The Secret Behind the Hit TV Car Show "Top Gear"

But one adventure stands above the rest. "Absolute best thing we've done? Mmmmm. Mmmmm. North Pole, probably. No one else is going to it. That's why," May said.

In a race to the top of the world, Hammond ran alongside a dogsled while Clarkson, May and the camera crew made the trip in a specially equipped two-ton truck.

"We were just driving along, you start to hear that creak, as the ice started to creak. If the car had gone through, we would have been finished. It's minus 60 degrees, minus 70 degrees. We'd have been dead within two or three minutes. That was a time where you think 'Oh God. What am I doing here?'" Clarkson recalled.

They brought along gin and tonic to keep them warm, and ended up taking a lot of heat for drinking while driving.

"Well, you see, that's the thing. You use the word 'driving.' But technically, it's actually a frozen ocean so it's sailing. And you can sail if you've had a few drinks this was our argument and they, again, the BBC just went, 'Yeah, great,'" Clarkson recalled.

The show manages to careen into controversy almost every week, usually for something Clarkson has said. He's offended everyone from the prime minister to truck drivers, who took offense at this characterization of their profession: "It's a hard job. Change gear, change gear, change gear, check your mirrors, murder a prostitute, change gear, change gear, murder. That's a lot of effort in a day," he said while driving a truck.

"It's a weekly occurrence that somebody will complain," Clarkson said. "'Top Gear' was on last night. And it's just, you sit back and wait for the complaints. But if you start to pay attention to everybody's concerns, you end up with something bland and boring. So, you sort of have to ignore everybody in order to do the show how we want to do it."

The most consistent criticism from constables is that the show glorifies speed.

"What did Aldous Huxley say about speed? I forget. It was, 'Speed truly is the only truly modern sensation.' Speed is great. Speed works. Where would we be as a species without speed? You know, we'd still be eating mud," Clarkson argued.

One of their most hair-raising adventures was in the U.S. They were each given a thousand dollars to buy a car in Miami and drive them to New Orleans. When they reached the Gulf Coast, the producers gave them a special "challenge."

"OK. Says here we must not be shot or arrested as we drive across the proud state of Alabama. But that we will get bonus points if we can get one of the others shot or arrested," Clarkson explained.

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[RheeOdom]

As a former journalist I have admired and respected 60 minutes for many years until Sunday night when you aired a story about 'Top Gear' that featured a segment showing several British fellows traveling through Alabama and supposedly being harassed and assaulted by so-called hillbilly rednecks. Not only was it a set-up, false reporting in the lowest form, but a cheap and offensive swipe at the people who live here. 60 minutes owes Alabama an apology. There are many educated, intelligent people in this state. Depicting us as "gumps" riding around in pick-up trucks with shotguns was disgusting and I am surprised that Steve Kroft participated in such a farce.

[GayanthiGimhani]

If you actually bothered watching the full 'top gear' show or doing a slight bit of research on that incident, you might realise that it wasn't a setup.

[acebragg]

I like the show even though they do a fair amount of America bashing. As for the Alabama stunt, they probably could've stayed in England and gotten the same reaction there. Maybe they think all of England is like London. I'm sure there are areas where I could get the exact same reactions as they got in Alabama, although maybe with different statements painted on the cars.

[KPeters_from_UK]

While I tend to look at cars as a mere objects to get me from one place to another I love watching Top Gear. My family have watched every episode and more on the channel Dave which airs repeats after repeats. When we go back home to the States for the holidays we watch it on BBC America. Funny thing is when we watch it on BBC America, Clarkson's anti American opinions are always cut out. He believes most Americans are uneducated, right wing nutcases, religious fanatics, and usually build bad cars (expect for the Ford GT).

[Theowyn1]

Well, to be fair we do give him lots of ammunition along with the gun, numerous targets and an engraved invitation to shoot at us. How can he resist when we give the world Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Sarah Palin, et. al., not to mention all their fans who believe every word they say. Then there are the local groups who want to teach creationism in science class, ban Harry Potter because it teaches witchcraft, or burn the Koran because that?s obviously going to help prevent terrorism. And then, God help us, to top it all off we act surprised and offended that the rest of the world think we?re idiots.

I can?t find it in me to be offended by Jeremy Clarkson. To begin with, he?s made it his vocation in life to offend everyone - and I do mean everyone. And while the man lampoons every fault, he?s happily quite funny while doing it and one does get the sneaking suspicion that the subtext of his rants is that we should all just lighten up and learn to take a joke. But most of all, Clarkson?s no fool. He?s spent entirely too much time in America not to know that for every idiot, there are a dozen long-suffering souls here who aren?t. And occasionally, he even forgets himself and lets that slip. But only very occasionally, because for Clarkson, life?s no fun if he isn?t insulting someone.

[UCX_123]

Top gear Rules!