12 interesting facts you might not know about 'Top Gear'

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Max KalnitzMar 9, 2021, 23:23 IST
12 interesting facts you might not know about 'Top Gear'

The Stig (back), Richard Hammond (left) James May (center), and Jeremy Clarkson in 2009.Tim Ireland/PA Images via Getty Images

  • "Top Gear" has been one of the most popular shows around the globe for nearly two decades.
  • The "Top Gear" test track has appeared in a James Bond movie.
  • "Top Gear" holds two Guinness World Records.

For years, fans of the British motor show "Top Gear" have watched its presenters put cars to the limits in wacky challenges and on the show's famous test track.

Its success is largely due to the chemistry of former presenters Richard Hammond, James May, and Jeremy Clarkson, who hosted the show from the early 2000s until 2015. That year, Clarkson left the show after being suspended for punching a producer in the face (he later apologized and a settlement was reached with the producer). Following his departure, Hammond and May followed suit and now the show is hosted by Paddy McGuinness, Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff, and Chris Harris.

While it's not as popular as it used to be, "Top Gear" still commands an audience in the millions around the world. There have been American versions, too: "Top Gear USA" aired for six seasons, and "Top Gear America" is currently in its second season.

With season 30 of BBC's "Top Gear" airing on March 14, we decided to compile some interesting facts you might not know about the world's favorite car show.

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The popular "Top Gear" series that has aired since 2002 is actually the second iteration - the original show first aired in 1977.

The popular "Top Gear" series that has aired since 2002 is actually the second iteration - the original show first aired in 1977.
The opening title scene from the 1977 "Top Gear" show. BBC News

The original series aired in 1977 in the BBC Midlands region and ended in 2001. A year later, a reimagined version of the show of the same name starring Richard Hammond, Jeremy Clarkson, and Jason Dawe — who was replaced with James May after the first season — aired and instantly became a global phenomenon.

While "Top Gear" is sometimes criticized for being a male-dominant show, TV journalist Angela Rippon was its first presenter.

While "Top Gear" is sometimes criticized for being a male-dominant show, TV journalist Angela Rippon was its first presenter.
Angela Rippon dressed in vintage clothing for an episode of "Top Gear" in 1978. PA/PA Images via Getty Images

Rippon was one of the show's original two presenters along with Tom Coyne. She was also its first female host. Although she only held the position until 1979, she was a trailblazer in a man's automotive world, paving the way for future female hosts like Julia Bradbury and Vicki Butler-Henderson.

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To hide his identity, one former Stig had a fake ID badge made under an alias that combined the presenters' names.

To hide his identity, one former Stig had a fake ID badge made under an alias that combined the presenters' names.
The Stig in 2009. Hannah Peters/Getty Images

In addition to "Top Gear's" presenters, there is also the mysterious Stig, a professional race car driver whose identity is hidden behind an all-white tracksuit and helmet. It's the Stig's duty to test drive cars and set lap times on the show's test track — they also previously prepped celebrity guests for their drives.

During a Reddit AMA, former Stig Ben Collins said that to help protect his identity, he "got myself a BBC ID card with a fake name 'Richard Jameson' cleverly made of the 3 presenters names - so that I could book hotels and get up to mischief without getting caught. Used to wear a balaclava everywhere to hide my face anywhere near a 'Top Gear' shoot and generally be as sneaky as possible."

The "Top Gear" test track has been featured in movies and TV shows.

The "Top Gear" test track has been featured in movies and TV shows.
The "Top Gear" test track. David Goddard/Getty Images

In addition to its purpose as the track for "Top Gear" bits like "star in a reasonably priced car," the track serves as a testing facility for Lotus Cars' — the company that designed it — Formula One racing program.

When professional drivers aren't racing around its corners, Hollywood actors are. According to Top Gear Box, scenes from the film "Red 2," the James Bond film "Casino Royale," and the British TV show "Come Fly With Me" have been filmed at the track.

An extra tidbit of trivia: The track is located at Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey, England, which was built during World War II, and served as a Royal Canadian Air Force airbase. Later, it was turned into a manufacturing and test facility for the company British Aerospace.

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In the show's early days, the presenters had to pay audience members to stay during studio recordings.

In the show's early days, the presenters had to pay audience members to stay during studio recordings.
The Stig (back), Richard Hammond (left) James May (center), and Jeremy Clarkson in 2009. Tim Ireland/PA Images via Getty Images

Nowadays "Top Gear" is considered an entertainment juggernaut but when the show first started nearly two decades ago it took a bit of convincing to get audience members to stay while filming episodes.

During an appearance on George Nicole's podcast The DriveThrough, Clarkson said that he and co-hosts Richard Hammond and James May used to prevent audience members from leaving the studio early by paying them.

"We'd get a studio audience of probably, I don't know, 30 people," Clarkson told Nicole. "And by the end of a recording, we'd probably be down to ten. They'd just leave. They were bored.

"And we were having to pay out of our own pockets for them to stay. 'Here's a tenner. Please stay, just stand in the back of the shot, please don't go'... 'Here's 50 quid. Please don't go.' We were battling and nobody was watching on television either, really, not in the first couple of years."

"Top Gear's" large viewership set a Guinness World Record.

"Top Gear's" large viewership set a Guinness World Record.
The "Top Gear" hosts hold their award for the Most Popular Factual Programme at the 2007 National Television Awards. Dave Hogan/Getty Images

The series made it into the Guinness World Record 2013 Edition book for being the world's most-watched factual TV program. More than 350 million people in more than 200 countries watch the series, according to The Guardian.

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The "Top Gear" presenters guest-starred in the Disney animated series "Phineas and Ferb."

The "Top Gear" presenters guest-starred in the Disney animated series "Phineas and Ferb."
"Top Gear Hosts" Jeremy Clarkson, James May, and Richard Hammond starring as themselves in a 2014 episode of the Disney animated series "Phineas and Ferb." Disney XD via Getty Images

The three hosts starred as race commentators in a 2014 episode titled "Live and Let Drive."

"I couldn't say yes quickly enough," Richard Hammond told the Press Association, according to BBC America. "I did 'Phineas and Ferb' as a way of impressing my children. They think I've done something cool for once!"

The trio's voices were also featured in the video game Forza Motorsport 5.

The trio's voices were also featured in the video game Forza Motorsport 5.
A Forza Motorsport 5 display at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in 2013. Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

Jeremy Clarkson lent his voice to the series' fourth installment in 2011 but for Motorsport 5 in 2013, his buddies Richard Hammond and James May were also featured in the game.

Hammond's and May's voices in addition to the "Top Gear" test track were included in subsequent versions of the game, but Clarkson did not appear in another Forza game due to the 2015 incident that saw him removed as a "Top Gear" host.

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The waitlist to get a ticket to watch an episode of "Top Gear" filmed was once rumored to be 21 years long.

The waitlist to get a ticket to watch an episode of "Top Gear" filmed was once rumored to be 21 years long.
Fans watch as an episode of "Top Gear" is filmed in London in 2016. Neil Mockford/Alex Huckle/GC Images

Back in 2008, Auto Blog wrote that there were 336,000 people who had submitted requests for tickets to see a show taped. Based on the number of episodes filmed each season, the outlet calculated that all of those people equated a 21-year wait.

That would mean people who entered the queue in 2008 would be able to get tickets by 2029. Since the show has maintained its popularity through the years, there's no telling how many people have joined the waitlist since 2008.

What "Top Gear" presenters say about a car can make or break its sales.

What "Top Gear" presenters say about a car can make or break its sales.
Jeremy Clarkson and James May in 2010. Mike Flokis/Getty Images

Jeremy Clarkson in particular has been very opinionated about the cars he's tested on "Top Gear." So much so that the automotive industry has a name for his influence: "The Clarkson Effect."

Jamie Matthews, chief executive officer of Initials Marketing, told 360 Finance that Clarkson's millions of fans across the globe value his opinion and take his comments to heart when considering buying a car.

"The Jeremy Clarkson effect is renowned within the car industry," Matthews said. "He can make or break car launches. He's entertaining and eccentric, but he's also the car expert who has an opinion, and that's what buyers want: They are looking for a strong point of view about a car to guide them."

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Forty percent of the show's viewers are female.

Forty percent of the show's viewers are female.
Sabine Schmitz presented on "Top Gear" from 2016 to 2020. Mike Marsland/WireImage

The number of female "Top Gear" hosts pales in comparison to their male counterparts, but a large percentage of viewers are female, according to a 2016 article from The Guardian.

Current "Top Gear" presenter Paddy McGuinness broke another Guinness World Record in 2020 for driving the fastest electric ice cream van.

Current "Top Gear" presenter Paddy McGuinness broke another Guinness World Record in 2020 for driving the fastest electric ice cream van.
"Top Gear" presenters Paddy McGuinness (left) and Chris Harris in 2020. Ian West/PA Images via Getty Images

After hitting 80.04 mph at Elvington Airfield in Yorkshire, England, on October 26, 2020, McGuinness broke the world record, which had previously been set by an inventor earlier that year. The ice cream van, nicknamed Mr. Nippy, was jerry-rigged together using various different car parts to meet the necessary requirements set by Guinness.

"Since joining 'Top Gear' I've already had a lifetime's worth of amazing experiences but achieving a Guinness World Records title is total life goals," McGuinness said in a statement on Guinness' website. "The distant jingle of an ice cream van still makes kids and adults giddy with excitement and I hope viewers enjoy what we've done with the unique Mr. Nippy."

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