For the longest period, “Top Gear” was one of the best properties owned by BBC. Following a massive tiff between executives of the show and one of its hosts, Jeremy Clarkson, the show received a massive rebranding (with the inclusion of big names like Chris Evans and Matt Leblanc), but has not retained its ardent fan base. This might be partly because of new hosts who don't excite the audience as much as the original ones, who coincidently went on to start another show on Amazon. In an attempt to keep the “Top Gear” legacy alive, BBC is now working on an American version of its once-legendary show.
A long, new road
The new show, titled “Top Gear America” has already been approved for eight episodes and will include three new presenters taking over the helm of the proceedings. The presenters are William Fichtner, a popular television and film personality, Tom Ford, a British journalist with a love for cars, and drag racing world champion Antron Brown.
The show will find a home at BBCA, and according to Sarah Barnett, President of the network, they couldn’t be happier with the new inclusion. She said “We are big fans of the mix of cars, credibility and charisma that adds up to the winning formula for Top Gear, and couldn't be happier that BBCA is now the home for the franchise in the US, with Top Gear America joining the original show on our network.
Bill, Antron and Wookie are serious gearheads who never take themselves too seriously. It will be quite the trip." (Mashable).
Crash or cruise?
The reason behind the success of the original British series was the sheer lunacy of its presenters. The three hosts – Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond shared a fascinating dynamic that played out like a love-hate relationship.
The trio used the excuse of reviewing cars to experiment with their own imagination, and this played out in spectacular ways.
The support they received from BBC and their own ingenuity allowed for brilliant episodes to emerge on the show, including one where the trio tried to find the source of the river Nile using cars, and another where Jeremy tried to race the sun from coast to coast.
In order to make automobiles exciting for the audience, the new American hosts will have to venture out of their comfort zones and try and find their own natural dynamic. Clearly the budget will not be a problem with the BBC, which is why the hosts will need to attract a new audience by using the guise of cars and explore everything else in the world around them. Whether or not they succeed in this new venture, time will tell.
