Top Gear was first screened on 13th July 1978, a time when it was mainly aimed at being a focused automotive show. Top gear has had various presenters as the show has continuously evolved over the 30 years that it has been on air. The BBC, the British Broadcasting Corporation first started screening episodes under their BBC2 channel, handed over to them by BBC Birmingham and each episode’s duration was estimated at 30 minutes. The Original format of Top Gear as it came to be addressed, ran for a staggering 45 seasons from its start in 1978 to its end in 2001.
Presenters for the original format of Top gear started off with Noel Edmonds and William Woollard, with several other hosts following suite. The series was also hosted by Tiff Needell, the former British formula one driver and a graduate of Civil Engineering from City University, London. Although the show’s ratings were decent, none had foreseen what an impact a change of hosts would have to the show. Roping in the controversial Jeremy Clarkson in 1988 became one of the greatest moves made by the BBC, for his ‘in the face’ style of speaking and his unique style of writing, he became revered by many and also widely criticized for being too irresponsible and macho. His passion for motoring was clear however, when ratings soared upon Clarkson’s introduction. The show had so much respect and power that a bad review from the presenters would tear down sales of a particular model, as in the case of the Vauxhall Vectra. The new format of Top Gear was introduced in 2002, and featured Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May, the show was a major hit as the road tests started becoming more and more innovative.
Top Gear has had a cult following over the years, Jeremy Clarkson has been its most influential presenter and the powers of his words are highly regarded in the automotive industry. Top Gear has just completed 11 seasons in its new format and a new season is slated to begin in 2009.