Top Gear/Tropes N-Z: Difference between revisions

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* [[The Napoleon]]: At 5'7", Hammond is nearly a foot shorter than Clarkson and is probably the most pugnacious and thrill seeking of the three.

** Which despite the short-jokes, is actually a rather average height. May and Clarkson (in particular) just are very tall.

'''Hammond:''' Be''cause''?

'''Clarkson:''' ..yeah, we used nitrous. }}

* [["No. Just... No" Reaction]]: Word for word from Clarkson when May claims his car/dinghy 2.0 can do twenty knots.

* [[Non Sequitur Distraction]]: This is a stock gag on this show, Jeremy Clarkson (and occasionally Richard Hammond) going off on a long-winded, over-the-top rant at one of the others (usually James May), at the end of which May will react to only one small part of the entire rant.

* [[Noodle Implements]]: Subverted in the South America special in Season 14, when the producers give the lads a box containing a chainsaw, a couple of winches, rubber tubing, condoms, tampons, petroleum jelly, and Viagra. ("I know we're going to be in the jungle a bit together, but that's a bit extreme." "What kind of party are they planning?") As they head for the coast, the actual incidents requiring each of these are shown<ref>Condoms and tampons are used for waterproofing their vehicles when crossing a river, the Viagra is used to help reduce the effects of altitude sickness later on</ref>.

* [[Noodle Incident]]: During the season 10 episode 1 news segment, the presenters are talking about multi-tasking whilst driving. James starts to explain that he'd seen Jeremy multi-task, before being told by Hammond that he couldn't really talk about it on TV. We're not told what it is, but Jeremy says its not in the Highway Code.

* [[Nostalgia Filter]]: May did a segment in which he drove around and reviewed his bedroom poster hero, the Lamborghini Countach, and found that its merits consisted of a [[Most Wonderful Sound|good engine note]] and good looks... and nothing else whatsoever, since shifting gears required a hammer for the shifter and a companion to help depress the clutch, it was impossible to see out of, and impossible to parallel park -- except for a technique apparently developed by Lamborghini test drivers, which Clarkson demonstrated, that involved sitting on the door sill and driving ''while not actually inside the car''.

:This is [[Hilarious in Hindsight]]: Clarkson had done a piece three years previously on the Countach, in which he discovered pretty much exactly what May had to suffer through. Either he didn't warn May beforehand, or put him up to it deliberately. Also, Clarkson apparently thinks elephants are "nice to look at" in the same way a Countach is.

::James May then took the Hilux that had been used by the camera crew in the Polar Special, had it further modified, and drove it to the rim of the erupting volcano Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland. May and the camera crew had left the volcano just hours before it ''really'' blew its top, shutting down air traffic over much of the Atlantic and Europe, in April of 2010.

** Richard Hammond complained to Jonathan Ross during an [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Es8sqgkiedo interview] that he was disappointed he had [[Beauty Is Never Tarnished|no cool scars]] resulting from his near fatal crash.

* [[Not So Above It All]]: James May, at times.

* [[Not This One, That One]]: The tow car for the caravan holiday is a shiny! sexy! Lotus E-.... er, no, it's a Kia.

** Wow, Jeremy did an amazing job creating the body of their completely custom electric car, it actually looks like a real-- oh... no....

* [[The Obi-Wan]]: [[Formula One|Sir Jackie Stewart and Mika Hakkinen]] have both given James May lessons on how to drive "properly." May explicitly compared both of them to Yoda in their respective sequences.

* [[Obi-Wan Moment]]: By his own admission, Hammond had one just before his near-fatal jet car crash.

* [[Overly Narrow Superlative]]: In the "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" segment, Jeremy will often find some specific category for the guest that makes their achievement sound more impressive, such as "fastest Welshman (Rob Brydon)" or "fastest man with a bus pass (Roger Daltrey)".

** James May is the first man to go to the North Pole ''who didn't want to go''.

* [[Paper-Thin Disguise]]: On a couple occasions the presenters have tried to pass off The Stig as James May. No one finds this convincing.

{{quote|'''May''': Some say: he has a stripey shirt, just like mine...}}

** May tied his hair back and wore a gaffer tape mustache to pretend to be an 'independent test driver' for their homemade electric car.

** A stripey shirt and careful camera angles were also used by May in an attempt to persuade the viewer that a car was being driven by him when it was in fact being driven by Tiff Needell of ''[[Fifth Gear]]''.

* [[Percussive Maintenance]]: Jeremy Clarkson's general attitude to car maintenance. ("Hammer.")

* [[The Pete Best]]: Jason ''who''? (Jason Dawe, was a presenter on Top Gear for one season and then was replaced by James May.) For the American audience, what first Stig?

* [[Porn Stash]]: In the "start on a hill without rolling backwards and smashing your most treasured possession" challenge of the lorry driving episode, the prize to the winner was "a year's supply of gentlemen's literature". We could clearly see it was a collection of top-shelf magazines. Later described as "a mountain of pornography".

** They actually broke James' piano leg off when putting it into position, and so they [[Crowning Moment of Funny|propped it up with the porn]]. After he ran his piano over, Richard and Jeremy decided they'd rather abandon the porn than to face James' wrath.

* [[Power Walk]]: Sort of. If the three presenters are driving three cars, there will inevitably be at least one wide shot of the three in a flying-wedge formation.

* [[Precap]]: In two senses. In the first episode of each new series, the presenters show previews of all the stuff that is to come that was already filmed for that season. The best stuff is saved for the actual episodes that they appear in. Additionally, nearly every episode has an introductory voiceover telling the viewer about the "main" features of the week's episode.

* [[Product Placement]]: Both [[Parody|parodied]] and [[Lampshade Hanging|lampshaded]]. But the presenters aren't shy about pointing out the ones that don't make the grade, as evidenced by the Cool Wall. It's [[The BBC]]: they are not supposed to advertise.

* [[Promoted Fanboy]]: Richard Hammond was a diehard fan of ''Top Gear'', a fan of ''Jeremy Clarkson'' even, back when he was still on satellite Television. How diehard? Well, he read every single ''Top Gear'' magazine, watched ''Top Gear'' every week, and he envied everybody working for ''Top Gear''. Needless to say, he [[Jumped At the Call]] when the current format of ''Top Gear'' started auditioning for presenters, although the last thing he expected was to actually be chosen for the job. Well, look where he is now.

* [[Quicksand Sucks]]: While trying to move the grounded barge that their 4X4's have been floated in on, Clarkson gets stuck in river mud and starts to sink, to [[Vitriolic Best Buds|much laughter]] from the other two. They eventually pull him out with one of their 4X4's and rope.

* [[Ratings Stunt]]: The episode which aired footage of the 300mph crash which temporarily brain-damaged Richard Hammond was timed to compete with the finale of ''[[Big Brother]]'' on Channel 4.

* [[Real Men Wear Pink]]: James May. Although he is teased for having 'lady's hair', wearing flowery shirts and listening to Bach, he claims to be the only 'proper bloke' on Top Gear because of his love of brown beer, pies, tools and fart jokes. He's also the best shot with a rifle, and has a machete and knows how to use it.

* [[Real Song Theme Tune]]: "Jessica", by the Allman Brothers Band. Also an [[Instrumental Theme Tune]]. See also [[Theme Tune Cameo]] below.

* [[Reckless Gun Usage]]: In one episode, the hosts travel to the North Pole, and are given a variety of firearms in case they need to defend themselves from polar bears. At one point, though, James May earnestly looks down the barrel of his shotgun, and is yelled at by their guide, who grabs the weapon out of his hands. In a Series 14 outtake, May defended himself, claiming it was the only way to see whether the barrel is unblocked.

* [[The Red Stapler]]: Inversion; for a show which spends most of its time talking about unaffordable supercars, ''Top Gear'' has a reputation as being able to destroy an everyday car's sales with a single negative word. Manufacturers will occasionally refuse to provide a car for the show to review, fearing they will hate it, but this tends to rile the presenters more, and they will often name and shame such cars before going on to review them "covertly" anyway.

:One notable case is the Vauxhall Vectra (Opel in Europe). The Vectra was trashed roundly by Clarkson and Vauxhall/Opel actually blamed him for their poor sales. BTW, for American car fans, the Vectra's American mutation is the Saturn Aura. '''Clarkson (in a 90s article)''': "There are only three objective reasons for not buying any particular car. It is unreliable; it is hideously expensive; it is a Vauxhall Vectra."

*** Also they've tried putting those animal heads in May's tent.

** May's repeated claims that Monkeys are the most dangerous animal in the world.

* [[Sand in My Eyes]]: James May after taking the Bugatti Veyron to its top speed of 253 mph.

{{quote|"I'm pretty confident that is as fast as I'm ever gonna go in a car. Incredible. That is-- It's made my eyes water."}}

{{quote|'''Hammond''': You've only [[The Italian Job|blown the bloody door off!]]}}

** The Stig farm could be seen as a homage to former-guest Harry Enfield's sketch "Clarkson Island" which featured a farmer raising a herd of ''Clarksons''.

* [[Show Within a Show]]: "''The Interceptors''", their spoof of 1970's detective shows in tribute to the Jensen Interceptor.

** Much to Hammond and May's lament, its only the opening credits.

{{quote|'''Hammond''': Why don't we make ''that'' every week?}}

* [[A Simple Plan]]: Usually subverted -- it always seems the team can devise an easy solution to the seemingly impossible task they are given, but with each of the three hosts vying to get his idea in first it never is. A source of several [[Running Gag|running gags]]. Exemplified by Clarkson's catchphrase: "How hard can it be?" Generally followed by Hammond shouting "Don't say that!"

* [[Skunk Stripe]]: May has the white-hair-at-the-temples variety.

:And from Season 12:

{{quote|'''May''': [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v{{=}}_wxn2cTlW3I And now the news.] And it's great news ladies and gentlemen, it's news to warm the hearts of nations. Jeremy Clarkson has lost his voice! [''Audience cheers and applauds'']}}

* [[Something That Begins With Boring]]: In the Polar Special. And again in the "Economy Run" episode.

* [[Sorry, Billy, But You Just Don't Have Legs]]: Aversion: when Richard Whiteley set an atrocious time on the ''Top Gear'' test track, a blind fan wrote in to say he could do better. And then did (with Jeremy Clarkson riding shotgun and guiding him through the track). {{spoiler|It wasn't Clarkson, it actually was The Stig directing him behind the scenes, they only showed Clarkson on the show.}}

* [[Sound Effect Bleep]]: In order to keep the show suitable for its pre-[[Watershed]] slot, most of the swearing is either bleeped or drowned out by a horn or car radio.

* [[Spell My Name with a "The"]]: The Stig (of course).

{{quote|'''May''': It's alright. It's romantic.

'''Hammond''': Don't say things like that! I'm on the same bed as you! }}

* [[Stealth Hi Bye]]: The Chinese "Attack" Stig is fond of mixing these with a [[Groin Attack]].

* [[Stealth Pun]]: The Stig and Richard Hammond fighting over the little trophy for the Golden Cock Award in 2009. Apparently Stig really likes the cock, though Hammond clearly wanted Stig to give him the cock.

'''Clarkson''': No tow ropes here. Nothing to see here. }}

* [[The Swear Jar]]: James May was subjected to one when reviewing an Alfa Romeo -- not for profanity, but for cliche words and phrases like "passion" or "heart" which typically come up in reviews for Italian cars.

* [[Take Our Word for It]]: We don't see what Clarkson has found on the internet each week, only the response from the studio audience. At one point Jeremy joked that there's more to the internet than "Abi Titmuss's 'Lady Garden'" and those who have attended filming have confirmed that the unseen screen shows "[[The Internet Is for Porn|particularly nasty porn]]".

* [[Take Over the World]]: Top Gear Live World Tour in 2008 started off with the three presenters [http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/sep/02/bbc.television driving over Tower Bridge in a tank].

** After Clarkson and Hammond have been discussing a campaign by the author Bill Bryson against needless roadside signs and clutter, and generally agreeing with the sentiment behind it, May launches into this fabulous [[Character Filibuster|rant]]:

{{quote|'''May''': [http://www.boreme.com/boreme/funny-2008/james-may-american-rant-p1.php I think that man is a danger, frankly]. If there is one thing I can't stand it's beardy, sanctimonious, patronising Americans in tartan trousers coming to England and trying to persuade us to turn into a museum. He wants the East End for the cheeky Cockney chaps pushing wheelbarrows full of eels and he wants northernists to be industrialists with big braces and blokes dying of consumption -- Good morning Bill, I've got the consumption, it's tradition alright. I say Bill, if you're watching -- OK, now you won't be watching because we're not talking about steam engines or longboats or bear-baiting -- but IF you've happened to tune in by mistake: We're not interested in your views of stupid Americans who come over here with their big video cameras saying Gee, I love your history, it's just so old. SOD OFF!}}

* [[Technology Marches On]]: The "flappy-paddle" gearbox. When ''Top Gear'' was first relaunched, over a ''decade'' ago, the presenters were all unimpressed by and dismissive of the idea. Then, as the tech improved, they started praising a few individual ones for being better than most. Nowadays they tend to describe them, more often than not, as an option worth considering.

* [[Technology Porn]]: Basically what the show is for, and what they do pretty much all the time, especially with the camera swooping over the glossy curves of expensive cars.

:The rare exception is the series of challenges in several episodes where the three presenters team up to 'prove' that the production team's low opinion of old British cars is unjustified - using [[Blatant Lies]] of course - in which they all effusively praise each other for their choice of cars.

* [[Tempting Fate]]: Whenever Clarkson sets his jaw, looks into the camera, and says, "How hard can it be?" Inevitably, [[Hilarity Ensues]]. For a while now they've been [[Lampshade Hanging|lampshading]] this by having Richard Hammond shout "Don't say that!" (or similar) when Clarkson says his [[Catch Phrase|catchphrase]].

** In another episode he fitted a large turbocharger to his car's engine for an endurance race, making it the fastest car there but only able to do one lap at a time before the engine overheated.

** Even Hammond got in on the act during ''Top Gear Ground Force'', creating a barbecue out of a jet-engine, complete with a turbo-powered skewer for the chicken. It was a side-splitting [[Epic Fail|epic failure]].

* [[Time Compression Montage]]: In episodes featuring long road trips or extensive work on a car. Sometimes spoofed by showing a series of clips that suggests the work of hours and then revealing that only a minute or two have passed.

** In series 18's 2nd episode, Richard Hammond was in America for NASCAR. With NASCAR races taking hundreds of laps and several hours long, a montage ensued after the race started, featuring various scenes including Hammond bringing tires to the pit stop. All with [[Team America: World Police|an appropriate "montage" song]].

{{quote|'''May''': I'm not sure I really understand "bling," but I think this must be it. I mean, it's got 24-inch rims and blacked-out glass. It's.. wicked.

[''at the end of the review'']

* [[Transplant]]:

** The Stig sometimes appears on Clarkson's other car related shows.

** James May has appeared on Richard Hammond's series [http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/tvradio/programmes/shouldiworryabout/drinking.shtml ''Should I Worry About...?''] in the 'drinking' segment.

** Tiff Needell (from the pre-2002 version of ''Top Gear'' and currently of [[Gearhead Show|''Fifth Gear'']]) was in an [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OPeosWveYc&NR=1 episode] of ''James May's Toy Stories''.

* [[Trash the Set]]: Unintentionally. The barn storing the props for the show was [http://www.autoblog.com/2007/08/15/top-gear-burns-props-destroyed/ destroyed by fire], probably arson. The Cool Wall was lost as was their furniture for the News segment. Series 10 featured the burned and melted remains of the Cool Wall as well as 'new' (i.e. second hand and ugly) furniture, and snarky comments that their rivals on ''Fifth Gear'' might have been the ones to set the blaze.

** The Caravan Holiday episode, where the caravan they were using is 'accidentally' set on fire at the end of the show. (James May claims that it started by accident, but that they decided not to rush to put it out as it made for great television!)

{{quote|'''Clarkson''': Look at this, it hasn't been invented in Italy yet... its called ''"a seatbelt"''.}}

* [[Two Gamers on a Couch]]: A conservative-leaning but self-deprecating and witty middle-aged men equivalent (and there's three of them).

* [[Unconventional Smoothie]]: The "Man's V8" from the V8 blender, which out of among other ingredients, also had bits of brick.

** Dubbed by May "The Bloody Awful"

** 'Crisis' has become Clarkson's go-to euphemism for orgasm over the last few series.

** In the episode where May and Hammond work as "Scootermen", allowing them to test a lot of people's cars (with the tipsy owner in the back). Hammond says he doesn't want to criticise their cars in front of them, so he'll use ambiguous condiment-related adjectives ("these brakes are a bit salty", "this steering is peppery") to describe those negative aspects. May then says this is cowardly and resolves to speak his mind... then in a [[Brick Joke]] near the end we hear him saying someone's car is "quite cranberry sauce".

* [[Unusually Uninteresting Sight]]: During the Middle East Special

{{quote|'''Clarkson (in a monotone voice):''' "To showcase my brilliant idea, we stopped at an underground market which had a waterfall and a river in it."}}

* [[Vanity License Plate]]:

** 0LIV3R

* [[Visual Pun]]: On occasion. For example: Hammond's review of three new hatchbacks ended with him in the Volkswagen Golf on a driving range.

* [[Vitriolic Best Buds]]: All three presenters, who can't resist making jabs at each other (and honestly, that's a large part of the attraction of the show). Occasionally borders on [[With Friends Like These...]]. Really, the only clue that the ''Top Gear'' presenters are genuinely fond of each other is that none of them has snapped and murdered the other two. Yet. May came damn close during the Bolivia Special, though.

* [[Watch the Paint Job]]: Often averted.

** Also, the kiddy car Hammond was hypnotised into thinking was a Porsche 911.

:It's a good job this was before he "met" Oliver. If they had used his Opel for that, he probably would have become violent.

** The trio's homemade convertible, having survived the car wash fire in its first appearance, finally met its demise during the tractor challenge when it was fatally smashed by the Top Gear Production Office, which Hammond was dragging along with his tractor. Hammond gave an [[Oh Crap]] reaction, but Clarkson said that he had been meaning to destroy the convertible for several weeks, and thanked Hammond for saving him the job.

* [[We Have Reserves]]: Jeremy Clarkson's attitude towards cameramen. And fellow presenters.

* [[Welcome Back, Traitor]]: Hammond riffs on this when Ben Collins (The Second Stig) returns to help train the disabled ex-servicemen getting ready for the Paris-Dakar Rally.

{{quote|'''Hammond''': Don't tell him anything, he'll put it in a book!}}

* [[Wham! Line]]: '' "You have landed in Iraq." ''

* [[What an Idiot!]]: Said in-universe by the producers and the Foreign Office after the trio crossed from relatively-peaceful Iraqi Kurdistan into the less peaceful South Turkey during the Middle East special (although the alternative, admittedly, was driving through the less-peaceful-than-either Mosul).

** [http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=LLNouGUyHBTr0sjm1ohFwBlA&feature=player_detailpage&v=xe__RnelG14#t=77s Clarkson demonstrating] a, er, potent mini-cab scented perfume... haphazardly:

{{quote|{{spoiler|'''Clarkson''': '''''MY EYES!'''''}}

{{spoiler|'''Hammond''': You cretin!}} }}

* [[What Could Have Been]]: James May was originally planning to present the Vampire rocket-car segment but had to back out due to a schedule conflict. Particularly frightening because Hammond said he only survived the car sliding ''upside down at [[American Customary Measurements|280 mph]]'' because when the roll cage dug in, he was short enough that his head remained clear of the ground. Hammond is 5'7". May is 6'. On the other hand, if May had been presenting that segment, he probably wouldn't have taken the car for an additional last-minute run.

* [[What Could Possibly Go Wrong?]]: "How hard can it be?"

* [["What Do They Fear?" Episode]]: Bolivia Special: May is afraid of heights and has the worst time on the Yungas Road. Hammond is phobic toward insects and spends the entire time in the rainforest freaking out. (Clarkson claimed he was only afraid of manual labour.)

* [[What Do You Mean It's Not Awesome?]]: The intros often play into this trope. Jeremy Clarkson: "Tonight: I wear some ''googles''! Richard Hammond ''falls down'' a small slope! James May says ''hello'' to a ''man''!"

{{quote|"Tonight: A sausage gets burned! A sheep falls over! And our track is all wet!"

** In general some of their challenges and races could make for very mundane footage. These scenes benefit greatly from the editing and the background music. ''Top Gear'' is well recognized in the professional film and television industries as having some of the world's best editing and production values.

** The 50th birthday celebration for the [[Cool Car|Jaguar E-Type]] where Clarkson had a fleet of the said car arranged in an E on Beachy Head as a marching band played in the background, Royal Marines rappelled down the cliff unfurling a Union Jack, while Sopwith Camels, Hawker Hurricanes and Spitfires flew overhead and Royal Marines parachuted unveiling yet another Union Jack with the big number 50 in the sky.

* [[Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?]]:

** Richard Hammond says "I have several recurring nightmares. One in which I am presenting a radio show and can't work the desk, another in which I find myself on stage with a truly catastrophic band. I am only waiting now for ''Top Gear'' to make me run naked through a shopping centre on a Saturday and I will have completed the set."

** Clarkson does it with the Ferrari 458 Italia due to the control stalks for the indicators and wipers having been shifted to buttons on the steering wheel, which of course end up on the opposite side he's expecting once he's turned the wheel.

*** Clarkson's ''mum'' does it while attempting to start a Peugeot 1007 during a test to see how user-friendly the car is to normal people who aren't car bores.

* [[Women Drivers]]: The team aren't averse to recommending what they would consider "a girl's car" if it's a [[Rule of Fun|whole lot of fun]].

** Subversion. Sabine Schmitz, who Clarkson would replace Hammond with because she's a better driver, better looking, speaks better English and is taller. Sabine mocked Clarkson's 9:59 time around the Nürburgring in a diesel Jaguar with "I tell you something, I do that lap time in a van," and then hopped in the Jag to beat his time by over 45 seconds -- without ever having driven that car before.

** Looking down the Stelvio Pass during the 'best driving road' segment.

** Standing at the side of the road in Vietnam looking at the view of the valley.

* [[Yank the Dog's Chain]]: In the Val Thorens ice race, James May in the Morris Marina won (well, won among the 3 presenters). They exclaimed that they've saved the reputation of the Marina and their owners will be forever grateful... {{spoiler|then a piano falls on it.}}

* [[You Make Me Sic]]: After receiving a threatening letter from the Morris Marina Owners' Club calling for the presenters to be hanged, drawn and quartered ("or is that to good for them?"), Clarkson points out the word should be spelled "too."

* [[Zany Scheme]]: Half of what Clarkson does after saying "How hard can it be?"

{{quote|'''Hammond''': "[[Running Gag|Don't SAY THAT!!]]"}}

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Split Trope Lists]]