Jun 23 2009
TV Review: Top Gear Series 13 Episode 1
Warning: If you plan to watch the repeat, or are in America/Australia/wherever and want to wait for a local television airing, there are major spoilers ahead. You have been warned.
Top Gear has been off our screens far too long, and it was wonderful to see the cheerful threesome back together, squabbling and ribbing in a thoroughly scripted manner.
There was some mild innuendo, and a general level of fakery that could be construed as moderately offensive; in the challenge, we were left to consider the authenticity of Jeremy’s soot tan and whether he really was shovelling as much coal as the editors decided to show (let’s hope he was), but this is to be expected.
There are always going to be complainers, and the fact the show overran for three minutes is plenty of fuel for the anti-Clarkson brigade. Look, nobody complained when Fawlty Towers used to overrun by six minutes, and I would consider TG a much bigger ratings pull than the latter, so the moaners are advised to switch to UKTV History or put a ballcock in it.
No, don’t do it, Stiggy! You have so much to live for!
Right, now the front page break is out of the way, I would like to assert Michael Schumacher is not the Stig. The majority of fans and ‘internet geeks’, as Mr. Clarkson so pleasantly put it, will agree that to unveil the real Stiggy would be a bit of a mistake. There are a number of Stigs, but the main one is best kept under wraps so TG nerds will have something to talk about down the pub on a Monday evening. Is it Anthony Davidson? Tom Chilton? The Hoff?
Having said this, Clarkson did mention that the black ‘Batmobile’ supercar they had in the studio was a bit of a coup for the show, as Ferrari had never allowed anyone to drive it any further than their own test track in Italy. But what if it were driven by one of Ferrari’s most trusted employees, the former Multi-World F1 champion Michael Schumacher? Suddenly it all falls into place: Schumi was probably the Stig for this show.
If truth be told, I’m more of fan of motor racing than cars, and I don’t really watch Top Gear for the reviews.
I think the majority of fans would say the same, and if you want a more serious, technical programme then Fifth Gear will fit the bill for enthusiasts. Top Gear is more of an entertainment show, as the presenters have explicitly mentioned on numerous occasions.
People don’t tune in to find out the brake horse power of a Lotus, they want to see caravans being exploded, lorries smashing into brick walls, high speed crashes and Richard Hammond’s hair. Let’s hope for more of this in the coming episodes.
I would say, though, that the Lotus featured on Sunday’s programme was pretty well reviewed by Clarkson, but I will never know for certain as I’m never likely to afford anything better than a second-hand Ford Escort.
The Summer 2009 season premiere was certainly worth watching, if not for Clarkson’s suffering at coalface of a steam train, then for the appearance of a true motor sports legend in Michael Shumacher. It was a bit of a pity that he didn’t do a lap in the reasonably priced car, but then if he really is the Stig, he would have done this years ago, wouldn’t he? Hmmm.
