Chinese media are going wild because BBC’s Top Gear has landed in China. Jeremy Clarkson and James May arrived in Beijing for filming a new Top Gear episode which will be on TV in next year’s season. Judging from the pictures take on-scene, the shoot seems to center on two topics, and both may make the Chinese car industry lose the ever so important face.
The first episode appears to be May in a JAC Binyue and/against Jeremy in a Greatwall Haval M2.
The second item seems to be about copied Chinese cars. There is a Shuanghuan Noble (Smart), a Shuanghuan SCO (BMW X5) and a Lifan 320 (Mini). On some other pictures Clarkson and May are looking curiously at an old Chinese 3-wheeler. Top Gear always had a thing for 3-wheelers. Possibly, they will blame China for copying a Reliant Robin
A Land Rover Discovery camera-car has Shanghai-plates on it. And the press caught the Top Gear protagonists indulging in that great Chinese pastime: Smoking.
Lifan 320. Note Mini scale model on the roof. May having a smoke.
Clarkson having a smoke.
Shanghuan SEO on the left.
Guangzhou Auto Trumpchi, there seems to be a camera behind the window, not sure whether it is part of the show.
Shanghuan SEO.
Old Chinese 3-wheeler.
May takes a look at the engine.
Clarkson in Greatwall Haval S2.
Land Rover Discovery camera-car with Shanghai plates.
Give ’em Hell Jeremy!
They hate the truth.
Just tell ’em what they need to hear.
I didn’t know James May smoked. Gross.
Everyone’s a critic…
All three presenters smoke, or have at least been smokers at some point. Has been mentioned on the show several times over the years. Now if you’ll excuse me, i think i’ll have a smoke.
Yeah, that totally killed my desire to make out with him.
The copying is a lot more blatant than I realized. Not sure how China thinks their auto industry can be taken seriously while that is allowed to go on.
Will they be held hostage if they bad-mouth the Chinese cars?
This should be another amusing episode to watch. I’m not sure how the Chinese are going to react when the inevitable racial comment flies from Jeremy’s mouth. I know most are taken for what they are – a light hearted jab that everybody has to put up with (Americans being a constant target), but I remember reading something about the bruhaha that ensued over the comments about the mexicans as they were discussing their entrant in the sports car realm.
That being said, I can’t wait to watch it. This is one of the few shows on television that I will always try to catch first run (on BBC – I think they’re usually a season behind over here). The other being Mythbusters.
+1. Even the reruns are good entertainment. One of the best shows on TV, in my opinion.
i really enjoyed his vietnam jeep review, this should be good.
This is my favorite Top Gear episode:
http://www.wimp.com/reliantrobin/
Pretty funny. What surprised me is that the thing kept on falling over but also kept on running when it was put back up!
I wonder if the training wheels idea would have worked better before the car had already been damaged. It looked like parts of the car were not secure enough to hold the training wheels.
D
Wow, they made that red 3-wheeler a limo, so boss in the back seat has enough room to stretch. Way to go!
Wow, the camera car is much better than the cars being reviewed! I hope they enjoy their time there, they probably gonna be banned by the Chinese when the show airs!
A three wheeler with opera windows in the B-pillars, just like a ’77 T-Bird. Wow.
You know, I’d like to just be the guy that films or drives the support truck for that show. What a cool thing, exotic locations, goofy fun, and getting paid for it.