Did you ever go to watch Top Gear being filmed?
Discussion
I always thought it would be a fun day out to go and watch a show being recorded, but I've been reading Richard Porter's book "And on that bombshell" and it seems it was actually a long, hot day with lots of stop start sections.
Did any of you ever appear in the background of an episode? If so how was it?
I would really recommend the book by the way, very funny and easy to read and sheds some light on how the "new" Top Gear was formed when Jeremy, Richard and Jason, and then James were on the show.
Did any of you ever appear in the background of an episode? If so how was it?
I would really recommend the book by the way, very funny and easy to read and sheds some light on how the "new" Top Gear was formed when Jeremy, Richard and Jason, and then James were on the show.
Yes I was part of the audience for the Christmas special - the one with paddy, Freddy and Chris.
Lots of cars made up a Christmas tree on the runway at dunsfold.
It was a very very long day with hours of waiting around. Felt like we were just props and not really there to enjoy the experience. Which is true, but stood around an airfield for hours with a portaloo and a burger van was not the best fun.
The segment was cool to watch on TV though.
Lots of cars made up a Christmas tree on the runway at dunsfold.
It was a very very long day with hours of waiting around. Felt like we were just props and not really there to enjoy the experience. Which is true, but stood around an airfield for hours with a portaloo and a burger van was not the best fun.
The segment was cool to watch on TV though.
I got lucky in the ticket ballot and went to see it being filmed in February 2015.
It ended up being one of the last shows before the Clarkson punching incident.
I enjoyed it - there wasn't a huge amount of standing around and it was interesting watching the filming process.
Essentially, it was like watching Top Gear live - they filmed the episode in order (which surprised me) and showed the previously-filmed material on big screens.
Star in a Reasonably Priced Car was a lot longer than the final cut, obviously. I think it was Olly Murs for our episode.
It was very British - at breaks there was tea and coffee and there was a food van selling stuff beforehand
I heard rumours beforehand of pretty people getting brought to the front so they could be in the background - didn't see any of that.
It ended up being one of the last shows before the Clarkson punching incident.
I enjoyed it - there wasn't a huge amount of standing around and it was interesting watching the filming process.
Essentially, it was like watching Top Gear live - they filmed the episode in order (which surprised me) and showed the previously-filmed material on big screens.
Star in a Reasonably Priced Car was a lot longer than the final cut, obviously. I think it was Olly Murs for our episode.
It was very British - at breaks there was tea and coffee and there was a food van selling stuff beforehand
I heard rumours beforehand of pretty people getting brought to the front so they could be in the background - didn't see any of that.
I was in the audience for an episode of 'Driven' years ago, and the experience described above is how it goes. Each section is carefully directed and controlled, stopped and started, as per the director's vision, to make good television. He's interested in the presenters, you're just background scenery. Applause is called for and used to join the audio between sections; in fact you can sometimes hear this in the finished result. I've been a film extra several times and that can involve even more waiting around doing nothing. That's film/TV-making!
I've been twice, once back in the winter of 2011 (Episode with John Prescott) and then in the summer of 2013 (Best of British Manufacturing and Mark Webber). Was a great experience on both ocassions, i've been a quite alot of TV audience recordings and Top Gear was by far the best organised. For other shows (8 out of 10 cats, QI etc) they'll have say 500 people queued outside and only need 300, so you might be waiting for hours only to be sent home. For Top Gear once you're in the carpark at Dunsfold you were gaurenteed a space.
There was abit of waiting around in the morning while they set up the studio but once we were ushered inside the production was incredibly slick. The trio come in and welcome the audience and give them a briefing about how the show will progress, and generally warm up the crowd. They showed us a pretty long blooper reel of certain clips with all the censoring removed, I can also confirm that during the "I went on the internet and I found this" segments do show pretty hardcore images to the audience to get a reaction
.The sterotype about women being brought to the front is very much true, as my sister was dragged to the front during the John Prescott interview and can be seen right behind him the whole time
The show is basically an extended episode of Top Gear, with all the segments shown in full and in somecases with additional content. The XJ vs the Sunrise segment we saw in the studio was probably 5 minutes longer in person than what was shown on TV. The Star in a Reasonably Priced Car and News segments are also much longer than what is aired, sometimes news segments fall flat and are cut, or repeated to get a better reaction from the audience. There is a break about halfway through, with drinks and crisps provided, I got to meet the trio and get some photos during this time. It surprised me how willing the 3 were to engage with the audience, I would have thought they would have been tired of it even by that point, but they made an effort in each recording to put on a good show both for us and the cameras.
Overall it was a brilliant experience, never got Grand Tour tickets when they were avaliable but I hear from others that it was broadly similar just in a different setting. Most TV recordings I've been to have been interesting, well worth doing a search and applying for tickets to shows you enjoy. The usual Panel Comedy shows in particular are great fun if you get a good line up, hearing Sean Lock and Jimmy Carr roast each other for 20 minutes prior to camera rolling was worth the couple of hours queueing
There was abit of waiting around in the morning while they set up the studio but once we were ushered inside the production was incredibly slick. The trio come in and welcome the audience and give them a briefing about how the show will progress, and generally warm up the crowd. They showed us a pretty long blooper reel of certain clips with all the censoring removed, I can also confirm that during the "I went on the internet and I found this" segments do show pretty hardcore images to the audience to get a reaction
.The sterotype about women being brought to the front is very much true, as my sister was dragged to the front during the John Prescott interview and can be seen right behind him the whole time The show is basically an extended episode of Top Gear, with all the segments shown in full and in somecases with additional content. The XJ vs the Sunrise segment we saw in the studio was probably 5 minutes longer in person than what was shown on TV. The Star in a Reasonably Priced Car and News segments are also much longer than what is aired, sometimes news segments fall flat and are cut, or repeated to get a better reaction from the audience. There is a break about halfway through, with drinks and crisps provided, I got to meet the trio and get some photos during this time. It surprised me how willing the 3 were to engage with the audience, I would have thought they would have been tired of it even by that point, but they made an effort in each recording to put on a good show both for us and the cameras.
Overall it was a brilliant experience, never got Grand Tour tickets when they were avaliable but I hear from others that it was broadly similar just in a different setting. Most TV recordings I've been to have been interesting, well worth doing a search and applying for tickets to shows you enjoy. The usual Panel Comedy shows in particular are great fun if you get a good line up, hearing Sean Lock and Jimmy Carr roast each other for 20 minutes prior to camera rolling was worth the couple of hours queueing
Muzzer79 said:
I got lucky in the ticket ballot and went to see it being filmed in February 2015.
It ended up being one of the last shows before the Clarkson punching incident.
I enjoyed it - there wasn't a huge amount of standing around and it was interesting watching the filming process.
Essentially, it was like watching Top Gear live - they filmed the episode in order (which surprised me) and showed the previously-filmed material on big screens.
Star in a Reasonably Priced Car was a lot longer than the final cut, obviously. I think it was Olly Murs for our episode.
It was very British - at breaks there was tea and coffee and there was a food van selling stuff beforehand
I heard rumours beforehand of pretty people getting brought to the front so they could be in the background - didn't see any of that.
Same here, twice with the Clarkson/May/Hammond lineup. Pretty girls were definitely pushed to the front.It ended up being one of the last shows before the Clarkson punching incident.
I enjoyed it - there wasn't a huge amount of standing around and it was interesting watching the filming process.
Essentially, it was like watching Top Gear live - they filmed the episode in order (which surprised me) and showed the previously-filmed material on big screens.
Star in a Reasonably Priced Car was a lot longer than the final cut, obviously. I think it was Olly Murs for our episode.
It was very British - at breaks there was tea and coffee and there was a food van selling stuff beforehand
I heard rumours beforehand of pretty people getting brought to the front so they could be in the background - didn't see any of that.
Quite a long day
I was also part of filming at Hullavington for a piece about rear wheel drive cars and fun, when I had a capri. Ex Stig thrashed it around with the disclaimer if they broke it they'd fix it. It was never aired as fifth gear did rear wheel drift cars with a Capri and showed it a week or two before.
We also did Richard Hammonds blast lab with our youngest on the South Bank. Turn up, first 100 or so selected, rest sent home. Parents in a side room watching monitors. They filmed 3 shows that day. Richard was excellent, in the breaks kept the kids involved, explained what was happening, what was happening next. Kids got Pizza for lunch.
At the time Richard was smoking and popped out a couple of times for a fag, so I was chatting to him outside during one. I had my "TVR because Porsche are for girls" t-shirt on, which got his attention
Yep during the Clarkson, Hammond and May era. I seem to remember a fair bit of standing around but nothing mental. Lots of refreshments and snacks. In between main scenes Clarkson was often walking around chatting to the audience. One bit that sticks in my mind was they had a Monaro V8 in and Clarkson said “ I would start it up but its against health & safety due to the fumes……..ah f
k it……..revs the crap out of it 
”. They also posed with anyone who wanted a photo. Great day out tbf.
k it……..revs the crap out of it ”. They also posed with anyone who wanted a photo. Great day out tbf.My daughter and I went to one of the final Clarkson/May/Hammond era ones (the one with ambulances and Daniel Ricciardo), it was good fun, yes lots of standing around but I have to say that Clarkson (who I'd always thought was a bit of a knob) was brilliant, spent loads of time with us all and was very chatty, funny, knowledgeable and self deprecating.
I was at one the last ones before Richard Hammond's crash. A very hot day but with refreshment breaks and plenty of water to drink. During breaks Jeremy and Richard were enthusiastic about mingling with the audience. James was happy to chat if approached but otherwise stood to one side rehearsing his lines. They were OK with us taking cameras in which surprised me.
It was interesting hearing the team discuss timing and editing as they went along.
Casino Royale was being filmed at Dunsfold at the same time and when we were leaving the studio the 007 team stopped filming for a few minutes as we all walked between them and an Aston Martin with a camera pointing in the door.
It was interesting hearing the team discuss timing and editing as they went along.
Casino Royale was being filmed at Dunsfold at the same time and when we were leaving the studio the 007 team stopped filming for a few minutes as we all walked between them and an Aston Martin with a camera pointing in the door.
Yes, managed to get tickets via a friend who worked at the BBC. Actually saw two episodes being filmed (two different celebs, one was Simon Pegg, can't remember who else )
It was a long day, and the laughter was very forced at the end, but it was a really good experience. Clarkson was as big and engaging personality as you'd have hoped, and interacted with the audience between filming. Hammond and May didn't, and went back to their trailers(?) between takes.
)It was a long day, and the laughter was very forced at the end, but it was a really good experience. Clarkson was as big and engaging personality as you'd have hoped, and interacted with the audience between filming. Hammond and May didn't, and went back to their trailers(?) between takes.
Muzzer79 said:
I heard rumours beforehand of pretty people getting brought to the front so they could be in the background - didn't see any of that.
That absolutely happened. Clarkson said that they crew would explain to those unfortunates that got moved to the back that it was because the patterns on the clothing would strobe with the cameras, but he said the truth is that they were just too ugly to be on TV 
studio is pretty small really.monthefish said:
Muzzer79 said:
I heard rumours beforehand of pretty people getting brought to the front so they could be in the background - didn't see any of that.
That absolutely happened. Clarkson said that they crew would explain to those unfortunates that got moved to the back that it was because the patterns on the clothing would strobe with the cameras, but he said the truth is that they were just too ugly to be on TV Terminator X said:
I enjoyed it but yes a long day with repeated sections until they got it right.
TX.
I must have been fortunate. I think they took, literally, a couple of takes for the news and maybe one in-between segment but most of the episode I saw was done in one take.TX.
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