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Culture: Top Gear
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A history of Modern China (and the World)
Culture: Top Gear
A history of Modern China (and the World)
Culture: Top Gear
"We simply couldn't justify to ourselves to let it continue after such a bloody long time and declining numbers. After Clarkson departed in 1999 to help with reconstruction efforts in Asia, Top Gear lost most of its soul, right before my departure, I talked to the Director-General, and we just decided it was best to pull the plug. And then Clarkson came back..."
- Mark Thompson, BBC2 Controller (1996-1999)
- Mark Thompson, BBC2 Controller (1996-1999)
Most Britons forget, these days, about where the world-famous show Top Gear got its earnest beginnings. Originally started as a terrestrial, Midlands-only television show broadcast by BBC Midlands, it soon expanded in the 1980s to cover most of the British Isles.
When "everyman" Jeremy Clarkson took the stage on Top Gear in 1988, the show exploded in popularity, as many, including many Americans and Europeans, found hilarity in Clarkson's crass and rude behaviour. In the decade in which Clarkson was on Top Gear, at least in its original incarnation, the ratings and popularity had never been higher.
However, in the later 1990s, things began to unravel. Before Prime Minister Lennon's election in 1997, numerous budget cuts had been taken to the BBC, causing the Top Gear crew and producers to have to do more creative things to stretch a dime. Lennon's rise in 1997 restored some faith in the Top Gear crew and producers in the longevity of the program, but by that point, more problems had taken form that extended beyond the original ones.
Clarkson began to face mounting public opposition after his political, social and economic views began to filter more and more into the public lifestyle. His often-made harangues against other countries through stereotypes earned him no fans -- in 1998, he took a hiatus from Top Gear after being assaulted on the set by an angry Italian. After the May 1999 Kargil War, he announced he would not return to the television series, and joined the large-scale British-backed operations to help rebuild war-torn, yet safe, zones of India.
In 2001, Clarkson returned to the United Kingdom after his sabbatical. He remained a "bit of a ponce" (in the immortal words of Prime Minister Lennon, who met with him, along with others who volunteered to help rebuild India), but had matured significantly in the process.
In 2002, Clarkson organized the new Top Gear television series, backed by the larger BBC industrial network. His fellow hosts on the show were Matt LeBlanc, an American actor who had recently come out of work on the American television show "Friends", which had been abruptly cancelled after the death of Jennifer Aniston and Matthew Perry in the 2002 Terrorist Attacks; as well as Richard Hammond, a British man who had auditioned for the role and secured it.
The re-launch of Top Gear in 2002 came to interest by groups the world over. In the months coming up to the launch of the show, the BBC established itself in other markets -- In the United States, the BBC launched their own terrestrial cable networks, buying up a number of local affiliates in America -- many included WTVT-13 in Tampa, Florida; which had been before then, a FOX affiliate (since the early 1970s). This, also joined with the BBC purchasing WGN and UPN, and the public cooperation of PBS and BBC, created a greater polity than had been expected.
The BBC America network franchise was placed under the creative control of an American, a businessman who had stood in the United States' 2000 presidential election; Donald Trump. However, he did not have complete control of the network, as the creative content remained under the tight purvey of London.
In China, the BBC didn't establish a similar "deep root" polity like the United States, but instead propped up the pre-existing BBC network in the rump Hong Kong territory that had remained under British control after the 1989 hand-over. Instead, the BBC made a long-standing deal with the TV China organization, China's oldest and longest standing liberal and free television network (the same TV China that had gotten into a fracas with the Chinese government during the Constitutional Convention era).
Top Gear's pilot, airing in late 2002, came off to critical acclaim globally, winning back much of Top Gear's formerly gone audience. As a result, Clarkson and the vision of Top Gear, was re-entrenched in a new audience of Americans, Chinese, Europeans and Britons alike.
Since its return in 2002, Top Gear has been well-celebrated, and many episodes are remembered for their interesting commentaries and cars.
When "everyman" Jeremy Clarkson took the stage on Top Gear in 1988, the show exploded in popularity, as many, including many Americans and Europeans, found hilarity in Clarkson's crass and rude behaviour. In the decade in which Clarkson was on Top Gear, at least in its original incarnation, the ratings and popularity had never been higher.
However, in the later 1990s, things began to unravel. Before Prime Minister Lennon's election in 1997, numerous budget cuts had been taken to the BBC, causing the Top Gear crew and producers to have to do more creative things to stretch a dime. Lennon's rise in 1997 restored some faith in the Top Gear crew and producers in the longevity of the program, but by that point, more problems had taken form that extended beyond the original ones.
Clarkson began to face mounting public opposition after his political, social and economic views began to filter more and more into the public lifestyle. His often-made harangues against other countries through stereotypes earned him no fans -- in 1998, he took a hiatus from Top Gear after being assaulted on the set by an angry Italian. After the May 1999 Kargil War, he announced he would not return to the television series, and joined the large-scale British-backed operations to help rebuild war-torn, yet safe, zones of India.
In 2001, Clarkson returned to the United Kingdom after his sabbatical. He remained a "bit of a ponce" (in the immortal words of Prime Minister Lennon, who met with him, along with others who volunteered to help rebuild India), but had matured significantly in the process.
In 2002, Clarkson organized the new Top Gear television series, backed by the larger BBC industrial network. His fellow hosts on the show were Matt LeBlanc, an American actor who had recently come out of work on the American television show "Friends", which had been abruptly cancelled after the death of Jennifer Aniston and Matthew Perry in the 2002 Terrorist Attacks; as well as Richard Hammond, a British man who had auditioned for the role and secured it.
The re-launch of Top Gear in 2002 came to interest by groups the world over. In the months coming up to the launch of the show, the BBC established itself in other markets -- In the United States, the BBC launched their own terrestrial cable networks, buying up a number of local affiliates in America -- many included WTVT-13 in Tampa, Florida; which had been before then, a FOX affiliate (since the early 1970s). This, also joined with the BBC purchasing WGN and UPN, and the public cooperation of PBS and BBC, created a greater polity than had been expected.
The BBC America network franchise was placed under the creative control of an American, a businessman who had stood in the United States' 2000 presidential election; Donald Trump. However, he did not have complete control of the network, as the creative content remained under the tight purvey of London.
In China, the BBC didn't establish a similar "deep root" polity like the United States, but instead propped up the pre-existing BBC network in the rump Hong Kong territory that had remained under British control after the 1989 hand-over. Instead, the BBC made a long-standing deal with the TV China organization, China's oldest and longest standing liberal and free television network (the same TV China that had gotten into a fracas with the Chinese government during the Constitutional Convention era).
Top Gear's pilot, airing in late 2002, came off to critical acclaim globally, winning back much of Top Gear's formerly gone audience. As a result, Clarkson and the vision of Top Gear, was re-entrenched in a new audience of Americans, Chinese, Europeans and Britons alike.
Since its return in 2002, Top Gear has been well-celebrated, and many episodes are remembered for their interesting commentaries and cars.
- Asami
- Word Count: 780