I am a man with virtually zero interest in, or knowledge about, cars. I view automobiles through the same lens as any other inanimate, boring household appliance, and am completely lost when it comes to phrases such as ‘V8’ or ‘carburetor’. That being said, the recent announcement that British television’s biggest car show would be ceasing production hit me like a ton of nostalgia-coated bricks.
Since 2002, Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May have been a permanent fixture on our television screens, presenting two separate programmes – Top Gear on the BBC from 2002 to 2015, and The Grand Tour on Amazon Prime since 2015 – which have continuously provided a boisterous, chaotic and often absurd take on the car industry. Yet, following the release of their most recent special, One For The Road, the triad have made their last small screen appearance.
For the generation of British men born in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the group’s television exploits were a big deal. In the latter years of primary school and early years of senior school, Top Gear was an absolute must watch, and I would obsessively tune in each Sunday at 9pm, and duly watch the ever-more ridiculous action play out for the next hour.
Few could name a show that more perfectly plays to the young male desire to engage in foolish and often farcical activities with one’s mates, as we continuously got to watch the three amigos complete preposterous and laughable tasks, including converting a pick-up truck into an amphibious vehicle and driving it across the channel, or making celebrities race around an abandoned airfield in dilapidated second-hand motors. Played out to the soundtrack of relentless, schoolboy-esque banter, Clarkson, Hammond and May’s blokey dynamic made for simply brilliant, easy-watching telly.
Jeremy Clarkson filming in California for Amazon Prime’s The Grand Tour in 2016. Credit: desertdingo @ Wikimedia Commons.
Top Gear’s real-world effect was palpable. Legions of teachers were left horrified by my year six class, as ten-year-old boys openly recited words such as ‘tosser’ and ‘pillock’, both of which they had picked up from the show. On one occasion, I even forced my long-suffering grandparents to play a part in helping me reenact one of the famous ‘race’ segments from the show, whereby a car would be pitted against public transport over a prescribed distance.
Over time, it goes without saying that both shows – and their presenters – were never far away from controversy or accusations of wrongdoing. In February 2011, the Mexican Ambassador to the UK complained to the BBC that the trio had made “offensive, xenophobic and humiliating remarks” about his nation during a segment of Top Gear in which they were discussing a Mexican car. In 2019, singer Will Young also threatened to report The Grand Tour to Ofcom in relation to a conversation between Hammond and Clarkson that had included homophobic comments.
In particular, Jeremy Clarkson’s conduct has often been questionable, and he remains a deeply divisive figure within the British media. Top Gear was dropped by the BBC in 2015, after he was found to have subjected a producer to “an unprovoked physical and verbal attack” during an on-location shoot. Moreover, in 2023, Clarkson was deemed by the press watchdog to have directed sexist comments towards Meghan Markle, in a 2022 article for The Sun newspaper.
These clear examples of the trio’s objectionable behaviour play into an interesting juxtaposition surrounding their output and legacy. While Clarkson, Hammond and May continually presented an image of themselves as illiberal and politically incorrect, both Top Gear and The Grand Tour’s depiction of foreign lands and cultures has often been profoundly informative and respectful.
The trio together for Top Gear Live in 2012. Credit: Ank kumar @ Wikimedia Commons
Since 2006, there have been 24 Top Gear and The Grand Tour specials, which have seen the three amigos complete challenging, inhospitable journeys in all four corners of the world, from Mississippi to Mongolia to Mauritania.
While still fuelled by laddish hijinks, these specials fantastically illustrate the beauty and wonder of nations such as Myanmar and Botswana that would otherwise receive very little coverage on mainstream British television. These episodes often reflect on the issues faced by these nations, from the worryingly high mortality rate on Bolivia’s road network, to the legacy of conflict in Vietnam.
The show’s presenters will remain very much ‘Marmite’ figures within British discourse, and rightly face criticism for their past actions. Yet, Top Gear and The Grand Tour should nonetheless be remembered as seminal pieces of British television. I, for one, am looking forward to being able to rewatch some classic episodes on the sofa over the Christmas period.
