# Top Gear (1977 TV series)
**Top Gear** was a British motoring magazine television program produced by the BBC that ran on [BBC Two](https://www.edgepedia.org/bbc-two) from 22 April 1977 to 17 December 2001, reviewing new cars and covering motoring topics in a 30-minute magazine format. It is now usually called "Old Top Gear" to distinguish it from the entertainment-led relaunch of 2002 that reused the name.[1](https://www.wikicars.org/en/Top_Gear_%281977_TV_series%29)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Peak audience | Viewing figures rose from a few hundred thousand to over six million after Jeremy Clarkson joined in 1988[2](https://automotivejournalism.uk/analysis/the-rise-and-fall-of-top-gear) |
| End | Cancelled in 2001; the final show drew 3.25 million viewers[2](https://automotivejournalism.uk/analysis/the-rise-and-fall-of-top-gear) |
| Afterlife | Most of the presenting and production team moved to Channel 5 to make Fifth Gear; the BBC relaunched Top Gear in a new format in 2002[2](https://automotivejournalism.uk/analysis/the-rise-and-fall-of-top-gear) • [1](https://www.wikicars.org/en/Top_Gear_%281977_TV_series%29) |
## Origins
The program and its title were conceived by producer Derek Smith, who had worked for the BBC since 1957. He proposed the concept to BBC Midlands as a monthly television series with a magazine format, looking at subjects such as new cars and road safety, with presenters supported by reporters. A similar format had already been proven by [Thames Television](https://www.edgepedia.org/thames-television)'s *Drive-In*, running since 1974, which featured two future Top Gear presenters, Chris Goffey and Sue Baker.[3](https://topgear.fandom.com/wiki/Regional_Shows)BBC Midlands commissioned nine episodes for 1977, produced at [Pebble Mill Studios](https://www.edgepedia.org/pebble-mill-studios) in [Birmingham](https://www.edgepedia.org/birmingham) with Smith as executive producer. Angela Rippon and Tom Coyne, front man of the regional news program *Midlands Today*, presented, alongside reporters including Pebble Mill at One broadcaster Marian Foster, one of the first to hold a presenter and roving reporter role.
In 1978 the BBC took the program national, commissioning ten episodes. Smith and Rippon stayed, with Barrie Gill replacing Coyne as co-presenter.
The name came from an unrelated radio series: former producer David Lancaster said it was taken from [John Peel](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-peel)'s Radio 1 show of the same name.[4](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2004/nov/24/broadcasting.motoring)
## Format
Top Gear functioned as a magazine program, fitting several topics into each 30-minute episode. The most common items were road tests of new cars, consumer advice, road safety and motorsport. Early coverage extended to the police, speeding, insurance, second-hand cars and holiday touring, and the series commented on rallying through contributor Tony Mason, a former rally co-driver.[5](https://www.britishclassiccomedy.co.uk/top-gear-1977) • [2](https://automotivejournalism.uk/analysis/the-rise-and-fall-of-top-gear)The style was formal compared with the later relaunch, with regular power tests and few challenges. Episodes were typically broadcast once on a Thursday with a single repeat the following Saturday.[6](https://topgear.fandom.com/wiki/Original_format)
## Presenters
The program used a rotating cast of presenters over its 24-year run. Early hosts included [Noel Edmonds](https://www.edgepedia.org/noel-edmonds) and [Angela Rippon](https://www.edgepedia.org/angela-rippon), with contributions from Frank Page, Sue Baker, Tony Mason, and Chris Goffey.[1](https://www.wikicars.org/en/Top_Gear_%281977_TV_series%29) William Woollard presented from 1981 to 1991, and Sue Baker from 1980 to 1991.[7](https://topgear.fandom.com/wiki/Top_Gear_Presenters)
**Later line-up.** Quentin Willson, a former used car salesman, joined around 1991, and the 1990s added Michele Newman and Steve Berry, whose speciality was motorbikes. Racing driver [Vicki Butler-Henderson](https://www.edgepedia.org/vicki-butler-henderson) made a one-off appearance in 1994 and presented full-time from 1997.[1](https://www.wikicars.org/en/Top_Gear_%281977_TV_series%29) • [5](https://www.britishclassiccomedy.co.uk/top-gear-1977) Producers included Phil Franklin, Brian Strachan, Jon Bentley, and Ken Pollock; executive producers included Derek Smith, Dennis Adams and Tom Ross.[1](https://www.wikicars.org/en/Top_Gear_%281977_TV_series%29)
Between 1988 and 1991 the program ran a yearly competition to find a new rally driver, with entry into that year's RAC Rally as the prize.[1](https://www.wikicars.org/en/Top_Gear_%281977_TV_series%29)
## The Clarkson years and cancellation
[Jeremy Clarkson](https://www.edgepedia.org/jeremy-clarkson), then of *Performance Car* magazine, and racing driver [Tiff Needell](https://www.edgepedia.org/tiff-needell) joined towards the end of the 1980s. With Clarkson establishing himself on television, viewing figures rose from a few hundred thousand to over six million, and the program's tone became more outspoken.[2](https://automotivejournalism.uk/analysis/the-rise-and-fall-of-top-gear) A 2006 report put the show's share of viewers at 19 per cent up to the late Nineties, when ratings began to decline.[8](https://www.independent.co.uk/student/magazines/top-gear-the-race-for-ratings-421897.html)
Clarkson left in 1999 to pursue other interests, and the audience fell. The BBC canceled the format in 2001; the final show drew 3.25 million viewers. Presenters Vicki Butler-Henderson, Tiff Needell and Quentin Willson, along with the production team, moved to Channel 5, where they launched [Fifth Gear](https://www.edgepedia.org/fifth-gear) after the BBC refused to sell the Top Gear name.[2](https://automotivejournalism.uk/analysis/the-rise-and-fall-of-top-gear) • [8](https://www.independent.co.uk/student/magazines/top-gear-the-race-for-ratings-421897.html) A 2002 Top Gear special covering the Birmingham Motorshow, with Jason Barlow as the only remaining presenter, bridged the gap before the BBC relaunched the program in a one-hour, studio-based format later that year.[1](https://www.wikicars.org/en/Top_Gear_%281977_TV_series%29)
## Influence
The program carried weight with motor manufacturers: a critical word from the Top Gear team could have a severe negative effect on sales. Clarkson's verdict on the original Vauxhall Vectra, "I know it's the replacement for the Cavalier. I know. But I'm telling you it's just a box on wheels", is the usual example, though more critical statements did not hurt [Toyota Corolla](https://www.edgepedia.org/toyota-corolla) sales, and extreme praise did not help the Renault Alpine GTA/A610.[1](https://www.wikicars.org/en/Top_Gear_%281977_TV_series%29)
The original show also shaped the careers of its presenters: Clarkson's television career began here, and the 2002 relaunch built directly on the audience and personnel of the old format.[2](https://automotivejournalism.uk/analysis/the-rise-and-fall-of-top-gear)
## References
1. [Top Gear (1977 TV series), Wikicars](https://www.wikicars.org/en/Top_Gear_%281977_TV_series%29)
2. [The Rise and Fall of Top Gear?, Automotive Journalism (John O'Brien, 2010)](https://automotivejournalism.uk/analysis/the-rise-and-fall-of-top-gear)
3. [Regional Shows, Top Gear Wiki (Fandom)](https://topgear.fandom.com/wiki/Regional_Shows)
4. [Road shows, The Guardian (Jason Deans, 2004)](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2004/nov/24/broadcasting.motoring)
5. [Top Gear, 1977, British Classic Comedy](https://www.britishclassiccomedy.co.uk/top-gear-1977)
6. [Original format, Top Gear Wiki (Fandom)](https://topgear.fandom.com/wiki/Original_format)
7. [Top Gear Presenters, Top Gear Wiki (Fandom)](https://topgear.fandom.com/wiki/Top_Gear_Presenters)
8. [Top Gear: The Race for Ratings, The Independent (Catherine Quinn, 2006)](https://www.independent.co.uk/student/magazines/top-gear-the-race-for-ratings-421897.html)
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