Thanks for that Andy, one suggestion I would make is that when you do the awards, you can do a few more cars in addition to the jokes, and bring back the golden cock. James’ flirting should have won that!

I’m just glad we’ve got SOMETHING to look forward to in 2009. Having a budget cut might change the show, but it’ll still be entertaining.

Meow. i love TopGear =]

I think it’s been a good year all round. It’s always the case that you won’t please everyone with any show that aims to entertain , but then life isn’t fair – people should enjoy the bits that appeal, accept the bits they’re not so keen on, and if they can’t find either of those they should watch Antiques Roadshow instead.

I find the idea of a spit and sawdust final show strangely appealing – there’s always been a spirit of tinkering and bodging inherent in all petrolheaded activities, and some of the most fun you’ll have will come from slinging something around that’s barely holding together. Bangernomics makes a point of low cost motoring (and I do mean low) and that ethic might make a fantastic show – the British Leyland challenge was a perfect example, and I still love watching it when its repeated.

Regardless of what the financial climate chucks at you, I have no doubt that you and the rest of the team will continue to make brilliant shows for as long as you care to. Even if you were to strip away the superb production values, great locations, and exotic challenges there’s still be a spirit there that’d make each show worth seeing.

topgear will always be the best program to grace TV .

Thank you so so so much for giving us the show that is Top Gear. I hope you have a good Christmas and a nice holiday to gather your throughts for the new year.

Thanks Andy. Season 12 has been one of the best season’s yet and I’m sure, a budget cut won’t stop you guys making the best telly show on earth.
Thank you.

Don’t get down about the manic petrolheads pulling the show apart piece by piece. It happens to every show. It’s just ’cause the internet’s around that they have a medium to splurge their opinions onto.

Great series, great cars and great editing. You’ve got a great show, which is rather rare. And to everyone working on Top Gear I think the British Public needs to give a massive ‘Thank You’!

Andy,

Top Gear goes from strength to strength and so long as the gang sticks together it won’t matter about budget cuts, TG will be head and shoulders above everything on TV!!!
Perhaps you should charge Dave more for the repeats to cover the shortfall in the budget??

Good luck for next year and can’t wait for the Vietnam special!

Hum, 13 episodes of Brilliance and 1 of shite. How about throwing together clips off previous shows that you could not fit into them on that final crapshow? If its existing footage it requires only editing costs, and gives a look at some of the bits we missed out on.

Also, no more V8 blenders please. Mildly entertaining once, but not again. If you still have the engine though you could always try fitting it into really inappropriate cars (Corvette V8 RWD Metro anybody?). Corvettro… ..anyway moving on quickly.

Did love the commie cars bit, as I think I’ve stated before, so if that was cheepish to make then its got my vote as a Licence fee payer.

Tips to get around the budget cut: close down BBC3 and give its £94 million budget to you. Or just pick Jonathan Ross up and shake him by the ankles.

There – simple.

Looking foward to the Vietnam Special. But if Im honest I think TG are running out of idea’s I just hope for Series 13 that you have plenty of idea’s and it must be so annoying to get a budget cut. still love it though

Hey Andy,

Thank you and the guys for providing such good entertainment this past year. I enjoyed every show without exception.

I think you could take the good bits that could not make the show the first time and have an “extras” show.

And I second the golden cock. Doesn’t seem right no one got it this year.

Looking forward to 2009. I know I will not be disappointed.

An excellent year’s work guys… hit and miss at times, but then everyone’s taste is different. Overall tho’, it was an absolutely joyous year of cocking-about, and the highs far outweighed the lows… Thanks to all concerned. A merry xmas to all of you and, if Stiggy ever comes back, to him as well! Here’s to at Top (Gear) 2009! X

Thanks for a great year, guys! Can’t wait for next year, not to mention the Vietnam special! ^^ Good luck with the budget for next year…

~Vanquish

I rather think it’ll be interesting to see what happens with a cut budget. I don’t mind the ‘end-of-term’ shows, it’s quite fun. Especially when it’s post-watershed.

Thank you for everything you’ve done this year, everyone who works on TG.

And have a very, very, Merry Christmas and a stonkingly good New Year. Hope you all have a good break – you deserve it.

What a good year for Top Gear. A brilliant coming together of talent and showmanship -or should that be show-personship? No. Shite to political correctness!
I am -at least this year I have been- a big F1 fan, and always looked forward to watching the next race, but not as much as I looked forward to watching Top Gear.
Top Gear rocks, thanks to the great people that work on it and all the effort you lot put in, including the Stig of course.
Happy Christmas to you all and look forward to next years shows.

Andy, love the show and can’t wait for the special.

Budget cut or not, I’m sure that TG will still be as brill as it always is.

Merry Christmas! xx

Wheres the rest of this gone?
great blog as usual but i was looking forward to reading the whole “Top Year” one
but now its been cut down to this nam’ one
hopefully you’ll post it later on

Cut, but not forgotten.

Season 12 was one of the best, no doubt. Though it must be hard to keep coming up with new ideas.

Looking forward to the next BritCar 24hr show.

I hope the fact their on bikes, doesn’t mean Jeremy & Hammond won’t ram May’s bike.

It looks good though, I’m looking forward to watching it with a leftover turkey sandwich in my hand.

Hey Andy, I’m sure this has been up many a time, but I will ask about this again.
How about you release all the seasons (1-12) on DVD.
Preferably this should be a director’s cut, including lots of the outtakes, and no beeping the f-words.
I would pay a lot of pounds for that!
Good job on season 12, cant wait for the Vietnam special.

I can’t wait to see this, and it’s nice to approach the guys more for a change. I can’t wait to see it and thank you for having it kept in a long and lovely version!

See now, have the boys do something with Charley and Ewan, now that would be great!

Fabulous season, fantastic work and congratulations to every single person that made this happen!!

Top Gears is by far the best show on telly, please put it on BBC HD for next season.

Keep Up The Good Work

75 minutes?! Fantastic! All about comraderie? Fantastic! Waiting another 6 days? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOO!

I’ts no good cutting it like that…
Bring back the full thing pretty please

^^^Slow Reader, i think they cut it so they bring back the full ‘Top Year’ one after the nam one airs, and its the propper end to the season
im in the same boat as you though and was literally seconds off the full thing

Well allright, sure I’ll wait. It’s just that feeling of a chocolate being taken out of your mouth

I think you could save a lot of money simply by removing Star in Reasonably priced car and effectively have a budget increase. But do not despair about a crap last show I have ideas to make it just as good put in a massive cool wall section with extra bickering and fights and put in some proper car reviews of ordinary cars to keep those people who complain top gear is out of touch at bay, or at the least drive some cars on beaches in a group test like you used to (what ever happened to the group test anyway?)If you just look back at your pre-massive hit top gear there are ideas there that cost nowt yet still great. How about another buy a piece of rubbish car for 52p and just let hilarity commence naturally without a big budget.

sounds like this is gunna b a classic way 2 end a surperb series

Jeremy Clarkson on a bike !!!!!!1

its guuna b awesome – it gunna b good watching him fall off it lol

i wonder what challenges the producers have come up with for this 1 ???

r.e – fattymattyweasel said… “group tests”

i think the group tests sud b bought bk 2
it woz gd watchin the lads power slide around the welsh beach

it woz gd watchin the monaro tryin 2 dig its way bk 2 australia + coverin the hamster in sand lol ( sorri richard )

Money shouldn’t be an issue. Jeremy stated on one of the radio shows he did that the Top Gear Franchise is a huge money earner for the BBC. I got the impression that money gets dispersed throughout various aspects of the corporation. IF TG needed more funding then I’m sure thay have the power to get it.

It sounds brilliant, cant wait!
Jezza on a bike! LOL should be entertaining! Im so exited!! I mean stuff the 25th the 28th is where it all happens!

CANT WAIT!!! YAYYYYYY!

75 minutes?!!! WOWWW!!!!

EEKKKKKKK REALLY REALLY CANT CONTAIN MY CURENT EXITMENT!

Don’t apologize for making the film mostly about the three chaps – their chemistry and talent it’s what separates top gear from the mediocre shows

75 minutes is fine by me !!

I wish every Top Gear was this long!

75 min man thts short, it should be 2 hours obviously. anyway love the show cant w8 till the special

In the words of Alexandra: Hallelujahhhhhhh HalleluuuuuuuUUUuuuu-JAHH HHHHHHHH…

The series just gone has been one of the best, but there is now a feeling that TG is becoming lacklustre and not as good as it once was. Perhaps this special should be the signing off show for a long break. A year off would be worth it if it means it is better when it comes back. Maybe follow the Dr. Who idea and have a year of specials? That would make TG that little bit more special!

Question: How to raise money to make up for next seasons’s buget cut.

Answer: Release dvd’s to the world!

nooooo I missed vietnam special. I thought there was no top gear yesterday. cos snooker was on BBC2 all the time last night. waht a shame!!

I have to disagree with Concerned that this has been one of the best series of TG. I think it has actually been one of the worst. I do, however, think Concerned is right about having a break and just making 3 or 4 specials next year. The guys really need to think about what kid of show they’re trying to make. There’s no doubt the chemistry between the team is excellent, but I think they’re trying too hard and the show is becoming a characature of itself. Go back to the roots of TG – test some cars, a wee bit of motoring journalism and keep some time for a bit of banter & some fun.

Please.

Fifth Gear used to be a pale imitation of TG, but I don’t thik that’s the case anymore.

I hope all this V8 rocking chair nonsense isn’t the equivalent of The Extras’ Andy Millman doing “When The Whistle Blows”, when ratings become more important than the output.

I’m pretty disillusioned with TG these days, I’m sorry to say.

hi

my room is full of top gear stuff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

can jc come to my house in his ford gt! im in sea palling!!!!!!!!

come down some time gang

jack

Vietnam is all wrapped up with a ribbon round it and is now sitting under the huge Christmas telly tree, waiting to be unwrapped on Sunday 28th, at 8pm. I hope everyone’s too pissed or fat to move off the sofa, because, and I know I say this every time, it’s quite a good one.

The Vietnam special is also our first foray outside the hour. The final running time ended up at 75 minutes, which was a big worry initially, because one of the most sound and wise sayings in television is “There’s nothing that can’t be improved by making it shorter”, or something like that.

It’s a maxim we stick to religiously – lots and lots of useable stuff ends up on the floor – but in the case of Vietnam, we simply couldn’t fit the actual basics of the journey into 60 minutes; we’d have had to lose whole days completely, so 75 it is, and believe me it rattles along at that. So, Christmas tip for anyone downloading illegally: get plenty of bits and torrents in or whatever it is you do.

As for the story, for those who like to see presenters suffer there is some good hardship, especially for Jeremy in the first three days, who was crapping himself before he set out.

But then your first ever bike ride and it’s the length of Vietnam – you would be. And his bike was rubbish. But as the journey unfolds it settles down (for a while) into what I think is a good buddy movie.

I am reminded actually, watching it back, of those two brilliant bell ends in Sideways, except in our world the only time anyone gets their leg over is climbing back on a bike.

On the subject of the bikes I suppose, looking back, the big risk in this show is not the fact we’ve ditched cars for bikes – for one outing you won’t miss four wheels, and it does put Jezza in a world of pain. No, the biggest risk in this show – and students of film will spot this if they’re not mullered on Malibu next Sunday – is that Vietnam is the one Special that’s more about the guys than it is about the transport.

In the Polar film there is a simple premise – can a car get to the Magnetic Pole, and the whole film hangs round that; what the guys do is just bonus entertainment. Likewise in Botswana the spine of the film is “Can ordinary cars go where four wheel drive cars go?” and likewise whatever the lads get up to along the way should be secondary to that premise.

In Vietnam though, the transport question isn’t that strong, because as Ewan and Charlie have proved so well, you can go almost anywhere on a bike. This means the narrative of the film is a bit more skewed towards the three guys: e.g. Can Jeremy make it without killing himself? Can the others make it without killing Jeremy? So please forgive us on that one. We haven’t gone self indulgent, and as soon as we find another titanic vehicular challenge we’ll be there.

Anyway, that’s enough from me. Watch it and let us know.

Thanks for blog Andy

75 minutes sounds brilliant!

I think it will be good to have an episode focused on the boys. After all they make Top Gear what it is (along with your good self and the fantastic crew) so I am sure it will be one great episode!

One last thing to say, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

Maisy

It seems a lot of the reason why people watch Top Gear, is simply the interactions between the presenters. The bikes premise looks to be very interesting, especially considering Jeremy’s spoken sentiments towards them. One of the reasons as to why I like these foreign adventures, is the epic scenery. This will be an exciting and memorable episode. How could it be anything but?

whoooo topgear is great

looks brill cant wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

three cheers for Top Gear. I love how Andy almost encourages us torrenters, ace.

This special is looking to be brilliant, cant wait, wish it were sooner though, am starting to go through withdrawal.

“So, Christmas tip for anyone downloading illegally: get plenty of bits and torrents in or whatever it is you do.”

Got an extra helping of bits and torrents ready!

You know, after ya’ll get done with Series 11 and 12 over here in the US on BBC America, we’d love to get caught up and get the same series ya’ll are watching. I hear even up in Canada where they still honor the Queen and all, they still don’t even get Top Gear at the same time the UK does!

Im still depressed, to young to see the show

Im only 13

75 MINUTES to short in my view
I like the fact this time we can see the true struggle for each of the three.. I expect it will be quite .. humourous

thankyou so much Andy : ]

The only reason people are having a go at this series is because weve been spoilt rotten with earlier series. It must be hard to keep coming up with ideas that try to top what has gone before, especially when whats gone before is so good.
Maybe Andy should do a blog asking for TG fans suggestions for challenges. Even if he doesn’t like any of them, he may just get a spark of an idea off one of them.
On another note, What’s this about a budget cut?
Are you joking. Some of the shit thats on the Beeb (Strictley C?#ts Dancing)and they want to cut the budget of their best programme!!!
Just how much does TG make the BBC in merchandise and overseas rights.
the BBC should put JC in charge of the budget.
JM in charge of the scheldule.
And Hammond in charge of, er, er, er, makeup and hair??
Thats it, Ive finished ranting!
Merry Christmas all.

Thank you, Andy, for all of your hard work. We truly appreciate it. I’m definately looking forward to the Vietnam special. Merry Christmas.

Mr Wilman.

In as much as Top Gear is about cars, it’s always interesting to see the antics of Jeremey, Richard and James and how they get on together on the road as such, it’s this interaction that for me is what the show is about. I’m not a true petrolhead to be honest with you, but I do have a fondness for these three guys and the things they get up to.

Thanks for making the past year interesting, the Vietnam special is going to go by so quick, what say the BBC extend Top Gear to 75 minutes every week.

Merry Christmas.

cannot wait for it, jezza on a bike the length of vietnam should be priceless.

i cant believe i’m gonna be missing this! ONE , just ONE episode i’m gonna miss this year , and its the freaking vietnam special!

ow well …..back to downloading…

Merry Christmas to you, Andy, and to the rest of the Top Gear team. I’m genuinely very excited about seeing the Vietnam film – it’s a country I would love to visit, once I overcome the slight hurdle of not liking flying, so I’m glad you lot went there first to show me what it’s like.

And 75 minutes… god, that’ll take ages to illegally downl… er, video…

I have just dedicated a new tetra bits drive to Top Gear “illegal” downloading. Bring it on!!

Hey Top Gear, stop screwing American fans! We don’t want to be redirected to an inferior “US-centric” page, and we especially don’t appreciate being locked out of the UK site’s video player now!

Cool!It sounds great! My bum will be glued to the sofa that night so I won’t miss a thing and I will record it so I can watch it over and over again and over again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

……Hallelujahhhhhhhh, Hallelujahhhhhhhhhhhh Still Going Strong…….Is that song not in anyone else’s mind ALL the time now

Thanks Andy and the team for all your hard work. I love TG and loved every moment of this series. TG is far better than anything else on tv and it is Jeremy, Richard and James, and their interaction with each other that make it such a wonderful, entertaining and very funny show.

The Vietnam episode looks like its going to
be awesome and I really can’t wait for the 28th. The only sad thing is that its the last in the series and we will probably have to wait a few months before its on again ….but it will be worth waiting for.

Have a great Christmas and good luck to every thing you do next year. I will be waiting very impatiently in 2009 to see the results!

its my b’day on 28th
thanks topgear ur a bunch of legends

Sounds wicked! Cant wait! Merry Christmas one and all!

i cant wait i will not get of the chair

Excellent. By the time BBC America airs it here, the credit crunch will be over and I will be in the ideal mood to enjoy it.

P.S. We just saw that Hammond had a crash in some rocket car at +/- 300mph when the front tire (OK, tyre) blew out.

cool

Torrentialist…

True that. I don’t get the BBC up here in Canada where I’m living. I’ve got a giant pile of cash I’m sitting on to buy some region 1 dvd’s of Top Gear, but they seem to be MIA. If I want to watch Top Gear the only choice is for me to download them. I’d much rather buy them myself…

Pity too, cause I imagine DVD sales of Top Gear could be quite profitable.

Yes … please make full series of TG available for sale. I think you’d find that many of us trafficking in illicit TG-related bits and torrents would be happy to pony up the dough to buy full series of TG via legitimate means. Could also help a bit with the budget cuts too.

Other things you guys might want to consider to help make ends meet:
- cut Hammond’s hair and teeth whitening budget, there must be several thousand pounds an episode worth of savings right there
- charge celebs to go on SIARPC, those who are genuine car nuts would happily pay several thousand quid a pop to go on there … although this could mean 6 episodes in a row with Jay Kay …
- talk to the makers of Top Gear Australia for tips: their show seems to be both passable and made on the cheap
- charge admission to go to TG filming. I’m sure most people would be happy to pay 20 quid a head to go and enjoy the greatest motoring show in the world

Can’t think of any more money saving tips now. Keep up the great work, guys!

hi guys great year…with you..
ope to see many new and great episodes with you guys…
Sadly, i cant watch most of them here in switzerland so i must consider youtube…where you sadly delete everything …

…please give us a chance to enjoy your absolutly great show… everywhere…globaly…thk’s

…enjoy your christmas and have lots of fun making the new series…

ANDY WILMAN if you ever leave your job ill have it !!!!!!!!!!!!
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
PLZ

I think you could save a lot of money simply by removing Star in Reasonably priced car and effectively have a budget increase. But do not despair about a crap last show I have ideas to make it just as good put in a massive cool wall section with extra bickering and fights and put in some proper car reviews of ordinary cars to keep those people who complain top gear is out of touch at bay, or at the least drive some cars on beaches in a group test like you used to (what ever happened to the group test anyway?)If you just look back at your pre-massive hit top gear there are ideas there that cost nowt yet still great. How about another buy a piece of rubbish car for 52p and just let hilarity commence naturally without a big budget.

Just look at your previous shows I have seen every single episode of top gear and the series when top gear goes all commercial and expensive is the one returning from Hammonds crash I feel the perfect series is the one right before with the three supercars going to the bridge, cars a plenty still actual reviews, an aggressive Clarkson not this retarded version, and joking a plenty I just think top gear is a little to commercialized.

HEED MY WORDS!!!

A special without cars on a car show, bit risky i say, but you lot probally know what your doing. So best of luck and merry chrismas.

Jeremy clarkson almost dies in the special.

Also can JC sign his new book for me?

Fattymattyweasel!
I know what you’re saying. Take a look at my comments further up the page (No. 42)

jeremy no car lol cant wait it will be brill

set to be a fantastic show, i cant wait. if another special is planned sometime in the near future, id like to see the boys fly to australia, buy crappy 4×4’s and have to cross some part of the outback XD

but wherever Top gear goes, its guaranteed to be a great show

I thought I would say how excellent the Vietnam episode was. Even though I havent seen it, I thought I would join in with the Top Gear ass kissing on this blog.

Im sure it will be ok, but I reckon I could do better. Me with Vicks in a sidecar, Jason Potato on a Ducati, Wookie on a little Vespa, and that other tall guy whose name nobody knows can…do what he wants because nobody cares really.

It will be must watch TV. Fifth Gear ‘Bhutan Special’. Vietnam would be too much for our budget.

Next time let’s make it; Japan (if we can)

-retry4

Andy Jezza Hamster Captain Slow what a fantastic series and soooooo lookin forward to 75 minutes of fun in vietnam. why do people say this series not as good i have watchd them all inc repeats on dave and it s just fab really great .i would buy dvds if u released them i have the ones that are out to date but would love some more recent ones.if u have to have a budget cut then that means more messin about from the lads and less cars……not a prob with me! happy christmas gang luv all xxxxxxxxxxx

Can’t wait to see it. Just hope i am not at my nan’s for christmas dinner or whatever it is, it will be constant talking all the way through. “why did he do that?” you get the picture. lol

Thanks for your Christmas blog Mr Wilman!

Hopefully I will be downloading the episode illegally in my back bedroom in Australia on 29th December, all going well! *prays the interweb doesn’t fall over with the frenzy*

Wishing you and all the TG backroom boys and girls a very happy Christmas!

PS. Still laughing at your ‘Sideways’ reference…um sideways…leg over…climbing back on a bike…oh dear…*claps hand over mouth* Never mind! Looking forward to watching another of your epic specials!

It sure sounds fun, but I will really gonna miss the cars!!!

But I think watching Jeremy freak out will compensate that!!!

Looking forward to it.

Greetings from France ! I am really looking forward to seeing it but I will be on holidays and far from home (so unable to DL it on time). I went to Vietnam a few years ago and we rent bikes there. It is so dangerous on the road (more than 10,000 deads per year…) people drive so fast, they overtake everywhere, they drive without lights …. So I am sure this show will be awesome ! And I am expecting something crazy this time ; season 12 was not as crazy as seasons 9 and 10 for instance !

I have to say it will be interesting to see a TG episode without cars.

I like the fact that the show is always willing to evolve and am looking forward to this episode .

Series 10 would remain my favourite series; the gimmicks were all burnt down, so the show relied on well crafted stories and commentary to entertain the viewer… which it delivered.

Hopefully this episode will be memorable in that same vein.

Andy,

Cant wait to see the show, massive fan….. if budget is a problem we have a solution….. following a massive technical meeting ( mates, beer mat, pub crawl, not exactly mclaren…)

We have decided to ask the FIA to change F1 to ice cream van racing….. now bare with us the vans would be driven by the teams leading driver and the 2nd driver would have a set list of orders to make…. snowball, 99 with bits…… the ice cream van in the least mess would win bonus points and be able to have another 100 to tune the van !

Now think of the fun this could make for a feature for the team….. can you imagine hammond thinking may is driving the van for a test and then switching with the stig !

All you would need is some old vans from the exchange and mart and you are in business…. or is there a world land speed record for things like bin trucks, perhaps the power laps could feature unsuitable vehicles. Like the fastest road sweeper ?

Jezza and a V8 lawnmower ?

Just some ideas from a man with a hangover !

Happy Christmas……

Rufus

top gear is the best in the world

topgear is better 5gear. 5gear is tube.top gear burn 5gear

I’m going to give 5th gear another go.
More cars, less personality.

TG used to have the perfect balance, but not any more……..

It should be a show all about the cars, not all about the presenters.

Sort it out for Series 13!!

I’m still going to watch 5th Gear from now on.

Well, I’ll see how I get on after 1 episode.

They can be a bit “serious issues” sometimes…..

I’ll try to focus on the cars, just like TG should.

Hi Andy,

You guys can do no wrong in my eyes, I think you are all geniuses (if that’s the right plural!) Oh and I tried 5th Gear recently and found that I was just annoyed at the fact that it wan’t top gear!

Don’t change guys – ever. Oh except if you want to make the star in the resonably priced car shorter (so I can have more Hammondtime!)

can’t wait
thanks for that blog andy

Here’s hoping they don’t turn viet people into some group of idiots. It’s a great place to visit.

Merry Christmas, and Thank-You for seris 12, and a 75 min buddy movie/special…

……Hallelujahhhhhhhh, Hallelujahhhhhhhhhhhh!
Still Going Strong

thommo 94…. sod off then!!!! top gear is quality, the cars are quality, the reviews are quality, the challenges are quality, the stunts are quality, the stig is quality and the presenters are quality the show is brilliant. most people watch it just bcos of the presenters and most of the viewers will never ever drive some of the supercars and the next best thing is to see a review of it with a presenter that has common sense, love of cars and honesty.

Hey Andy….

Seriously can’t wait for the Vietnam Special, I mostly watch TG for the interaction between the boys and this sounds like it’ll be a real corker.

And dont worry so about the budget cuts…remember that episode back in series three when you’d completely run out of cash and Hammond and Clarkson resorted to auctioning off bits of the set and a date with Hammond? That was one of the funniest ever. Let May get his Casio out of the toy cupboard again and there you go. And remember the £100 car challenge? Also hilarous….you could make it £50 next time.

Merry Christmas from me to everyone at TG and looking forward to a fun-filled TG 2009.

Definitely bring back the golden cock, and car-based awards. And I’m not too worried about budget cuts – top gear’s a money spinner for the beeb, and as long as the core programme is strong leviathan budgets aren’t needed.

This sounds like a classic already. Forget Christmas, I can’t wait for the 28th.

Can’t wait for this one! Merry xmas & A Happy New Year to all at TG. Keep up the good work.
p.s. what does the STIG do for xmas? I’ll bet he tunes into Dave for classic re-runs like the rest of us!!!

Oh dear Crumps…..

You can’t tell me TG is as good as it used to be (5 or 6 series ago, maybe), can you?

I’m not a big fan of 5th Gear, but I may have to resort to watching it.
I still watch TG, but I think its just lost it’s way a bit and I’m not the only one who holds this opinion.

Unfortunately I don’t watch it for anything but the cars, not the presenters, their hair or their teeth.

Bah Humbug….?

not relevant, but the vidoes don’t work. Any idea why?

Hi Top Gear

You guys are brilliant!

I wait patiently for the next series.

Merry xtmas for you all

The series has been excellent, as will hopefully the “nam special”.. as for budget cuts some one should really tell the BBC to sort their budgeting priorities out, stop wasting money of some jumped up presenter earning millions by acting like a child and using more ad language than you here in a bar on riday night, and instead investing it in programs like top gear that are not only enertaining for every age but sellable world wide.

If jeremy wants a new idea for a v8 engine I am think guilitine

This has been a brilliant season. And not just because the boys liked their American cars and went to a part of the United States that didn’t put us in a horrible light. Thank you for that.

Great work. Very much looking forward to Vietnam.

Cheers and Happy Christmas.

I really am hanging on the edge of my seat for the nam speicial i cannot wait i have got the digital recorder rigged if i miss it and if i dont ill have it saved 2 the top up t.v thingy really cannot wait.

sorry nearly forgot

HAPPY CHRISTMAS

and have a really good time making the next series

only 75 min i was hoping for like 5 hours of vietnam special i really love top gear too bad they didnt break the fifth gear’s record

can’t wait to see that special. i’m like checkin tpb allready cause i just can’t wait.

keep the good stuff comin’

even the germans love your show (and i’m one of them), so you must do something right

Sounds really nice, can hardly wait. You guys, May, Hamster and JC – you are awesome.

Marry Christmas to you all, and a happy brand new year.

Hi there!

You guys should do some kind of an extra dvd where you’ll include all that stuff what doesn’t end up to show. That’d sell a lot, I think.

Merry xmas and happy and lucky next year 2009 from Finland.

I’ve gotta say, that I loved that part when you were here in finland. It was a huge news here in finland, every newspaper told about that and stuff . Keep up the good work!

top gear is nr 1!!;)

My Dad was there with the crew. Blonde is my step sister (not remotely jealous that she not only met everyone but she is on the show…). Guys were gents apparently and they had a great time.

Nice one, look forward to it.

I wish everyone at TG a happy Christmas and New Year

Running out of ideas? You still haven’t gotten around to gaffer taping a mk1 lotus espirit together and seeing if it goes underwater! Toyota Hilux destruction derby (with shopping in the back). Nitros Caravan drag racing. Jumping over a train in a mk2/3 pontiac trans-am. Driving into a ramped 18-wheeler. Firing a Robin out of a water cannon like a balistic missile. Building a life sized Thunderbird 2 from a rear facing Austin Allegro. Car-pulled (or V8 powered) rickshaw racing. Three-way treasure hunts. Sarcasm wars. Bikes with bus engines. 4-wheel drives with tank tracks. Side-car gliding. Skip racing. Doing lengths in stretch limos with heated in-car swimming pools. Fiat 500 monster trucks. Jacked-up suspention freestyle dancing/ hurdles. V8 powered row boats. Gun-running in panama. The longevity of this programme could never be in doubt.

Great blog Andy, sounds like its going to be a good one.

Merry Christmas

x

I love you.

You light up my life…

I mean it

can’t wait 4 that episode they;ve all been good but this looks like the cherry on top1

good job boys csant wait

Helen!! Number 99!! Thank god for you!! Let’s continue shall we..??…..Hallelujahhhhhhh hhhh…

Good Morning Vietnam!!!!

Hello! I’m from Sri Lanka.. Can you make a challenge in Sri Lanka for top gear on the following seasons?

topgear the best

hia topgear the best in da world yaya

yoyo

hi top gear love your show and merry xmas

rubbish but funny

only joking

not

Since I can’t be arsed to read through 134 other comments, i’m going to just guess that a lot of people have already said this and say that: as a lot of others have said, this series has been one of, if not the best yet. The balance between cars and cocking about has worked very well.

as for another big adventure thing… well for one, i’m surprised the russia thing wasnt a big vehicular challenge. but what about Australia? or maybe if you’re looking for another US activity for next series, what about sending the lads on a trip down old route 66? only other thing I personally can think would be something like crossing all of europe. maybe in some sort of final countdown of sorts. (well you’d have to make that pun a few times wouldn’t you?)

anyways. congrats on a cracking series, and you and everyone who works so hard (albeit whilst having the best jobs in the world. well… close to) on the show and site have a great Christmas.

I think you could save a lot of money simply by removing Star in Reasonably priced car and effectively have a budget increase. But do not despair about a crap last show I have ideas to make it just as good put in a massive cool wall section with extra bickering and fights and put in some proper car reviews of ordinary cars to keep those people who complain top gear is out of touch at bay, or at the least drive some cars on beaches in a group test like you used to (what ever happened to the group test anyway?)If you just look back at your pre-massive hit top gear there are ideas there that cost nowt yet still great. How about another buy a piece of rubbish car for 52p and just let hilarity commence naturally without a big budget.
Just look at your previous shows I have seen every single episode of top gear and the series when top gear goes all commercial and expensive is the one returning from Hammonds crash I feel the perfect series is the one right before with the three supercars going to the bridge, cars a plenty still actual reviews, an aggressive Clarkson not this retarded version, and joking a plenty I just think top gear is a little to commercialized.

I would like to point out I do love Top gear and its specials like the Botswana episode and the travel across America one and the two winter editions because they are there purely for that reason but top gear is still a motoring show. Now don’t get rid off all cocking about but cocking about is like chocolate if you keep on getting loads and loads all the time you get choclated out and don’t want any. But if you give it just at the right moments say 3 big hits a series we will be in withdrawal symptoms waiting for our next hit and the nation will be in need of Top Gear while keeping its foundations. And for this we need a strong Clarkson not one running around going “I don’t understand any of that!” but a big brutish bullying one that makes Hammond look (shudder)cute and James May like an arse there by giving a perfect recipe cos that’s all top gear is a recipe and I think its been getting a little to sweet.

Brilliant, cant wait to see it,
i think if they eva showed the repeat on dave id watch the whole 75minuits, but if they stopped showing topgear repeats on dave id probally commit suicide.
p.s fifth gear is no comparison, topgears without a doult much better.
all my best.

It sounds like a brilliant episode Andy, I’m sure every true TG fan is gonna absolutely love it. I can’t wait to see it myself; so, it’s more about the presenters than transport? Well we need both of them things to make a good show, and there’s plenty of episodes only about cars, so why not have on just about the presenters? It’ll be just as good as all the other episodes, if not better. xx

If Jeremy is hurt i will kill Richard and James, they already made him drive through a wall. love you Jeremy

Mrs Clarckson

when will it show in the USofA??

thre years? maybe 4?

Very convincing mate above even though Clarkson is spelt like the above ^^^^^^^^
good luck trying to convince people next time mrs clarckson

Top Gear BBC tops! they should cancel the show Top Gear Australia.

Cant wait for this Episode..

Looking forward to sunday, wishing everyone a happy christmas!

cant wait this is the best christmas present shame it cant be on on christmas you could of taken dr who’s place

Topgear should be run all year round great show guys keep it up

top gear is the best tv show n i wish it could run all year round.cant wait or the big show on sunday.so exicted.jermey,richard an james are the people to do top gear and i hope it never changs lov top gear xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxx

oh i forget have a merry happy pleasnt chritmas

Thank you from your US fans. Yes we have to get it illegally because BBC America is a full season behind, and for that matter I don’t even get BBC America as it’s a premium cable channel. So I’ll guess you’ll just have to set up a BBC donate account on paypal so we can pay our ‘tele tax’.

merry christmas to everyone at top gear best of luck for 2009

Series 12 was way cool and just as much cool as it was exciting. I have been watching togear since series 2 and series 12 is the best.

Merry Christmas and can’t wait for the next series

look forwaqrd to the show lads+ i wont have to download/torrent this ‘un cos im in britain

Merry Christmas, Top Gear dudes!
Love always,

Andy, you are awesome, you are greatest of bunch!

thats great thanks andy i cant wait till sunday im sure it will be fantastic as usual.
ive just go to ask 1 thing though, when will series 14 of top gear be on our screens because i really cant wait!

Happy Christmas to all who make Top Gear what it is!!!

I have to say thanks for all the good times that you guys provide, and congratulate you on another season well done. My New Years resolution is to attend a filming in Britain which is a long way from chilly Thunder Bay, Canada.

Also, to the Mole. Thanks for being so candid about those of us who are forced to download illegally as we do not have a proper portal to view the magic on. Just to redeem myself though I am planning on purchasing any and all seasons available.

Here’s to many more excellent years of Top Gear!!

Merry Christmas Top Gear!!! And to everyone who loves this show as much as I do, and the one’s that hate it too!! Have a Happy New Year too!! More Top Gear!!!

Great TV. Period. Another great year, some great guests and cars, and it was nice to see James doing a power test, even if it wasn’t that great…

And get the Stig a GT-R and fling it round the track, and finally resolve the Porsche issue! I think they’re just clutching at straws, saying they using slick tyres, andhate to admit they’ve been outclassed and overhshadowed by the pure technology and craftsmanship on the Nissan.

Oh, and Merry Christmas all, and a Happy New Year! Looking forward to the special, and series 13.

merry christmas guys just spent all afternoon watchin top gear dvds and playing hamsters stunt interactive challenge thing a me jig all FANTASTIC keep up the good work lookin forward 2 sunday mmm xxxxxxxxxxxx ps i love u richard

Brilliant! Can’t wait to watch that ‘Nam special!

But is there a way to watch the full length of what you actually recorded? I mean, as you said, you cut the films down to 60 min most of the time, but is there a way to get hold of, say, the whole thing, without shortages?

i like live otters and 72 tons of satsumas

yay 160th comment

i mean 161st

i mean 162nd

i mean 163rd and 164th

finally i got it right

oh for cheese’s sake

I love top gear so much, My girlfriend said she’d never watch top gear haha she told me last night shes starting to like it lol told you i’d get you watching it Emma. I think Richard Hammond is the funniest person on the show. Don’t get me wrong the other two are brilliant, I can’t wait for the spechial on Sunday richard

Top Gear has a cult-following. Not just in Europe but the entire world. If the programs were just aired worldwide…

I do admit that I download Top Gear videos using torrents. But what can I do? I love you guys.

P.S. Sell some DVD’s

Looking forward to the Vietnam Special…

The budget cut is annoying to hear, but I’m sure you guys will pull through.

Good luck with Series 13!

I wish you just put it out in the USA and not last season torrents are the only other option to get the newest seasons. If series 13 get out to Itunes live when it airs, Id for sure buy a season pass. That blocking the uk site is sucks also. Top Gear is just too good to wait for the rerun to get here

I am really glad that Vietnam is getting high exposure from the Top Gear crew. My favourite show and my favourite place combined. Excellent.
I spent some of the last few years living in Nam, so I can appreciate the hardships, joys and wonders that a trip like this will entail. Of course this episode is going to be Jeremy ranting about the war, and how mopeds are terrible, but I cant wait for this episode to be released regardless. I’ll be forwarding a copy to all my Vietnamese friends!

Will The Stig be in this one?

*looks hopeful*

I can’t wait to see Clarkson fall off his motorbike!

CAN’T WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Roll on the best programme of the Xmas schedules! Even got bought the TG Annual for Xmas which is superb.

Happy New Year to all at TG

It sounds brilliant cant wait for tomorrow!
And 75 mins fantastic we needed a longer ep, top gear just dosnt fit in 60mins. Im so exited looks brilliant from the advert as well, cant wait!

Couple points:
1. I love the point on the torrent – thanks for the support
2. I doubt we’ll ever see Region 1 DVDs of TG because the way the music licensing is. The BBC would have to pay distribution royalties on all of the music they use (which they use for free I presume in the UK because they’re the BBC).
3. Tomorrow will be bitter-sweet because I’m sure the special’s great, but it’ll be the end of the series.

This is for ‘Jeremy Clarksons Mum’ [above, number 138] good luck trying to convince people your really her, nobodys that stupid to berlieve you, mostly ‘coz you spelt your own name wrong you idiot! Good luck Mrs Clarckson on your pointless mission!

*sigh* is this what the worlds come too, people have to pretend to be people for attention?

cant wait

^ What Abbie Said ^

How about showing us those screens that jeremy found on the internet the show wouldnt let us see.

I agree with ‘man with the answers’- you release Top Gear the complete series box set (every episode and specials series by series- with extras and commentaries) That could be £100+ every sale (like Sex and the city) even if you only go up to series 12 (that is UNCUT Mr Wilman and with outtakes) You would, quite frankly, make more than a killing. More like a mass murder.

Oh and we need more gratuitous nakedness of the boys, not just cos I agree with the fangirls (and they are hella lovely) but because that’s always a laf!

Meant to say series 10- up to series 10 (d’oh) Oh you know what I mean!

Well, I wouldn’t have to download it illegally if it were available in the states now would I? I would gladly pay $2.99 on iTunes every Sunday if I could get it with the rest of England….

Where on telle can i watch da silverstone 2009 rally?

Cant wait for this episode – sounds great.

When is top gear gonna film something in New Zealand? Great roads, awsome scenery and full of “boy racers” due to the abundance of japanese imports. So you could have some sort of buy a 2nd hand japanese sports car challenge…

Does anyone really watch Fifth Gear for any other reasons than the competition to win a car & VBH’s squealing?

Recently I Think That Top Gear Has Been A Bit Of A Let Down, Mainly Because They Havent Done Any Of The Good And Funny Stuff Like They Did In The Previous Series.

The Best Episode Recently Was When They Did Up The Renault And Saw If It Could Beat The Evo!

Please More like That Any You should Cut Out The Star In A Reasonably Priced Car Bit, But I Have To Say Tonights Episode Looks Great!

Yours Sinserily

Sir Richard Branson
Virgin Group Ltd

This Is going to be good !
Top Gear should be 75mins all the time
I can’t wait !

WHY SUCH A SHORT SERIES???? THE LAST 2 SERIES HAVE BEEN SOOOO SHORT!!!!!!! GRRR!!!! WHY DONT U MAKE LONG SERIES AGAIN THAT ARE LIKE 9 EPISODES LONG LIKE U USED TO???

Why to critics critisize?

“Look at them, Smithers. Goldbrickers.. Layabouts.. Slug-a-beds! Little do they realise their days of suckling at my teat are numbered!” -
Monty Burns (Simpsons)

er, why do in fact.

BEST IDEA: GET THE FANS TO POST IDEAS FOR SEASON 13.

Why does reading your blog make me want to hug you? Bad girl, must not hug television producers. Ahem… I literally cannot wait to see this show and know it will be fabulous already.

Oh and the ‘release them all on DVD’ idea is a superlative one; go do it – make me poor!

Right I’ll go because I have nothing constructive to say…

*hugs*

Oh bugger

@ 191 IDEAS CENTRAL

No, no, no, no… Have you read the ideas that people post?

The comment sections on this site need to overhauled to introduce user registrations and put an age limit for people who can post.

Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhh, how excited are you all?!

http://www.ted.com/index. php/talks/reinventing_the _car.html

Hi guys, why not make a special scalextric that matches the top gear test track??

19 mins too go!! cant waiittt!

oh sorry pc clock is different, 33 mins too go

I just hope its as good as what everyones making it out to be, i just hope it dosnt let us down. everyone is so hyped-up about it im sure it will be brilliant i just hope its as good as peoples expectations.

yay post 200!!

cant wait any longer!!

10 mins left till the special!!!!!

Sweet,
Cant wait to watch it!!!
Cheers for the info and giggles,
Top Gear will always be in my heart..
J
P.S.
Jezza’s looking old.

Vietnam special, what a load of shite! Feckin bikes! What’s all thatabout, they hate bikes. The might want to review cars, less stupid gags!

Running out of ideas… I think so!

I LOVE TOPGEAR BUT YOUR CARS DONT GO FAST ENOUGH AND PLASE COULD YOU TELL EVERYBODY

The Vietnam special is great!!! I spent 8days taking part in a charity bike ride in North Vietnam in November this year (cycling not cheating on mopeds!!!!!) and the special has brought back bloody great memories!! You have relly captured the place – it is a stunning country with interesting roads!!!lol Though have to admit I think I was one helluva lot faster going up and down the hills than you were on those bikes!!!!!

WHEN YOU MAKE CARS (LIKE WHEN YOU MADE THE LIMOS) CAN YOU MAKE THEM WITH NEW CARS LIKE A BMW 645i.

could you please put your email on this website so I can email you

thank you top gear,tv over xmas had been dismal that was until the nam special.finally we had something worth watching,allready i can’t wait for the next series.

my husband has decided to leave me so im watching top gear special(would be even if he hadnt too) u see lifes not all bad!! MERRY NEW YEAR!! TG dont stay away long as im gonna need something through this rather shitty time,hammond you cure all or at least give escape,lads thankyou i dont care what die hard boring people have said about the show this series its been awesome and icant wait for your return and im hoping my gift from my soon to be ex will still stand im gonna get to drive an aston martin cant wait to drive that bad boy sweeeeeet!
thankyou lads and all at tg happy 2009 Xx

That is the best 1¼ hours i’ve ever spent in front of the TV. Top Gear isn’t just about cars. It’s about grown men acting like kids, and it’s never been done better.

THAT was absolutely fantastic!

Apart from that Tit JC throwing what was a rather decent vespa down at every opportunity. JC for Prime Minister? Not bloody likely now! IMBECILE!!!

Captain Slow impressed, Hammond is still a God.

MORE!! Bring forth the Trikes of War!

We (2 Belgians) also travelled through from the South to the Nortg of Vietnam this year (July-August). We did this by public bus, bike, foot, train, boat.
Top Gear gave indeed a nice idea of the highlights of Vietnam’s nature and what can happen on the way towards your destination.

nice to see topgear back on form aftre a couple of poor episodes, really enjoyed tonights and have just spent last ten mins looking for vietnam holidays

Killer soundtrack! Every time jimi, bruce, the doors, wagner, etc, etc started to play I got a little shiver down my spine.
Killer soundtrack

that was the best top gear yet

I LOVED SEEING YOU ON THE SHOW

I

LOVE

YOU

YOU ARE SO BEAUTIFUL

<3

I CAN’T DENY MY LOVE FOR YOU

I loved it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Nam special was incredible.

it was great to see the guys just being big kids. the joy, the rants, classic episode!

the big trips just get better every time! i duno if i think it beats botswana but it’s defo on par with it.

TG completely rocks!!! more please!

Brilliant show and i never knew Vietnam was such a stunning country.

It was great to see the show focus on the guys and not the machines for once.

And whoever thought up the idea for the forfeit (All American Themed) bike, cruel and evil but brilliant.

Fantastic show. Do we beleive that Mr. Clarkson is now a biker? Do cows fly over the moon every hour? guess not.

I honestly have stopped caring about the cars on this show a log time ago.

This is why I believe that any other Top Gear: USA, Australia or Russia, will not win me over:

THEY DO NOT HAVE JEREMY, JAMES or RICHARD.

See, I watch this show for the three of them and have been doing so for a very long time. The cars are bonus material to me.

I’ve seen all the specials. They are amazing. Best thing on TV by a long mile, best reality TV if you like and certainly some of the best adventure and traveling shows that I’ve seen.

My advice is two-fold:

1) Make the specials 90 minutes long or more. And place 51% of the focus on the guys.

2) Make extended cuts of all the specials, cram in all the material you’ve left on the cutting room floor and then release a special DVD collection of the TOP GEAR SPECIALS: EXTENDED COLLECTOR’S PACK.

Thank you for what has been a tremendous amount of brilliant programming.

MORE SPECIALS PLEASE!!!

Cheers all the way from Romania.

I thought the Vietnam special was awsome. Jezza went from not wanting to play, to loving it by the end.
and James with a Coulender on his head LMAO.

I think the show did wonders for Vietnam as well, as I saw the place in a different light, and it looked a nice place to visit.

TOP GEAR Score 10/10

Role on the 2009 Series.

I think it would be awesome viewing to see CHOP SHOP meet TOP GEAR.

Leepu and Bernie buld Cars for JEZZA/MAY/HAMSTER to do challenges with????

The guy’s make the show, If it was about anything they would make it funny and entertaining, fantastic show always worth the wait for it. For me one best shows on TV. What the telly box was made for!

when will it show in the us?

plz soon!!!

May be they will have a couple or more bikes on the show from now on! Would be cool to see, maybe the stig’s bike brother could show how fast the Ducati R999 is around the test track!

I have full faith that next years will be just as good as the last few series hopefully some more odd racing (Like the Buses and the People Carriers) and more cars bought that are under a £1000, Maybe they should see if they could could make a touring car from a car under a £1000 with what is left from the £1000 to do up the engine and body work?

Any way looking forward to it what ever, Happy new year to all at TG thanks for the 2008 show and looking forward to the 2009 series.

Looks like they do not show it in the US?
There was a verison of it made but NBC cut it mid way through?

Why don’t Top Gear go to South America next year?
I mean they’ve been to every other continent…

Probably he best TG ever; Jeremy Clarkson must have a motorbike licence though surely??

it was an amazing watch! Thanks it was hysterical. Especially Richard and his massive battalion that kept getting hit. It would be even better if you made Top Gear special’s more often. Please can you release all the Top Gear special’s on DVD. An idea is that you could SEND TOP GEAR TEAM to South America, perhaps the AMAZON RAINFOREST and they could pick some off roaders. It would be so funny. Thanks again for the ‘Nam special!!!!!!!

It was great but only one question: Where was the red communist Stig whe have seen in the preview of this season?

Please don’t worry about the length thing…possibly the best Top Gear EVER!! There’s room for both ends of the spectrum…uber-transport and crud. Thanks for (over) an hour well spent!

Yours, as ever, Mark (Nottingham, UK).

comment 221. by LeMartin nails it all on the head. get em told my Romainian brother from another mother

it’s good not just that it’s amazing but i miss the good old super cars, hyper cars or cars . i’m just like jazze here i hate bikes however, it’s good one really

Hi Andy,
We met you in Vietnam and you arranged to have our copy of Top Gear magazine autographed for us. Thank you so much. We look forward to another fantastic series of Top Gear especially the Vietnam on.

Honestly the very best Top Gear I have ever seen!
Top Gear should do more of these travelling challenge specials, they’re so much more engaging than the usual car tests and celebrity fast lap’s.
Hilarious episode though guys, I nearly wet myself when Richard fixed his galleon, only to lift it into the hotel fan..
Thanks so much, brightened my day.
I’m going to watch it again =]

Ryan.

watched this special .. think it was the best ever top gear challenge .. witty and funny … cant wait for next years series

havent seen this episode but would really love to after reading all these comments

Your right when you say the premise of the special was based more on the guys ability to deal with the conditions, but having said that what an extraordinary feat to travel all that way on three rusty old motorcycles!!!!!! Absolutely fantastic please, please, please keep making these specials the provide the perfect antitode to the monotony of life!!!!!!

How on earth can the Beeb plead poverty when the license fee is FIXED, they are unaffected by the credit problems the world is having.

TG is BBC2’s top rated show and for my money the best LE show on Television today, the BBC should be trimming money from the rubbish they commission for BBC3 than the quality output like TG

I agree completely with LeMartin (comment 221), we need longer specials! I’d most definately buy Director’s Cut versions. I also stopped watching it for the car reviews a long time ago. Being a biker myself with no intention of buying a car, what interest do I have in an Aston Martin that I can beat off the traffic lights every day of the week on my 650cc sportsbike?

Top Gear is purely and simply, about 3 guys having a laugh. It dosn’t matter what mode of transport they use…cars, bikes, even boats, whatever. So long as top gear is done purely (and please excuse my teenager-ish lingo) “for the lolz” I will always be one to watch it.

Greatly anticipating series 13!

Happy New Year to the Top Gear Team, many thanks for your great shows – hope you survive the budget cuts

Great episode, loved every moment of it, possibly one of the best Top Gear episodes ever. THANK YOU THANK YOU for making my day when I watched it.

That was the most amazing episode ever, thank you all. Now I only hope I can go to ‘Nam as well and do something as amazing.

that episode was so funny. the most funny part i sore was wen the bikes was getting sprey painted and the lady just painted the other bikes, iff i was their i could of translate for you.Vn is my home country to so it was better for me to understand the vietnamies people what they are saying.

WE need this in full HD PRETTY PLEASE!

for me this was the best episode yet!

I didnt like the nam special – bikes not cars did not work for me and it wasnt a patch on the american adventure

I like this vietnam movie, i dont look top gear to many times, but this makes me change my mind!!

I like the music, i like the culture, i like the big differences between busy and quit. And what i like the most is the fact that it looks HARD for you to do (traveling on a motorcycle in the vietnam country). Because it doesn’t look easy.

Bas, Netherlands

This episode was so good that I had to come here and comment about it! Congratulations! Top gear has really become the program of the three blokes being blokey and not just a program about cars!
Just dont get too cocky and stop reviewing what we are looking for: cars!

What a fantastic show. It has to be the best yet, Jeremy we hope your ribs are better, mine are still hurting from laughing so much, we loved it

Wow, best series ever! Thanks guys. An awesome show. Cheers!

Vietnam special was the best special I have ever watched. Captain Slow your amphibious bike was absolute rubbish.

At first (one season ago) I was worried about TG deviating from making a true carshow. I remember JC asking readers for a mission statement in his blog. But the strength of TG has always been in its presenters goofing off in style – as only the truly British can, really. QED ‘Nam. I’m not worried about TG’s future, just about the credibility of its name. The show by now is really only about its presenters (who happen to like cars a lot), and it might just spring a new brand of programming. I’m utterly convinced this could only happen at the Beeb by the way. Whatever happens, I’ll be a fan up until, and including, my dying breath. Please continu going where no automotive television programme has ever dared go before.

Just got back from a 3 weeks trip to Vietnam on 21 December so the replay of the Vietnam Special was just the perfect Christmas treat. We travelled from Halong Bay to Saigon on a coach, that was rough. I would not like doing on a 2 wheels. Well done Clarkson, Hampster and May! It was very funny indeed. Top programme!

Vietnam special was great.

Wish the whingers would realise that the days of reviewing the Focus and Astra are long gone, buried by the easy access to info on the internet.

The BBC Bean Counters should look at how much cash Top Gear earns rather than just looking at blanket savings in costs for all programmes, though I’m sure there are many at the Beeb who would like to snuff out the un-PC views of Jeremy et al…

I’m sure it’s a cheap segment, but Star In A Reasonably Priced Car is dull dull dull

But, still, love the show and already looking forward to the next series

Talk about laugh it was brilliant james gibbering by the side of the road in the pouring rain hammond with his boat,jezza needs a toe up his hole treating a VESPA like that and yet it still performed and got him there

TOp Gear Vietnam special was hilarious, i think i laughed all the way through. ALways routing for Captain Slow!

Who ever came up with this is a legend!!!

super duper funny!!

Love top gear get it back ASAP!

hey does anyone know the name of the russian motorbike that richard hammond was riding?

thanx

Great special. And beautiful country. Happy New Year to all TG fans and TG crew from Serbia. (I am from city where famous Yugo 45, from Jeremy`s worst car list, was produced)

This was not Clarkson`s first bike ride. As I recall, he`s ridden a Ducati round the Monaco GP circuit. It was on telly and in colour so it must be true. Maybe the old duffer forgot about it.

Blinkin Brilliant !
Happy New Year 2 Jezza,Captain Slow and Hamster all the tg Producers and all tg fans

Andy I don’t think you have to worry too much about the Vietnam special being an expose’ on the three characters instead of showing the cars…for me and everyone I talk to here in OZ we discuss what Jeremy did or what Captain slow did etc etc…the cars come second. Without the guys there is no TG…there are other shows out there about cars and you tell me which one is the most popular…
All I can say is more of the same and maybe a bit mor STIG out of his comfort zone…I saw someones number plates today where ‘I AM STIG’ so he needs a bit more development

The best TV by far of 2008! Forget all these wannabe sitcoms that get plied with awards for god only knows what – this was THE funniest thing I’ve seen in a long, long time! Fabulous! Jerome K Jerome does 3 men on bikes!

To Supersingh – Hamster’s Bike was a Minsk, I think

THE SHOW WAS ABSOLUTE BRILLIANT I REALY ENJOYED IT

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO JEREMY , RICHARD ,JAMES AND ALL OF THE CREW

are you trying to be funny do you have a keypad in your stearing wheel??
theres 2 in 1 for ya

Very good telly, but poor choice of transport. I’d have preferred to see some cars – you know, proper transport instead of pointless, useless bikes.

The Vietnam special was spectacular.
It has honestly inspired me to attempt the same (or similar) ride when it becomes feasible
Awesome scenery, crazy antics (over sized gifts were a bit strange ?)so it didn’t matter that it wasn’t about the vehicle.
I think the vehicles are great in themselves but are even better as a basis for (what Hammond put so perfectly) “the cutting edge of cocking about” which TG is known and loved for.
Keep it up TG !
Looking forward to next season

this is my favorite episode of the this show

Hey.Great show it was overrall

Just one thought, what happened to the “stig’s communist cousin” that appeared on the series annoucement on the first episode…

loved every second of it
and i was too pissed to move of the sofa so its all good

i liked it when hammond broke his ship on the back of his bike…

…tv dynamite

Great to see the annoyed off face of clarkson when he knows he’s going to be beaten

Great to see the annoyed face of clarkson when he knows he’s going to be beaten on national tv… Funny to see him fall off the vespa too, that was such a bad choice of motorbike!

This show is better than all the other BBC shows in my opinion!! Keep this big trip thingy going because it’s great!

Can anyone PLEASEEEEEEEEE tell me the name of the city and hotel where Jeremy was lying by the pool and getting a massage?!?!?!

THANKS!

Absolutely love vietnam. I’m glad that vietnam got good recognision for the beautiful country that it is and i’m sure after many people watching that episode that there will be many new visitors going to vietnam on their travels.

Thanks TopGear for the single best show of 2008!

Just finished watching it and it was a blast–a fantastic episode that entertained from start to finish and contained some amazing and eye-opening visuals. Going with bikes instead of cars really seemed to be the appropriate way to do it; if bikes are how the majority of the population get around in Vietnam, then using cars instead would have been ill-fitting and artificial. Yes, TG is about cars but in this case, the substitution is actually truer to the spirit of exploring popular transport.

TG has made me interested in cars but first and foremost, I’d watch James, Jeremy and Richard together even if they were presenting a show about cheese. Getting a challenge that wound up having the focus mainly on the guys and on the country was a superb holiday present!

Uttery utterly fantastic television. As a Brit biker living abroad it WAS absolutely about the bonding of buddies in adverse conditions – ending in peace and satisfaction when your mind stops racing and goes from survival mode to “look at what we did” mode. I miss Britain, I miss bike touring and I miss the BBC. Thank God for torrents – but I would have paid 20 quid to see that.

And I think TG could easily generate millions for its own budget from the dedicated viewers if television like this is what we get to see. Are phone-in competitions still banned over there?

just one word for this…
EXELENT!

love the show, have been looking at it on BBC2 for years now, it’s simply the best show around! Great ideas and great filming, loved the vietnam special, full of new ideas, and it’s quite something to still be innovative and damn entertaining after all those years!!!

BTW i bought a toyota starlet, just to annoy you guys!

It was the best road trip ever! Forget the bikes, what about the outfits they got made for them!! We sat and watched it as a family (kids are 6 and 11) and they laughed all the way through it as well. Love TG to bits, my Sunday viewing is not the same when it’s not on and I like Will Young watch the re-runs on Dave. Had to stop for a while as I was beginning to find JC strangly attractive! Ex

Literally one of the best 75 mins i have ever spent in front of the tv-brilliant

Like always, it was totally worth a watch. I mean, let’s be honest, a lot of us watch it for Jeremy, James and Hammond as it is. I don’t drive a car, I don’t even LIKE cars, but the crazy stuff those three do to cars make me enjoy every episode anyway.

Hell, possibly it’s because of how poorly they treat cars that I enjoy it, you know, because I dislike them.

Specials like the Ground Force special don’t even involve cars AT ALL(or only extremely tangentially) but its still in the top five for most of my Top Gear fan friends(I mangled that a bit, but you get the idea).

You could have any three people sit around and tell you lots of numbers while showing you a bunch of graphs, but that doesn’t necessarily make for good TV. The cars are really just a vehicle for the entertainment value.

Still, you guys must be running out of Specials by now. I mean, what’s left? Russia? South America? Turning cars into submarines? Bungee-jumping in SUV’s?

i love this vietnam special!!!
but it would be great if you can do a challenge here in the philippines!!!

whatever you guys do .. DO NOT… DO NOT… get tips from the TopGear Australia mob…. Please.. please please… rescind the franchise..

comment 221. I don’t think BBC2 realizes just how spot on LeMartin’s comment is. For that matter, I don’t think those three blokes know how big TG is around the world. I’m from the Philippines and TG here is just MASSIVE.

If Jezza, Hammond, and May come over I think there’d be a great big holiday and street parade (as we’ve done for even lesser known blokes).

The place they were getting a massage on the beach was in one of the 5 star resorts in a beautiful town called Hoi An in central Vietnam. Maybe Victoria resort or Nam Hai resort.

Enjoy Vietnam!

put some bird feed/ wildlife feeds outside your garden.

I like the fact that we are coming to an understanding that TG is an entertainment program and not a review show of who’s radio buttons are more ergonomic/which interior is metrosexual enough. Seeing as everything British is being nationalized again and Europe is becoming the new “United Health&Safety States”, perhaps we could do a few shows on Socialist Road safety of our future debt partners (Turkey, Ukraine, Georgia) and how their roads will accommodate aspirational Socialist “Western” cars TVR’s / Ferrari’s (and now with the bailouts) GM’s Corvette’s and Chrysler’s Viper.

Say Rent the cars for a road trip and put the Stig & James in charge of Music and Navigation, Hammond in charge of food and Clarkson in charge of costume/Style.

Just watched the Nam special yet again on Dave,it was, without doubt, the best show on TV over Xmas by a country mile, at least on a par with some of the real classics you used to get at xmas, Delboy, Morecambe and Wise etc.
Cannot believe the BBC are cutting budgets on what must be a massive moneyspinner worldwide, especially as my licence fee has not been cut – to my knowledge.
Paying a licence fee purely for TOP GEAR ONLY has to be value for money – when you consider what subscription fees are to watch a bunch of cry baby fairies kicking a ball (not that I would put a penny into murdoch’s empire anyway).

Perhaps a better idea is a switch to a top up card deal just for top gear, now I would be willing to pay for that. Suggest there are enough takers out there to make that viable, so how about it if all the TG team said stuff the Beeb and went it alone, maintaining independence from any advertisers, as far as freedom of comment goes,has to be maintained, but TGTV sounds good to me!!!!

How about it?

EXCELLENT

Your specials are the highlight of the years viewing and the Nam special was no exception.
Fantastic as it must have been it was very funny to watch.
Did Hamster bring back his Pink Power Puch, she would look so lovely with Oliver in the garage.
Keep it up guys and get me two tickets next time…………Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeee ase

brilliant.

I loved it!
It needed the extra minutes, there’s nothing I would cut out off it.
About it being about the “guys” and not so much the transport: I liked it, so did everyone else I talked to that’s seen it.
Besides, I think there is a whole fanbase that’s really all about the presenters and not the car’s and bike’s.

Brilliant……… excellent………… fantastic……….. loved it (can you tell)??!!

Hi Guys, Loved the show – wish it was longer. Am just organising a Vietnam honeymoon and wanted to know which resort Jeremy escaped to while Hammond was doing wheelies on the beach in Hoi An. Just gorgeous – the resort looked pretty good too. Thanks

Hi guys, just another wild and rowdy american here. I wanted to tell you, watching top gear has literally made me want to visit the UK. First of all im not your avarage regular top gear fan. in fact none of my friends even kew of the shows existance before i told them of my online discovery. As an american im a gearhead, yet i find myself using the word petrol, from time to time. you see stereotypically im not even supposed to like intellectual T.V.

TG is compulsive veiwing for me – always watching Dave to see if I can catch an episode I havn’t seen before – not yet so sad that I have them all cataloged.

Vietnam was a masterpiece – I must say it rivals anything I have ever seen on a screen – JC wasn’t the only one who had an epiphany, made me feel like selling everything I own and buying a moped again.

Seriously thinking about getting another bike and teaching the family to ride.

Just goes to prove the creative juices are still flowing at TG – trouble is having raised the bar, how do you top that?

Best of luck trying and thanks from the heart

i loved this episode and i think that it is the best top gear so far. the question that this brings to mind for me at least is why does top gear have to be all about cars? when bikes have gears as well? But a quick comment to the guys, congratulations on making yet another out standing series and i hope to see more bikes in the future.

i loved this episode! It was definitely da best yet and i found it hilarious! CANT WAIT TILL NEXT SERIES IM SITTIN HERE ON A SUNDAY NOW WID NOTHIN 2 WATCH! ARGH!

i think i have the same boots as richard hanmmond in this episode but in brown..lol………

The Vietnam one was brilliant. Having just watched it here in Oz I’d love to see a Top Gear challenge set here. Even if it had to be a crossover with the not very good local version. Let’s see JC test some of the high performance cars made here – you’ve done the Monaro – what about the new HSV W427 Commodore with 496HP, the Toyota Aurion TRD with 328HP for around 24,000 pounds or the Ford XR8 or XR6 turbo – or even the Ford GTP with 431HP?

Perhaps a challenge to buy a cheap ute and drive it from Darwin to the Deniliquin Ute Muster. http://www.deniutemuster. com.au Watching the three guys there has great potential.

I caught the 8th episode of series 12 of Top Gear last night, the Vietnam special — an entire, extended episode (75 minutes) devoted to the Top Gear trio’s cross-country motorcycle ride from the south of the country to the north. I’ve enjoyed some of the Top Gear challenges, especially the ‘£1500 Porsches’ one, but I found this challenge to be painfully emblematic of why I think the show has lost its way.

Top Gear used to be a charming and unassuming show about cars — by car geeks for car geeks. As the show grew in popularity, the producers and the presenters obviously decided that the show’s recipe needed some tweaking. So they added some spice — elaborate vehicular challenges for the presenters to complete, designed to showcase the chemistry between Clarkson, May and Hammond, and skew the show toward a broader demographic. And it worked, so well in fact that women all over the world starting tuning in. Almost overnight, the show had become a mass-market, cross-gender entertainment. The fact that it was a show about cars was almost beside the point. Clarkson, May and Hammond had successfully amplified their laddish, private boy’s school repartee, which often made for compelling and amusing viewing. The show had also become bigger and more lavish, complete with cinematic production values. The challenges had become more elaborate, too. Clarkson, May and Hammond were now unlikely rock stars, quickly cashing in on their newfound fame and the strong awareness of the Top Gear brand by touring the world with a live version of the show.

But while watching the 75-minute ‘Nam special, and even the North Pole challenge from the previous series, it has become clear that the challenges, like the cars, are moot. Top Gear is no longer a quirky little show about cars or a big budget entertainment about cross-continental adventures. As evidenced by the ‘Nam special, it’s now a self-conscious, self-indulgent paean to wealth, fame, ego, and Peter Pan syndrome. Clarkson and co. have traded journalistic insight and their uniquely British cynicism for ribald banter and frivolity. Clarkson wearing a tin bucket instead of a helmet because he couldn’t find a helmet big enough for his head in a South-East Asian country isn’t witty. It’s not even funny in a Vaudevillian kind of way. It’s just insipid. And Clarkson buying Hammond a large scale model of an 18th century Spanish sailing ship that Hammond must somehow strap to the back of his motorbike is not clever or funny television, either. The model ship’s visual incongruity with the episode’s Vietnam context makes it pure self-indulgence. But it’s also unintentionally symbolic of the current state of the show: at sea.

It’s time for the H.M.S Top Gear to return to port.

Dead brill! And the fact that it centered on our three heroes for the first time in no way diminishes the quality of the program. So here’s a a couple of ideas for future Top Gear challenges:

Drive from Arica to Punta Arenas, Chile.

or

How about Moscow to Vladivostok?

After all, how are you going to top the whole Polar expedition one w/o a really humdinger?

So inspired that next hols is a bike trip in Vietnam.

I was in Hanoi for 10 days on a motorbike last year and the TG Vietnam Special brought back great memories, especially the part of looping around Hoan Kiem lake because of the lack of signage you could read at speed.

The Vietnam Special was a great piece of work. Although I has torrented the full episode, I’m looking forward to its premiere on BBC America next week and spotting the edits. I just wish that they could show TG unedited. The news bits are great for motorheads here since we can see what we don’t get and the on-air chemistry between the hosts is just funny!

Too bad this special isn’t in HD like the Polar one was…

An epic that will be recorded as True History —

I really mean “His Story” –

Hammond, Clarkson and May..

The Best show yet, that creates a Very High Tide Mark for 2010 -

What with the success of TG Australia, the next biggie should be a down under special, maybe a race/survival competition against the TG Aus team – just a thought?