Top Gear - Series 20: Episode 6 (lost alternative ending to episode of BBC motoring show; 2013)

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The iconic shot of the British-made vehicles parked at the Mall. Note the presence of the P45 at the far right.

Status: Lost

Top Gear - Series 20: Episode 6 marked the series finale of BBC motoring show Top Gear's 20th series under its 2002-2015 run. It originally aired on BBC Two on 4th August 2013, with the episode fixated on British vehicles such as the Range Rover Sport, Jaguar F-Type and the New Bus for London. The episode culminated in a vast and diverse range of British-made motors being parked on the Mall, in what is considered among the show's most iconic moments. Interestingly, Jeremy Clarkson's P45 can be seen in the collection. According to script editor Richard Porter, its presence reflects a scrapped humorous alternative ending involving Clarkson's creation.

Background

Series 20: Episode 6 of Top Gear revolved around a "Best of British" theme.[1][2][3] According to Porter in his book And On That Bombshell, the theme not only enabled the inclusion of several British vehicle reviews but also ended a series of Top Gear on a high note.[2] Particularly, the episode was a direct contrast to Episode 6 of Series 15, which saw Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May explore the abandoned structures of Britain's sports car industry.[4] Britain's manufacturing decline since the 1980s caused Clarkson to lament that the country no longer made anything of significance.[4] However, while the British motoring industry had certainly suffered a fall from its 1960s peak,[5] a recovery by the early 2010s had been noted.[6] The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) stated that by 2013, over 30 car manufacturers were responsible for the construction of more than 70 unique vehicles in the United Kingdom.[6] Among these included the new V6 Jaguar F-Type, its Sport and its V8 R counterparts;[7] the Range Rover Sport SDV6, which notably harnessed the design of a Range Rover rather than the previous model's Land Rover Discovery chassis;[8] and the New Bus for London, now known as the New Routemaster.[9]

All these vehicles were reviewed in Episode 6.[3] To cap off the episode, Top Gear investigated the state of Britain's automotive industry.[3] It became clear that Clarkson and other critics were very wrong with their initial assessments, as by 2013 major manufacturing plants had thrived in the country.[3][6] Nissan's Sunderland factory, for instance, exceeded 500,000 vehicles produced in 2012, more than the entirety of Italy's own car manufacturing sector,[10] with growing investment having been noted ever since.[11][3] Britain had also exported lorries, military and construction vehicles across all continents, with Top Gear particularly noting JCB's global presence just as it produced its 1 millionth vehicle.[12][3] Also examined was the highly specialist construction of Rolls-Royces and the country's impact on motor racing, with Britain being home to eight of the eleven constructors that competed in the 2013 Formula One Season.[13][3]

Stunned by Britain's influence in modern car manufacturing, Top Gear opted to illustrate this by having every single British-made vehicle currently in production be lined up at the Mall in London.[3][2] After months of planning,[2] the event was conducted on 23rd June 2013 and became a cornerstone of 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation.[14][1][6] As Porter discussed in his book, the team worked through the night prior to ensure the vehicles were parked in accordance to the detailed flooring plan.[2] One major challenge came in securing a blue Jaguar F-Type that May would drive, which initially appeared to be non-existent.[2] A preproduction version ensured the trio's F-Types were bedecked in the desired Union Jack colours.[2] Another problematic vehicle was the Bloodhound, as this land speed project was still in the development phase by 2013.[15] Thus, a mock-up was instead brought onto the Mall.[14] Still, these issues did nothing to take away from the finished product, which saw the presenters amazed by the volume and range of vehicles on display.[3][2] Among these included (but are not limited to) lorries, buses, tractors, taxis, bikes, luxury cars, racers, military and emergency vehicles, ice cream vans and ride-on lawnmowers.[3] It led Clarkson to reconsider his and other people's generally negative views on the state of British car manufacturing.[3]

YouTubers Shmee150 and WorldSupercars were among the individuals who attended the Mall that day.[16][17][1] Shmee150 proceeded to record a five-minute walkthrough of the vehicles on display, which included Clarkson's P45 parked next to the Minis.[16][14] Similarly, WorldSupercars provided some footage of the filming sequence, which included the P45 being transported away.[17] Having debuted in Episode 1 of Series 19, the P45 was notably more compact than the Peel P50, the world's smallest production car.[18][19] Not only did Clarkson design it to break the P50's long-held record, but also to solve the growing concern modern cars were becoming too big in Britain.[18] Interestingly, Clarkson had good foresight; a 2023 study from Transport & Environment discovered the majority of today's cars are oversized and exceed Britain's on-street parking spaces.[20] Alas, the P45's problematic design, Clarkson's lack of business acumen, and him insulting Duncan Bannatyne meant he received no investment on Dragons' Den.[18] Still, Clarkson was mightily proud of his creation, to the point where he introduced it as a last-minute addition to the collection.[2] Hammond's expletive response was cut off by a cannon, which originally would have culminated the segment.[2]

But upon a review of the footage, Porter et al agreed this comedic ending detracted from an otherwise serious and proud series finale.[2] Thus, it was scrapped in favour of footage of the Household Cavalry making their way through the collection, capped off with elevated shots of the motors.[3][14][2] The P45 could nevertheless be seen on the far right of the collection.[3][16][14] However, eagle-eyed viewers may have noticed a continuity error where in some shots the P45 is absent before magically re-appearing again, a reference to its late addition.[3] In promotion for the episode, Clarkson regarded the segment, which featured motors with a combined value of more than £200 million, as the show's "most ambitious yet".[21] Ultimately, the decision to scrap the P45 ending was a favourable one, as the overall segment received high praise.[2] Particularly, Gerard O Donovan of The Telegraph summarised the scenes as "a worthwhile reminder that Britain’s motoring heritage is still alive, well and absolutely thriving well into the 21st century."[22] Similarly, SMMT's then-Intern Chief Executive Mike Baunton believed the segment would exceptionally boost the image of Britain's automotive industry.[6] It has since been deemed as among Top Gear's greatest ever segments by fans.[23]

Availability

The scrapped alternative ending's existence was confirmed in Porter's And On That Bombshell.[2] Though the BBC has likely kept the footage since its wiping practices have long since ceased,[24] the strained relations with Clarkson and co. following the events of March 2015 makes it unlikely the footage will be publicly released.[25] Nevertheless, hope still remains as deleted scenes were previously made publicly available, with Carsarcasm TV having uploaded various compilations to YouTube.[26][27] But although deleted scenes for Series 18, as well as some behind-the-scenes footage of Series 20 exist,[26] no outtakes from the latter series have emerged. Some photos of Clarkson and even Hammond driving the P45 at the event can also be found online.[14]

Another notable edit occurred during the history of Peugeot segments broadcast as part of Series 22: Episode 5.[28][29] To illustrate Peugeot's transformation into building "rubbish" cars, a boardroom scene was filmed where Clarkson, May and others became stereotypical Frenchmen with painted-on moustaches.[30][29] As the CEO, Clarkson convinced the rest of the Peugeot boardroom that building terrible cars would put Peugeot "on the map for many years to come".[30] Among the actors for this scene included Porter, who discussed the scene's filming in his book. He recalled that recording took over an hour and was fixated on attention to detail, including adding a green screen to allow the Eiffel Tower to be superimposed in the background, to the placement of stereotypical French cuisine like snails and onions.[29][30] However, the constant delays and hot room prompted Porter to drink the wine provided as part of the set.[29] Soon, he, May and others became incredibly inebriated as they provided their lines.[29] Porter remembered shouting out "MALHEUREUSEMENT!" and insisting "Hey! You should claim thishisish like a breakfasht meeting."[29] While filming itself proved a joyful experience for those involved, the end product was trimmed considerably as most footage was ultimately declared unfunny.[29] The full version of this scene also remains as lost media.

Gallery

Videos

The segment as shown in the episode.

Shmee150's tour of the Mall display.

WorldSupercars providing some footage of filming for the segment, including the P45 being transported away.

Behind-the-scenes interviews for Series 20.

Clarkson unveils the P45.

The Peugeot boardroom scene.

See Also

External Links

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Cars UK reporting on the segment's filming and Shmee150's walktrhough. Retrieved 30th Apr '24
  2. ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 And On That Bombshell: Inside the Madness and Genius of Top Gear where Porter discussed filming the segment and the scrapped alternative ending (p.g. 265-270). Retrieved 30th Apr '24
  3. ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 As detailed in the episode. Retrieved 30th Apr '24
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Series 15 Episode 6 where the presenters explored the remnants of the UK's sports car industry. Retrieved 30th Apr '24
  5. ↑ CBS News summarising the decline of Britain's car manufacturing industry. Retrieved 30th Apr '24
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders summarising Top Gear's celebration of Britain's vehicle manufacturing industry and noting key statistics of the industry as of 2013. Retrieved 30th Apr '24
  7. ↑ Evo summarising the Jaguar F-Type and its variants. Retrieved 30th Apr '24
  8. ↑ Auto Express review of the Range Rover Sport SDV6. Retrieved 30th Apr '24
  9. ↑ Key Buses reflecting on the New Routemaster. Retrieved 30th Apr '24
  10. ↑ Front Seat Driver on Nissan's expansion of its Sunderland factory and how it exceeds Italy's entire car output. Retrieved 30th Apr '24
  11. ↑ Fleet News reporting on Nissan's expansion into electric model production at its Sunderland factory in 2023. Retrieved 30th Apr '24
  12. ↑ Highways Today summarising the history of JCB and its 1 millionth vehicle milestone being reached in 2013. Retrieved 30th Apr '24
  13. ↑ BBC Sport summarising Britain's impact on Formula One in 2013. Retrieved 30th Apr '24
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 Daily Mail reporting on the gathering at the Mall and sharing multiple photographs of it, including Clarkson and Hammond in the P45. Retrieved 30th Apr '24
  15. ↑ The Manufacturer reporting on the progress of the Bloodhound project by 2013. Retrieved 30th Apr '24
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Shmee150's walkthrough of the event Retrieved 30th Apr '24
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 WorldSupercars providing some footage of filming for the segment, including the P45 being transported away. Retrieved 30th Apr '24
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 As detailed in Episode 1 of Series 19. Retrieved 30th Apr '24
  19. ↑ National Motor Museum page on the Peel P50. Retrieved 30th Apr '24
  20. ↑ Transport & Environment summarising its study that over half of modern cars are too big for Britain's on-street parking spaces. Retrieved 30th Apr '24
  21. ↑ Top Gear promoting the episode with photos of the Mall segment. Retrieved 30th Apr '24
  22. ↑ The Telegraph review of the episode. Retrieved 30th Apr '24
  23. ↑ r/TopGear discussing the segment in 2017. Retrieved 30th Apr '24
  24. ↑ The Sundae detailing the BBC's tape wiping practices. Retrieved 30th Apr '24
  25. ↑ Channel 4 summarising the events of March 2015. Retrieved 30th Apr '24
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Carsarcasm TV providing a YouTube playlist of deleted scenes and behind-the-scenes footage of Top Gear. Retrieved 30th Apr '24
  27. ↑ Carsarcasm TV providing a YouTube playlist of deleted scenes from the Top Gear specials. Retrieved 30th Apr '24
  28. ↑ Series 22: Episode 5 on BBC iPlayer, which featured the history of Peugeot. Retrieved 30th Apr '24
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 29.2 29.3 29.4 29.5 29.6 And On That Bombshell: Inside the Madness and Genius of Top Gear where Porter discussed filming the cut footage of the Peugeot boardroom meeting (p.g. 271-276). Retrieved 30th Apr '24
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 30.2 The broadcast version of the Peugeot boardroom scene. Retrieved 30th Apr '24
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