Top Gear (series 15)

Review: Jeremy tests the Bentley Continental Supersports. He is initially impressed, but eventually reveals he doesn't like it for he thinks it's still too heavy and would rather buy an Aston Martin DBS V12. It posts a time of 1:24.9. During the Stig's power lap with the car, the picture abruptly cut to a "car football" match, recorded specially for this episode, parodying an incident two weeks previously where ITV1 HD inadvertently cut to a car advert seconds before England scored their first goal of 2010 World Cup.

Challenge: James tries to drive close to the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland using the camera crew's Toyota Hilux pick-up truck from the Polar Special. He brings back a lava rock, although only decides to leave once one of his tyres starts to catch fire. The Hilux used was modified with features to protect the car from debris and combat possible fires.

News: In this news segment (and this whole episode) the presenters are trying to be more 'serious'. The presenters discuss the Ferrari 599XX setting the new lap record at the Nürburgring for production cars. They then discuss the cars they drove during the break between series 14 and 15. James shows a device to cook a burger using the heat from a car exhaust system.

Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: The old Chevrolet Lacetti was given a "viking burial" following a story from Richard Hammond about the memories old cars have, and that their deaths should be treated like family ones. He then proceeded to detonate a factory chimney in Northfleet, Kent, and bury it under the debris. The car is partially buried, leaving the front partially visible under the debris. A new reasonably priced car was introduced, a Kia Cee'd, which Jeremy likes to call the Kia 'Cee apostrophe dee'. A new lap time board was also introduced and to get times on the board Jeremy and Richard host a summer BBQ for celebrities.

In order of arrival:

1. Nick Robinson - 1:49.9
2. Al Murray - 1:48.1
3. Peter Jones - 1:45.9
4. Peta 23 from Essex - 1:49.9 (Wet)
5. Johnny Vaughan - 1:53.3 (Wet)
6. Bill Bailey - 1:50.8 (Wet)^[5]
7. Louie Spence - 1:53.69 (Wet)
8. Amy Williams - 1:50.9 (Wet)

Challenge: Jeremy points out that the government classifies 3 wheel cars as motorcycles and as such charges less taxes. He then drives a Reliant Robin from Sheffield to Rotherham and rolls it onto its side (and even roof) many times along the way. Fortunately, local celebrities such as Phil Oakey, Peter Stringfellow, Dickie Bird and Harry Gration happened to be on-hand to help right the car. After several such rolls, Jeremy comes up with a novel idea to help keep it upright, and has stabiliser wheels fitted to the front of the car. Unfortunately, the stabilizers eventually break off because of the damage previously done to the panels that they were attached to, causing Jeremy to crash and roll the Reliant Robin into a canal near Rotherham with him paying the damage.

Challenge: The presenters are each given £5000 with which to purchase the ultimate track day car - a four-door saloon that would be as suitable for a family as it is quick around a racing circuit. James purchases a Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3-16 Cosworth, Hammond buys a BMW E36 M3 and Jeremy settles on a Ford Sierra Sapphire RS Cosworth.

Challenge 1: After meeting up in Berlin, they are first tasked with driving as quickly as possible down the Autobahn to test top speed. Despite being stymied by traffic, Jeremy manages 142 mph (229 km/h) in the Sierra Cosworth, James manages 140 mph (230 km/h) in the 190E Cosworth, and Richard manages 152 mph (245 km/h) in the M3. They then pull over to test passenger space by escorting a brass band - complete with trombone and tuba - around a town. James returns late due to an overheated engine. The band chooses Richards' M3 as the roomiest despite the protestations of Jeremy, because "it was Bavarian like them".

Challenge 2: The cars are then subject to a comprehensive road-worthiness test by the ADAC. Hammond, who at this point had won every challenge and was openly confident of his M3's ability to win the challenge, discovers that the car had been involved in an accident and had been poorly-rebuilt, scoring just six points out of a maximum one hundred and fifty in the ADAC tests and his car was given the nickname 'The Death Trap' while James tries to defend his car's worthiness by calling former Formula One driver Martin Brundle for his opinion on the car. While James' car was being tested, his engine overheated again, resulting in a loss of points.

Challenge 3: The presenters then head to EuroSpeedway Lausitz where their cars are driven around the circuit by the Stig's German cousin. The presenters then must upload a video of themselves doing a lap of the circuit to YouTube, with points being awarded for the number of views. James gets lost, Jeremy cheats by speeding the video up, and Richard - too afraid of his car to make a video - simply uploads a blank video of himself making car noises. Jeremy won this part of the challenge as his video has more views of the three.

Challenge 4: After that, the three cars were filled with exactly 3 imperial gallons (14 L) of fuel and are told they must drive out of Germany with that amount and nothing else, and whoever runs out of fuel along the way will be shot. Due to time constraints, the results are not shown in the actual program, but James runs out of fuel before leaving Germany after driving as fast as possible due to overestimating the mpg of his car, while Jeremy just manages to beat Hammond into Poland.^[a]

James is declared the winner because his car was the cheapest of the three, despite having lost all of his points for running out of fuel in the economy test.

News: Jeremy addresses criticism of his Reliant Robin review in the previous episode, with disgruntled viewers claiming that a "real" driver would not have experienced the same roll-over related problems as he did. Clarkson takes this as a challenge, and cuts to The Stig starting a power lap in the Reliant. He barely makes it into the first turn before his lap ends the same way as Clarkson's review - upside down.

Review: James tests the Porsche 911 Sport Classic, which he describes as a "Greatest Hits version" of all the previous 911s. Although he likes the car, the incredible price turns him off it, and he instead moves on to reviewing the Porsche Boxster Spyder. He also likes the car despite Porsche's ability to remove features that come standard - like door handles - in their other cars and then charge the customer more for it, and gets quite wet when attempting to erect the Spyder's elaborate cloth top to protect against rain. Ultimately, he enjoys driving the car, saying that as an owner of a Boxster for four years, the Boxster Spyder is better.

Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Clarkson interviews Alastair Campbell, Director of Communications under Tony Blair and the candidate for the same position for Gordon Brown. Despite being Clarkson's polar opposite politically, the two are able to get along, with Clarkson asking questions carefully constructed to be as controversy-free as possible, such as "What is your favourite colour?" before prompting a discussion about the M4 bus lane. Campbell goes on to set a respectable time in the Kia Cee'd, finishing ahead of political commentator Nick Robinson, with a time of 1:47.0.

Challenge: Clarkson, Hammond and May are tasked with working out which four-door saloon car is the best for businessmen who like driving. Their choices are the Porsche Panamera Turbo, which is too ugly; the Aston Martin Rapide, which is too expensive; and the Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT S, which is too fiddly. After meeting in London, they drive to a business park outside the city where they hand the cars over to The Stig for a lap of the park. They are then tasked with chauffeuring guests for a wedding and reception. Jeremy forgets his suit trousers and is forced to improvise by wrapping his jeans up with gaffa tape before escorting the mother of the bride and the bridesmaid - who he nicknames "Jenson" and "Lewis" - to the wedding at high speed. James collects the bride and her father in the Maserati and despite initially planning to take his time so as to arrive fashionably late, he ends up hopelessly lost and is over half an hour late. As for Hammond, he collects the groom and best man in the Aston Martin, but his bleak mood and inappropriate choice of music make the groom nervous and very nearly talks him out of getting married altogether. Rather than stand around waiting for the ceremony to end, the presenters leave the church and, acting on a tip from the mother of the bride, head to a nearby airfield for a drag race and spend the rest of the afternoon power sliding and forget to return to the church. When asked to decide on the best car, Clarkson, Hammond and May all agree that the Maserati is the best choice while apologising to the couple by giving a gift of a custom toilet seat.

News: The trio proclaim that because the episode would be broadcast on the same evening as the 2010 British Grand Prix and the final of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, nobody is watching, so they decide to put in considerably less effort. American rally driver Ken Block protests against Jeremy's rollover in the Reliant Robin in the first episode, claiming Clarkson is a "pussy" for rolling it over. Block takes the Robin out for a power lap, but he barely makes it through the first corner before his lap ends the same way as Clarkson and the Stig before him - upside down.

F1 Driver in a Reasonably Priced Car: Rubens Barrichello does a power lap in the old Suzuki Liana. He sets a lap time of 1:44.3, quicker than any other driver on the board, including the Stig.

Review: Hammond reviews the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG and the fifth-generation Chevrolet Camaro, describing both as muscle cars. The Mercedes sets a respectable power lap time, but the Camaro is slower than the Holden Maloo, a ute version sharing its chassis. Nevertheless, Hammond claims he would settle on the Camaro if he had to buy one.

Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: For the second time in the episode, the Star in a Reasonably Priced Car tops the power lap board, with actor Rupert Grint breaking Peter Jones' record in the Kia Cee'd, with a time of 1:45.5.

Review: Jeremy reviews the Audi R8 V10 Spyder and the Porsche 997 Turbo Cabriolet. He mentions that while the Audi is far more powerful than the Porsche, the Porsche is much lighter. This is first proven in a 1/4 mile drag race, with Clarkson at the wheel of the Audi. The Audi initially loses, then drivers are switched, in which the results are reversed. He comments that the Audi, with its four-wheel drive, will need a competent driver for the job, which he isn't. He then moves to handling, commenting that both suffer from the same problems all convertibles face - poor rigidity from lack of a roof. He thinks that the cars were to made up to their maximum potential. Then, he gets a lady named Lauren McAvoy (as James May's 'body double') to test for practicality with the roof down. Both tests end up with Lauren's hair all messed up and, in the test in the Porsche, Jeremy being stung in the eye by a bee. The Audi did the power lap in 1.22.3, a tenth of a second slower than the Porsche's time.

News: May takes a quick informal poll of the studio audience, asking who watched Top Gear last week instead of football. Clarkson admits that he couldn't watch it because he was in Johannesburg watching a Dutchman kicking a Spaniard in the heart according to Hammond. Clarkson brought back a Vuvuzela and all three try but fail to get much sound out of it.

The trio report on a car that can be driven by the blind, which uses a system of sensors, compressed air, and a special vest that vibrates in certain areas. However, the device is mocked as a number of scenarios are hypothesized. Clarkson then shows crash footage of a similar system built by Volvo to stop a car when the driver is deemed inattentive, which fails. The trio also discuss Britain's most dangerous road (the A537 in Macclesfield) where many of the accidents involve Motorcyclists. This bit of information results in an argument between Clarkson (who hates bikers) and Hammond and May (who own motorbikes). According to Clarkson, statistically, Hammond should be dead three times over every time he goes out and May supposedly has been on "12 years borrowed time" due to the average age of motorbike fatalities being 35 years old. The arguing eventually leads to a challenge; Clarkson and Hammond invite the audience to see who dies first: Clarkson chain smoking or Hammond riding around the track as fast as he can on his Suzuki Hayabusa.

Challenge: The three were set the task of designing a new motorhome, to make the campervan "cool" again. To qualify, they must be equipped with sleeping accommodations, cooking facilities, and a "bog". Hammond brought a Land Rover 110 with a "shed" on the back decorated like a house, only it was merely a carrying facility for an "expandable" motorhome, consisting of metal sheets for walls and clear plastic for the roof (cooking facilities were brought into said accommodation and the toilet took the place of the Land Rover's passenger seat). Clarkson turned up in a Citroën CX with a small three-story house set on top of it while May turned up in a Lotus Excel with a shuttle shaped skybox on top with a direct entry point into the car (badly placed).

The challenge starts with having the trio drive to Cornwall in their new homes. May fares the best here with no problems (apart from accidentally covering up the petrol cap and having to saw the wood off) while Hammond's decorations keep sliding off and he finds a strong draft emanating from where he cut the cabin, leaving a gap. Clarkson is by far the worst off here as his car keeps jolting around dangerously on the roads (much to the others' amusement) and almost collides with several bridges and a petrol station roof, although he is able to lower the Citroën's hydropneumatic suspension to avoid it. Hammond and May arrive at the campsite first, leaving Clarkson behind to deal with an overheated engine and to catch up later.

At the campsite, Hammond "assembles" his motorhome, which amounts to nothing more than a flimsy prefabricated house with numerous rooms. Overnight winds destroy the roof of Hammond's pre-fab motor home, but also topple Clarkson's three story Citroën. They are then given a challenge to drive to a nearby beach, put on a wetsuit inside of their motorhomes, and go surfing. Clarkson manages to put on his wetsuit while James has a problem due to the confined space in his Lotus and the bedding area on the top. Hammond, leaving a vast majority of the siding of his motor home back at the camp site, had only an open platform on the back of the Land Rover that was open to viewing and had to utilise a child's tent to get his wetsuit on. While they attempt to surf, Clarkson notices the incoming tide, and they rush to move their cars. However, Clarkson chooses to remove his wetsuit first and his motorhome has to be rescued from the incoming tide. The next challenge has the trio cook a three-course meal from ingredients found in a petrol station. James makes the entrée, Jeremy makes the main course and Richard makes the dessert. In an ironic twist, Clarkson remarks on the Caravan chip pan fire from Series 8, only to see Hammond fighting a fire breaking out in his motor home. The trio settle for a "liquid diet" after the calamity.

After leaving the campsite the next day (after making use of their toilets), they make their way to a beauty spot. While Clarkson goes to a pub, Hammond and May hatch a plan to strand Clarkson's Citroën near a cliff edge. Clarkson is blissfully unaware as his Citroën falls off a cliff behind him as he proclaims that holidaying in Great Britain does make sense.

While the three presenters all agree that May's motorhome was by far the least problematic of the three, May himself concedes that no sane person would actually want to use it for a holiday. No one is declared a winner, and all lament the fact that "The Glass Fibre Menace" will go on unabated.

Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Hollywood actor Andy García sets a time of 1:46.1, albeit with his new 'Facial Hair' (as pointed out by Clarkson, who claimed that without it, he would have been top of the leaderboard).

Challenge: Hammond races a customised Volkswagen Touareg against snowmobile racers Dan Lang and Daniel Bodin in Riksgränsen. The race goes down a ski slope, along a forest trail and across a frozen lake. Unusually for such races on Top Gear, Hammond wins.

News: The trio state that it is more difficult to drive in the Summer, rather than Winter, because of distraction by women in short skirts. James suggested that women should wear Burqas to negate the situation. However Jeremy gives an account of a woman in a Burqa who tripped in front of the taxi he was riding in, showing she was wearing red panties and suspenders.Citroën name their new sales director, ironically called Charles Peugeot. The trio make jokes about his name being shared by the rival car company (though technically both Citroën and Peugeot are sister companies).

Review: James drives an updated version of the Bugatti Veyron called the SuperSport. James breaks the suggested top speed of the car passing 414 km/h (257 mph). However Bugatti's main test driver, Pierre Henri Raphanel, broke that record shortly afterwards, taking the car up to an official record of 431 km/h (268 mph). The Veyron also broke another record, lapping the Top Gear Test Track in 1:16.8.

Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Cameron Diaz and Tom Cruise guest, promoting their new movie "Knight and Day". Cameron initially beats Rupert Grint's time with 1:45.2. However Tom Cruise claims the record with 1:44.2, which also sees him set the record as the fastest celebrity in any car for the show. Cruise puts the car on two wheels in a turn.

Feature: James notes that if he hadn't had died, Ayrton Senna would have celebrated his 50th birthday. A small documentary-like film shows detailing his racing style and life including some appearances by Mika Häkkinen, Lewis Hamilton, Jarno Trulli, Martin Brundle, Fernando Alonso, Felipe Massa, Rubens Barrichello, David Coulthard, Mark Webber, Nigel Mansell, and Michael Schumacher.

Review: Jeremy reviews the new Ferrari 458 Italia, comparing it endlessly to the old F430. He claims it to be one of the most beautiful looking Ferraris ever made and one of the best performing, proven by beating James' own F430 in a drag race, with The Stig at the wheel. The Stig takes the car around the track in a time of 1:19.1, only a tenth of a second off the Enzo's time.

Challenge:The team set out to prove that classic British sports cars are better than European Hot Hatchbacks. Jeremy buys a Jensen-Healey, James buys a TVR S2 and Richard buys a Lotus M100 Elan.

Challenge 1 The presenters did laps on the Lotus test track. Hammond managed 2 minutes and 9 seconds in the Elan, James managed 2 minutes and 15 seconds while Clarkson managed 2 minutes and 17 seconds. The Stig, in a Peugeot 205 was the slowest of the three, having completed the lap in 2 minutes and 22 seconds, mainly because Jeremy bought the diesel 205 rather than the 205 GTI, claiming that he couldn't find the hot version of the car because "they've all rusted away or been crashed, or fallen to pieces".

Challenge 2 (Part 1) The team set out on a journey to discover the remains of the TVR factory in Blackpool and the Jensen factory in Birmingham, while describing their vehicles faults as 'safety features' like The Elan's broken driver's window, claiming that it keeps the driver alert. Eventually, they found the Jensen factory, only to find that it was in a terrible condition. On the way towards their hotel, Richard pulled over for a 'picnic' to try and fix the Elan's driver window.

Challenge 3 On the Pro Drive test track, the presenters performed a 'safety test'. The Stig, in a Citroën AX GT failed the test as the car's roof struck the bottom of the lorry and he barely escapes from the wreckage. As a team, the presenters asked Clarkson to use his Jensen for the test. The Jensen passed the test, due to its low ride height.

Challenge 4 At a petrol station, the team are told to test how waterproof their cars are. James and Jeremy passed with minimal leaks while Richard passed with a little bit more water in the car, claiming that he spilled his drink. The presenters then asked the Stig to go through the car wash with a Ford Escort XR3i. The test failed as the entire interior of the car was filled with water.

Challenge 5 The producers, 'infuriated' with the presenter's good progress, ordered them to go to a garden centre, where they'll have to try to put a Rose Arch into a Mk1 Golf GTI. The trunk space was too small for the arch and the team called it a failure. Then, the trio set off again, this time with large items in their cars (Jeremy bought a bamboo tree and a conifer, James bought a shed and Richard bought a large pot and a 'naked lady statue')

Challenge 2 (Finale) The team reached the TVR factory in Blackpool, but to their horror, was also in a terrible shape. The team then said that all of their cars were the best.

News: The Sun newspaper ran a quote from Cameron Diaz praising Jeremy Clarkson after her appearance on the previous episode. Richard and James use this as a jumping off point to mock Clarkson before getting on with the news proper. During the previous week's Grand Prix, Rubens Barrichello was given an "I beat the Stig" T-shirt from his team - which he wore proudly. The presenters then discuss Gran Prix rules and the controversy surrounding Ferrari. Next, Peter Mendelsohn's scrappage scheme is discussed and dismissed as wasteful. Finally, the trio discuss the new Nissan Micra, briefly, before claiming that due to the episode being aired at 9:30, nobody apart from drunks and gingers would be watching.

Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Hollywood actor Jeff Goldblum becomes the last person to drive the reasonably priced car this series, setting a time of 1:49.0. Clarkson claimed that because Goldblum was such a 'boffin' (referring to his appearance in Independence Day), he should have been able to go faster. Goldblum's performance was hindered by his lack of familiarity with the manual transmission Cee'd though, as he was only used to driving automatic transmission, and no such car was available after the automatic Cee'd that was given to Goldblum had broken down. As a result, Goldblum spent almost his entire lap in third gear, though Clarkson noted his performance was still quite impressive, considering that fact.

Review: Audi R8 V10 Spyder & Porsche 997 Turbo Cabriolet (From Series 15, Episode 4)

Feature: Death Of The Old Reasonably-Priced Car, The Chevrolet Lacetti (From Series 15, Episode 1)

Star In A Reasonably Priced Car: Celebrity Tea Party (From Series 15, Episode 1)

Review: Bugatti Veyron SuperSport (From Series 15, Episode 5)

Challenge: Driving A Reliant Robin From Sheffield To Rotherham (From Series 15, Episode 1)

Challenge: Volkswagen Touareg vs. Snowmobilers (From Series 15, Episode 5)

Challenge: Finding The Best Four Door Saloon From The Porsche Panamera, Aston Martin Rapide, and Maserati Quattroporte (From Series 15, Episode 3)

F1 Driver In A Reasonably Priced Car: Rubens Barrichello (From Series 15, Episode 3)

Challenge: Driving The Toyota Hilux To The Top Of A Volcano In Iceland (From Series 15, Episode 1)

Star In A Reasonably Priced Car: Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz (From Series 15, Episode 5)

Challenge: Chauffeuring Guests To A Wedding In The Porsche Panamera, Aston Martin Rapide, and Maserati Quattroporte (From Series 15, Episode 3)