Hansen
2010 was not too long ago, and it was the first time the rest of America got to know (Old) Top Gear. Smartphones were still something of a novelty, Cee-Lo Green was HUGE, and Facebook was still something that people casually used rather than what it is today: the internet itself. Old Top Gear, or more specifically Top Gear circa 2002-2015, under the guise of Andy Wilman and Jeremy Clarkson, was a huge phenomenon in the UK. However, back in 2010 it wasn’t that big of a deal for Americans beside the small group of automotive enthusiasts who managed to torrent it on their own.
Back in October of 2010, 60 Minutes on CBS picked up their story and showcased the wildly popular show’s incredible stunts to the American public. This wonderful interview really delved into the process of Old Top Gear and explained why they got into hot water so many times. Jeremy Clarkson said in the interview:
It’s a weekly occurrence that somebody will complain. Top Gear was on last night… and you just sit back and wait for the complaints. But if you stop to pay attention to everybody’s concerns, you end up with something bland and boring. So you have to sort of ignore everybody in order to do the show how we want to do it.
Watching the interview you feel the pressure that the BBC must have felt trying to justify Old Top Gear’s existence while the complaint letters came in the mail.
Now that the Old Top Gear trio are under the wing of Amazon Prime, we hope Clarkson, Hammond, May, and Wilman will be able to carry on like before, but with a lot more creative freedom, and without fear of backlash from the public. This 60 minutes interview will live on as a constant reminder of the mistake the BBC made, and what they could have accomplished together.
If you want to watch the Boys in their new show The Grand Tour, then you’ll need to have an Amazon Subscription which you can get by going here.
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