| 1 | ''Series/TopGear'' is a long-running British [[MagazineShow magazine show]] about automobiles and motoring. This page chiefly concerns the presenters and other characters featured on the show since its 2002 restart. For the hosts of the US version of the show, see Characters/TopGearUS. |
| 2 | |
| 3 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 4 | |
| 5 | [[folder:Current Presenters]] |
| 6 | |
| 7 | !!Chris Harris |
| 8 | A motor journalist and race car driver. He first specialized in handling the show's hypercar segments before expanding to more "regular" cars. He also now trains celebrity guests for the "Star in a Reasonably Fast Car" feature. As of Series 27, he succeeds Matt [=LeBlanc=] as lead presenter. |
| 9 | ---- |
| 10 | * ButtMonkey: In Series 27, despite being the lead presenter, he's often the one most likely to be the butt of the joke, oftentimes from his colleagues Paddy and Freddie. However, it should be noted that Chris is just as likely to jump on any opportunity to embarrass his colleagues. |
| 11 | * GoshDangItToHeck: Tries his best not to swear on camera, compared to his looser-mouthed colleagues, though he does swear lightly when unexpected things happen. |
| 12 | * InsufferableGenius: He knows a lot about cars and loves showing off his pedantic knowledge, especially if it means getting to correct somebody. |
| 13 | * MotorMouth: His consumer advice segments involve him rattling off information about more than a dozen cars in the space of a few minutes. |
| 14 | * TheNapoleon: Being a PintSizedPowerhouse, he was the shortest presenter by at least half a head during his tenure compared to his colleagues. However, he arguably is the most accomplished and skilled driver among all main presenters in the history of the show, being a regular podium contender in professional endurance races. |
| 15 | * SternTeacher: In the early episodes of Series 24, he would constantly berate the celebrities he was coaching for their timed laps around the test track. Then Tamsin Greig, using her best mom voice, passive-aggressively told him to cut it out and he subsequently became much nicer for the rest of the series. |
| 16 | * TheSmartGuy: Among the Series 27 trio, he's the one most well versed in cars, and generally handles the car reviews as a result. |
| 17 | * UpperClassTwit: Paddy and Freddie paint him as this after discovering he banks at Coutts[[note]]which requires individuals to have at least £1,000,000 in investable assets to even be considered ''prospective'' clients[[/note]]. |
| 18 | |
| 19 | !![=Paddy McGuinness=] |
| 20 | Most well-known for presenting ITV's Series/TakeMeOut, he first presented the show in Season 27. Shares the lead presenter role with Harris during some of the feature segments. |
| 21 | ---- |
| 22 | * CharacterCatchphrase: "It's a prototype!" Said when one of his colleagues disparages one of his automotive creations or drives it roughly. |
| 23 | * ClusterFBomb: The person most likely to regularly and consecutively swears on camera, even for seemingly minor things. It's doubtful whether it's an artistic choice or a regular real habit, though. |
| 24 | * CrazyEnoughToWork: When trying to figure out how an ice-cream van could stay in business during the winter, he comes upon the idea of converting a soft-serve machine to dispense ''hot mashed potato''! He serves this in an ice-cream cone garnished with gravy, peas, and sausage, and Chris finds the combination unusual, but delciious. |
| 25 | * DickDastardlyStopsToCheat: He's the presenter most likely to cheat to win challenges, such as cutting across the grass on a track to shave seconds off his lap time. |
| 26 | * HypocriticalHumour: He makes the occasional bald joke, only for the camera to zoom in and show that the hair at the top of his head is visibly thinning. |
| 27 | * InsistentTerminology: He insists that he's a Lancastrian because he prefers to associate his hometown of Bolton with its traditional links to Lancashire. Freddie needles Paddy by insisting he's a Manc due to Bolton now being in Greater Manchester. |
| 28 | * OnceASeason: In each series he's presented, he's surprised the others with a "prototype" vehicle that they must put through its paces, to varying degrees of success. |
| 29 | * OopNorth: Has a thick northern accent, to the point where Harris even poked fun at it. To casual viewers who may not be familiar with this accent, it may be difficult to follow what he's saying, especially when he's talking quickly. |
| 30 | |
| 31 | |
| 32 | !!Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff |
| 33 | A former professional cricketer and former English national captain, who retired in 2010. Like [=McGuinness=], he started presenting the show in Season 27. |
| 34 | ---- |
| 35 | * TheBigGuy: The tallest and most muscular of the current trio of presenters, as well as the most casually athletic (though he's admitted to be out of shape, compared to his younger years). |
| 36 | * ConspicuousConsumption: The first car he ever bought was a [[CoolCar Porsche Boxster]][[note]]He'd turned pro at a young age and was provided cars by sponsors soon after he got his licence. By the time he got around to actually buying a car for himself, he was making good money and could afford to indulge in boyish enthusiasms like a fast car[[/note]]. |
| 37 | * DoNotCallMePaul: When Chris addresses him by his given name, he immediately says that people can only address him as "Freddie" until he gives permission for them to address him as "Andrew". Incidentally, he's called "Freddie Flintoff" in the credits and all BBC publicity material. |
| 38 | * DumbMuscle: Is sometimes portrayed as this, especially because of his (relatively) lacking formal education when compared to his fellow presenters. He's also the physically strongest presenter, perhaps even in Top Gear history. |
| 39 | * ExtremeOmnivore: When in South America, he cheerfully tucks into a roast Guinea Pig, saying that he's willing to try most things once. Paddy is disgusted at the idea of eating Guinea Pig while Chris refuses to eat his because doing so would anger his daughter, who own two as pets. |
| 40 | * ImplacableMan: Paddy describes Freddie as having the "resting heart rate of a blue whale". Most obviously seen in Season 27, Episode 2: He barely flinched when subjected to ''constant electric shocks'', when his fellow presenters either physically locks up, screams, or both in the featured challenge. In Episode 1, he endured sweltering hot and humid conditions ''in Africa, with a full-knit sweater'' quite well, when Harris nearly fainted from heatstroke multiple times when attempting the same feat. |
| 41 | * InSeriesNickname: Chris has a tendency to call him "[[Characters/TheAddamsFamily Lurch]]". |
| 42 | * LoopholeAbuse: While on a trip to Africa, he was forced to wear a heavy wool sweater after losing a challenge. Suffering from the extreme heat, he realized that the forfeit only required him to wear the sweater but that there was nothing stopping him from taking off his trousers. |
| 43 | * OopNorth: Not quite to the extent of Paddy [=McGuinness=], but he has quite a pronounced accent that Chris Harris has commented on. |
| 44 | |
| 45 | !!The Stig |
| 46 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/stigsit_5012.jpg]] |
| 47 | [[caption-width-right:300:His driving speaks for [[strike:itself]] himself.]] |
| 48 | |
| 49 | The show's "tame racing driver," who is never seen without his racing coveralls, gloves, and (face-concealing) helmet. He is [[TheVoiceless never heard speaking,]] though [[HeWhoMustNotBeHeard we occasionally hear about]] the driving advice he gives off camera. Has a variety of local cousins in the various locations the ''Top Gear'' team visits. Some say that he sleeps inside out, and that he once had phone sex with Creator/RussellBrand's answering machine... all we know is, he's called The Stig. |
| 50 | |
| 51 | There have been three Stigs since the show's inception. The first Stig, Black Suit Stig (Perry [=McCarthy=], 2002-2003) [[DroppedABridgeOnHim was written out of the show]] after the BBC did not renew [=McCarthy=]'s contract. The first White Stig (Ben Collins, 2003-2010) was sacked for publicly revealing his identity in his autobiography [[note]]Although his identity was actually a well-known "secret" within the industry to the point where the book was a mere formality.[[/note]] |
| 52 | ---- |
| 53 | !!Some say ... that these tropes are about the Stig |
| 54 | * AlwaysChaoticEvil: The Chinese Stig enjoys randomly attacking people, especially favouring the occasionally GroinAttack on whoever is nearest to him. He even stopped mid-lap to get out of the car and attack the camera man. |
| 55 | * BadassAdorable: Between the Stig Farm, [[spoiler: The Baby Jesus Stig,]] and his complete incomprehension of anything not car-related, The Stig is just... ''d'awww.'' |
| 56 | * BadassArmFold: His default posture when not behind the wheel. For the Race Across London in series 10 he's wheeled to the starting point on a Franchise/HannibalLecter-style guerney so he won't have to break his pose. |
| 57 | * BadassDriver: Currently provides the page quote. |
| 58 | * BizarreAlienBiology: There's a great deal of rumour about the Stig's biology. All that's quite clear is that he isn't entirely human. |
| 59 | * BloodKnight: His Chinese cousin, a.k.a Attack Stig. Jeremy even says that his favourite activity is attacking people. |
| 60 | * BuffySpeak: Due to his belief that all vehicles are cars, he refers to trains as "Big Underground Cars". |
| 61 | * BunnyEarsLawyer: In a car, he's one of the best drivers many people have heard of. Outside of one, he gets distracted by cat pictures, browses books by dropping them on the floor one by one, and has little idea what to do at a crosswalk. |
| 62 | * CloudCuckoolander: Many of the things said about him imply this. |
| 63 | * EnsembleDarkhorse: Invoked by the producers, as no one expected the Stig to be as popular as he became. |
| 64 | * [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep Everyone Calls Him The Stig]] |
| 65 | * FunWithAcronyms: Stig can be read as "Stunt Technician In Gear" or "Speeding Turn Is Great". |
| 66 | * TheFaceless |
| 67 | * FishOutOfWater: When he's not behind the wheel, Stiggy becomes this, often with humorous results. |
| 68 | * GeniusDitz: He's good at driving, but thinks of every other vehicle as a car (utterly bemused as to how to get on a bicycle). |
| 69 | * GroinAttack: The SignatureMove of Chinese Attack Stig. |
| 70 | * HeWhoMustNotBeHeard: Never speaks on camera, although the presenters occasionally report comments that he's made off-camera about the cars he's driven. He also speaks to the celebrity guests while coaching them for SIARPC. |
| 71 | * HumanoidAbomination: Very possibly, given his BlueAndOrangeMorality and the fact he never reveals his face. |
| 72 | * ImAHumanitarian: During the 2008 National Television Awards, The Stig is the only one available to collect the award -- along with a note advising to keep him away from the cast of ''Series/CoronationStreet'', as "he's decided that all Northerners are edible". |
| 73 | * InexplicablyIdenticalIndividuals: His many cousins. Most of them tend to be rather unflattering stereotypes. |
| 74 | ** "Some say that he's a CIA experiment that went wrong, and that he only eats cheese... all we know is, he's not the Stig, but he is the Stig's American cousin!" [[note]]An extremely fat and portly Stig who lives in a trailer and was irreverently called "Big Stig" by Hammond.[[/note]] |
| 75 | ** "Some say he's seen The Lion King 1780 times, and that his second best friend is a cape buffalo... all we know is, he's not the Stig, but he is the Stig's African cousin!" [[note]]A surprisingly [[GoingNative under-dressed]] Stig, with dark skin, wearing just Puma racing boots, a loincloth, white racing gloves and the iconic white helmet.[[/note]] |
| 76 | ** "Some say his favourite ever song is 'Forever Autumn' by Justin Hayward, and that he has the world's largest collection of pornographical material. All we know is, he's not The Stig, but he is The Stig's lorry-driving cousin!" [[note]]"Rig Stig", who has somehow managed to get most of his right jumpsuit sleeve ''sunburned'' (or perhaps the fabric got sun bleached) by hanging it out of the lorry windows he drives too often.[[/note]] |
| 77 | ** "He's not the Stig, but he is the Stig's [[GranolaGirl vegetarian cousin!]]" [[note]]Nicknamed "Janet Stig Porter", a green-suited hippie, with overalls, Birkenstock sandals with socks and a solar-powered helmet, who unfortunately died of asphyxiation when his ergonomic car filled with exhaust due to poor ventilation. [[/note]] |
| 78 | ** "He's not the Stig, he's the Stig's [[SeventiesHair German cousin!]]" [[note]]A Stig who has a mullet flowing out of his helmet, nicknamed "Herr Stig" and "Stiggy Ray Cyrus".[[/note]] |
| 79 | ** A Communist Stig also appeared in the extended version of the Communist Cars Challenge on the DVD and in the DirectorsCut of the Vietnam Episode. [[note]]A [[VisualPun red]] Stig.[[/note]] |
| 80 | ** "He's not the Stig, but he is the Stig's [[TheCasanova Italian cousin!]] [[note]]A cousin [[BadassInANiceSuit in a nice suit]], with a luxury tour bus and an entourage of sexy ladies. nicknamed "Bunga Bunga Stig" for his smart dress sense and charm with the women.[[/note]] |
| 81 | ** "Some say he's the Stig, but he's not. He's the Stig's [[AllAsiansKnowMartialArts Chinese cousin!]]" [[note]] A ''very'' gung-ho cousin who is known as "Attack Stig" for attacking everything that moves. And he '''will''' [[GroinAttack aim for the plums.]][[/note]] |
| 82 | ** "Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome... the Stig's [[OopNorth Yorkshire cousin!]]" [[note]]"T'Stig", a Stig who wears a flat cap and walks two dogs on a leash.[[/note]] |
| 83 | ** There's also a female with a Stig helmet on shown when the actual Stig is vacationing during an episode filmed in Spain. Whether or not this is another Stig or just a woman trying to flirt with him is debatable. |
| 84 | ** The Stig has a teenage cousin, too. [[note]]A Stig who is insanely obsessed with his smartphone, listening to Main/{{Dubstep}} (which he can somehow hear through a set of red headphones sitting atop his helmet) and texting to the point he's totally zoned out of reality and pacing around in circles.[[/note]] |
| 85 | ** The Stig even has a digital cousin. [[note]]A digitized Stig formed out of data bits that tends to flicker all the time and needs to be downloaded into the real world, but can also choose to teleport back into the virtual world. He resides in the Platform/XboxONE game ''[[VideoGame/ForzaMotorsport Forza Motorsport 5]]''.[[/note]] |
| 86 | ** Apparently, there is a Stig farm where Stigs are raised in the event ''Top Gear'' needs a replacement Stig. They come in many colours such as yellow and neon pink, and essentially behave like cattle down to the point they are kept in a pen and when let out, graze like cows. |
| 87 | ** Comes full circle with "Some say he's the Stig's Alpine cousin, but he's not--he's just the Stig!" |
| 88 | * LegacyCharacter: The first (black-suited) Stig was taken office by a second white-clad iteration of The Stig, who in turn was replaced by a third incarnation also dressed in white. |
| 89 | * LittleKnownFacts: Some say that this trope comes up before the presenters mention his name. |
| 90 | * LogicBomb: Clarkson and Hammond joke that when the car comes in ''last'' place during the London Rush Hour challenge, the Stig's speechlessness is because his entire mind has just imploded and behind his helmet, smoke is pouring from his ears. |
| 91 | * MadeOfIron: The Stig's car randomly exploded because the car he was in had a noted defect of randomly exploding. He [[UnflinchingWalk walked away.]] |
| 92 | * MessianicArchetype: Parodied in the Middle East Special, where the presenters discover a Baby Stig born in a manger. |
| 93 | * MemeticBadass: In-universe. Jeremy does little "facts" about him before every Stig lap. |
| 94 | * {{Nephewism}}: His counterparts are always his cousins. |
| 95 | * NervesOfSteel: He is shown ''sleeping'' while riding on Blackpool's infamous "Big One" rollercoaster. |
| 96 | * NoNameGiven |
| 97 | * PhraseCatcher: The introductions. |
| 98 | -->'''Clarkson/[=LeBlanc=]:''' Some say that he ''[something improbable]'', and that he/his ''[something equally improbable if not more so, often RippedFromTheHeadlines]''. All we know is, he's called The Stig. |
| 99 | * RealMenWearPink: The Pink Stig, who is implied to be rather [[CampGay camp]]. |
| 100 | * RedBaron |
| 101 | * SecretIdentity: While the previous Stigs have revealed themselves, they've only done so concurrent to being dropped from the show, so the active Stig's identity will always remain a mystery (until ''he's'' dropped as well, presumably). |
| 102 | * ShroudedInMyth |
| 103 | * SpellMyNameWithAThe: To quote Clarkson, "Some say that his first name really is "the"." |
| 104 | * TheOtherDarrin: The Black Stig was replaced by the White Stig, who was replaced by the Third Stig. |
| 105 | * TheNthDoctor: The other potential Stigs in the Stig-Farm. |
| 106 | * TheStoic |
| 107 | * TheVoiceless |
| 108 | * UniversalDriversLicence: Subverted, as the Stig believes ''everything'' should be driven like a car. He's easily confused by things that aren't cars, such as bicycles, the "Big Red Car" (a Bus) and the "Underground Car" (a tube Train) from the London Rush Hour challenge. |
| 109 | |
| 110 | !!!Third Stig |
| 111 | * PlotRelevantAgeUp: Third Stig aged from a baby to an adult in the matter of a month. The rapid aging is explained by Jeremy that all Stigs grow very quickly. |
| 112 | * SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: The Third Stig, is pretty much the White Stig with different shoes and black shoulder patches. Justified in that if he was a different colour, they'd have had to change all the White Stig's merchandise. |
| 113 | [[/folder]] |
| 114 | |
| 115 | [[folder:Former Presenters]] |
| 116 | |
| 117 | !!Creator/MattLeBlanc (2016 - 2018) |
| 118 | Many people were surprised when the [[Series/{{Friends}} former Joey Tribbiani]] was announced as one of the main presenters of the new ''Top Gear'' since he's had no TV hosting experience and is an ''American'' to boot (not to mention a well-known motorcycle aficionado). Nevertheless, he easily stepped into the role and quickly established himself as a highly popular presenter, leading to the BBC locking him into a multi-year contract. After Series 25, he announced that Series 26 would be his last as lead presenter. |
| 119 | ---- |
| 120 | * BadassBiker: He's a huge motorcycle fan in real life and enjoys racing them and tinkering with their mechanics. When racing to Venice against Sabine and Chris, he chose a Honda Goldwing touring bike, and took a Ducati 1299 Superleggera against Chris in the Bugatti Chiron. |
| 121 | * BadassDriver: [=LeBlanc's=] first introduction on ''Top Gear'' was his turn as the Star in a Reasonably Priced Car, during which he posted a lap time of 1:42.1, which ended up being the fastest time by ''any'' star in ''any'' of the Reasonably Priced Cars during the Clarkson/Hammond/May run of ''Top Gear'' (even the Formula 1 drivers never matched that time, although they ran their laps in the less-powerful Suzuki Liana instead of the Kia Cee'd that [=LeBlanc=] used to post his record time). |
| 122 | * BorrowedCatchphrase: He took over introducing The Stig for power laps, keeping Clarkson's format of two non-sequitors and "All we know is... he's called: The Stig!" |
| 123 | * DeadpanSnarker: In a twist on national stereotypes, he, the American, has the most understated sense of humour whereas his British and German colleagues are much more animated. |
| 124 | |
| 125 | !!Rory Reid (2016 - 2018) |
| 126 | A motor journalist who, alongside Matt [=LeBlanc=], handles the show's more "normal" reviews, particularly those about cars that the average viewer could actually afford to purchase. |
| 127 | ---- |
| 128 | |
| 129 | * DemotedToExtra: In the shakeup that occurred after Matt [=LeBlanc=]'s departure, Rory was transferred to the online-only ''Extra Gear'' which was eventually cancelled entirely. |
| 130 | |
| 131 | |
| 132 | !!Sabine Schmitz (2016 - 2021) |
| 133 | A German race-car driver best known as a caretaker for the famous Nürburgring race-track that surrounds her hometown of Adenau. She first appeared on ''Top Gear'' in 2004, where she taught Jeremy Clarkson how to drive around the track, greatly impressing him with her knowledge, brash attitude and humour. Famously, she drove so fast in the Jaguar that he had brought with him that the film crew had a tough time keeping up with her -- and she had never driven that car before. She appeared on the show several more times over the years, and her name had long been kicked around as a potential regular contributor because of her popularity with the hosts and audience. When she was announced as a co-host, she was arguably the least controversial choice of them all. |
| 134 | |
| 135 | Sabine sadly passed away on March 17th, 2021 after a battle with cancer. |
| 136 | ---- |
| 137 | * TheAce: ''The'' fastest presenter on Top Gear UK, bar none. |
| 138 | * BadassDriver: To the point where she had her own, ''Top Gear''-esque show for a while in Germany called ''D-Motor'', which was largely an excuse for her to drive cool cars extremely fast. |
| 139 | ** In one notable incident, she drove so fast and hard that a US Navy TOPGUN instructor (who flies high-performance fighters for a living) sitting in her passenger seat had to ask her to stop so he could be sick. |
| 140 | * BadassBoast: On her first time on the show, and after Clarkson did a 9:59 around the Nürburgring Nordschleife in a diesel Jaguar, Schmitz declared "I do that lap time in a ''van''!" When given the chance she failed but was so close that she didn't harm her reputation as a BadassDriver; He did a 9:59, while she did a 10:08 (again, in a ''van''. Around the ''Nürburgring''.) Her time in the diesel Jaguar? 9:''12''. |
| 141 | * DeadpanSnarker: Quite famously out-snarked Clarkson in her first appearance. |
| 142 | |
| 143 | |
| 144 | !!Eddie Jordan |
| 145 | A former race team operator and ''Top Gear'''s resident crazy uncle. He is a semi-regular presenter who usually comes on to take a coach[=/=]mentor role in races between presenters. |
| 146 | ---- |
| 147 | * BewareTheSillyOnes: He normally comes across as friendly and quaint with a tendency to ramble at length, but he is all business when it comes to racing and can be downright terrifying when chewing someone out for not following his instructions. |
| 148 | * DrivesLikeCrazy: He had to be barred from driving during a race in Africa when it became apparent that his unfamiliarity with the car he was driving made him a liability. |
| 149 | |
| 150 | !!The original Clarkson/Hammond/May trio, collectively |
| 151 | [[quoteright:288:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/TopGear-FerrariCalifornia11x04_4479.jpg]] |
| 152 | * AnimalMotifs: They have particular animals they're often called or compared to: Clarkson is an orangutan due to his brutishness and often DumbMuscle tendencies, May is a spaniel because of his long wavy hair, and Hammond is a hamster because of his size and as a play on his name. |
| 153 | * BigGuyLittleGuy: Clarkson and Hammond. |
| 154 | * TheBusCameBack: The trio returned for "A Tribute to Sabine Schmitz" at the end of Series 30 to reminisce and look back on her. |
| 155 | * CharacterCatchphrase: When something goes wrong for one of the guys: |
| 156 | -->'''Presenter (VO):''' Still, could be worse. ''[cue GilliganCut to one of the other presenters in an even worse situation]'' |
| 157 | * CharacterDevelopment: Over the course of 12 seasons, Clarkson became sharper on some issues and mellower on others; Hammond became slightly less reckless; and May became bolder, freer, and faster. |
| 158 | * ComicTrio: Generally, Jeremy's the scheming one, Richard the clueless one, and James the one going along with everything. However, they have been known to switch up roles occasionally. |
| 159 | * FireForgedFriends: Occasionally, in more than one road trip special. |
| 160 | * {{Flanderization}}: Early on around season 4 all three of them noticeably started exaggerating and playing up aspects of their personalities, pretending to be stupider than they really were (along with some amazing deadpan delivery of ridiculous hyperbole and allegories). This increased as time went on and they added new quirks and idiosyncrasies to their personnae. More than a decade after the show started, their in-character personalities are similar but decidedly more outrageous when compared to the RealLife ones they are based on e.g. Jeremy Clarkson is ''not'' actually as arrogant and insufferable as he seems on [=TV=] but he is still highly opinionated and sharply cynical. |
| 161 | * FreudianTrio: |
| 162 | ** Clarkson: Id |
| 163 | ** Hammond: Ego |
| 164 | ** May: Superego |
| 165 | * HeterosexualLifePartners: With a good dash of HoYay that they frequently spoof, such as this gem from their caravan holiday; |
| 166 | -->'''May:''' I like it, it's romantic.\ |
| 167 | '''Hammond:''' ''Don't say things like that!'' I'm in the same bed as you! |
| 168 | * HiddenHeartOfGold: All three of them play up the JerkAss angle. In RealLife behind the scenes, however, they're a bit different. |
| 169 | * InSeriesNickname: |
| 170 | ** Jezza, Hamster, and Captain Slow; names which have been eagerly adopted by the fanbase. Clarkson has also called May 'Slow' and 'Captain Horrid' and has referred to Hammond as 'Teeth' and 'Officer Barbie'. |
| 171 | ** May has taken to calling Hammond and Clarkson "Pinky" and "Perky", respectively. Clarkson on his own, particularly if mechanical work is being undertaken is "the Orang Utan". |
| 172 | * {{Jerkass}}: Mostly Clarkson, but all three presenters have their moments from time to time. A favourite trick is for two of them to sabotage the efforts of the third during challenges. |
| 173 | * {{Manchild}}: If there is an immature joke to be made, a prank to be played, or a simple activity to keep them happy (such as "demolish caravans"), they will be all over it. |
| 174 | * OddCouple: Clarkson (brash and out-going) and May (quiet and sensible). |
| 175 | * OneHeadTaller: Clarkson (6'5") and Hammond (5'7"). |
| 176 | * TeethClenchedTeamwork |
| 177 | * TrueCompanions: Clarkson did not get his contract renewed after punching a producer. The other two were offered huge salaries by the BBC to continue without him, but quit instead. The three, along with producer Andy Wilman, ended up moving to [[Creator/PrimeVideo Amazon]] and making a [[invoked]]CreatorDrivenSuccessor, ''Series/TheGrandTour''. Perhaps May said it the best: |
| 178 | -->'''May:''' Much as I think he's a knob, I quite like working with Jeremy. |
| 179 | * UniversalDriversLicence: Although occasionally subverted when the challenge is purposefully something they'll have trouble with, such as Jeremy's dislike of motorcycles/scooters in the ''Vietnam Special''. |
| 180 | ** Can also crop up accidentally such as during the Plane vs Bugatti challenge, when much to Hammond's annoyance, James is forced to land the plane at dusk because he'd not (at the time) completed the test to allow him to fly ''at night''. |
| 181 | * VitriolicBestBuds: They will happily pull nasty pranks and laugh uproariously when terrible things happen to their co-presenters... although this tends to stop abruptly if one of them gets genuinely hurt [=and/or=] when RealLife problems crop up and they drop the fooling around. However, expect them to tease the person injured after the fact when he is fully recovered (with the exception of Hammond's accident, which was too serious for anything more than a few jokes by Jeremy about brakes to lighten the mood and became off-limits after Hammond made it clear that that's what he wanted). |
| 182 | |
| 183 | |
| 184 | !!Creator/JeremyClarkson (1988–99, 2002-15) |
| 185 | [[quoteright:267:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/TopGear-ClarksonKoenigseggisseggggnignigsegigisegggg_7533.jpg]][[caption-width-right:267:Even Clarkson can feel fear in a [[CoolCar Koenigsegg]][[OverlyLongGag isseggggnigisegggg]].]] |
| 186 | |
| 187 | The leader of the central trio: the oldest, tallest, and most [[GrumpyOldMan obstreperous]]. He tends to be very vocal in his dislikes and self-confident to the point of arrogance. Also physically the most fragile. Given his choice of cars (and most everything else, really) he prefers sheer raw power (preferably with the noise to go with), then control, and then speed. He is also the most likely to get into hot water for his on-air remarks, the number of which is too large to get into here. When all is said and done, however, the man is genuinely passionate in his admiration of and respect for good engineering, and not just automotive engineering, he's known for being an all-round technophile, possibly because he's not that skilled at designing something from scratch, and therefore recognizes how hard it really is to do. |
| 188 | |
| 189 | Clarkson, who had become a celebrity in Britain for co-presenting the original format of ''Top Gear'' from 1988 to 1999, was the one responsible for successfully pitching the 2002 revival of the show to the BBC. He also writes a weekly column for ''[[PageThreeStunna The Sun]]'', does the occasional one-off documentary, and is a semi-regular on several panel shows such as ''Series/{{QI}}'' and ''Series/HaveIGotNewsForYou''. |
| 190 | |
| 191 | His contract was terminated in March 2015, after a fracas with a producer (involving punching said producer in the face). |
| 192 | ---- |
| 193 | * AlwaysWantedToSayThat: "Back to the studio". The first time he tries saying it, May cuts in. He's luckily able to get it out before Hammond (who had just put out the splitter fire) can. |
| 194 | * ATeamFiring: Perfectly summed up by May: |
| 195 | -->'''May:''' The great thing about Jeremy's shooting is that you are perfectly safe just as long as you stand right in front of the target. |
| 196 | * AttentionDeficitOohShiny: He has been known to abuse this trope as a way of trying to dodge admitting to having lost an argument, such as exclaiming JESUS IS HERE! and drawing attention to a male member of the audience with long brown hair (and optionally a beard) during News segments. |
| 197 | * BerserkButton: Even when he knows he is doing an economy run and he can't race, overtaking him is a bad idea. |
| 198 | -->'''Clarkson:''' I don't like being overtaken, its a sign of ''weakness''! Let's get him! |
| 199 | ** Praising the Porsche 911 will cause Jeremy to lash out against the other presenters. |
| 200 | * TheBigGuy: His height, an impressive 196cm (6'6" if you're American) is the frequent butt of jokes, and he often winds up getting stuck with the small cars for comedic purposes. |
| 201 | * BoomerangBigot: He dislikes Americans, despite the fact that his definition of "American" largely fits himself as well. It's also worth pointing out that whenever he goes to America, he usually manages to enjoy himself quite thoroughly. |
| 202 | * BriefAccentImitation: Generally of Americans or of Hammond. |
| 203 | * TheCaptain: The unofficial leader of the three. The visiting Germans from ''D-Motor'' referred to him as "''Top Gear'' Boss." |
| 204 | * CharacterCatchphrase: |
| 205 | ** "How hard can it be?", |
| 206 | ** "... and on that bombshell...", |
| 207 | ** "'''''POWERRRRRRRRRRR!'''''" |
| 208 | ** "... in the ''world''." |
| 209 | ** "... but that's exactly what they're ''expecting'' us to do." |
| 210 | ** "Has anybody got a [[TheAllSolvingHammer hammer]]?" |
| 211 | ** Referring to people from UsefulNotes/{{Norway}} as "Nors". |
| 212 | ** "Let's not get bogged down with X", where X is either an argument he's losing or some calamity he caused |
| 213 | * CausticCritic: Clarkson pulls no punches when it comes to cars (or anything) he reviews, and will call vehicles out on things he finds wrong. He's angered quite a few car companies this way. |
| 214 | * CrazyIsCool: Invoked by (and about) Clarkson frequently, who does things simply because he ''[[RefugeInAudacity can]]''. |
| 215 | * DeadpanSnarker: He's particularly good at delivering patently ridiculous lines in a serious, authoritative tone, which is probably why he's almost always the one to recite the bizzare Stig facts. |
| 216 | * DramaticPause: Practically tied with William Shatner as the living personification of this trope. |
| 217 | * EpicFail: While all the presenters have their shares of failures, in any challenge it is all but guaranteed that what ever Jeremy comes up with either crash, break down, not start, or get [[IncendiaryExponent set on fire]]. Or possibly set itself on fire. |
| 218 | * EveryoneHasStandards: Jeremy will take the piss out of anything and everything he can. With the ''exception'' of Hammond's accident, which was too serious for anything more than a few jokes by Jeremy about brakes to lighten the mood and became off-limits after Hammond made it clear that that's what he wanted. |
| 219 | * ExtremeOmnivore: If there's weird food to eat in one of their foreign road trips, expect both Jeremy and James to eat it and ''thoroughly enjoy it.'' |
| 220 | * FatBastard: Invoked. After he insults some football fans during half-time, the entire stadium (''both'' home and vistor sections) starts chanting "You fat bastard!" |
| 221 | * HairTriggerTemper: A lot of things, ranging from James May's obsession with organizing things to something refusing to work, will set him off. Ultimately, this led to his dismissal when he punched a producer after finding out that the restaurant of the hotel he was staying it did not serve steak. |
| 222 | * HatesEveryoneEqually: One of the saving graces of the horrible things that he says about various groups is that he says horrible things about pretty much ''everyone''. Except for Vietnam. |
| 223 | * HiddenDepths: Clarkson is a bird watcher which is sometimes mentioned in the series. During foreign road trips he can sometimes be seen watching birds. During the Botswana special, the team stops to observe the wildlife and he identifies a bird and ''marks it down in a field guide''. He also mentions his interest in bird watching in [[http://www.topgear.com/uk/jeremy-clarkson/jeremy-clarkson-top-gear-column-environment-2011-09-15 this article]] about cars and the environment. |
| 224 | -->'''Clarkson:''' I want to talk about magpies...\ |
| 225 | '''Hammond:''' This is a ''car'' show, Jeremy! |
| 226 | * HoistByHisOwnPetard: On occasion, Clarkson's fondness for power can override any other concerns about a vehicle, meaning, as in the case of one of the races, he might choose a car with great power, but awful fuel-economy. |
| 227 | * {{Hypocrite}}: Frequently so. Jeremy is prone to making one argument about a car and then changing it after, pretending he never made his initial argument. It also applies in general. However, unlike most examples, his frequent hypocrisy is PlayedForLaughs. |
| 228 | * IdiotBall: He was repeatedly told by BBC executives to change his attitude, or he'd be sacked. He didn't listen and indeed [[RoleEndingMisdemeanor did not have his contract renewed in March 2015 after punching a producer.]] |
| 229 | * IncomingHam: Often Jeremy will be [[NoIndoorVoice heard]] long before he's seen. |
| 230 | * InsaneTrollLogic: often comes up with theories and conclusions that make ''absolutely'' no sense. E.g. Hammond has a passion for the Porsche 911 so he wants to sleep with David Attenborough. And that's ''sensible'' for Jeremy. |
| 231 | * InSeriesNickname: "Jezza" and "The Orangutan." |
| 232 | * InsufferableGenius: He knows a lot about cars, and won't hesitate to tell you so. |
| 233 | * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He sent Hammond's wife humorous texts every day for the five weeks that Hammond was hospitalized after his crash in order to keep her spirits up. |
| 234 | * LargeHam: Loud voice, dramatic gestures, overemphasis on certain words, and larger-than-life analogies. "Subtle" is definitely not a word used to describe Clarkson. |
| 235 | * LethalChef: |
| 236 | ** His [[GargleBlaster V8 Smoothie]] gave even [[ExtremeOmnivore James May]] pause. Ingredients included a few pounds of raw beef, bovril, and a brick. |
| 237 | --->'''James:''' I've got the name for it: the ''Bloody Awful.'' |
| 238 | ** There was also the time he tried to see if an engine could cook a dish, and presented it to Gordon Ramsey. |
| 239 | ** In [=S20E3=], in Spain, he's cooking dinner while they talk about their cars. |
| 240 | --->'''Hammond:''' Would it interfere with this debate if I were suddenly and violently sick? |
| 241 | * MadScientist: |
| 242 | ** Some of his inventions include the V8 Blender, the V8 Rocking Chair, and the [[TheAllegedCar "Hammerhead Eagle-i Thrust"]]. |
| 243 | ** He once treated a remote controlled high powered ex-military minesweeper as if it was ''a dog''. |
| 244 | * MovingTheGoalposts: Jeremy is a SoreLoser in the event that one of his co-presenters try to outmatch him. He always makes sure to apply specifications to a certain challenge to make sure he can get out of accepting his loss and have the advantage over his opponent, which is equivocal to cheating. |
| 245 | * NoIndoorVoice: you can hear him a mile off. Shouting. |
| 246 | * ObfuscatingStupidity: Will play up his TV persona and act incredibly stupid for a laugh (he will often say absolutely outrageous things for the sake of entertainment, and for those who aren't in on the joke he will say things just to see how far people will believe what he's saying). He is far more intelligent than he acts, and will own up to playing the idiot when questioned seriously. |
| 247 | * OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Very hesitantly admitted that one Porsche could do with a bit ''less'' power. |
| 248 | * PercussiveMaintenance: Thinks a hammer is the only tool you will ever need. |
| 249 | ** Unless you're gardening, in which case the tool is a shotgun. |
| 250 | * RefugeInAudacity: Constantly makes ridiculous and insulting pronouncements and revels in too-soon humour. This has gotten him and the show into trouble on numerous occasions. |
| 251 | * SmugSnake: Clarkson believes his plans will work purely on the principle that he says they will work. |
| 252 | ** When they (inevitably) fail, he ''will'' insist that it's NeverMyFault |
| 253 | * TalksLikeASimile: Every other sentence of a review from Clarkson will have him compare an aspect of a car to something. Often, the connections and analogies run from "barely there" to "absolutely ridiculous." |
| 254 | * TimTaylorTechnology: Devoted to the principle that power is good and more power is even better. |
| 255 | ** Surprisingly, [[AvertedTrope averted]] when he reviewed the Ford Fiesta. |
| 256 | --->'''Jezza:''' The baddies have made the ''classic'' baddie error, he's got ''too'' much power! I've got 120 horsepower in this. You don't want any more than that [[ItMakesSenseInContext on marble]]. |
| 257 | * VerbalTic: He frequently uses the wrong form of "a" or "an" for emphasis. |
| 258 | |
| 259 | !!Creator/RichardHammond (2002-2015) |
| 260 | [[quoteright:270:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/TopGear-hammondteethcrop_659.png]][[caption-width-right:270:Those teeth ''are'' a fairly bright white, actually.]] |
| 261 | |
| 262 | The second in command: the youngest, shortest, and second-most obstreperous -- and generally agreed to be the easiest on the eyes. [[note]]He has often been noted for his similarity in appearance to both Music/{{Muse}}'s Matt Bellamy, Creator/DavidTennant and [[Creator/LaurelAndHardy Stan Laurel]] [[/note]] Described by the others as the toughest physically but the most fragile emotionally. Tends to be chatty and moody. Given his choice, he generally wants a fast, powerful car, especially those made by Pagani & Porsche but the love of his life is a 1963 Opel Kadett with under 50 hp. Known affectionately as "Hamster" for his size, chattiness and willingness to engage in risky stunts. Hammond is so willing to engage in risky stunts that in September 2006, he suffered a near-fatal brain injury after crashing at [=288.3mph/464.0km/h=] during a test of a jet-powered car. Thankfully, he made a full recovery. |
| 263 | |
| 264 | He's [[HeAlsoDid also the host of the series]] ''Series/BlastLab'', ''Total Wipeout'' and, formerly, ''Series/BrainiacScienceAbuse''. He also has his own BBC America series, ''Richard Hammond's Crash Course''. |
| 265 | |
| 266 | After Clarkson was released from the series, Hammond made the decision to depart alongside his co-presenters, saying on Twitter he was "not about to quit his mates." |
| 267 | ---- |
| 268 | * {{Angrish}}: Get him flustered or angry enough and he ''will'' lose the ability to speak coherently. The India Special also reveals that, if trapped in a queue too long, Hammond begins to swear compulsively. |
| 269 | -->'''Hammond:''' I have this thing where, if I'm stuck in a $*#@(ing queue too long, I, #%43, wait, I just did it there, didn't I? #&^@. I need to ^#(@&ing get out of here. |
| 270 | * AscendedFanboy: Was a fan of Clarkson and the original ''Top Gear'' before becoming a presenter in the revival. |
| 271 | * BerserkButton: Has at least two: |
| 272 | ** "''I have '''NOT''' had my teeth whitened!''" |
| 273 | ** Later specials (Beginning with the second USA Road Trip) has his outright hate for Music/{{Genesis|Band}}. This gets exploited a lot (particularly by Clarkson), as exemplified with this bit from the India Special: |
| 274 | --->'''Hammond:''' ''[upon hearing Genesis' "I Know What You Like", particularly after the chorus]'' '''AAARGAAARGHAAAAAARAGH!!!! I HATE THAT BIT! IT'S THAT BIT!!!!''' |
| 275 | * BookDumb: Not keen on deeply educational things, but far from outright stupid. |
| 276 | * BriefAccentImitation: The most likely to do this, particularly during the news segments. |
| 277 | * ButtMonkey: He's usually the one to get drowned or struck by lightning for the stunts, while in the Car vs. Something Else challenges Hammond is always the one to cycle across London or try to reach the North Pole with a dogsled, while May or Clarkson drive. Amusingly, and much to the chagrin of the other two, Hammond often wins anyway. Hammond's also the youngest and in the best shape, so he's the one that has to do physical stunts by default. |
| 278 | * CargoShip / CompanionCube: Invoked with "Oliver," a 1963 Opel Kadett A. |
| 279 | * CharacterCatchphrase and LampshadeHanging: |
| 280 | ** In the more recent series; when Clarkson asks "How hard can it be?", expect Hammond to reply "''Don't say that!''" or similar. |
| 281 | ** "That's not gone well!" |
| 282 | * ClusterFBomb: Hammond's bike section of the "Public Transport vs. a Car vs. a Boat vs. a Bike across London" challenge, has him rather spectacularly cussing out a van driver who dangerously swerved out in front of him. It's mostly [[ClusterBleepBomb covered up in beeps]] when aired, but [[https://youtu.be/I7XE2ReqIfE what he actually says]] can be seen here. |
| 283 | -->'''Richard:''' What the [[spoiler:fucking hell are you, you great gangly fuck-knuckled twat?! Greasy-haired [[CountryMatters cunt-bag]], fuck]] you! |
| 284 | * DoesNotLikeSpam: He's a picky eater but hates fish of all descriptions especially. |
| 285 | * EmbarrassingNickname: He isn't fond of his nickname "The Hamster". |
| 286 | * MrFanservice: The most conventionally good-looking of the three. Was also the first presenter to be ''Heat'' magazine's "Weird Crush" of the year. |
| 287 | * TheGenericGuy: Very much downplayed, since Hammond still brought a lot of charisma and personality to the show; he just wasn't as exaggerated of a character as Clarkson or May. In the end, his comic persona is present, but is more subtle than either of his co-presenters: a country boy who pays lip service to his bucolic roots while in reality being incredibly metropolitan and paying a lot of attention to his appearance and reputation because he was CompensatingForSomething -- which often lead to his angry outbursts whenever he was riled. |
| 288 | * HiddenDepths: Despite his BookDumb tendencies, he's actually a trained artist, being an alumnae of Harrogate College of Art and Technology. Most prominently shown during the ''Top Ground Gear Force'' special, where he drew the entire plan for the garden by himself. |
| 289 | * InSeriesNickname: |
| 290 | ** "Hamster." Bestowed by Clarkson, but the fans have kept it alive. His independent production company is also called Hamster's Wheel. |
| 291 | ** Clarkson has also called him "Teeth" a few times. |
| 292 | * ForeignCultureFetish: For the USA. He apparently owns a Stetson, a classic Ford Mustang and a Harley Davidson. All of this tends to make Clarkson and May reckon that Hammond is secretly an American and wants to be an American. |
| 293 | -->'''Richard:''' I love muscle cars. I love the fact that they're about standing quarter-miles, they're about racing away from the lights when the police aren't looking. They're about cowboy boots, work boots, denim jeans, dime stores, bars. I love that. |
| 294 | * HollywoodMidlifeCrisis: Admits to having gone through one for several years (starting around Series 10) as his hair and clothes became flashier with each passing series of ''Top Gear''. He eventually went back to having shorter, more manageable hair and more conservative clothing, but still dresses in louder colours than he did before the crisis began. |
| 295 | * HotBlooded: The presenter most likely to throw themselves fully into the challenge and get emotional over winning or losing. |
| 296 | * ICallItVera: He was mocked by his co-hosts when he referred to the car he was driving in the Botswana Special as "Oliver" (Oliver wound up becoming his CompanionCube). |
| 297 | * InformedAbility: Subverted, during agriculturally related tasks, viewers are reminded how his farming background means he's experienced in those types of tasks, and while he does end up doing them much quicker than the other two, typically he's done it far less effectively. Particularly trailer hitching... |
| 298 | * IronButtMonkey: As close to one as a living person can be, thanks to his accident. |
| 299 | * {{Keet}}: The smallest and most energetic of the show's hosts. |
| 300 | * TheLancer: To Clarkson. |
| 301 | * MadeOfIron: He made a full recovery from his 2006 accident, and has nary a scar. |
| 302 | * ManChild: He keeps the cardboard boxes of large appliances and plays pretend with them. |
| 303 | * TheNapoleon: The shortest presenter, as well as the most prone to losing their temper. |
| 304 | * NeverLiveItDown: Invoked about his declaration of "I AM A DRIVING GOD!!!" |
| 305 | * OneNoteCook: Baked beans, as demonstrated during the search for the source of the Nile. |
| 306 | * PickyEater: Constantly taunted by his co-presenters for not being as open-minded about food as them, particularly during the overseas specials. They will often order something completely out there in order to gross him out. |
| 307 | ** The food doesn't even have to be particularly exotic either. He won't eat classically British dishes like Fish and Chips because he dislikes seafood and is completely put off by the sight of traditional Spaghetti Bolognese (which he claims is his favourite dish) because the sauce includes sausage[[note]]In Italy, what most of the world knows as Spaghetti Bolognese is referred to as Ragù.[[/note]] |
| 308 | ** This causes some problem during the GT-R vs Shinkansen episode. Since Japanese foods is dominantly seafood; during a trip to the supermarket whilst waiting for the train, Hammond almost can't buy anything because the foods that are sold are dominantly seafood or fish. |
| 309 | --->'''James:''' Well, you're coming to the wrong country. |
| 310 | ** ExtremeOmnivore: On the other hand, he's devoured pictures and sheets of paper to prevent Jeremy discovering something on them or using them in any way. |
| 311 | * PunctuatedForEmphasis: One of his tooth-whitening denials echoed off of nearby mountains. |
| 312 | * RunningGag: Whenever he's driving very fast in a straight line on a runway the other two are sure to comment on how nervous this makes them, since he was attempting to do exactly that when he wrecked the jet-powered car. |
| 313 | * UnsportsmanlikeGloating: Beautifully demonstrated during the competitions against [[http://youtu.be/jH7M5elnU8A D-Motor]] and Australia. Also often pulled on his fellow presenters during challenges. |
| 314 | * WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: The normally fearless and daring Hammond is terrified of insects. |
| 315 | |
| 316 | !!Creator/JamesMay (2003–15) |
| 317 | [[quoteright:242:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/TopGear-MayKeyboard_9238.jpg]][[caption-width-right:242:Captain Slow playing a musical instrument [[BaitAndSwitchComment while holding a keyboard]].]] |
| 318 | |
| 319 | The quiet one (relatively speaking) somewhere between Clarkson and Hammond in age and height: a picture-perfect Straight Man with an understated sense of humour and a gift for deadpan delivery. Likes physics, classical music, alcohol, light aircraft and interesting facts. Far more careful than the other two, and obsessive (to the point of possibly suffering from OCD) about details, down to the proper arrangement of his tools. He is implicitly acknowledged to be the most technically savvy of the three. As he prefers control and good handling over power and speed -- and absolutely refuses to run on camera [[note]]Unless something is hurtling towards him... or it's to go yell at a lorry driver who just totaled his beloved new car[[/note]] -- the other two have dubbed him "Captain Slow". |
| 320 | |
| 321 | May was also a co-presenter of the original ''Top Gear'' format, although his tenure on that programme was only for a brief time in 1999, replacing Clarkson just before the show got cancelled. [[HeAlsoDid Aside from hosting]] ''Top Gear'', May has also hosted quirky, fact-based [[BritishBrevity single-series]] documentary programmes, as well as longer lasting ones such as ''James May's Toy Stories'', ''Series/OzAndJames'' and ''Series/JamesMaysManLab''. |
| 322 | |
| 323 | On April 23rd 2015, James [[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/11557482/Top-Gears-James-May-will-not-return-without-Jeremy-Clarkson.html announced]] that he would not be returning to the show following Clarkson's dismissal. However, he's also been the only one of the three presenters to keep working for the BBC after their departure, hosting ''James May: The Reassembler'' from 2016 to 2017. |
| 324 | ---- |
| 325 | * AnimalsHateHim: Jokes that his late cat Fusker (a gift from Hammond) and Top Gear Dog both hate him. Also the doves who escaped from his magic kit and proceeded to leave their droppings all over the backseats. He let one dove out of the window to freedom... only for it to get hit seconds later [[NiceJobBreakingItHero by a passing lorry]]. |
| 326 | * AnnoyingLaugh: His laugh is often compared to a honking goose. |
| 327 | * BadassesWearBandanas: Sports a bandana in several of the overseas specials, when the presenters run into far more difficult challenges than usual. Also rather conveniently keeps his long hair out of his face while doing such tasks. |
| 328 | * BerserkButton: |
| 329 | ** Usually unflappable, but with his fear of heights, should you annoy and run into the back of him on "Death Road" in Bolivia, he ''will'' turn AxeCrazy. |
| 330 | ** He is extremely unhappy with cars developed on the Nürburgring and will often rant about car companies that brag on this, even going so far as suggesting that the RAF should have bombed the Nürburgring instead of Dresden. |
| 331 | * BewareTheNiceOnes: On the rare occasions he gets fed up with his co-presenters, what he does to them is usually much crueller than what they've been doing to him: |
| 332 | ** In the Bolivia special, he nearly "macheted [Clarkson] to death" when Clarkson trod on his frazzled nerves on the frightening cliffside "Road of Death." To be fair to James, it was a genuinely dangerous situation and not in the least bit funny. Most people probably would have lost their rag. |
| 333 | ** In the "Paint stuff on your co-presenter's cars so they get shot and/or arrested driving through Alabama" challenge, James' slogan was the one that by far the scariest thing to have on the side of your car when driving through Alabama... MAN LOVE RULES OK. Hammond looked genuinely alarmed about having to drive with that on his car, and with good reason. |
| 334 | * ButtMonkey: The other presenters love driving into the back of him and expect any pranks performed (usually involving cows heads) to be directed at him in the specials, where the unofficial rule seems to be "get James eaten". |
| 335 | * CharacterCatchphrase: |
| 336 | ** "Oh... cock." |
| 337 | ** "Now as you'd expect, ''I've'' done this properly." |
| 338 | ** "Bloody/Cocking Nora!" |
| 339 | ** "Buffeting... Buffeting" |
| 340 | ** “Crikey, It’s the rozzers!” |
| 341 | * CharacterFilibuster: He often goes on rants so long-winded or into such meticulous detail about physics, they've actually shaded it by fading out between scenes, coming back later to find that he is still talking. |
| 342 | * {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Seems to genuinely have this aspect to his personality, especially when it comes to directions and orientation in a physical [=3-D=] space. Sometimes comes off as this during the news segments as well, with such InsaneTrollLogic as: |
| 343 | ** If drivers slow down for deer but speed up in the cities, ''put the deer in the cities''. |
| 344 | ** Banning cows would mean the end of eggs. It turns out his reasoning was that the ''milkman brings eggs''. |
| 345 | * DeadpanSnarker: Often used to smugly put down his co-presenters. Is also able to say but all of the most ridiculous statements with the straightest of faces. |
| 346 | * DrunkenMaster: Manages to defeat Creator/GordonRamsay during ''The F Word'''s [[BeatThemAtTheirOwnGame cooking challenge]] despite knocking back several glasses of wine while making his deceptively simple fish pie. |
| 347 | -->'''Ramsay:''' James, do you always drink like this when you're cooking? |
| 348 | -->'''May:''' Dulls the horror of the food that I'm going to eat later on. |
| 349 | * ExtremeOmnivore: |
| 350 | ** On ''Top Gear'' itself, he sipped Clarkson's horrible V8 smoothie containing raw beef, Bovril, peppers, and ''bricks'' with nothing but a DelayedReaction. |
| 351 | ** On ''Series/OzAndJames'', he drank grape juice which he had squeezed with his own bare feet, then made wine out of other, similarly squeezed grape juice which he fermented for a week in the boot of the Jag he was driving across France. The next series of that, he still drank from the spittoon at a wine bar, even after Oz Clarke had already done so and observed that someone had stubbed out a cigarette in it. |
| 352 | ** On ''The F Word'', he defeated Creator/GordonRamsay's challenge by drinking snake whiskey, eating a bull penis, and then trying fermented (read: rotten) shark. Ramsay reached for the bucket after the shark, but May barely even made a face. |
| 353 | ** In [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZn0HyYJkyE an interview]], he claimed he was "catastrophically ill" that day not because of a weekend bender with Hammond and Clarkson in Dublin, but because he'd eaten a [[TemptingFate prawn sandwich on an aeroplane]] -- and apparently endorses the ten-second rule, but admits a plane floor probably shouldn't count. |
| 354 | ** Subverted when he has an abrupt and fleeting bout of vegetarianism during the first American road trip, was quite offended by some garlic wine he and Oz picked up in California, and once decided that a deep-fried Mars Bar made in fish-and-chip oil was comparable to the fermented shark. |
| 355 | ** In the Burma Special, the three break out the liquor while taking a break from bridge building and James takes a swig from a bottle labelled "White Spirit." After choking and apparently spitting out the liquid, James reveals to Jeremy and Richard that the "White Spirit" wasn't a high proof grain alcohol but mineral spirits as in the kind used in paint thinners. |
| 356 | ** In most of their foreign road trips, expect both Jeremy and James to try the weird food and ''thoroughly enjoy it.'' |
| 357 | * ForeignCultureFetish: For Germany. Not as potent as Hammond's for the USA but he has shown his interests in Germany more than once. He loves German cars (especially Mercedes), occasionally speaks in GratuitousGerman, likes airships, and has an interest in Germany's UsefulNotes/WorldWarII military (an example being in the Middle East special where he took inspiration from the Afrika Korps while customizing his [=BMW=] convertible). |
| 358 | * TheGoodCaptain: His nickname is a [[LampshadeHanging Lampshading]] of this. |
| 359 | * GoodWithNumbers: The one most likely to use maths and use them correctly. |
| 360 | * GoshDangItToHeck: He does more with "Oh, cock!" than most people could with WebVideo/TheAngryVideoGameNerd's vocabulary. |
| 361 | * HatesBeingTouched: Not fond of "man-contact" in the earlier days of ''Top Gear''; even a handshake was pushing it, as shown in the Great Northern Race (although the fact that the hand in question was covered in soot probably didn't help). Seems to have relaxed this slightly, though. |
| 362 | * IAmNotLeftHanded: Played with. He can apparently drive fast when he wants to. On curvy roads he's been shown to outpace even Clarkson. However there is a limit to what he can do in the first few years, although he does get better enough later on to do power tests. |
| 363 | * IconicOutfit: His stripey jumpers, specifically the pink and purple one. |
| 364 | * InSeriesNickname: "Captain Slow" [[note]]Translated as "Der Langsamer" (The Slow One) in German, "Captain Snail" in Czech and "Mr. Slowly" or "Captain Lento" in Italian[[/note]], "[[IronicNickname Captain Sense-of-direction]]" |
| 365 | * IronicNickname: "Captain Slow" is the only presenter to have driven the Bugatti Veyron ''and'' its Super Sport variant to both their advertised maximum speeds. This makes him the fastest presenter in an actual production road car, twice over. |
| 366 | * KryptoniteFactor: Has some degree of obsessive-compulsive disorder, particularly demonstrated through Clarkson's watch bezel. |
| 367 | * LimitedWardrobe: Always tends to test cars wearing the same striped maroon shirt. Played with whenever May needs to do some driving beyond his capabilities and we see the shirt being worn by another driver posing as "James." |
| 368 | * NeatFreak: His tools must be in order for him to begin working on a project. |
| 369 | * NoSenseOfDirection: Claims he has an electrical imbalance in his brain which leads to him visualizing the map of Britain upside-down. He once got lost on a race track. An ''oval'' race track. |
| 370 | * NotSoAboveItAll: While Hammond and Clarkson tend to prank him on the road trips, there's no shortage of occasion where he and one of the other two have ganged up on the third instead. In addition, he can gloat just as loudly when he wins a challenge over the others. |
| 371 | * PrecisionFStrike: His swearing is infrequent, but when he does it, it either means something has really gone wrong or he's about to run out of patience. |
| 372 | * TheQuietOne: Compared to Clarkson and Hammond; if he ''does'' get a word in, expect a CharacterFilibuster. |
| 373 | * RealMenWearPink: James is repeatedly mocked as a big nerdy girlyman by his co-presenters for having [[LongHairIsFeminine "ladies' hair" ]], his flowery shirts and garish jumpers, and for his love of fine wine and classical music. However in the show's challenges he demonstrates he is the best shot of the three with a rifle, he's not afraid to chop through jungle foliage with a machete, and he is quite an ingenious mechanic. He's also partial to a good fart joke. |
| 374 | * RummageSaleReject: Some of his favourite shirts are... loud. |
| 375 | -->'''Clarkson:''' Are you wearing that for a bet? |
| 376 | -->'''May:''' No. |
| 377 | * SelfDeprecation: When he looks ridiculous, he's usually the first to point it out. |
| 378 | * TheSmartGuy: If there is science to be known or maths to be done, May is the one who will effectively wield them. |
| 379 | * TheStoic: He's less excitable than his colleagues and better at keeping his cool. When dealing with those who are not his co-presenters, he also falls into the "polite stoic" category. |
| 380 | * StraightMan: Although as ''Oz and James'' shows, it's really only compared to the other two. |
| 381 | * ThatMakesMeFeelAngry: He rarely shows his anger visibly. When he does, it's a BewareTheNiceOnes moment. |
| 382 | -->'''May:''' ''[tonelessly]'' I have to have all my air vents aligned just right... and if anyone moves them... I get ''really angry''. |
| 383 | * [[TookALevelInBadass Took A Level In Badass Driving]]: Slowly over the course of the show, May has become a better fast driver. His driving lessons with two different F1 champions improved his driving quite a lot, and then he started doing power tests with the Stig or another driver doing laps or fast turns, and finally in the recent seasons he's been able to drive the fast corners in power tests by himself (which he described as "being overcome with yobbig-ness"). |
| 384 | ** Notably, while Clarkson and Hammond both drove the Bugatti Veyron (Clarkson in a car-vs-plane race, Hammond in races against a [=McLaren=] F1 and a Eurofighter Typhoon), May was the one who pushed the Veyron to its absolute maximum speed. Subsequently, he took the Veyron's Supersport variant for a speed run and drove it faster than anyone had ever driven a production car before (Bugatti's test driver established a higher speed later that same day, but to reiterate: in doing so, he broke ''James May's'' record for fastest speed ever attained in a production car). |
| 385 | * TrademarkFavouriteFood: Pies, of the traditional British variety. In the caravan race, he didn't clear it out for weight the night before so he could make one for dinner, which completely destroyed his chances of winning. It also comes up often during the news segments; in one memorable instance, where the boys discussed a grocery store deal that would give credits towards a new car, May actually calculated how many pies he'd have to buy in order to pay the car off completely. |
| 386 | * TwoDecadesBehind: Clarkson and Hammond often accuse May of being stuck in the 1950s in terms of attitude and sensibilities. Averted in real life, though; while he appreciates what came before, May is quite fond of modern technology. |
| 387 | * WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: May has a fear of heights, though that doesn't stop him from crossing the dangerous Yungas Road with the rest of the team. |
| 388 | |
| 389 | !!Jason Dawe (2002) |
| 390 | |
| 391 | One of the original presenters, alongside Clarkson and Hammond, for the 2002 incarnation. He specialized in providing practical advice for people looking to buy used cars. He was replaced by James May in Series 2, when the show dropped most pretences of being a consumer-advice programme and shifted to providing speed, stunts, and spectacle. |
| 392 | ---- |
| 393 | * FriendToAllChildren: Gave a classroom full of middle school kids a gallery of cool cars to play around with (not drive, obviously), including a Lamborghini. |
| 394 | * NiceGuy: What ultimately did him in; being too polite and passive to assert himself against Clarson and Hammond gave him little chance to distinguish himself as anything other than [[MyFriendsAndZoidberg 'that other guy on Top Gear']]. By the time he realized this Series 1 had ended and he wasn't picked up for another. |
| 395 | * TheGenericGuy: No shade against the man, but he didn't get a chance to show much personality or screen charisma in his brief run as co-presenter, barely ever able to get a word in conversation over the rambunctiousness of Clarkson and Hammond. |
| 396 | * ThePeteBest: Only appeared for the first season of the 2002 reboot and left before the show got big. |
| 397 | |
| 398 | !!Tiff Needell (1987-2001) |
| 399 | One of the presenters from the original, 1977 to 2001 series, before becoming the host of [[DuelingShows rival show]] ''Fifth Gear''. Is still technically counted as a Top Gear presenter (at least when James needed to race superbike piloted by a superbike champion). Also moonlighted as "emergency Stig" after the first White Stig left for one episode where he helped train that episodes guest star in a reasonably priced car (Danny Boyle). |
| 400 | ---- |
| 401 | * LegacyCharacter: Was a presenter from the original version of Top Gear that was basically ''Magazine/MotorWeek'' UK. |
| 402 | * PaperThinDisguise: Wears one of James May's purple striped shirts to pass off as him during the race between the Ariel Atom 500 V8 and the [=BMW S1000RR=]. |
| 403 | * TheSixthRanger: On occasion. |
| 404 | |
| 405 | !!Andy Wilman (1994 - 2001 as host, 2002 - 2015 as Executive Producer) |
| 406 | Andy was one of the original hosts of Top Gear while the show was on the air in the '90s. However, shortly after the show ended, he and Clarkson successfully pitched the idea of a "Same ''Top Gear'', but different". After discovering a love for producing shows from behind the scenes, Wilman stayed on as Executive Producer while Clarkson remained as one of the three hosts. |
| 407 | |
| 408 | In 2015, after Clarkson was let go, Wilman joined the trio to create Series/TheGrandTour. |
| 409 | ---- |
| 410 | * LongRunner: He's worked on ''Top Gear'' for ''24 consecutive years''! |
| 411 | * SixthRanger: He's basically an unseen member of the Top Gear Trio. The four of them even made a production company together after leaving Top Gear! |
| 412 | * TheGhost: He's been a crucial part of the rebooted Top Gear and its success, but is more than happy to remain working behind the scenes. |
| 413 | * ThoseTwoGuys: A production equivalent. Wilman and Clarkson have a working relationship where Clarkson is the face of the show while Wilman is the brains behind the show. They have worked on several motoring documentaries, not just Top Gear, in this capacity. |
| 414 | |
| 415 | !!Black Stig (Perry [=McCarthy=]) |
| 416 | ---- |
| 417 | * DroppedABridgeOnHim: "Died" when he was in a stunt gone wrong when his vehicle failed to brake in time and plunged underwater off an aircraft carrier while trying to race a jet. But... |
| 418 | ** NoOneCouldSurviveThat: The Black Stig, being a Stig, after all, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ni5xXbIxvhY actually survived his ordeal.]] He was a trooper and swam his way across the oceans non-stop until he made landfall on a beach. However, he was ''not'' happy that he had been left for dead, likely aware he'd be replaced, and filched a frisbee from some nearby beachgoers, never to be heard from again. |
| 419 | * ManInBlack: His suit is entirely black. Hence his name. |
| 420 | |
| 421 | |
| 422 | !!Original White Stig (AKA Sacked Stig) (Ben Collins) |
| 423 | ---- |
| 424 | * AllThereInTheManual: He explains some of the stunts he was involved in in his 2010 autobiography, ''The Man in the White Suit'' - the publication of which led to his "sacking" (although he claims that the producers were planning to get rid of him anyway as it was becoming too well-known that he was the Stig). |
| 425 | * BadassDriver: So very much. As well as being an actual racing driver, Ben Collins has been involved in driver training for the British Army (he was an Army reservist for a time) and has been a stunt driver and co-ordinator for the [[Film/JamesBond Bond movies]]. |
| 426 | * BerserkButton: He developed an "IrrationalHatred" of [[spoiler: Rubens Barrichello, following his 1:44.3 time on the Top Gear track--the first driver in the show's history to beat his own time of 1:44.4 in the Suzuki Liana]]. |
| 427 | ** [[spoiler: That time was subsequently beaten by Sebastian Vettel and then absolutely destroyed by Lewis Hamilton with a 1:42.9.]] |
| 428 | * BigEater: Some say he foraged for wolves. |
| 429 | * BrokenAce: The reason why Ben Collins became the Stig in the first place. He was a very talented young driver with even Jackie Stewart predicting his rise to Formula 1. However, he struggled to find sponsors and get the rides needed to rise to F1. Instead, he bounced around various series and got try outs that didn't go anywhere before spending most of his time doing stunt work and teaching driving for the British Army. [[ForegoneConclusion Then the call from Top Gear came...]] |
| 430 | * EarlyBirdCameo: He competes out of suit for a football match involving cars. Obviously, it's never alluded to that he's the Stig. |
| 431 | ** Before that he appeared out of costume to drive an Lancer Evo VII and a Bowler Wildcat against a mountain boarder. Again, no mention was made of him being the Stig. |
| 432 | ** And before THAT, he shows up as "Ben" and drove a Mercedes at 50 miles an hour while "Tim" parachuted into the backseat during the 9th episode of the 4th season. |
| 433 | * FallenHero: The Stig was lionized by the presenters, celebrity guests, and fans. When Ben Collins wrote his memoirs and definitively revealed his identity, the presenters took it as betrayal (as it pierced a mythology and threatened the Top Gear brand) and spent some time trashing the character and criticizing Ben. |
| 434 | * FaceHeelTurn: The presenters depicted him as this in the 2010 specials, after publication of his autobiography, ''The Man in the White Suit''. |
| 435 | * HeelFaceTurn: |
| 436 | ** He returns in the final episode of series 17 to help train the wounded British veterans competing in the Dakar Rally. |
| 437 | -->'''Hammond:''' You know... to be honest, I ''am'' quite glad to see the old "splitter" back. |
| 438 | ** And he came back in the ''50 Years of [[Film/JamesBond Bond]]'' special to talk to Richard about his job as a stunt driver and co-ordinator for the films. |
| 439 | * {{Kayfabe}}: It was an open secret that Ben Collins was the man beneath the helmet. However, on and off the show, the presenters and crew maintained that the Stig was an ambiguously human figure whose only purpose in life was to drive cars as fast as possible[[note]]Ben Collins went so far as to keep anything that could identify him hidden away off set. This proved prescient when tabloid reporters snuck onto set and snooped around his dressing room to find nothing but clothing[[/note]]. |
| 440 | * NiceGuy: Is a genuinely nice guy in RealLife and very easy to get along with. One of the reasons why he was so good as the Stig, apart from his incredible driving, was that he was so patient and accommodating with the celebrities, and his companionable nature made him a brilliant teacher[=/=]instructor -- even excitable and adrenaline-fuelled drivers like footballer Ian Wright praised his ability to calm him down and get him focused[[note]]to get an idea of just how nice he is, when the law suit became big news he could be found quietly serving hot tea and umbrellas to the paparazzi who mobbed his house because it was cold and raining. Yes, really[[/note]]. Not even our trio of indignant presenters could stay mad at him for too long behind the scenes -- once he'd met with them a couple of times. |
| 441 | |
| 442 | !!Radio/ChrisEvans (2016) |
| 443 | |
| 444 | [[SignificantNameOverlap Not to be confused with]] [[Creator/ChrisEvans the actor who plays Captain America]]. Primarily known as a DJ on BBC Radio 2 and a presenter on the BBC's ''The One Show'', Evans is also a well-known petrolhead with an impressive collection of sports cars. Starting from Series 23, he stepped into the role of lead presenter. His selection was... controversial, and as of July 2016 he has parted ways with the show. |
| 445 | ---- |
| 446 | * ExcitedKidsShowHost: As ever, Chris presented in his signature hyperactive style. |
| 447 | * LaughingAtYourOwnJokes: One pressing reason for Evans' unpopularity, combined with an overall lack of chemistry with his co-presenters. |
| 448 | * SuckSessor: To say he was disliked as a host is putting it mildly. |
| 449 | |
| 450 | [[/folder]] |
| 451 | |
| 452 | [[folder:Other personnel]] |
| 453 | !!Top Gear Dog |
| 454 | [[quoteright:192:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/top_gear_dog_3785.jpg]] |
| 455 | |
| 456 | A female labradoodle belonging to Hammond. She appeared in Season 8 but |
| 457 | was phased out of the show, possibly due to the small fact she disliked being in vehicles, frequently got car-sick [[ArsonMurderAndJayWalking and apparently hated James May]]. Also known as "TG" or "Teegee." She sadly passed away in January 2017. |
| 458 | ---- |
| 459 | * CanineCompanion |
| 460 | * DogsAreDumb |
| 461 | * TeamPet |
| 462 | |
| 463 | !!Top Gear Stuntman |
| 464 | |
| 465 | A recurring character brought in to do occasional bits of madness which fall outside of Stig's repertoire, such as trying to reproduce movie stunts or vault over a number of cars... in reverse. Like ''Top Gear'' Dog, he has been phased out of the show. |
| 466 | ---- |
| 467 | * TheVoiceless |
| 468 | * NoNameGiven |
| 469 | |
| 470 | !!Steve |
| 471 | |
| 472 | Director of the "''Top Gear'' Technology Centre"; this means he and his team do most of the heavy lifting when the presenters are given a challenge that involves seriously modifying a car. Became prominent in the episode where Clarkson, Hammond, May and The Stig entered the Britcar 24-hour endurance race (Series 10, Ep. 09): first, by performing most of the engine, brake and suspension modifications to convert their used BMW into a racing car, and secondly, pulling an all-nighter in order to completely rebuild the engine after it blew out during James May's nighttime practice laps. Astonishingly, Steve and his team were able to do a complete engine rebuild in roughly 12 hours, allowing the presenters to take their place in the race with literally seconds to spare. Also appeared briefly in Season 12, when the lads attempted to get a Renault Avantime up to the speed of a Mitsubishi Evo 10. |
| 473 | ---- |
| 474 | * MauveShirt |
| 475 | * MrFixit |
| 476 | |
| 477 | !!Oliver (2007 - 2008) |
| 478 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/oliver_7446.jpg]] |
| 479 | |
| 480 | A 1963 Opel Kadett which Richard Hammond bought in Botswana during the African special. Despite "his" age and third-hand ownership, Oliver survived a one-thousand mile cross-country trip straight across the spine of Botswana, including the entirety of the Makgadikgadi Pan, the largest salt flat in the world. Hammond loved the car so much that he bought it with his own money and paid to have it shipped to Britain, lovingly restored it, and even fitted it with a vanity licence plate ([=OLI V3R=]). Hammond is so fond of Oliver that he forfeited one of the challenges in the "How much Lorry can you get for £5,000?" segment in Series 12 rather than risk injuring the car. Now a featured character in Hammond's children's show, ''Richard Hammond's Series/BlastLab''. |
| 481 | ---- |
| 482 | * BackFromTheDead: Oliver had to be dragged out of this river, Hammond worked through the night in the middle of the African bush with only spare bits in a toolbox. The next morning he was working BETTER than he had before. Hammond even somehow fixed the horn! |
| 483 | -->[[OoCIsSeriousBusiness Clarkson]]: Is that technically possible? ... You know, in 47 years I've never been speechless. |
| 484 | * BerserkButton: Do NOT threaten Oliver when Hammond is around. |
| 485 | * BigNo: When he nearly sank fording a river, Hammond let out an anguished cry of "OLLIVEEEERR!" |
| 486 | * CargoShip: As previously mentioned, in-universe with Richard Hammond. |
| 487 | * CompanionCube: Featuring in the opening credits of Series/BlastLab. |
| 488 | * ICallItVera: To quote Hammond, " This is just the happiest car in the world. I shall call it Oliver. ''[suddenly sobering]'' Not that I would ever name a car on Top Gear. I wish I hadn't said that." |
| 489 | * MemeticBadass: In-universe. |
| 490 | * WhatAPieceOfJunk: Was 40 years old and looked like scrap, but "he" got Hammond safely across Botswana. |
| 491 | |
| 492 | |
| 493 | [[/folder]] |
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