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Top Gear in St Petersburg (picture - BBC)Top Gear back on Sunday with bike vs electric car and hovercraft challenge in St Petersburg
Top Gear returns to BBC Two this Sunday – and the opening episode of the new series will see Richard Hammond back in the saddle as he attempts to show Jeremy Clarkson and James May once again that a bicycle is the quickest way of getting around a city.
Seven years ago, Hammond cycled flat out in a cross-London dash to City Airport to beat both of his co-hosts, with Clarkson second in a speedboat and May, who drove a Mercedes ML 4x4 pushed into fourth place by The Stig, who took public transport.
This time the action switches to Russia’s second city, St Petersburg. Once again, Hammond will be pedalling, this time a road bike with drop handlebars.
Clarkson is in a hovercraft – floating on a cushion of his own hot air, presumably – and May is in a Renault Twizy electric vehicle. The Stig, meanwhile, is on the city’s metro system.
The episode airs on BBC Two at 8pm this Sunday evening, and for the first time the new season will be launched globally on the same day.
If you missed the London challenge when it screened back in 2008, here are YouTube highlights of it.
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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Interesting theory - how many points does it take for them to drive carefully?
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The absurdity of it deepens when you realise that those points were acquired by the age of 26.
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BAM!
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42 comments
Though, if we have to treat our entire audience as idiots then we won't have many shows left!
I have to say, I was terribly judgemental when that segment ran. I think, mostly because it was an opportunity missed and because the subject is so close to home. Looking back on it now, it's not all that bad, but it's a shame that Boardman et al got roped in/edited out.
So, back to the show. I've watched the preview programme and it looks very much like they've pulled out all the stops. 10 programme run so there will inevitably be some dreck.
And, on this particular challenge. The edit shows Hammond doing the later stages on a MTB. So, something befalls him en route
So, they're just trolling then. If that's the case I don't get it any more than I get trolls on other media.
Speaking as someone who hasn't owned a car in 15 years, and who gets everywhere via a bicycle, I have to say that I find Top Gear endlessly entertaining.
They are as stupid as they are offensive, to the extent that it nullifies any offense I might otherwise take from their words & antics.
Amazingly boring, staged challenges perhaps. God, I hate Top Gear. I really do.
I generally agree with your sentiment...but every now and again they do come up with a brilliant one e.g. the race not to get to Chernobyl. The challenge is finding these gems without having to watch the rest of the dreck,
They have filmed some amazing challenges though, like this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nm5wQvAuaVE
Does anyone still watch Top Gear?
I know I'll not be tuning in, it's like Lost of the Summer Wine but less funny!
I'm not sure what's more embarrassing: BBC continuing to make it and employ Clarkson or Mankind across the globe actually wanting to watch it and creating a demand!!
Ok, rant over!
You say you don't watch, yet you're here whinging about it? Mmmm-kay...
350 million viewers a week. $1.5bn Brand value
http://www.businessinsider.com/bbcs-top-gear-is-greatest-show-on-tv-2014...
Guinness Book of Records holder for most watched factual programme in the world
Sold to 214 territories worldwide
4 million subscribers to the Official Top Gear YouTube channel with over 800 million video views
15 million Facebook fans
Top Gear Magazine global circulation: 1.67 million
6.8 million unique users on Topgear.com
Over 8.9 million downloads of Top Gear game apps
Over 1.5 million visitors to Top Gear Live
http://advertising.bbcworldwide.com/home/mediakit/reachaudience/topgear
so a few do.
Says quite a lot about the state of society / the world we live in doesn't it!
I guess the future is to have no respect for others and their property or any concern of about their actions on the impressionable! I'm really looking forward to being an old man and trying to act like a immature teenager!
I am sure the same viewers also watch Celebrity Big Brother and all the other reality trash on TV!!
Maybe its time to sell the TV if this is what the future holds....might be able to make enough money for another bike!!
I blame The Daily Mail, most daily red tops, the Tories, Labour, taxi drivers and school caretakers as well as TG for forcing their grotesque impressions upon us. I don't even know why I bother with anything.
Actually I do, because no matter how bleak society / the world may seem, there's good everywhere, even if you need to cycle that little bit further to find it.
PS. sell the TV.
You forgot religion and UKiP.
Yep, there is a lot of good and it's good to be reminded of it, the said thing is that TV programmes only seem to concentrate the negative and extremes. I would group top gear into this category.
Anyway, I think I have made my feelings known about the Clarkson and TG, I'm not a fan! Right, time to cycle to work and find some good people and a happy environment!
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