Autoblog

Top Gear back on air January 27

Seyth Miersma — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 16:20:00 EST

While reporting about Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May hasn't seemed to quit over the last 12 months, the fact that the Top Gear trio were not together and filming episodes of the world's most popular automotive television show made 2012 a dull year for fans. The good news now is that, as promised, the gang is back together for 2013 and box-fresh episodes of the BBC series are coming soon. Very soon.

According to ApplauseStore.com, the website that Top Gear uses to sell tickets to the live filmings of the show, the next new episode is set to be shot on January 23. Typically Top Gear has been filmed live one week before the air date, meaning the next new episode should probably hit the airwaves on January 27.

We can't say exactly which cars or what sort of hair-brained hilarity will crop up in the newest episodes. It does seem like Jezza, The Hampster and Captain Slow will be doing a feature about driving supercars in the USA at some point this season - but we can say that we'll be planted in front of the flat-screen, tuned in and ready for the fun to begin anew.

Top Gear back on air January 27 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 02 Jan 2013 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

BBC facing penalties for hosting Top Gear videos on YouTube

Jonathon Ramsey — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 18:32:00 EST

Filed under: Government/Legal, UK

If a corporate content provider in the U.S. wants to upload videos to YouTube, all it essentially needs to do is find someone who knows how to upload videos to YouTube. Then: profit! In the UK, it's done differently - so much so that it sounds like everyone is confused. A regulatory body called The Authority for Television on Demand (ATVOD) oversees on-demand services, including content posted online on branded aggregator sites like Virgin Media as well as open sites like YouTube. Content providers like the BBC, Nickelodeon and MTV that show on-demand content that is "television like," that are editorially responsible for the content, and that make it available to the public need to pay a yearly fee to ATVOD.

Here's where things get sticky: The BBC posted clips of its Top Gear and BBC Food programs on its YouTube channel, each clip less than ten minutes. According to The Telegraph, it didn't check with ATVOD about as to its obligations. The ATVOD checked out the clips and said 'these are television-like, so you owe us £2,900 for each channel (that's about $4,600 USD).' The BBC said that clips of less than ten minutes - a fraction of the length of the program on television - are short-form content being watched by people on the move, and thus not television-like.

The ATVOD responded to this by basically saying "bollocks." Since the BBC content in question satisfies the ATVOD's entire checklist for matters it regulates, the clips in question are "television-like" enough to justify the fee. The BBC joins a long line of media outlets including newspapers and magazines questioning ATVOD decisions, such as rulings that a company that makes a show is responsible for the editorial content of an on-demand show and needs to pay ATVOD as opposed to the broadcaster of the show paying ATVOD. It isn't just big guns that ATVOD goes after, either, its call for licensing fees having shut down more than one independent site offering content like amateur short films. The BBC is appealing, and it looks like clarification will have to come from the UK courts.

BBC facing penalties for hosting Top Gear videos on YouTube originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 22 Aug 2012 18:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Top Gear producer Wilman praises YouTube parody

Zach Bowman — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 17:01:00 EST

Filed under: Videos, UK, Celebrities, Humor

For all of its glory, Top Gear can be a bit formulaic. Any given episode likely includes Jeremy Clarkson saying something absurd about one vehicle/ethnicity or another, at least two of the hosts embroiled in a ludicrous challenge and, of course, plenty of quick editing and stunning videography. It's the hosts and the execution that separates Top Gear UK from its various international incarnations and keeps us coming back for more. Two of the show's fans recently demonstrated how easily the recipe can be applied to even the most bizarre premises by pretending to race two electric cars through the streets of London.

The parody, cardboard boxes and all, is genuinely hilarious, and we aren't the only ones who think so. We showed you the video previously, but now Top Gear UK producer Andy Wilman has released a quick video praising the duo for their creativity, which we think is pretty excellent. Hit the jump to revisit the original as well as watch Wilman's reaction to the clip.

Continue reading Top Gear producer Wilman praises YouTube parody

Top Gear producer Wilman praises YouTube parody originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 22 Nov 2011 17:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Behold! The Top Gear intro that Jeremy Clarkson nixed

Noah Joseph — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Videos, UK

Imagining Top Gear without Jessica would be like watching Ernie without Bert, Conan without Andy or Abbott without Costello. The Allman Brothers Band song has become so synonymous with the BBC car program that most probably don't even realize who wrote it in the first place. But there was evidently a time when the show's producers considered replacing its iconic theme song.

The potential replacement was considered when the show moved to its new studio and spruced up the order of things. As you can see (and hear) from the video after the jump, the electronic intro track just didn't have the same feel to it, but fortunately, Jeremy Clarkson vetoed the idea. Scary, we know, but apparently true.

Continue reading Behold! The Top Gear intro that Jeremy Clarkson nixed

Behold! The Top Gear intro that Jeremy Clarkson nixed originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 14 Nov 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Reverse Export: Top Gear USA to be shown in UK

Zach Bowman — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 18:02:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Videos, Celebrities, Humor

Top Gear fans in the UK are about to get more than they bargained for. The BBC has announced that Top Gear USA is headed across the pond. Season one of the Americanized version of the world's favorite car show is set to debut on BBC Three on October 14.

Why? Um, that's a really good question. Near as we can tell, the BBC wants to fill the airwaves with something other than reruns, though we have to wonder if fans of the original Top Gear won't find some of the premises, challenges and writing on Top Gear USA more than a little familiar.

We don't count ourselves among those who find Top Gear USA an affront to nature, but sending our show back to the land of Clarkson, Hammond and May feels a bit like importing Taco Bell to Mexico. You're gonna get some strange looks. Hit the jump for a video.

Continue reading Reverse Export: Top Gear USA to be shown in UK

Reverse Export: Top Gear USA to be shown in UK originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 08 Oct 2011 18:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Top Gear team apologizes for row over handicap space

Jeff Glucker — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 14:28:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Celebrities

Top Gear got in a spot of trouble recently when presenters James May and Jeremy Clarkson were shown parking their Nissan Leaf in a handicapped space. Getting into a spot of trouble is nothing new for Top Gear, and in fact it seems that the show enjoys jumping in and out of hot water while various groups stand up to voice just how offended they feel.

Rather than thumb their noses in the air, however, this latest bout of controversy has forced producer Andy Wilman to step up and steer blame away from the hosts of his show. According to Perth Now, Wilman claims his production team secured special permission to use the handicapped spots, choosing the spaces in question because they were quiet. Also, Wilman notes that three other handicapped spots remained open and available for use during the shoot. Should the spots have filled up, Wilman maintains that production would've cleared the area to allow for others to use the spots.

Both May and Clarkson reportedly expressed concern over the use of the spots before the shoot. Wilman assured the men that the handicapped logos would not be seen in the footage, but they still made it onto the screen. That's both his and the production team's fault, and Wilman wishes to apologize to anyone who was offended. He also wants to make sure that everyone concerned understands it was not a decision made by Captain Slow or Jezza.

Top Gear team apologizes for row over handicap space originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 05 Aug 2011 14:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Top Gear USA could just become your second favorite automotive television show

Jeff Glucker — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 20:26:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Videos

Top Gear USA runs with the bulls - Click above to watch video after the jump

On Monday, October 18th 2010, Michael Harley and I had the opportunity to attend a taping of an episode of the upcoming Top Gear USA series. As we all know by now, the show is a new version of the BBC original and as a huge fan of that show, my expectations were set to "neutral" for the American spin-off. Harley and I entered an old airplane hangar located on the former El Toro Marine Base in Irvine, California and were immediately impressed by what we saw.

Hit the jump for our impressions.

Continue reading Top Gear USA could just become your second favorite automotive television show

Top Gear USA could just become your second favorite automotive television show originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 19 Oct 2010 20:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Stig gives a lesson on the Top Gear test track

Zach Bowman — Mon, 24 May 2010 17:58:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, UK, Celebrities

It's time to do your homework, kids. The blokes at Top Gear have built a virtual representation of the Stig's personal playground. If you've got some time to kill, head on over to the site for a turn-by-turn breakdown of the UK show's test track, including the elusive history of each corner's name. The virtual track will even let you in on which gear you should be in for each section should you ever find yourself as a star in a reasonably priced car.

Even if you don't see your acting career thrusting you the public consciousness anytime soon, there's still a chance you'll be able to have your way with the track. A rumor dusted up last month that claimed Polyphony Digital now holds the rights to test ground's in-game representation, which means that should Gran Turismo 5 ever decide to drop into stores, the PlayStation universe will be breathing down the Stig's neck.

TG's virtual track also features a couple of other neat tricks, including a "Stig's Eye View" that allows you see what the perfect line should look like. You can even pick whether you want to view the track through the windshield of an econobox or a genuine supercar.

[Source: Top Gear]

Stig gives a lesson on the Top Gear test track originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 24 May 2010 17:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Video: British parents go nuts while passing Top Gear project cars

Zach Bowman — Wed, 12 May 2010 19:57:00 EST

Filed under: Videos, UK, Celebrities, Humor

Top Gear UK Spotted - Click above to watch video after the jump

America has suddenly been smitten with a rare strand of celebrity spotting. With our very own Top Gear headed our way, internet sleuths from all over the country have been outing Tanner Foust, Adam Ferrara and Rutledge Wood as they film new segments for the show. So far, we've seen the crew put the Dodge Viper up against an attack helicopter and flog a few cars along Mulholland.

But this is nothing new for our cousins across the pond. The O.G. Top Gear crew has been gallivanting around the streets and highways of England in plain sight for years. That doesn't mean it's any less special when Clarkson, Hammond and May are spotted in the wild, though.

Someone recently nabbed a quick video of the dynamic trio cruising along in their homebrewed caravans, and judging from the commentary, you'd think it was the second coming of the lords of internal combustion. Hilarity ensues. Hit the jump to see the quick video for yourself. Trust us, you do want to see this. Thanks for the tip, Kevin!

[Source: Car Driven]

Continue reading Video: British parents go nuts while passing Top Gear project cars

Video: British parents go nuts while passing Top Gear project cars originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 12 May 2010 19:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments