Hello ladies and gents this is the Viking telling you that today we are talking about
TOP GEAR
Who's “The Stig”?
Anyone who’s ever watched Top Gear knows of the elusive entity known only as "The Stig." He's the mute, anonymous driver whose identity is unknown and who shows up to drive incredibly and do things that no one else on the show wants to. The Stig was the brainchild of the series’ executive producer, Andy Wilman. He adds a whole lot of comic relief to the programme and, even with no speaking lines, has garnered just as much fame as the presenters.
There have been 3 Stigs. The first was Perry McCarthy, who appeared in the first 22 episodes of the re-launch in 2002. He wore all black and is known as the "Black Stig."
The second, and original White Stig, was Ben Collins. He appeared on the show from 2003 until 2010, when he was canned from the show for revealing his identity in his autobiography.
And the third Stig is… question mark?
They Have Enough Money To Abandon Cars
Here’s an interesting story regarding presenter Richard Hammond. After being caught in a huge traffic jam that was caused by terrible floods, Hammond actually abandoned the Porsche he was driving, on the freeway. He then put on his running gear and raced home through the 16 miles—on foot!—in order to make it to his daughter’s 4th birthday on time.
The Hamster had been driving from London to Herefordshire, shooting for the show, when the flooding happened and caused him to get stuck in traffic 16 miles from home. Hammond had been on a 12-hour journey at the time when he abandoned his 911 Carrera in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire at around 3:00 AM on a Saturday morning and opted to run home.
The Presenters Unsurprisingly Make A Lot Of Money
This one probably comes as a shock to absolutely no one. For the enormous viewership and ratings and public personas from Top Gear, presenters Jeremy Clarkson, James May, and Richard Hammond are well compensated. As mentioned earlier, the show is broadcast on 212 territories, and its Top Gear magazine boasts 1.7 million subscribers. Clarkson has been there the longest, since 1988 (minus a few years hiatus), and in return, he's paid the most.
In 2014, Clarkson earned $890,000 for his services alone.
His salary was set to jump up to $12.3 million after his release from Top Gear and resurgence into The Grand Tour (which we’ll talk about in a minute), though Clarkson refutes these numbers and says, “The numbers aren’t much higher than they were at BBC; we just have to waste a lot less on health and safety.”
Jeremy Clarkson Crashes And Burns And… Flies From The Ashes?
If there’s any behind-the-scenes fact that made headlines more than any other, it’s this one, regarding Jeremy Clarkson’s firing. In 2015, fans everywhere booed in dismay when they learned that their favorite presenter wouldn't be appearing on the next series of Top Gear—the same man who was responsible for its revitalization.
In 2014, Clarkson was already on very thin ice with the producers, due to being in the center of three very large controversies on the show. (1) He was accused of making a racist joke on the Burma episode, (2) he uttered the N-word off-air and knew full well after his sincere apology that the next screw-up would likely cost him his job, and (3) an October 2014 riot chased the Top Gear crew out of Argentina.
Then, Clarkson was told by producer Oisin Tymon that the kitchen of the hotel they were staying at was closed and that he couldn’t get a hot meal, and Clarkson went off the handlebars and punched the producer in the face, busting his lip. Clarkson was then fired, only to be hired by Amazon a short time later, which brings us to…
The Grand Tour
Following Clarkson’s disgraceful firing from Top Gear, Amazon Studios picked him up in order to create a rival show, one that would be called The Grand Tour. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has even said, “It was a very, very, very expensive show,” and he’s the richest man in the world!
Whereas Top Gear episodes boasted a per-episode budget of around $556,000, the new show's budget ranged from $1.2 to $4.9 million an episode. That’s about $36 million per season or $109.8 million over the promised three seasons!
The initial price tag to license the show was $160 million, but Amazon Prime fought and got it for $250 million, according to Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos. But Clarkson knew what he was worth. With him at the forefront, Top Gear brought BBC Worldwide approximately $225 million in annual revenue.
And as always have a chilled day from the Viking
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