Top Gear series 12
| Top Gear (series 12) | |
|---|---|
| Series 12 | |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC Two |
| Original release | 2 November – 28 December 2008 |
| Series chronology | |
The twelfth series of Top Gear contained eight episodes, and started airing on 2 November 2008, with the usual presenting team of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, James May and The Stig. Clarkson was injured while filming the series, after crashing a lorry through a brick wall at 56 mph in the first episode's HGV challenge. The running joke regarding the Dacia Sandero continues from series 11, with the alteration that Clarkson is now the one making the announcement with feigned enthusiasm, to utter indifference from May (instead of vice versa). Each news segment also features one of the hosts wearing something unusual, like slippers or a garishly patterned shirt. The only reference to this is that one of the other hosts will, at some point in the segment, ask if they're wearing it for a bet. The Stig, instead of listening to music during power laps, now listens to morse code. The final episode, the "Top Gear: Vietnam Special", aired two weeks after the rest of the series as part of the BBC's Christmas line-up. The series was followed by four "Best Of Top Gear" specials, charting the best moments from Series 11 and 12.
Episodes
| Total | No. | Title | Reviews | Features | Guest | Original air date | UK viewers (million)[1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 97 | 1 | Series 12, Episode 1 | Porsche 911 GT2 • Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 | £5,000 Lorry challenge (ERF EC11 • Renault Magnum • Scania P94D) | Michael Parkinson | 2 November 2008 | 7.74 |
| 98 | 2 | Series 12, Episode 2 | Abarth 500 Esseesse | Muscle Car Challenge: (Dodge Challenger SRT8 • Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 • Cadillac CTS-V) | Will Young | 9 November 2008 | 7.57 |
| 99 | 3 | Series 12, Episode 3 | Toyota i-REAL • Renault Avantime | Tuning challenge: Renault Avantime • Finnish folk racing • Corvette V-8 engine blender-made smoothie | Mark Wahlberg • Mika Häkkinen | 16 November 2008 | 6.98 |
| 100 | 4 | Series 12, Episode 4 | Pagani Zonda Roadster F • Bugatti Veyron | Economy race from Basel to Blackpool Illuminations (Volkswagen Polo BlueMotion • Jaguar XJ Diesel • Subaru Legacy Diesel) | Harry Enfield | 23 November 2008 | 7.15 |
| 101 | 5 | Series 12, Episode 5 | Lexus IS F • BMW M3 | Portofino to Saint-Tropez Race: Powerboat vs. Ferrari Daytona • Best bus for British city streets | Kevin McCloud • Tom Chilton | 30 November 2008 | 7.51 |
| 102 | 6 | Series 12, Episode 6 | Veritas RS III • Caterham Seven Superlight R500 | Did the communists make a good car? • Ford Fiesta with the Royal Marines | Boris Johnson | 7 December 2008 | 7.33 |
| 103 | 7 | Series 12, Episode 7 | Tesla Roadster • Honda FCX Clarity | 50 years of British Touring Car racing • TG Stuntman takes on Fifth Gear's caravan jump record • Top Gear Awards 2008 | Sir Tom Jones • Jay Kay | 14 December 2008 | 7.54 |
| 104 | 8 | Series 12, Episode 8 Vietnam Special | None | (Minsk • Piaggio Vespa scooter • Honda Super Cub) | None | 28 December 2008 | 6.70 |
Best-of Episodes
| Total | No. | Title | Featured cars | Guest | Original air date | UK viewers (million)[2] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N–A | SP | The Best Of Top Gear 2008 #1 | Nissan GT-R (S11,E5), Gumpert Apollo From (S11,E6), Ford Fiesta (S12,E6) | Mark Wahlberg | 1 January 2009 | 2.82 |
| N–A | SP | The Best Of Top Gear 2008 #2 | Toyota i-REAL (S12,E3), Pagani Zonda Roadster F vs Bugatti Veyron (S12,E4) | Will Young | 4 January 2009 | 3.27 |
| N–A | SP | The Best Of Top Gear 2008 #3 | Audi RS6 (S11,E2) | Boris Johnson | 25 January 2009 | 2.05 |
| N–A | SP | The Best Of Top Gear 2008 #4 | Mercedes-Benz CLK63 AMG Black Series (S11,E2), FCX Honda Clarity (S12,E7) | Jay Kay | 1 February 2009 | 2.28 |
Reception
Series 12 Episode 7
On the show, Jeremy Clarkson is seen testing the battery powered Tesla Roadster. In the segment, it is shown that upon rigorous testing, that the batteries on the Roadster drained quickly and suffered mechanical problems. Tesla contested this and provided data logs of the cars' performances during the show to Top Gear and the BBC, which acknowledged in statements to the media that the cars did not in fact break down and never went below 20 percent state of charge.[3] After dozens of blogs and newspapers challenged Top Gear's portrayal of the Roadster's performance, Jeremy wrote an article for The Sunday Times, where he stood by the contents of the episode.[4]
References
- ^ "Weekly Top 10 Programmes". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board.
- ^ "Weekly Top 10 Programmes". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2](subscription required)
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