassidy-esque homage to Patagonia. Filming of the Patagonia Special commenced after
15450-461: The moment that they were ambushed and became the target of an attack, with stones from protesters causing damage to their cars and resulting in two crew members being injured. Following the incident, Andy Wilman , executive producer for the show at the time, stated on 2 October that " Top Gear production purchased three cars for a forthcoming programme; to suggest that this car was either chosen for its number plate, or that an alternative number plate
15600-400: The new series aired with only six of the ten episodes that it promised to show. The new look of the show received mixed feedback from critics and viewers alike – although praise was given for the inclusion of LeBlanc, Harris and Reid, the new format was panned for its sluggish pace, the lack of humour in the studio segments, and the length of time spent on the revamped celebrity segment, "Star in
15750-417: The new series was aired, its format focused on providing exclusive new content online – hosted by both Reid and Harris, the spin-off would consist of new footage, interviews, specially recorded films and behind-the-scenes access to the main programme. A combination of delays with production and conflicts with scheduling, led to the premiere date of the 23rd series being pushed back to 29 May 2016. In addition,
15900-493: The new trio helped Top Gear increase viewership to numbers not seen since the departure of Clarkson, Hammond and May. The twenty-seventh series has also been one of the most popular shows for British 16 to 34 year olds. On 4 August 2021, it was announced that production of the show would transfer to BBC Studios Bristol from the thirty-third series onwards; however, Dunsfold Aerodrome will still be used for filming. On 13 December 2022, whilst filming at Dunsfold Park Aerodome for
16050-511: The next. On 20 September, during production for the ninth series, Hammond was seriously injured while driving a Vampire turbojet drag racing car at up to 314 miles per hour (505 km/h), as part of a planned feature, leading the BBC to postpone the broadcast of Best of Top Gear until a later date, and delaying production on the series until the presenter had recovered. Both the BBC and the Health and Safety Executive carried out inquiries into
16200-500: The number plate was a direct reference to the 1982 Falklands War fought between Argentina and the United Kingdom, and that it was a fake, deliberately designed for this specific trip to their country. The show's producers attempted to negotiate with Argentinian officials saying that the number plate was not fake (something that was later proven to be correct), but offered a compromise that the number plate would be removed before
16350-421: The other Points of the shore, and a few trees grow on it. The English 18th-century explorer John Byron is sometimes erroneously credited with naming this area. The city has also been known as Magallanes . Today that term is normally used to describe the administrative region which includes the city. Punta Arenas has been nicknamed "the city of the red roofs" for the red-painted metal roofs that characterized
16500-457: The other being Iquique in the country's far north. Located on the Brunswick Peninsula north of the Strait of Magellan , Punta Arenas was originally established by the Chilean government in 1848 as a small penal colony to assert sovereignty over the Strait. During the remainder of the 1800s, Punta Arenas grew in size and importance due to the increasing maritime traffic and trade travelling to
16650-407: The planned 34th series, Flintoff was involved in a second accident and had to be airlifted to hospital. In January 2023 The Mirror reported Flintoff chose to put his TV career on hold to allow himself time to recover from the crash. In March 2023 the BBC announced that series 34 production had been suspended to enable a thorough health and safety investigation into the accident. In November 2023,
16800-418: The police to the border town of San Sebastián , however, they had barely managed a fifth of their 185 miles (298 km) journey when they began to realise that a few protesters had managed to find the convoy on motorbikes and were searching for the Porsche with the offending license plate which turned out to be the main trigger of the protest. As they neared to the town of Tolhuin , the police warned them that
16950-429: The presenter attempting to choose between two cars using the traditional rhyme " Eeny, meeny, miny, moe " but failing to censor the original version's use of the word nigger . The second involved an investigation into racism complaints by the regulator Ofcom , in regards to the show's "Burma Special", which led to the programme being found in breach of broadcasting rules: the presenters had been involved in constructing
17100-480: The presenters abandoned this idea and located another route. On the way to the overnight hotel, May is infuriated and in pain, but then Clarkson gets payback when his alternator belt breaks causing him to be left without electricity. The presenters fix and modified their cars to allow them to carry building materials. At a nearby town, Punta Arenas , the team stop for supplies in preparation for their football game, though end up using most of their supplies to drive across
17250-402: The presenters conducting a road-test of a car, looking at such factors as ride quality, speed, handling, practicality, and reliability. These reviews are conducted either on and around Top Gear ' s test track , or on the roads of Britain and abroad, and often focus on one car, primarily from well known car manufacturers. On a number of occasions, the review may feature more than one car from
17400-406: The presenters regularly destroying a caravan during the early series. After the first series, Dawe was replaced by James May . Having previously been a presenter on Channel 4 's motoring programme Driven and the 1999 series of Top Gear , May initially declined to be a part of the new format, until its growing popularity later changed his mind. At the beginning of the third series, McCarthy
17550-451: The production team arranged for him to be joined by Richard Hammond and Jason Dawe . A difficulty found during production revolved around the show's test driver – neither Clarkson nor Wilman could find a racing driver with experience at speaking on-camera. In discussions over this, the pair opted to make the driver silent, and later having their identity concealed. When they recruited Perry McCarthy amongst their possible candidates for
17700-402: The programme that would be situated at the fixed location, while editing of films that were recorded for each episode, focused on extending the runtime of the programme to one hour. Wilman took on the role of the show's executive producer, while Clarkson became part of the hosting line-up. Because those who had worked with Clarkson on the original programme had left the BBC to work on Fifth Gear ,
17850-516: The protesters was widely documented and reported by the media, prior to the broadcast of the special. Unlike previous specials, despite each part doing well to draw in viewers during Christmas week it was aired on, it received mixed reviews from fans and critics, many of whom felt that it was not as entertaining as past specials by the hosts, largely due to the aforementioned controversy. All three presenters met in an area near Bariloche , where they brought and compared their cars. Clarkson had bought
18000-421: The relaunched programme. The programme drew acclaim for its visual and presentation style since its launch, which focused on being generally entertaining to viewers, as well as criticism over the controversial nature of its content. The show was also praised for its occasionally controversial humour and lore existing in not just the automotive community but in the form of internet memes and jokes. The programme
18150-547: The result of them suspending Clarkson in order to investigate allegations made against him, over verbal and physical abuse he had committed against one of the show's producers, Oisin Tymon. On 25 March, Clarkson's contract with the BBC was terminated, with Director-General of the BBC Tony Hall announcing that the remaining episodes future were uncertain until the broadcaster could determine how to air them out and complete
18300-477: The right to use Dunsfold Aerodrome , an airport and business park in Waverley, Surrey , as the programme's fixed location – while its runways and taxiways were allocated for reviews and other films, one of the site's large aircraft hangars was transformed into Top Gear ' s new studio. To match the proposed ideas for the new format, the BBC gained assistance from Lotus to design a race circuit for use on
18450-420: The road essentially disappeared. Eventually, they encountered an unstable bridge which they had to cross in their cars. May was the first to cross, who discovered that the end of the bridge led to a dead end, though chose not to inform Clarkson or Hammond about it. Around this time, the presenters noticed that a Citroën 2CV had been following them, allowing them to realise this was the back-up car if one of theirs
18600-417: The roads would be better. This route, however, ended up taking them on worse terrain than before, causing all three cars to struggle and Clarkson's Porsche to break down due to an electrical fault. May became frustrated by Hammond after the accommodation was a campsite and there being a big cow for dinner. Though he managed to fix the fault, Hammond was stripped of his leadership and Clarkson took back control of
18750-457: The role, his input led to Wilman choosing to nickname the test driver " the Stig ". To date, there have been 12 presenters of the show: The first series of the new format of Top Gear premiered on 20 October 2002. In its early state, the programme's segments were based on elements of the previous format, such as interviews and viewers' letters, but also featured some new humorous elements, such as
18900-418: The route. When setting off the next morning, the trio found a large, desolate area which they used as a race circuit. When attempting to relocate the road, they discovered that their route had been blocked by a fence, meaning the cars could not continue and that the journey would have to continue on foot. Clarkson, in protest of this, found some nearby horses to ride, though when May fell and cracked three ribs,
19050-481: The same class, as well as include exotic/foreign models, and feature more than one presenter as a way of providing different opinions on the cars being reviewed and putting forth an argument over the model they believe is worthwhile to own. Although the programme operated in a standard manner in the early series to the original format of car reviews in the 1977 show, it soon began to adopt an unusual approach of reviewing cars, by conducting an unusual test(s) to either put
19200-474: The segment's format was revised, and renamed as "Star in a Reasonably Fast Car". While similar in format to "Reasonably Priced", in that celebrities were interviewed about their car history and did a timed lap around the test track, it featured a number of changes. Apart from the car being much faster the segment was split into two parts – the celebrity joined much earlier in the episode, discussed their car history with LeBlanc, Harris and Reid, gave some feedback on
19350-520: The show drew mixed reviews from critics. Gerard O'Donovan of The Telegraph wrote a favourable review for both parts, each earning a four star rating, with the critic declaring that he enjoyed both parts, and that the ending of the second part "left us in no doubt how serious the situation in Tierra del Fuego had got back in September." Ian Burrell of The Independent was also generally favourable of
19500-448: The show was presented by Clarkson, Hammond and May, the segment was entitled as "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" – its name was derived from the fact that the celebrities drove around the test track in an affordable car available on the market. The segment was often shown during the middle of an episode, and had the celebrities interviewed by Clarkson. The affordable car used in the segment was changed several times, each being replaced after
19650-463: The start of the tenth series and also due to show being able to produce more pre-recorded film and challenge content due to the bigger budgets of later series. The final appearance of the Cool Wall occurred in the last episode of the sixteenth series though it still remained as part of the studio set until the end of twenty-second series. The Cool Wall was removed from the studio entirely ahead of
19800-404: The studio, and redesigning the show's opening titles. The show's format was refocused on elements developed in early series, a deeper work on chemistry between the presenters, while also revising the celebrity segment – as the arrangement for the 23rd series had proven to be a failure, the segment returned to its original format. On 31 May 2018, LeBlanc announced he would be leaving the show after
19950-516: The three presenters first arrived in Buenos Aires on 17 September 2014, and made it to the starting point in Bariloche on 19 September. The filming for the two-part episode involved a crew of around 40 people, and was completed by 1 October. Viewing figures for both parts were exceptionally good, with the first part attracting overall UK viewing figures of 7.21 million, while the second part
20100-548: The twenty third series after the studio was refurbished following the departure of Clarkson, Hammond and May from the show. In 2006, Top Gear featured its first, feature-length, special edition episode, in which the presenters conducted a various challenges related to sporting events used in the Winter Olympics, in which cars took the place of athletes in each event. Following this special, the production team worked on creating additional, feature-length specials, in which
20250-438: The twenty-seventh series onwards (2019), the presenting line-up was changed following the departure of LeBlanc and Reid, with Harris joined by Andrew Flintoff and Paddy McGuinness as the main presenters. This series proved more popular with viewers. Production of the thirty-fourth series was halted in March 2023 after Flintoff was injured in an accident during filming; the BBC later announced that Top Gear would not return for
20400-469: The twenty-sixth series in 2019. Andrew Flintoff and Paddy McGuinness were announced on 22 October 2018 to be replacing LeBlanc and joining Harris for the twenty-seventh series. As a part of the reshuffle Rory Reid was announced to be stepping down as a main host to present Extra Gear and make occasional appearances on the main show; however, Extra Gear did not return and so Reid moved to ITV4 to present Speed Freaks . The new presenting line-up received
20550-420: The use of tools for repair but prohibiting the replacement of any components (with the exception of the windscreen). Other notable uses of this unusual approach have included: Another unusual approach with car reviews was to conduct them in the form of a challenge. Examples of such "review" challenges have included: This segment focuses on a featured car undergoing a timed lap of the programme's test track, with
20700-427: The west coasts of South and North America. This city's growth was also due to waves of European immigrants, mainly from Croatia and Russia , attracted by a gold rush and sheep farming boom in the 1880s and early 1900s. The largest sheep company, which controlled 10,000 square kilometres in Chile and Argentina, was based in Punta Arenas, and its owners lived there. Since its founding, Chile has used Punta Arenas as
20850-477: The windows. Since the Porsche was inevitably going to attract more trouble wherever they went, the crew decided to leave behind all of the presenters' cars. As they continued, they received word that an even larger mob, containing about 300 cars, was awaiting the crew in Río Grande . Fearing for their safety, the entire convoy moved cross-country, leaving the main road; the police escort meanwhile stayed behind on
21000-608: The year (UTC−3). The city is supplied with water from the San Juan River . The name Punta Arenas whose literal translation would be "Point Sands", is actually derived from the Spanish term Punta Arenosa , a literal translation of the English name "Sandy Point". The name Sandy Point derives from the voyage of John Narborough in 1669-1671. He wrote in his account: Sand-Point [sic] is a mean low Point, lies out more than
21150-457: Was a F1 driver, with the segment referred to as "F1 Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" – while it stuck to the standard format, the only difference was that the F1 drivers were restricted to the use of the first car used in the segment, which was retained to maintain fairness with those invited. During Evans' short-lived tenure as the show's host, the twenty-third series saw the segment renamed "Star in
21300-420: Was a crucial development in the region of Magallanes and the city in particular. Currently, this influence is still reflected in the names of shops, streets and many buildings. Punta Arenas is said to have the largest percentage of Croatians in the world outside Croatia and the former Yugoslavia. Punta Arenas also has the largest percentage of residents of British descent in the whole of Chile. Punta Arenas
21450-402: Was aired on BBC Two until it was moved to BBC One for its twenty-ninth series in 2020. The programme's first series in 2002 was presented by Clarkson, Richard Hammond , and Jason Dawe , with an anonymous test driver " The Stig ", an individual played by several different racing drivers over the course of the show's history, being featured; Wilman was the show's executive producer. Following
21600-461: Was later dismissed as untrue. Although former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard had been widely reported to be joining the programme as a host, this was dismissed as speculation when he was revealed, on 11 January 2016, to be the new host of Channel 4 's coverage for the 2016 F1 season. On 4 February, it was officially announced that American actor Matt LeBlanc was to join the show as Evans' co-host. On an edition of his BBC Radio 2 breakfast show,
21750-412: Was no rule for how cars were to be judged; according to producer Andy Wilman, the criteria were not necessarily related to the quality of the car itself. Any car owned by one of the presenters was classified as "Seriously Uncool". The segment appeared frequently during early series acting as a low budget time filler segment but later appeared only a few times since the original Cool Wall was damaged at
21900-516: Was replaced by Ben Collins for contractual reasons – the change in drivers was notable in the fact that for Collins' version, the Stig's outfit was changed from a black outfit to a white one. As the programme progressed, the format slowly began to transform, with a focus towards creating a unique presentation style for the programme, which included the addition of new segments, a more unusual approach to reviewing cars, road trips, and more specialised films involving races – either between cars or between
22050-412: Was slightly higher with overall UK viewing figures reaching 7.38 million; in January 2015, the first part of the Patagonia Special was reported as being the most watched show on BBC iPlayer during the week of Christmas , achieving 2.1 million requests for it, while the second part only achieved 1.5 million requests, but became the third-most requested show on the iPlayer. Despite good viewing figures,
22200-423: Was substituted for the original is completely untrue"; on the same day, Clarkson tweeted that the number plate had been a coincidence and that "for once, we did nothing wrong." Clarkson later wrote an article for The Sunday Times in which he stated that he "had to hide under a bed" due to "a mob howling for his blood". He regarded the incident as "the most terrifying thing I've ever been involved in." According to
22350-481: Was that celebrities drove around a specially modified, rally-cross version of the Top Gear test track – while it used the majority of the circuit, it featured two off-road sections and a small jump – in a rally-spec Mini Cooper . After the series ended, the segment received negative feedback and criticism from viewers and critics, and was dropped from the programme as a result. From the twenty-fourth series onwards,
22500-477: Was to fail. After heading back, they encountered a swamp, which bogged down the Mustang and the Porsche. Clarkson admitted that the Lotus had been performing better than anyone had expected, as it had not suffered any breakdowns thus far. After stopping at their hotel for the night, Hammond became extremely upset with his drive along the route and sought to take control, taking them on a different route where he believed
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