Top Gear !!hot!! Instant

: You didn't need to care about cars to enjoy it; the show's humor and stunning cinematography reached audiences who previously had no interest in motoring. Controversies and Transitions

As Jeremy Clarkson famously said, "Speed never killed anyone. Suddenly becoming stationary, that's what gets you." Top Gear

At its peak, Top Gear was the most watched factual television program in the world, broadcast in over 200 territories. It was appointment viewing for an audience that didn't even like cars. : You didn't need to care about cars

The 2002 relaunch is the true genesis of Top Gear as a pop-culture institution. At the helm was Jeremy Clarkson, a towering, opinionated journalist with a penchant for hyperbole and a disdain for political correctness. He was joined by Jason Dawe, who was quickly replaced in the second series by Richard Hammond—the energetic, shorter, and crash-prone "Hamster." The trio was rounded out by James May, the cerebral, slow, and methodical "Captain Slow." It was appointment viewing for an audience that

The show's "devil-may-care" attitude often led to controversy. One of the most infamous incidents involved the crew being chased out of an Argentinian village due to a provocative license plate during a special.