Top Gear Christmas Special - to the Holy Land!

mike65

Yikes! Whats madder is that they appear to be starting from somewhere like Kuwait as they are going through Iraq, Jordan and Israel.

Myrddin

I wonder who the Stig's holy cousin will be :rolleyes::pac:

Raedwald

I'd say this will be one of the more interesting ones, considering the current political situations in each country.

The Stig's Holy Cousin dressed in a robe for the whole show.

philstar

i take it this has already been filmed

or is there still time to tip off Al-Qaeda

Colmo52

When will the new series (after the xmas special) start?

choons

Anyone know when the Christmas special is on?!

Colmo52

choons wrote: »

Anyone know when the Christmas special is on?!

Christmas. Duh..

VinnyTGM

It should be interesting.

Duggy747

Cue Clarkson saying something, somebody writes an angry letter to the BBC, Clarkson gets in trouble, and the BBC issue a statement of either an apology or "It's Top Gear humour, get over it"

:pac:

Will something fun to watch at least. The new series isn't until March or around that time anyways, I think.

danniemcq

Thought the new season was starting in January or Feb... heard something like thati thnk on today fm there last week when JC was on...


Wait Jeremy Clarkson = JC
Jesus Christ = JC

How long till they make a stupid joke about that!

choons

Colmo52 wrote: »

Christmas. Duh..

Great help lad.

Seriously though, does anybody know what date this will be aired? Google searches haven't given me much!

Few interesting photos here:

http://www.autoblog.com/2010/10/20/top-gear-trio-spotted-filming-special-in-israel/

Colmo52

choons wrote: »

Great help lad.

Seriously though, does anybody know what date this will be aired? Google searches haven't given me much!

Few interesting photos here:

http://www.autoblog.com/2010/10/20/top-gear-trio-spotted-filming-special-in-israel/

Series sixteen begins on 23 January 2011. The Xmas special is expected to air in late december of this year. Don't know the exact date of yet.

Colmo52

I've an update on the Xmas special.

It's on St. Stephans Day.

http://transmission.blogs.topgear.com/

SPOILER ALERT: Those who want to keep it a surprise, stop reading here.

You may have read some scant details about our festive special in the papers this week. We can confirm their veracity. This Boxing Day Jeremy, Richard and James will be attempting their toughest task yet: passing themselves off as ‘three wise men’ while recreating that famous journey following a star to Bethlehem.

If you’re undertaking a journey of 1,200 perilous miles across Kurdistan, Turkey, Syria, Jordan and Israel, taking in inhospitable stretches of obscure mountain and desert, one’s choice of vehicle is paramount. A 4×4, perhaps. Something rugged. Dependable. Lots of easy-to-find parts lying about in out-of-the-way garages would be handy. Our long-feted Toyota Hilux, perhaps?

No. Our presenters chose a fleet of second-hand convertibles: a Mazda MX5, BMW Z3 and Fiat Barchetta.



The opening scene should give you a clue of the perils to follow: a Russian transport plane with cars on board pulls into a darkened, unidentified airport. It’s in Iraq. The pilot opens the cargo doors thousands of feet up, but an aborted landing means a sudden steep climb with the doors still open. Richard can take up the story for you:

“Any initial concerns about where we were landing and what we were going to do when we got there paled in comparison to sitting in the driving seat of an elderly two-seater roadster, staring out of the open back door of a Russian transport plane going backwards at a million miles an hour while the pilot seemed to be wrestling a bear in the cockpit. And yes, I did scream. A lot. I still am inside.”

There’s also a drag race across one of Saddam’s runways, Jeremy has to protect his car from gunfire in a hair-raising moment, and a disguised sneak*across the Syrian desert doesn’t exactly go to plan. Jeremy also addresses the question that crops up after every nativity play: ‘What exactly is myrrh, and where do you buy it?’

Fancy a sneak peek? Head this way to watch this year’s BBC Christmas showreel, and amid snatches of Doctor Who, Only Fools and Horses prequel Rock and Chips and some pantos and carols, at 4:40 you’ll find a short glimpse what we’ve been working on…

The Three Wise Men Christmas Special will on BBC2 on Boxing Day at 8pm. Not only that, Top Gear will be back with another excellent new episode just five days before on Tuesday 21 December at 8pm on BBC2. And then the series proper begins early in the New Year. Full TV listings details are at the Radio Times as always.

We hope you enjoy it, and check back as always on TopGear.com for more details and exclusives around the new shows in the coming weeks…

J2D2

There's also another new episode airing on BBC2 at 8pm on Tuesday the 21st.

I'm looking forward to a bit more Top Gear, bring it on!

Myrddin

J2D2 wrote: »

There's also another new episode airing on BBC2 at 8pm on Tuesday the 21st.

I'm looking forward to a bit more Top Gear, bring it on!

Is it a special, or a lone episode or something?

DublinWriter

Ficus wrote: »

Im expecting clarkson to say somthing like "Mary and Joseph rode into Jerusalem on an donkey, it should have been a V12 Aston Martin DB9. POWER POWER POWER!

Hosanna in the Hi-ace.

J2D2

EnterNow wrote: »

Is it a special, or a lone episode or something?

Just looks like a regular episode so far as the site says:

The Three Wise Men Christmas Special will be on BBC2 on Boxing Day at 8pm. Not only that, Top Gear will be back with another new episode just five days before on Tuesday 21 December at 8pm on BBC2. And then the series proper begins early in the New Year. Full TV listings details are at the Radio Times as always.

Moses7

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FeBuKa6LlM

cyrusdvirus

Don't forget the new ep (mentioned in the thread ) tonight lads and lassies

Colmo52

gatecrash wrote: »

Don't forget the new ep (mentioned in the thread ) tonight lads and lassies

I wonder if they will kill off/replace the stig in tonights ep.

cyrusdvirus

Colmo52 wrote: »

I wonder if they will kill off/replace the stig in tonights ep.

surely that'd be more of an easter special!!

Mahatma coat

Colmo52 wrote: »

I wonder if they will kill off/replace the stig in tonights ep.

Maybe they'll just Keep Tiff, or does he have 5th gear commitments?

IvySlayer

gatecrash wrote: »

surely that'd be more of an easter special!!

mike65

Bound to be some sort of diplomatic incident in tonights show.

I Was VB

Good show tonite, not great but defo better than most of the ****e thats on the box.

Wonder if the religious fanatics are gonna make complaints about the show?

RockMan94

yikes

positron

ROFL!!!

When they had the light shining from the sky, I had a hunch it's going to be him, the son of god himself! Brilliant ending

- Really enjoyed the ending!!!

Colmo52

positron wrote: »

ROFL!!!

When they had the light shining from the sky, I had a hunch it's going to be him, the son of god himself! Brilliant ending

- Really enjoyed the ending!!!

+1. Fantastic show tonight.

Piri

That was the best ever episode Imho

BKtje

I was actually a little bit disappointed. Didn't have that epic feel that some of the others had though ending was funny

jimmynokia

it was good and a great ending
the show there on tuesday was great merc SLS i want one

Minstrel27

Stupid PVR stopped recording just as they went into the shed

EDIT: just saw the ending on the iPlayer now. Very good.

ironclaw

I thought it was rubbish. I really did. As a dedicated fan for a long number of years I thought tonight was the most scripted yet. And the ending was rubbish, I felt awkward about it (When a comedian isn't funny awkward)

"Lets go to Iran, but wait, with our full planning (That includes a Special Forces security) we forget to check if we could go into Iran"

I don't believe they did the milage they showed. I also don't believe they were in Iraq given the plane they arrived on and the dress of the locals (There is the odd Turkey flag / jersey in the background of those shots)

Just felt very let down. Entertainment or not, it wasn't entertaining.

MagicMarker

I thought the plane bit was the highlight, the rest was alright.

Mahatma coat

I thought it was OK, but it kinda lacked some of the japery and comradery of the other specials, that said tho it was very entertaining, alto I feel it could have been 'more'

Mahatma coat

Just a thought tho, Mays; AfrikaKorp Kitout and goggles, nad a Luftwaffe Paint job, heading to Israel :eek:

Dazza Mc kenna

I thought it was good It showed the Good side of the Middle East, And it gave me a bit of an idea of what Syria will be like as I am going there in Easter

The Black Oil

Mostly enjoyed the Middle East one, though it really dipped when they modified their cars and went through the desert, that was pretty much bollocks until May was injured. It picked up from then and in Damascus. I liked the start and going through the 'safer' parts of Iraq, though they were never really in any danger. Definitely a road trip feel off it with messin' and feckin' messin', sometimes a bit much, but generally fun. I'd like to visit some of those places.

Undoubtedly it will have offended some, but that's par for the course, really.

TCP/IP

ironclaw wrote: »

I thought it was rubbish. I really did. As a dedicated fan for a long number of years I thought tonight was the most scripted yet. And the ending was rubbish, I felt awkward about it (When a comedian isn't funny awkward)

"Lets go to Iran, but wait, with our full planning (That includes a Special Forces security) we forget to check if we could go into Iran"

I don't believe they did the milage they showed. I also don't believe they were in Iraq given the plane they arrived on and the dress of the locals (There is the odd Turkey flag / jersey in the background of those shots)

Just felt very let down. Entertainment or not, it wasn't entertaining.

Good god man its just a bit of fun and what a super show it was. Why can you not simply enjoy it for what it is - fun.

And what reason could you have for been let down if you dont like dont watch.

jwcurtin

Ending was brilliant, but slightly predictable!

nophd08

jwcurtin wrote: »

Ending was brilliant, but slightly predictable!

Did you slightly predict that a baby stig was going to be there?...Clever Lad.:rolleyes:

jwcurtin

nophd08 wrote: »

Did you slightly predict that a baby stig was going to be there?...Clever Lad.:rolleyes:

No seriously, just before they were dumbfounded i said to myself i wonder if it's The Stigs child?!

dreamers75

ironclaw wrote: »

(There is the odd Turkey flag / jersey in the background of those shots)

Kid wearing a turkey t shirt, bit odd i thought myself.

Gekko

It wasn't the best special, better than the US one the other day though.

Interesting to get a bit of an idea of what Erbil in Northern Iraq is like as well as some other parts of the Middle East.

ironclaw

TCP/IP wrote: »

Good god man its just a bit of fun and what a super show it was. Why can you not simply enjoy it for what it is - fun.

And what reason could you have for been let down if you dont like dont watch.

I fully agree. But I've followed Top Gear for years. I'd watch the odd re-run on Dave etc and actually get a second laugh out of most of the jokes / reviews. Its become slapstick, which I hate (Hammonds "terrified" scream as the plane banks at the start was cringe worthy)

Last week, this Mercedes won't go in a straight line, so we'll just power slide stupidly and keep changing the tyres and make a running joke of it.

I'm sorry. This show used be a bench mark for humor in my opinion. The jokes we're properly funny and the missions/escapades properly enjoyable. Its a shadow of its former self and as a die hard fan, I wouldn't care if it was cancelled tomorrow.

fryup

its hard to believe anything you see on it any more so much is scripted...e.g. May getting injured, didn't look like much to begin with but lo & behold there's blood on the ground mmmm

Mike Litoris

Man I roared at the ending!!:D Bit of an average episode though.

skipz

Highlight for me was seeing captain slow getting flung into the air .
For a Christmas special it was missing a lot.

ironclaw

fryup wrote: »

its hard to believe anything you see on it any more so much is scripted...e.g. May getting injured, didn't look like much to begin with but lo & behold there's blood on the ground mmmm

Apparently he was properly hurt.

But then again "We're in the middle of no where, but we get him to hospital in a Discovery fairly sharpish"

Creamy Goodness

ah come on, it's fairly obvious by the quality of the cinematography that they have a convoy of 4x4's following them not to mention the odd chopper for the arial shot on all of these specials. it's nothing really new.

Plug

When is the full series starting up?