From humble beginning as a 1970s motoring show, Top Gear has achieved
world domination. Reaching a peak in the 1990s thanks to presenter
Jeremy Clarkson, the original series faced the axe in 2001 - but
Clarkson and producer Andy Wilman successfully pitched a new format to
BBC bosses and Top Gear returned to become the irrevernt, funny and
often controversial show we now know and love. The addition of Richard
Hammond and James May completed the Top Gear dream team and ratings
soared as viewers tuned in to see the latest Star in a Reasonably Priced
Car, arguments ove the Cool Wall and Power Laps by the mysterious Stig.
Recent series have been defined by their madcap challenges - with
predictably hilarious results. Hour-long specials such as the 1000-mile
journey across the Africa in cars bought for only GBP1500, and a race to
the magnetic North Pole in which Clarkson and May became the first
people to drive a motor vehicle to the Pole, have cemented Top Gear's
reputation as much more than just a motoring show. But the show's most
shocking moment came in 2006, when Hammond suffered serious head
injuries while driving a Vampire turbojet drag racing car at over
300mph.
