# top gear - my day out on this weeks filming



## who45 (Feb 8, 2008)

so arrived at the aerodrome at 1230 an hour before doors open, typical burger in the diner followed by a wait in the sun.

due to type of the ticket you actually get your colour coded - pointless doing so but there were 3 colour bands i spotted - red, blue and green. majority of joe public had red, i had blue as i had prodution tickets, and green for filming staff.

so at 2pm were in the hanger, graced with various top gear related things you see on the set. the main stage, giant airfix rack, top gear cars, cool wall.
2.30 comes and the producer gives us the instructions of what we need to do as an audience - cheer, clap, laugh - if they have to do a retake you have to laugh even if you dont find it as funny --- you have to exaggerate the repeated laugh. On comes jeremy to give a brief talk to us, name calling, swearing - typical clarkson but not in an aggressive or bad way - entertainment ill call it, and were presented with about 2 mins of outtake footage thats never to be seen.......very funny

so cue the music, the titles for sundays episode pre edited with no voice over, and on comes the welcome greeting. we then cut the filming and were left to watch the james may aston martin video whilst off they go for a *** break after 2 mins of work

15 mins later were onto the talk about the car, and the stigs lap...........its at this point i was suprised. jeremy reads a pre read script as we watch the stig which i didnt expect. next we have a set change..................the chairs and table are brought in and were now filming the news.

Now this is a 7 min segment on screen, which is in actual filming terms is a solid 25min experience - very funny and alot will not make the cut - alot of smut, humour and swearing

then we move onto the next part - 10 mins later were all cued to cheer and clap so they can mix all the sections in seamlessly.... and star in a car - well its a comedian, surname noble......i recognised him but otherwise ive never seen him in action - again a 7 min spot on the programme is actually a 25 min filming session and then the track footage. he also had a very good time (wont spoil it for you by telling).

we now have the 25 min tea break, this is where i wanted a book signed, I managed it but by doing so i also saw another side of these guys. the three seperated around the hanger -

jeremy was first on my list to sign....*** and tea in one hand he signed with the other as i held the book, he was very much like you read in the media both on screen and off, larking around, playing a fool - typically clarkson but a nice enough guy with it and as i thought he would be.

james may, now similar to my initial thoughts - a little larking on screen but a very serious interlectual man away from top gear itself - exactly how i imagined he may be. second signature aquired.

richard hammond, not what i expected at all. i see a well dressed man, nice guy but he looked very uncomfortable with having people wanting a picture with him, if anything i think he is a very shy timid person in reality - i did expect him to be very chatty and wanting to know everyone.......but he did seem to shy away from the public demand - but i have enormous respect for him after his accident and he was a really nice guy - 3rd signature done.

so were back into the hanger for the second part of the italy film......its a hoot it really is alot of laughs.

so the final filming - is the score points of the italy film, a couple of takes required,things falling off the stand, talk about needing a beer...... a bit of horsing around and its done, and then back to the pre scripted parts - jeremy doing 2 voice overs for the opening sequence with us the public voting for which one to use, for the abroad transmissions he cant name the star as abroad they have never heard of him so another version is done for the other countries. then he does the thankyous and goodbyes, again pre scripted for the uk, and another version has to be done for the usa daytime air - so he replaces evening with good day - that sort of changes.

a few more jokes and ad-libbing the script as im sure you have seen on other outtakes, were then pretty much wished a fast drive home.

so my thoughts - the show was great - i know alot complain about it being the same, or boring, nothing new - but remember your only seeing a small fraction of what is actually filmed - using 2.5 hrs of footage to squeeze into what is essentially 30 mins on the tv, with its edits and cuts for swearing, and all the other bits leaves little left.............but it also shows that if you are lucky to see it live i feel it will change your views due to so much more content in the studio.

ps the producer also said if they added all the waiting list names and applications on a list there is a waiting list of 89 years. so approx 750 people go to each showing.

just thought id share my day - i had a great day and id recommend it to anyone - definete once in a lifetime thing for me i feel

and this sunday - imo well worth a watch...................i wasnt keen on last weeks hummer film (was too staged) the italy one is very good, so was everything else but i have seen the extended stuff you never will see - which will certainly affect what you yourselves think of this weeks episode

some bb pics i took, not great but all i had on me and limitations in place of camera usage - so taken around the actual filming


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## Phil H (May 14, 2006)

awesome read! many thanks for sharing that, the show is on my b day this sunday! 

i've been on the waiting list since 2003


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## johnnyguitar (Mar 24, 2010)

Interesting stuff.
I wonder if they move some of this stuff around as the Hilux and the Fiat Coupe cop car were on display at the 'permanent' Top Gear exhibition at Beaulieu when I was there earlier this year. I suppose they only need them at Dunsfold a few weeks of the year.


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## yetizone (Jun 25, 2008)

Good write up and thanks for sharing - sounds like an interesting experience all round.


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## kirkn99 (Aug 23, 2006)

Very interesting – thanks for sharing.


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## Maggi200 (Aug 21, 2009)

I';ve been lucky enough to meet James May and my thoughts were exactly the same! 

And the comedian would be richard noble right? Very funny man, and iirc into his stunt biking or summin

Very good read, thanks for sharing


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## Overdoser (Oct 25, 2010)

A really good read, thanks mate.


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## uzi-blue (Mar 16, 2011)

Great read, nice one buddy.


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## who45 (Feb 8, 2008)

yes maggi - very much a biker - altho he creamed tom crusie's time 

im still awaiting the higher res pics a friend took so will upload those when i can - in them you can clearly see how uncomfortable hammond seemed with the random peeps all over him

sundays show is really good - how it will appear from 4 hrs to 1 is another question tho


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## pringle_addict (Jan 2, 2008)

Richard Noble was the land speed record guy.

The biker comedian is Ross Noble.


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## who45 (Feb 8, 2008)

> Richard Noble was the land speed record guy.
> 
> The biker comedian is Ross Noble.


saved me having to correct someone - he was ok, but im not a fan. talked about basically tanks and bikes, and writing off all his cars or driving them into the ground


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## johnnyguitar (Mar 24, 2010)

who45 said:


> yes maggi - very much a biker - *altho he creamed tom crusie's time*


Nice one - I assume this is yet to be shown on the telly then? Might be worth removing that (and then I'll do the same).


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## Rob_Quads (Jul 17, 2006)

Tis always a good day. When i was there they had to do a book reading week promo. Think it took around 15 minutes to film a 30 second segment because there was so much they could not use each time. 

Clarkson/May were both much friendlier than i thought they would be, specially as I had a "modified" car but then Clarkson admitted he loves the whole modifying thing but jokes how he could not say that on TV as it would give people the wrong idea.

Its very interesting to see the rehursels before hand in the morning to see how scripted it really was.


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