Top Gear


3:00 pm - 4:00 pm, Monday, March 30 on U&Dave (19)

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About this Broadcast

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Season 18, Episode 3

Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond take charge of shooting a car chase for a film version of The Sweeney, assisting with the stunt-driving choreography and the direction of lead actors Ray Winstone and Ben Drew. James May takes the Vauxhall Corsa VXR Nurburgring for a run around the test track, and delivers his verdict on the updated Fiat Panda. Hollywood actor Ryan Reynolds is the Star in a Reasonably Priced Car


HD subtitles 16x9 audio-description
Leisure Hobbies Motoring

Cast & Crew

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James May (Presenter)
Richard Hammond (Presenter)
Jeremy Clarkson (Presenter)
Plan B (Guest)
Andy Wilman (Executive producer)

More Information

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Did You Know..

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James May (Presenter)
Born: January 16, 1963 in Bristol
Best Known For: Being Captain Slow on Top Gear.
Early-life: James Daniel May was born on January 16, 1963, in Bristol. He has a brother and two sisters. He attended school in Rotherham with Life on Mars star Dean Andrews before heading to Lancaster University to study music. After graduating, May made ends meet in a series of jobs, including working in a hospital. During a stint with an engineering company, he produced a leaflet and liked what it involved, so applied for a job as a magazine sub-editor. He then worked for Autocar, but was fired after inserting a 'secret' message in the text.
Career: May's TV career began in 1998 with the Channel 4 series Driven, which ran for four years. In 1999, he landed a presenting role on BBC's Top Gear before it was axed due to low ratings. He rejoined the revamped version of the show in its second series. Other projects for the BBC have included Oz and James's Big Wine Adventure, James May's 20th Century, James May's Big Ideas, James May's Man Lab, and James May's Toy Stories.
Quote: On his sex-symbol status: 'Perhaps they look at me in the way that I might look at a slightly tacky Jaguar XJS, and think 'that's potentially not bad, maybe I could improve that'.'
Trivia: Away from TV, he has written columns for several publications and penned the books May on Motors and Notes from the Hard Shoulder.
Richard Hammond (Presenter)
Born: December 19, 1969 in Solihull
Best Known For: Co-hosting Top Gear, alongside Jeremy Clarkson and James May.
Early-life: Richard Mark Hammond was born in Birmingham on December 19, 1969. His mum Eileen, father Alan and younger brothers Andrew and Nicholas moved to Ripon where his father ran a probate business. After attending Harrogate College of Art and Technology, Richard decided not to pursue a degree and instead took a series of part-time jobs, including working behind the bar of a pub and being a 'chicken chaser' at a local farm.
Career: His broadcasting career began on local radio, before he got his big TV break hosting a number of daytime shows on Men & Motors. In 2002, he landed a slot on BBC's Top Gear, where he was given the nickname Hamster. Other series Richard has presented include Crufts, the British Parking Awards, Should I Worry About…?, The Gunpowder Plot: Exploding the Legend, Time Commanders, and Sky One's Brainac: Science Abuse. He was also a team captain on the quiz show Petrolheads and narrated the BBC series Last Man Standing. In recent years, he has started presenting serious documentaries on such subjects as warfare and engineering, and secured a world exclusive interview with his hero, Evel Knievel. He is the current face of the rather silly but very enjoyable Total Wipeout.
Quote: On his Top Gear colleagues: 'Of course we get on - the show wouldn't work if we didn't get on. The arguments you see on-screen are for real and often carry on off-screen as well.'
Trivia: He has published books on motoring and science.
Jeremy Clarkson (Presenter)
Born: April 11, 1960 in Doncaster
Best Known For: Presenting Top Gear.
Early-life: Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson was born on April 11th, 1960, and claims he could say 'Maserati' before he could say 'mummy'. He was the only son of affluent parents who manufactured Paddington Bear dolls. His passion for cars began as a child, but he admits to losing interest during his teens when he discovered girls and punk rock. Jeremy attended public school for five years, but was expelled shortly before he was due to take his A-levels. His first car was a Ford Cortina.
Career: Jeremy was employed as a trainee journalist on the Rotherham Advertiser, but he quit while reporting on a local agricultural show because he grew tired of the marrow-growers and Pony Club mums. He joined the family firm as a salesman and moved to London, where he found a new career as a motoring writer. In 1987, he met a Top Gear producer at a car launch and was invited on to the show. He quickly became one of its most popular presenters, but left the programme in 1998 to concentrate on other projects. Other series he has fronted include Speed, Meet The Neighbours and his own chat show, Clarkson. However, he missed talking about cars and returned to a revamped Top Gear, which is now one of the world's most-watched shows.
Quote: 'It's amazing how easily people are upset. When I said that a car snapped knicker elastic at 50 paces, I couldn't believe the furore that was created.'
Trivia: He lent his vocals to the first Cars movie, and the Forza 5 video game.
Ryan Reynolds (Guest)
Born: October 23, 1976 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Best Known For: Green Lantern.
Early-life: Ryan Rodney Reynolds was born in Vancouver, Canada, on October 23, 1976, the youngest of four brothers. Their mother is a saleswoman, their father a wholesaler. Ryan started acting in his early teens when he successfully auditioned for a role in the teen soap Fifteen. Other early projects include series such as The Odyssey, The Outer Limits, Lonesome Dove: The Outlaw Years and The X-Files.
Career: At the age of 18 Reynolds moved to Los Angeles, quickly landing roles in Sabrina the Teenage Witch and In Cold Blood. He then had a regular part in the surprise hit sitcom, Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place. Using the exposure gained from the series, he moved on to feature film work; it was 2002's Van Wilder: Party Liaison that made him a star. Since then, he's cemented his place on Hollywood's A-list with such movies as The Amityville Horror, Blade: Trinity, Definitely, Maybe, The Proposal, Buried, Ted, and playing the title role in Green Lantern. His recent credits include Ted, RIPD, A Million Ways to Die in the West, and The Voices.
Quote: 'I never took acting classes, but I knew I could do it based on the skill with which I lied to my parents on a regular basis!'
Trivia: He voiced the title character in the animated movie Turbo (2013).
Ray Winstone (Guest)
Born: February 19, 1957 in London
Best Known For: Scum and Sexy Beast.
Early-life: Born Raymond Andrew Winstone on February 19, 1957, in Hackney, east London, but moved with his family to Enfield when he was seven. His parents ran a fruit and veg business. He began boxing shortly before his teens and proved to be a formidable opponent, becoming London Schoolboy Champion three times and fighting twice for England. He also studied at the Corona Theatre School where he came to the attention of director Alan Clarke who cast him as Carlin in the controversial BBC play Scum in 1977.
Career: Scum was remade as a movie two years later. Winstone reprised his role, winning huge critical acclaim, before landing a part in the cult Brit flick Quadrophenia. After becoming a well-known name and face, he appeared in numerous TV shows, including Fox, Robin of Sherwood, and The Ghostbusters of East Finchley, but is better known for his often violent or controversial films, such as Nil By Mouth, Face and Sexy Beast. He is currently the face of an advertisement campaign for an on-line betting company, resolutely appearing during live football matches quoting the latest odds. Other projects include Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, The Departed, Great Expectations, Vincent and the big-screen remake of The Sweeney.
Quote: 'If you can get in a ring with 2,000 people watching and be smacked around by another guy, then walking on stage isn't hard.'
Trivia: He supports West Ham United.
Plan B (Guest)
Born: October 22, 1983 in London
Best Known For: His breakthrough album, The Defamation of Strickland Banks
Early-life: Benjamin Paul Ballance-Drew was born on October 22, 1983, and brought up in Forest Gate, East London. His mother worked for a local authority and his punk rocker father walked out on the family when Ben was a baby. The youngster struggled at school and eventually attended a special unit for pupils who did not fit in mainstream education. He taught himself to play guitar in his teens and then began to sing and rap.
Career: In 2005, Plan B made his breakthrough on the rap scene and had success with controversial hip-hop number Mama Loves a Crackhead. He then re-invented himself as a soul singer and his 2010 album, Strickland Banks, was a huge hit and turned him into a household name. His acting has also been praised and he was superb in Michael Caine film Harry Brown. In 2012, he starred in big-screen version of The Sweeney, and released the film Ill Manors, which he wrote and directed.
Quote: 'The whole reason for calling myself Plan B was that I was doing this sweet-boy Justin Timberlake stuff, but I never felt comfortable… When I started rapping, it was easier for me to feel comfortable.'
Trivia: Plan B has been involved in advertising campaigns for Hewlett-Packard and Bulmer's cider.
Andy Wilman (Executive producer)

Before / After

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Top Gear
4:00 pm