So here we are then; the sixth and final programme in this series of Top Gear has been filmed and is currently receiving the expert attentions of our crack editing team before bursting out of your television set on Sunday evening.
At the risk of sounding immodest, it’s quite a show too. Richard finally gets to drive his childhood supercar heroes, the Porsche 959 and Ferrari F40, before handing them over to our tame racing driver for two extremely memorable Stig laps.
Jeremy takes on one of our biggest challenges to date as he races the new Jaguar XJ against the sun, nay the Lord God himself, while James is in Houston to celebrate the moon buggy and test NASA’s very latest space exploration vehicle.
And as if that wasn’t enough, we’ve got one of the most explosive and enthralling interviews you’ve ever seen on the programme as Lord John Prescott drives the Reasonably Priced Car on the track and faces the searing heat of Clarksonian indignation in the studio. As big-hitting heavyweight bouts go, this is up there with Ali versus Foreman. The Rumble In The Dunsfold, if you will.
And that, I’m afraid, is it for this series. For what it’s worth, we’re quietly proud of the last six shows. Yes, the news seemed to be getting ever more smutty and yes, we appreciate that you still don’t know or care who Amber Heard is. But during this series we’ve also solved Britain’s economic crisis, revealed the unsavoury side of used cars, vanquished the Aussies in a car-based Ashes, discovered the many delights of Albania, and crowned a new king of the celebrity lap board.
Many of you have asked why, discounting the Middle East special and the Christmas show that aired in December, this series was just six shows strong. Well, we’re primarily funded by the licence fee and our pockets are not as deep as you might think, especially since the BBC has had to tighten its belt in recent years. With that in mind, we’ve plumped for a ‘quality not quantity’ philosophy to ensure the look and the scope of the show isn’t compromised.
The presenters and the rest of the Top Gear team are always keen to read your comments so please keep ’em coming between now and when we return in the summer. And don’t forget to visit this website on Sunday evening for more exclusive behind-the-scenes video content, hopefully NOT involving Mr Andy Wilman’s underpants.
