Top Gear (1977 TV series)

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Top Gear
1993–1998 titlecard
Created byDerek Smith
Presented by
Opening theme"
Jessica" – The Allman Brothers Band
Ending theme"Out of the Blue" (from Blue Moves) – Elton John
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series45
No. of episodes524 (list of episodes)
Production
Producers
Running time30 minutes
Original release
NetworkBBC Two
Release22 April 1977 (1977-04-22) –
17 December 2001 (2001-12-17)
Related

Top Gear was a British motoring magazine programme created by the BBC and aired on BBC Two between 22 April 1977 and 17 December 2001. The programme focused on a range of motoring topics, the most common being car reviews, road safety and consumer advice. Originally presented by Angela Rippon and Tom Coyne, the show saw a range of different presenters and reporters front the programme's half-hourly slots, including Noel Edmonds, Jeremy Clarkson, Tiff Needell, William Woollard and Quentin Willson. The programme proved popular during the late 80s and early 90s, and launched a number of spin-offs, including its own magazine entitled Top Gear Magazine.

By 1999, viewing figures in Top Gear had declined after the departure of notable presenters, leading to the BBC cancelling the programme in 2001. While a number of presenters and production staff moved over to

Channel 5 to produce Fifth Gear, Clarkson and fellow presenter Andy Wilman convinced the BBC to revive the programme under a revamped format
, relaunching it in October 2002.

Format

Top Gear functioned under a magazine format focusing on key topics that could be covered within each episode's 30-minute timeslot. Presenters focused on various motoring-related subjects, the most common being road tests of new cars, consumer advice, road safety, and motorsport. Other subjects covered varied over its 24-year history, but included elements such as road safety and interviews with figures related to transportation and cars. Alongside standard episodes, the programme included a number of specials focused on cars or journeys.

History

Origins

The original programme and its title were conceived by producer Derek Smith, who proposed the concept to BBC Midlands as a monthly television series with a magazine format aimed at looking at various subjects such as new cars, road safety and other topics, and involving presenters supported by reporters. The format had already been proven by Thames Television's well established Drive-In (later Wheels), which had been running since 1974, and featured future Top Gear presenters Chris Goffey and Sue Baker. BBC Midlands commissioned a series of nine episodes of Top Gear for 1977,[1] with the production staff operating out of Pebble Mill Studios, Birmingham,[1] with Smith assigned as its executive producer, while Angela Rippon and Tom Coyne, the front man of the local evening news programme Midlands Today, were hired to present the new programme alongside local reporters. As it was designed mainly as a regional programme, Top Gear was made available only to BBC Midlands viewers during its broadcast.[2][3]

In 1978, the BBC took interest in Top Gear,[4][5] and decided upon it being broadcast nationally across the United Kingdom, commissioning ten episodes for the first series. Both Smith and Rippon remained within their respective roles, with Barrie Gill replacing Coyne as co-presenter, with topics covered during its first series including holiday driving, the MOT test, a search for a female rally driver, traffic jams, rust and corrosion, and tachographs in lorries. Alongside the standard motoring topics, the production staff also included films focused on motoring events, such as the Le Mans 24 Hour race and the British International Motor Show. A year later, the BBC commissioned a second series, with Rippon and Gill retaining their roles and joined by a new team of reporters.

1980s–1990s

By 1980, the growing popularity of the programme led to the BBC making Top Gear a staple part of its schedules for

BBC2, commissioning two series per year - one for the late Winter-Early Spring schedule, and the other for the Autumn-Early Winter schedule. However, as Rippon and Gill had left the programme after its second series, the responsibility of presenting Top Gear was assigned to Noel Edmonds, who maintained the role of the main presenter for two series before being replaced by William Woollard, formerly of BBC1's science series Tomorrow's World
, in 1981. Former Drive-In / Wheels presenters Chris Goffey and Sue Baker defected from Thames to the BBC and Top Gear around the same period.

The role of executive producer was maintained by Smith for a further three years before it was handed over to Dennis Adams in 1983. Between 1980 and 1985, the programme's broadcast included specials that focused on coverage of motoring events, including the bi-annual British International Motor Show, and the London Motorfair, though Top Gear achieved sole dominance of rallying events, a sport that the BBC's sport division could not control.

In 1986, Dennis Adams resigned as executive producer, leading to

Performance Car Magazine.[7][8]

Despite enduring criticism regarding the presentation of the programme, including concerns it encouraged irresponsible driving behaviour,

Vauxhall Vectra, Clarkson was bluntly honest about his opinion of the car when he declared that "I know it's the replacement for the Cavalier. I know. But I'm telling you it's just a box on wheels."[10]

In 1991, Ross and Woollard left the programme after its 25th series. While Bentley took over as editor for the 26th series, the 1990s saw a host of new faces taking part to replace others, including car dealer

BBC World
's India's Wheels.

From 1994, the show also spawned a monthly magazine. This included a customer satisfaction survey which was first highlighted on the show and then published in detail in the magazine. Cars of two and three years old were rated by their customers on a ratio of 1 to 5 for factors including performance, fuel economy, build quality, reliability and dealer service. The

Citroen, Fiat, Peugeot, Renault and Rover. Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen
were also highlighted at times for failing to match their traditionally high standards of build quality and reliability.

Demise and aftermath

By 1999, after the departure of Clarkson,[11] the peak audience figures of Top Gear, while still favourable, began to decline, affected further by additional members of the presenting team leaving the programme - a notable departure was of Brendan Coogan, who was forced to resign after being convicted of drink-driving in July.[12][13] Presenting duties were mainly handled by Willson and Kate Humble, before the final series was fronted by Jason Barlow, following his work on Channel 4's Driven.[14] Despite remaining a popular programme on BBC Two, with its final series run continuously between September 2000 to October 2001, the BBC determined that Top Gear deserved no further series and cancelled the programme in December 2001.

After the cancellation of Top Gear, most of the production staff and several of the programme's presenters decided to move over to

Channel 5, as part of a deal to create a new motoring programme. Under its format, aimed as a fresh take on Top Gear's own, the programme would feature its own car reviews, consumer advice, and other examination of motoring subject, with Tiff Needell, Quentin Willson and Vicki Butler-Henderson working as its presenters, with Jon Bentley working as producer. The programme was launched in April 2002 under the title of Fifth Gear,[15] as the BBC would not relinquish the rights to the name of Top Gear for legal reasons.[citation needed
]

Spin-offs

See also: List of Top Gear (1977 TV series) episodes, Spin-offs

Top Gear was a title sponsor of the 1987 and 1988

The Car's The Star
which told the story of famous classic cars, running for six series between 1994 and 1999.

Presenter line-up

Theme music

The show's opening theme music from the very first programme in 1977 was the

Allman Brothers Band instrumental "Jessica" from the album Brothers and Sisters (1973), although remixed versions were used from 1999. For much of the series' lifespan, Elton John's instrumental "Out of the Blue" from the album Blue Moves
(1976) played over the closing credits.

The opening and closing titles music were suggested to executive producer Derek Smith by his son Graham, who had the two albums at home. He played the tracks to his father and was asked to write down the details, so they could be sourced from the record library in the BBC.

Merchandising

In September 1993, the BBC launched a magazine entitled Top Gear Magazine, which featured articles and columns from the presenters and additional contributors, as well as a customer satisfaction survey from 1994. The magazine became a commercial hit across the United Kingdom in the wake of its launch. In addition, the broadcaster also launched CD albums and a selection of VHS sets consisting of unique specials, presented by the team between 1994 and 2000.

CD releases

  • (1994) Top Gear – 36 track rock compilation on two discs (Epic Records).
  • (1995) Top Gear 2 – 36 track rock compilation on two discs (Columbia Records).
  • (1995) Top Gear Classics: Turbo Classics – compilation of 17 classical tracks on a single disc (PolyGram TV).
  • (1995) Top Gear Classics: Baroque Busters – compilation of 18 classical baroque tracks on a single disc (Deutsche Grammophon).
  • (1995) Top Gear Classics: Open Top Opera – compilation of 18 tracks from classic operas on a single disc (Deutsche Grammophon).
  • (1995) Top Gear Classics: Motoring Moods – compilation of 12 classical tracks on a single disc (Deutsche Grammophon/PolyGram TV).
  • (1996) Top Gear 3: Rock Ballads – 38 tracks of rock and pop on two discs (Columbia Records).
  • (1996) Top Gear: On the Road Again – 36 track pop compilation on two discs (EMI TV).
  • (1998) Top Gear Anthems – 38 tracks of rock and electronic music on two discs (Virgin Records).

VHS releases

  • (1994) Top Gear: Super Cars – Presented by Jeremy Clarkson and Tiff Needell (63 min).
  • (1994) Top Gear: Classic Cars – Presented by Quentin Willson (65 min).
  • (1997) Top Gear: Fast & Furious – Presented by Jeremy Clarkson and Tiff Needell (77 min).
  • (1998) Classic Cars: Aston Martin – Presented by Jeremy Clarkson (45 min).
  • (1998) Classic Cars: Porsche – Presented by Tiff Needell (45 min).
  • (1998) Classic Cars: Ferrari – Presented by Chris Goffey (45 min).
  • (1998) Classic Cars: Jaguar – Presented by Quentin Willson (45 min).
  • (1999) Top Gear: 21 Years of Top Gear – (preproduction/promotional release of TV special) Presented by Kate Humble (29 min).
  • (2000) Top Gear: Fast and Furious 2 – Presented by Tiff Needell (with foreword by Clarkson, Willson and Butler-Henderson) (72 min).

Relaunch

Main article: Top Gear (2002 TV series)

After the first series of Fifth Gear was completed, the BBC decided to relaunch Top Gear, but in a new studio based format as opposed to the magazine format used until the cancellation. The idea came from producer Andy Wilman and Jeremy Clarkson, who presented the relaunched show with Richard Hammond and Jason Dawe. James May replaced Dawe from the second series onwards of the current format. The pre-cancellation show is referred to as "Old Top Gear", when mentioned on the new show due to the differences in style.

See also

Notes

References

  1. ^ a b Scheduled, Kvatch (23 March 2015). "Top Gear creator Derek Smith - who created multi million pound show from his Birmingham office - dies aged 87". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  2. ^ Birmingham Post 5 April. 1977.
  3. ^ " ". Radio Times Midlands Edition. April 1977.
  4. ^ 21 Years of Top Gear, presented by Kate Humble, BBC Two 2000
  5. ^ Savage, Mark (21 September 2006). "Top Gear's Chequered Past". BBC News. Retrieved 28 December 2010.
  6. ^ Ross, Tom (26 March 2015). "'Was Jeremy Clarkson trouble from the start? He sure was'". The Guardian.
  7. ^ Eames, Tom (17 April 2017). "Top Gear: What happened to the *original* hosts?". Digital Spy.
  8. ^ "Jeremy Clarkson". IMDb.
  9. ^ "Top Gear too fast for MPs". BBC News. 9 November 1999. Retrieved 28 December 2010.
  10. ^ "Series 34 Episode 2". Top Gear. 28 September 1995. BBC Two.
  11. ^ "Clarkson slips out of Top Gear". BBC News. 22 January 1999. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  12. ^ ICM Presenters:Brendan Coogan Archived 11 March 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ "Top Gear host quits after conviction". BBC News. 14 July 1999. Retrieved 28 December 2010.
  14. ^ "Emap Automotive Appoints Jason Barlow as Editor of CAR". Archived from the original on 22 June 2006.
  15. ^ "Top Gear Team Switch Lanes". BBC News. 15 November 2001. Retrieved 28 December 2010.
  16. ^ "Application to register the trademark Top Gear" (PDF). Retrieved 28 December 2010.

External links

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