Fifth Gear Europe (partially lost Discovery Channel Europe motoring series; 2009)
The show's title card.
Status: Partially Lost
Fifth Gear Europe was a European television show broadcast throughout 2009 on the European versions of the Discovery Channel, in addition to German television channel DMAX[1], the latter's airings occurring over the Summer of that year. Despite being designed for the European market, it was filmed and broadcast in English, much like its parent show Fifth Gear.
History
Fifth Gear premiered[2] in the UK on Channel 5 in April of 2002. In 2008, after debuting[3] on German television channel DMAX, it was decided[4] that the program was to expand into Mainland Europe in order to compete[5] with the BBC's Top Gear, which had had massive worldwide success, and film crews were spotted[6] by Swedish blogger Soren Fjellstedt in October that year. Presenters Tom Ford and Jonny Smith[7] were retained from the British version of the show and were joined by various automotive journalists from Europe such as Tim Schrick, Frank Jacobs and Anette Latva Piikkilä. Of these, Jacobs would upload segments featuring himself to Youtube in 2015 and feature[8] them on his personal website, although these were later privatized. It would then premiere[9] in the Netherlands on February 21st, 2009.
Episodes
In total, ten episodes of Fifth Gear Europe were produced. In its original airing territory of The Netherlands and later on in Germany, it appears two episodes aired on the same night each week, as the 5th episode had already aired by March 7th, 2009. The show also premiered in Norway on March 28th, 2009.
| Episode | Dutch Airdate | German Airdate | Synopsis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21/02/2009 | 22/07/2009 | Formula Off-Road, Porsche Cayman vs. Audi TT-S, Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupé. | Found |
| 2 | 21/02/2009 | 22/07/2009 | The new VW Golf, ZIL limousine, KTM X-Bow. | Lost |
| 3 | 28/02/2009 | 29/07/2009 | Maserati Quattroporte, Citroen C1, tractor pulling, Bruno Senna. | Found |
| 4 | 28/02/2009 | 29/07/2009 | Citroen Conservatory, Think City electric car, bio-diesel. | Found |
| 5 | 07/03/2009 | 05/08/2009 | Volvo XC60, Citroen C4 off-road toughness test, Paris Motor Show, Fiat 500 Abarth. | Found |
| 6 | Unknown | 05/08/2009 | Infiniti G37, Colorado RS concept car, Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4. | Found |
| 7 | Unknown | 12/08/2009 | Ferrari California, VW Scirocco vs. BMW 125i, Dacia: The new "people's car"? | Found |
| 8 | Unknown | 12/08/2009 | Toyota Landcruisers modified by Arctic Trucks, Alfa Romeo MiTo, Spyker. | Found |
| 9 | Unknown | 19/08/2009 | The new Porsche 911, largest dealership in Europe, Renault Twingo power test, Gallery Aaldering. | Found |
| 10 | Unknown | 19/08/2009 | The new Ford Ka, Rinspeed concept cars, the new Lancia Delta, Abu Dhabi F1 circuit. | Found |
Preservation Status
Fifth Gear Europe appears to have re-aired[10] on DMAX and in the Netherlands[11] on the Dutch Discovery Channel as recently as 2012. Of the 10 episodes, only a handful of clips remain of Fifth Gear Europe. At one point in time, they were available[12] for viewing on Amazon Prime, however, the service has since lost the license to this series. As a result, the show is now considered lost due to its short run, lack of syndication and lack of home video media.
Starting from November 21st, 2023, the official Fifth Gear YouTube channel uploaded the Fifth Gear Europe series onto their channel. With the exception of 1 unpublished episode, namely the 2nd episode, the rest of the episodes have been uploaded online as of February 2024.
Videos
Gallery
Jonny Smith and Tom Ford.
Production still at the Citroen Conservatory.
Jonny Smith stood next to a ZIL limousine.
See Also
Discovery Channel
- Mythbusters (lost unaired segments of Discovery Channel science entertainment series; 2006-2015)
- PitchMen (found Discovery Channel docudrama series; 2009-2011)
- Top Gear (partially found Discovery Channel adaptation of BBC Two motoring series; 2005)
Discovery Kids
- Darcy's Wild Life (found Family Channel/Discovery Kids teen sitcom; 2004-2006)
- Kenny the Shark (partially found live-action Discovery Kids special; 2000)
- Kenny the Shark (partially lost unaired pilots of Discovery Kids animated series; 2001)
- The Paz Show (partially lost TLC/Discovery Kids animated short series; 2003-2006)
Hub Network
- My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic "Spike at your Service" (found early drafts of Hub Network animated fantasy series episode; 2012)
- Family Game Night (found Hub Network game show; 2010-2014)
- The Game of Life (partially lost Hub Network game show; 2011-2012)
Science Channel
References
- ↑ Fernsehserien - Fifth Gear (including Europe spin-off). Retrieved 04 May '20
- ↑ BBC News article on 5th Gear. Retrieved 26 Apr '20
- ↑ Wunschliste - Fifth Gear (including Europe spin-off). Retrieved 04 May '20
- ↑ Discovery Press Web article on Fifth Gear Europe. Retrieved 04 May '20
- ↑ Norwegian "Klikk" news article on Fifth Gear Europe. Retrieved 04 May '20
- ↑ Soren Fjellstedt's blog containing information on Fifth Gear Europe's filming schedule. Retrieved 04 May '20
- ↑ Classique Promotions - Jonny Smith. Retrieved 04 May '20
- ↑ Frank Jacobs' Website - Fifth Gear Europe. Retrieved 04 May '20
- ↑ YouTube - Fifth Gear Europe Trailer. Retrieved 04 May '20
- ↑ Siebenbuerger - Information on Fifth Gear Europe re-airings. Retrieved 04 May '20
- ↑ Krantenbank Zeeland - Scanned TV Guide for the 14th of July, 2012. Retrieved 04 May '20
- ↑ Amazon Prime - Fifth Gear Europe. Retrieved 04 May '20