Top Gear is a relaunched version of the original 1977 show of the same name, which looks at various motor vehicles, primarily cars. While the original format focused mainly on review of cars, the new version expanded on this with motoring-based challenges, special races, timed laps of notable cars, and celebrity timed laps on a course specially-designed for the relaunched programme, with its format developing over time to focus on a more quirky, humorous and sometimes controversial style of presentation.
The programme has received acclaim for its visual style and presentation, as well as criticism for its content. So all the car junkies out there gear up for some fun in high speed with a double dose of season 23 and 24 of Top Gear airing everyday at 8 p.m. on AXN. Actor and television host Matt LeBlanc, most popularly known as Joey from the sitcom Friends is in conversation with DC about filming Top Gear, his favourite ride and more.
Q Are you pleased with how filming for the new series has gone? Can you give a few anecdotes about the kind of films we can expect?
I am really pleased with the films, there’s a lot of humour. For example, there was one Bond sequence that involves me driving an Aston Martin. I don’t want to give away too much but it centres around two guys poking fun at each other and having a good time. We also talk about cars that are beautiful, the smoothness to them, the fluidity and we use adjectives that are universal. I think it’s going to be a great series. We are all perfectionists and everyone who works on it are really pleased
Q This year, it is very much a three-way partnership. Describe the banter between you, Chris and Rory
What people forget is, the three guys that were on the show before us, it took them a while to build up a rapport. This is the first season for the three of us and it does take a little while. You take the three people, put them together in a room and say ‘it’s in your interest to get along’ and everyone is open to getting along – but it takes a little while to speed up the shorthand. But what’s great is we are now getting to a point where we are really starting to click. We are having so much fun together!
Q Describe Chris and Rory?
Rory has this boyish quality to him that gives the audience a voyeuristic view of what we are doing. He has this bright eyed excitement about it all, which is really endearing and fun to be around. Chris has this vocabulary that I need to carry a pocket dictionary around for! He is one of the smartest people I have ever met. He is just so articulate with description and adjectives.
Q Who is the most competitive driver out of the three of you?
Rory.
Q You have flown all over the world for this new series. Which country has been your favourite?
Kazakhstan was great because it’s the three of us together and we had a lot of fun. Mind you, it’s a place I never thought I would find myself driving in and in something I wouldn’t expect to be driving. It was one of those moments where you go ‘You are on Top Gear? Right on….’ That is all I am saying!
Q What’s been your favourite car to drive in this series?
The Lamborghini Huracan was a fun car to spin around.
Did you have anything on your wish list you were desperate to do?
No I didn’t go into the series with any pre-conceived ideas. I was more like ‘ok what is coming this year?’ We’ve done everything from going to Kazakhstan and driving a 500k-mile car, then to a trip across part of America driving an open-top Porsche and a Lamborghini. I have come to it with an open mind
