List of Top Gear broadcasters and video releases
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List of Top Gear broadcasters and video releases.
Contents |
[edit] Broadcasters
[edit] United Kingdom
Top Gear is first broadcast on BBC2 Sunday nights and repeated on the following Tuesday evening and again the following Saturday on BBC Two. Further repeats (of a cut version to make time for adverts) are shown on UKTV People and since extra viewing hours it is also broadcast on UKTV G2. None of the segments in the show have been edited out, but smaller moments, such as applause, some news items and rarely Star In A Reasonably Priced Car, have been trimmed.
[edit] BBC World
Top Gear is shown on BBC World, albeit in a cut form - with episodes being approx 30 to 35 minutes in length. The Star in the Reasonably Priced Car and the news segments are cut from the BBC World version.
[edit] Australia
As well as the condensed BBC World edition being available on pay television, Australian free-to-air broadcaster SBS commenced the airing of the abridged BBC2 edition (without references to the Top Gear survey and the phone-in competitions) on December 12, 2005, starting with the 2004 series. [1] SBS started broadcasting the 2005 series in July 2006.
[edit] New Zealand
Since 2003 Prime TV has been showing hour-long episodes every Sunday evening. It is one of Primes most popular shows and has a large following among both New Zealand men and women, in spite of it having a "blokish" feel about it. Top Gear episodes shown in New Zealand are on average 6 months behind the UK.
[edit] North America
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This article or section contains information about a scheduled future television show or episode(s). |
| It may contain non-definitive information based on commercials, a website or interviews. The information may still change as the date of broadcast approaches. |
In the Summer of 2005, Top Gear was shown in North America on the Discovery Channel. The American format is different from the British format, with the news and talk show segments removed entirely. Furthermore, the American versions mixes segments from different episodes from the British version. The studio segments are specially recorded for the North American viewers, even though the same set and hosts are used as the British version. These changes were made not only to target the North American audience, but to accommodate for a shorter run time (approximately 43 minutes for the American version versus 60 minutes for the British version).
Currently the North American version is no longer being produced for the Discovery Channel. However, according to fan website FinalGear.com [2], and citing the latest issue of Top Gear magazine, the American version pilot reportedly has made a few changes from the original British show. As noted on the site:
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- That’s why earlier this year a brand new TG USA production team assembled deep in the Mojave desert to create a pilot show for their version of Britain’s favourite almost-BAFTA-winning car programme. And, like their idea of what constitutes a decent cup of coffee, the American take on Top Gear wasn’t entirely the same as ours. Instead of a shabby hangar and a track built around airfield taxiways, they got a pit garage and a proper circuit. Instead of filling the studio with 200 grunting Subaru drivers, they did without an audience. And instead of The Tall One, The Short One and The Other One, they hired three rather different American presenters. Bruno, a professional drag racer with casual tales of crashing at 230mph. John, the super keen jock, blessed with quaint ’sir and ma’am’ good manners that only Americans can do. And, Johnny, a former reality show winner with a nice line in weird humor.
But some aspects of the show will remain:
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- Fortunately some reference points remained, including Star In A Reasonably Priced Car. But, to set the power laps, there could be no substitute - the Stig was flown to the US and stunned everyone with his blistering pace as he hammered the CLS55, Charger, and Mustang round the circuit.
As of December 2005, Discovery Channel has not announced it plans to pick up the Americanized version of Top Gear. Recent postings on the Discovery Channel message boards from a person identified as Kristen, Program Development Discovery Channel have given some hope that Top Gear might come back to Discovery:
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- I passed your comments on internally. We'll weigh them as we make a final decision. Thanks for taking the time to post![3]
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- And Top Gear fans, we're definitely hearing ya![4]
A possible alternative outlet for Top Gear to be shown in North America could be BBC America, as a suggestions page for the channel lists Top Gear as one of the choices.[5]
For Canadian viewers, BBC Canada has announced that they will soon start broadcasting the original, uncut episodes of the show originally shown on BBC2 in the UK.
[edit] Poland
Top Gear is broadcast in Poland on TVN Turbo. All the episodes are shown in their cut UKTV format. Episodes air about 2-3 weeks after they first air on BBC2.
[edit] The Netherlands
Top Gear is broadcast in the Netherlands on Veronica.
[edit] Denmark
Top Gear is broadcast in the American Discovery Channel format.
[edit] Norway
Top Gear is broadcast in the American Discovery Channel format.
[edit] Canada
A 30 minute version was also aired in Canada on BBC Canada and Discovery Channel Canada. In late 2005, BBC Canada began airing a one hour version of the show. Though longer, this version was still somewhat modified in order to fit ten minutes of commercials into the timeslot.
[edit] Greece
Top Gear is broadcast on SkyTV.
[edit] DVD and VHS releases
- Top Gear - Fast and Furious
- Top Gear - Back in the Fast Lane - The Best of Series One and Two - October 27, 2003
- Top Gear - Revved Up - June 6, 2005
- Top Gear - Winter Olympics - June 5, 2006
[edit] References
- ^ Top Gear." SBS Television. Accessed 28 December 2005
- ^ Top Gear USA." FinalGear.com 22 December 2005. Accessed 18 February 2005
- ^ TOP GEAR Discovery Channel Message Boards, Accessed March 17, 2006.
- ^ Tell us what you would like to see Discovery do Discovery Channel Message Boards, Accessed March 17, 2006.
- ^ BBC America - Contactus Suggestion Accessed March 17, 2006
[edit] See also
| Top Gear |
| 1977 to 2001 - 2002 to present |
| Presenters |
|---|
| Current: Jeremy Clarkson - Richard Hammond - James May - The Stig |
| Previous: Jason Barlow - Steve Berry - Julia Bradbury - Vicki Butler-Henderson - Brendan Coogan - Jason Dawe - Noel Edmonds - Chris Goffey -
Kate Humble - Tony Mason - Tiff Needell - Michele Newman - Angela Rippon - Quentin Willson - William Woollard |
| Episodes and Broadcasters |
| Top Gear Episode List - Top Gear Broadcasters and Video Releases |
| Featured segments |
| Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car - The Cool Wall |
| Spin-Offs |
| Rally Report - Top Gear Motorsport - Stars in Fast Cars |
| Related articles |
| Top Gear Magazine - Jon Bentley - Fifth Gear |
