Top Gear


3:00 pm - 4:00 pm, Monday, January 26 on U&Dave (19)

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About this Broadcast

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Season 5, Episode 5

Jeremy Clarkson tackles the longest racetrack in the world, Germany's Nurburgring, and actor Christian Slater is the Star in a Reasonably Priced Car. James May marks the 50th birthday of the Mercedes 300SL, one of the most revered cars ever made, and Richard Hammond celebrates 20 years of the Renault Espace


subtitles 16x9 audio-description
Leisure Hobbies Motoring

Cast & Crew

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Jeremy Clarkson (Presenter)
James May (Presenter)
Richard Hammond (Presenter)
Gary Broadhurst (Series producer)
Gary Hunter (Executive producer)
Andy Wilman (Series editor)
Brian Klein (Director)

More Information

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Did You Know..

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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.
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.
Christian Slater (Guest)
Born: August 18, 1969 in New York
Best Known For: Playing renegade Clarence Worley in True Romance.
Early-life: Christian Michael Leonard Hawkins was born August 18, 1969, in New York, to soap actor Michael Hawkins and casting agent Mary Jo Slater. He had his first taste of showbusiness at the age of seven, appearing in American soap opera The Edge of Night in 1976. He went on to hone his craft in several Broadway shows in the 1980s. His first major movie role was in The Legend of Billie Jean in 1985.
Career: Cult movies Heathers and Pump Up The Volume helped boost his profile, while blockbuster Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves proved he had star appeal. An avid Trekkie, he realised a personal dream in 1991 when he landed a cameo in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. Kuffs failed to impress critics, but True Romance, Interview with the Vampire, Broken Arrow, Hard Rain and Very Bad Things helped his career no end. By the turn of the millennium, his appeal was starting to wane in Tinseltown, and although he gave impressive turns in TV hits Alias and The West Wing, movie projects such as Windtalkers, Churchhill: The Hollywood Years and Alone in the Dark failed to impress. On stage he has appeared in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and The Glass Menagerie. He is still working hard in Hollywood, however, and his recent films include Slipstream, He Was A Quiet Man, Love Lies Bleeding and Dolan's Cadillac. He returned to the small screen in 2011 in the American sitcom Breaking In.
Quote: "People need something to fill their papers, and I'm happy to provide."
Trivia: In 1997, he was sentenced to three months in jail for assault.
Gary Broadhurst (Series producer)
Gary Hunter (Executive producer)
Andy Wilman (Series editor)
Brian Klein (Director)

Before / After

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Top Gear
4:00 pm