Top Gear Appreciation Blog

Submitted by randomactsofthinkingthings

A bit of Jeremy appreciation

Submitted by emwita

My Good-bye to the Top Gear Boys.

These two weeks trying NOT to think about what was going to happen, and seriously hoping that the now infamous fracas was just about ugly words muttered under a very possibly rosé wine stupor and tiredness– and not a punch. We now know the truth, and its not nice and pretty sad that Jeremy just lost it that way. I could imagine the verbal abuse – we know how he is: just speaks his mind not caring for anything: his political incorrectness was/is  intrinsically a part of Jeremy, as well as a litlle spoiled; a petulant child, just as May called him in the Burma Special .  All that was sort of balanced with his let’s face it: Jeremy’s charming manner, and being one hell of a host. And In spite of all his I still love all of his good and bad things.

          It’s sad because we did not get the closure. There was no big send off. Just a horrible halt to an amazing show, and as in so many other posts I’ve read, also really did help me through dark times. I know, it’s a car show… how did this 3 middle-aged men became part of my life?

          Well that’s easy: I am a relatively new fan to the show, but in this past year and a half I’ve watched every single show. I was hooked from the first one I saw: I only saw it because Cumberbatch was on  (ugh don’t get me started on that) but from those adventures seeing them enjoying the cars, and being stupid in the airport at Spain I was hooked.

          They leave great memories, some which never fail to make me laugh, no matter how many times I’ve watched the episode. I love seeing how, in the first couple of seasons, they were just co-workers and how through time they became really good friends. A newly arrived Hammond at the show with a big smile and an evident great admiration for Jeremy is heartwarming, and James just being a bit (more) weird and (more) geeky and not talking too much.

So many things from each one of them I will remember: Jeremy yelling POWEEER (must admit I’ve said it a couple of times whilst driving, obviously saying it Clarkson-style), or when he saw a car he loved it was always “the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen”. May’s charming “Hello”, or the “It’s the Dacia Sandero” or the skeptical “Is it?” or the best: “Clarksoooon!” when he was utterly mad at Jeremy. And let’s not forget the famous “Oh cock”.  Hammond’s response to “how difficult could it be??” was always “Don’t say that!”;  or the “I am not American!” and  “I don’t whiten my teeth!”

Jeremy jumping on snow fox-style to check the depth of snow in the Snowbine episode is the funniest thing in the world, and that genuine deep hearted laugh of Hammond makes me smile every time, all of this while May is sitting inside the harvester, boiling Bovril (??!).  Richard and James in the Porsche playing with the car seat heaters and hitting their heads with the camera: priceless.

Hammond moments. Just his smile when he was driving any car he genuinely loved, it was almost always an American car, a Zonda or a Noble.  In Africa,  and his happiness on gravel, when he was finally able to do some ‘Subaruing’. His courage after the accident. His obsession with helicopters.  His hate of bugs. Or when he was called a numpty by May when in Vietnam he fell of the bike and hit May in the “gentleman’s region”.

And James. Oh, James, I shall miss you the most. You the geeky, intellectual one, Renaissance man, that loves to know how things work, always willing to explain the mechanics and inner workings of things even if the others ended up shutting him down because they did not want the lecture.  His OCD evident when in Africa he opened the trunk  and OH NO! his bed had gone out of alignment. His obsession with planes and simple cars like Pandas or Dacias Sanderos. His genuine laughs in the caravan challenge when Jeremy’s caravan is disintegrating, and also in the homemade caravans when Jeremy was wobbling all over the motorway. And yes, Captain Slow driving and proving he is not THAT slow, in the Bugatti Veyron Sport going 417 km/hr.

All in all, these boys loved their job, and you could see it in their faces. I’m sure they are all really devastated by this decision. I’m sure Jeremy is really really feeling bad, and hope he takes a step back and battles his demons.

We shall miss you, Top Gear Boys. It’s been a ride. Thanks for the memories, thanks for the laughs. Thanks for all the beautiful places you showed us in your travels. Hope to see you soon again in another adventure, as a Unit.

Submitted by CateTydd

I am writing this with a heavy heart. It took me a few days to find the words because I never thought that it would come to this. I didn’t think it would happen so soon. But now I think it’s time to share my feelings about Top Gear ending, even though it brings a bit of sadness. Like Richard said, it’s the end of an era. And I’m not afraid to admit that I’m still in denial of it all. During the whole “fracas” business, I didn’t want to believe that there’d be a possibility of Top Gear ending because I had invested 3 years of my life for this show. It’s amazing how attached I became. I began to grow a certain fondness and liking for the three presenters. I honestly felt like I knew them on a personal level as if they were my friends.

My family and friends were well aware of this program, because every time I’d visit, it was the first thing I’d watch. It was a normal routine in my household. A part of my daily life. Some people won’t understand the connection, because to most people it’s “just a TV show”, and it ends just like every other TV show.

But to me it isn’t. It’s much more than that. It had quite a large impact on my life. It brought joy, laughter and happiness to my life. You could also say that I depended on it. Whenever I had a bad day, or a stressful day at work, I knew that I could rely on the boys to make me smile.

When I started watching Top Gear 3 years ago, I didn’t know much about cars, apart from the basics. Sure, I could guess what it was when I saw one, but that’s about it. I didn’t know about torque, understeer/oversteer, or the difference between supercharged and turbocharged. If you had asked me any of these questions 3 years ago, I’d just stare at you with my mouth agape. But now I’ve learned a lot more. I can tell you all of these things. I can tell you what kind of car it is just by hearing the engine. I now know what kind of car to buy based on Jeremy’s review. I’m a woman who knows more about cars than most of my guy friends. And I also get in trouble for driving my parents car too fast and yelling “POWEEER” when I accelerate. My imagination has certainly grown over the past 3 years. Sorry Mom.

I’ve always liked cars. Ever since I was a little girl. And when I discovered that Top Gear was a car show, I was hooked. I did many Top Gear marathons on Netflix. I’d usually watch two or three series over a 12 hour period. Many hours of sleep that I’m still trying to catch up on. But it was all worth it. I’d get excited when there was a new special to watch. I’d ask my parents to record shows for me when I was away. I’ve watched it so much, that it drives my mother mad. “Top Gear? Again?!?” but there have been a few times where we’ve watched it as a family.

It wouldn’t surprise you if I said that I was following the 3 men on Twitter. I’ve also been lucky to correspond with Captain Slow. Being such a big fan and all, it’s absolutely thrilling. My friends keep asking me to get tickets to the show. “Just ask your good friend James!” But unfortunately that won’t happen. As much as I wanted to go to a taping, some dreams can’t come true. Some things aren’t meant to be. And I’m okay with that. But I’m still planning a trip to London.

Being a part of the fandom has brought many benefits, I must say. I’ve met so many amazing people and have had the opportunity to connect on a personal level with all of them. One big family. A unit. They took me in without hesitation. They didn’t ask questions, never judged, and accepted me. Half of the people I talk to on social media are Top Gear fans. And during the last week or so, there’s been a tremendous outpouring of support. It’s a difficult time for all of us, and knowing that people are there for you, to support you and to say that everything will be okay, brings great relief. I can’t imagine how the lads are feeling. I’ve only seen tweets, but I’m sure it’s hit them hard, and affected them deeply. It’s definitely pulled the rug from under our feet, without much warning.

So what now? What does the future hold for us? How are we going to move on? Change is hard. Especially when you’re used to a routine. Fans and presenters alike. All we can do now is remember the good times and hope for the best. The memories will always remain with us. And I don’t really know if I’ll watch Top Gear again. Whether it be old episodes or new ones, If there ever is a Top Gear because it will never be the same without James, Jeremy and Richard. They are a team. They stick together. They ARE Top Gear. And they are, without a doubt, my favourite men….in the world! Top Gear isn’t just about expensive supercars and fancy stunts - it’s a show where 3 men show their passion for cars. You can see it when they test drive them. The main message here is to do what you love.

I’m hoping that this helps those who read it. I hope that it brings comfort knowing that I feel exactly the same way you do. Vulnerable. Sad. Nostalgic. And I’m here for you. As upset as I am, I can’t change what’s happened. I can’t keep pretending that this is a bad dream, or that Jeremy will be re-instated. Eventually I’ll have to accept it, and that’ll be hard. I’ll probably cry a little, but that’s what you have to do in order to move on. So I’ll leave you with this quote that I live by.

"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."

So stay positive. Remember the good times, remember the funny times, and remember the friendships that we’ve made. I know it’s hard right now, but better things will come. When one door closes, another will open.

"Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened." - Dr. Seuss

Thanks for the memories. It’s been one hell of a ride!

Submitted by jamesmaystum

I first got to know Top Gear when I moved to Australia about 4 years ago now - the first episode I watched was the one where James was in the sailboat racing Jeremy in the hire car. I didn’t get to finish that episode though - I always wondered who was the guy with long hair in the boat and why the other man was saying that a rental car was the fastest car in the world. Fast forward to the middle of last year - I was in the middle of studies and stressed out as anything, I’d just gotten my results from my medical school exams and I hadn’t done too well (I failed, basically). So, I decided to channel surf one Monday night after dinner to try and relax. I finally find Top Gear, and it was playing the Africa Special. I’m glad I stayed to watch, because that was the first time I’d laughed in days. Gosh, here are three men tasked with finding the source of the Nile, and I didn’t know Top Gear very well then (or at all) so I expected them to do it in some proper manner. Oh, how wrong I was! Ever since that night I took the rest of the semester week by week - I simply told myself that I had to finish studying by Monday night or I wouldn’t let myself watch the show (okay, some weeks that didn’t happen, but I watched it anyway). After my exams, I downloaded all the episodes up to Season 21 and binge watched it all. I don’t think there’s been a period in my life that I’d laughed more and been happier in. Quickly Top Gear became my “safe ground” - I have panic attacks and anxiety, and whenever I felt like I was about to have another episode I would turn on an episode of TG or find some videos on Youtube.

After the break, I had to retake my med school exam again and I was worried sick - in it you have to write two essays in the space of an hour, and that was where I’d failed before. I’d also been reading many articles written by the TG3 at the time, and I thought to myself, “Well, what have you got to lose? They’re much better writers than you, you could try to write like them, because you don’t have any ideas yourself, evidently.”. So I did. I wrote like I thought the guys would - long story short, my score jumped from a 47 to a 64.

So, why Top Gear? I’ve always liked cars, and more than ever now - there’s Top Gear to blame for that. If I just wanted to know what was the 0-100 time of the latest Lamborghini, I could easily find that off the internet, any car magazine, or any other car show there is out there. But Top Gear is different. There’s just something about it that makes me want to watch this show instead of anything else. It’s the outrageous stunts they pull - no other show would ever take a Bentley rallying, hatchbacks into Chernobyl, or a Ford Fiesta to a beach assault. It’s also the way they review cars, such that they make each car have a soul, a personality - they put so much passion into something that could so easily be dismissed as a machine. They make the car into much, much more than that. The Alfa Romeo Disco Volante and the Lexus LFA come to mind immediately. It’s also the presenters. I love all three - Jeremy because he says what he thinks and doesn’t care, Richard because he simply loves what he’s doing, and James, well… simply because he is James, and he is different.

(At the time of this writing) Jeremy Clarkson has been suspended from the wildly popular Top Gear show. A show he along with Andy Wilman resurrected several years ago. The latest "Fracas-gate" has all of Twitter a-twitter, and the internet awash with polls and speculation. The notorious British press drunk on rumor, even the Prime Minister threw in two cents. But what about the fans? Amidst the mess, we fans want to rise above and voice our appreciation for "this pokey motoring show." Join us and get a look beyond the controversy and hear from some of the members of our fandom.

Submitted by doctor-whoop

I got introduced to Top Gear in around 2008 when I was on holiday with a friend. There were reruns of one of the earlier seasons on TV and she decided to watch them, so all I could do was sit there and watch them with her. Not knowing anything about cars, I didn’t really understand the appeal of the show at the time. Strangely enough the show had in some way caught my interest though, and some of my friends from other fandoms liked the show as well, and by the time the Vietnam Special was aired on TV I was obsessed. I had never seen a show that could make me laugh so much before, and I don’t think I have ever since.

I watched the following episodes/seasons with much interest, regularly watched reruns on Dutch TV, watched the funny bits from certain episodes over and over again and lurked the more creative side of the fandom a little bit. (I also remember working tirelessly on a TG fan video for week after week, a video that I was so proud of that I ended up showing it at a portfolio meeting at the art college I was hoping to go to. I still like to think that the assessors liked the video so much that it made them take me on as a student.)

As time went on, my personal life became more and more of a mess, with depression kicking in badly, but Top Gear was the one hour when I didn’t have to think about anything. I called it my ‘happy hour’ back then, the one hour when my troubles didn’t exist, and it still is. I came across old blog posts from that particular year a few days ago, and reading them made me realize that, although I was incredibly sad at the time, I could always rely on an episode of Top Gear to make me feel better. I’m incredibly grateful for that. (I particularly liked a blog post from 2009 or 2010 in which I moaned about my best friend phoning me during a certain episode of TG to talk about school. Priorities, eh?)

I stopped watching regularly in 2013 for reasons I cannot remember, but I just so happened to catch the homemade ambulance challenge on TV this year and I really enjoyed it. Then a month or so ago I’d had a really bad day, depression kicked in, and I harmed myself quite badly as a result. I just knew that if I didn’t calm down soon I’d probably do something really, really stupid… Remembering how much I enjoyed the ambulance episode, I suddenly found myself watching one of the TG Specials that I’d missed online because I thought it might cheer me up. It was worth a shot, right? Well, it did cheer me up. Massively.

Watching that special suddenly reminded me why I started watching the show in the first place, and I decided I might as well re-watch all the specials. Having done that, and realizing how stupidly happy it was making me, I started a re-watch of all the series, which I’m still in the middle of. I haven’t harmed myself since I started that re-watch, and I like to think that it’s partly thanks to this silly show that I’ve re-discovered and is making me laugh so much. Having something that I can watch when I’ve had a weird day at work, or when I’m feeling a bit down for whatever reason has been an immense help.

I am new to Top Gear fandom – I’ve started to watch it this January and swallowed 21 season in one go, not able to tear myself away from it. “What year is it? What happens in the world?” I thought when Patagonia special was over and I switched to one episode per week schedule. Of course, it didn’t last long.

I’m not a car fan, I don’t drive one and I don’t really want to. (I had a small hope TG would teach me cars a bit, so I don’t feel like an idiot when my car-loving colleagues are gushing about some new Audi, but that hope had died around season 3.) No, I’m here for fun and by god, it provides plenty. I don’t remember when was the last time I laughed so hard for a month straight, at night, annoying my parents and my cat. I caught myself grinning hugely no matter which episode was on, just because it’s so awesome to watch these three middle-aged infantile morons having a great time. 

Submitted by clackspoon

Top Gear and I go way back. Well, not really ‘way back’ - never saw the original series - but it’s featured on my TV screen since series 3. Which is pretty far back, yes? Though there were periods, especially near the beginning where I only watched it on occasion and… okay, let’s not get pedantic about things. It’s been a thing I’ve watched for many a year.

So, insignificant little details aside, it’s been around for some time, through the good times and the bad (not just the show and presenters itself but for me too) and, yes, sometimes they do or say things that even make me go ‘uh, no’, all that is massively outweighed by how much the show can cheer me up. Be it after a rubbish week - or just making a good week even better.

Heck, even the presenters own individual shows have done that. (I’d explain how after a particularly bad day, an episode of one of James’s other shows left me grinning like an idiot - but that’s another story for another time. This is about the impact they’ve made together, after all. ‘We are a unit’ and all that jazz.)

But you know the biggest, most important thing TG has ever done?

You see once upon a time - whenever the subject of learning to drive came up - it was always a very unsure matter of ‘if’ for me.

But now? It’s become a matter of ‘when I learn to drive’. Sure, it may be a year or so before I can afford to make it a possibility… but that’s besides the point.

Submitted by heaventg