Top Gear

I've been watching this show for over 7 years now and I have to say it just keeps getting better. Many people spit and shout about the show not being about cars and more of an entertainment show than a car show. Well firstly let me say that this show began in 1978and went on for 12 seasons and the one complaint about that show was that it was boring and Clarkson picked up on this and changed the show (in my view) for the better.

What is it about the show that makes it so outrageously good? Well lets discuss the characters. Jeremy Clarkson - the man you wish was your friend. A sarcastic, cheeky and rude individual who is hilariously funny. His ideas are genius and he is not afraid to speak his mind - that is what i like most about him. He does not and will not lie and say a car is good and/or bad on bias alone in which many people think he does. Take Alfa's for instance, he loves them, but he will not sugar coat what he knows about the electrics in the car you just have to actually listen to what he says. Richard Hammond - The quirky one. Tends to be more positive about things but my god he is funny. His outrageous ideas and creations like his Narrow boat are fantastic. He is critical when reviewing, yet entertaining when necessary. James May (Captain Slow) - You have to love him really. He is a more precise critic on cars but tend to take, Unfortunately for him, more boring cars like 4 door saloons but in recent episodes we have seen him show his true colours and passion for cars by taking the Veyron up to top speed twice.

You have to remember that this is no the reason why this show is still a highly rated show 8 years on is not just because of these 3 personalities. When Clarkson was asked why is this show so great he gave FULL responsibility to the camera crews (who do absolutely stunning wok and should set a benchmark for cameramen around the world), the producers (who supposedly stay in work until 2am working) and all the back-room staff that organise everything.

You have to remember that these people have a passion for cars. Anyone who loves cars and has that inner child inside which allows for that bit of fun would realise that this truly is one of the best shows on modern TV and always will be. It is also every 10 year old dream job and also mine!

...because I'm not really that interested in cars. And I haven't the foggiest when this is showing, but when I accidentally zap by it, you can be quite sure I am staying on the channel. It appears to me, as a 'non car enthusiast', that many of the reviews are opinionated and not very relevant to the average viewer (as are some of the cars they test for us) but it's all done with charisma and that dry British humor. That is a good thing by the way ;)

I guess the reason I'm writing this, is to show that even though you don't feel affectionate about cars, you can still easily enjoy this program. It's just me saying; 'good job BBC'

Yes, this show is about cars, but then again it isn't. Mostly it's about extremes of opinion, dreams and fantasies, dares, one-up-man-ship, and taking everything just a little bit further. And it's also entertaining - very entertaining, which is what television is meant to be, and so often is not. I'm not all that interested in cars, and my son doesn't even drive, but we both love the show, and watch it religiously.

The balance of presenters: Jeremy, the loud-mouthed, cuttingly funny, over-bearing older guy; Richard, the young, cute, quirky, adolescent one; James, the sensitive, quiet, contemplative, intelligent one; is nothing short of genius!

It seems that no expense is spared, either on the experiments and dares, or on filming, and this adds to the visual experience. This show is funny, even hilarious at times, classy, controversial, and hugely entertaining. Most people I know who watch this show know almost less than nothing about cars, and I think that says a lot about how successfully this program reaches beyond the expected demographic of young male petrol-heads.

In short, Top Gear is the ultimate TV car program. If you like cars, it's the thing to watch - and if you don't, watch it anyway because you don't need to be a petrolhead or car buff to enjoy it. Pure, undiluted fun. Three insane Brits who are not shy of giving devastating test summaries for cars that didn't cut it. Not to mention the other stuff they think up, be that the 1500 quid used Porsche test or Caravan Conkers...the list is almost endless. While other TV car shows feature lots of boring junk, the Top Gear crew isn't afraid of anything. If needs be they put on helmets and crash test cars into a wall at 30 mph.

Even my mother likes to watch it, and her interest in cars is limited to "I like how that one looks" at the very best.

Eat your heart out, Richard Brunstrom! ;^> JK'05 aka Elkrider

If you like cars, then this programme is just simply amazing. Unlike most programmes that are in this genre, the programme has survived a beyond 20 years at the top, and not many programmes come close. 5th Gear on five does come close, but it just doesn't have the heart or the dedication that Top Gear does.

While the people on 5th Gear only talk about cars, the Top Gear crew talk about everything that is to do with cars, and not just the cars themselves. For example, they have "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" where a celebrity goes round their track to see how fast they are. And once, they decided to test the Toyota Pickup's claim of being the "the toughest car on the road" by basically ramming it into stuff, and putting it on a building that got demolished etc. and it still actually run. They also once tested if you can run your diesel car off of Vegetable Oil (you can, although your exhaust smells like a bag of chips).

Overall, this programme's great and a show you must fit into your weekly schedule, gets 10/10