Top Gear/Tropes N-Z: Difference between revisions

** The French are supreme in culture and cuisine and have a beautiful country, but are perpetually on strike or rioting and slightly xenophobic towards America and Britain. Their cars tend to disintegrate over time, especially the trim.

** Italians are boisterous, emotional artistic types who wave their arms about constantly and their country has some of the best driving roads. Their cars tend to be pretty, fast and fun, even the small cheap ones, but have a tendency to be unreliable.

** Britain is a totalitarian, Orwellian dictatorship run by an interfering nanny-state government and the Health and Safety Executive, which serve to hold back a population that used to produce engineering marvels. The presenters will often say things like 'when this used to be a free country...'

*** [[The Midlands]] is inhabited by beer-swilling Communists with awful accents who ruined the British car industry in [[The Seventies]].

*** South Yorkshire ([[Hypocritical Humour|where Clarkson comes from]]) is poor but proud and [[Rated "M" for Manly]], being endemically suspicious of anything that smacks of being southern or effeminate, such as high culture.

** The Japanese are mostly the same stereotype as the Germans, but their wackiness and electronic-tuning-boy-racer subculture are sometimes referenced, as is [[Japanese Ranguage]].

** The Finns are a race of quietly [[Crazy Awesome]] [[Neat Freak]] [[Badass Driver|Badass Drivers]].

** The Australians are loud, brash and uncultured, and their country is inhabited chiefly by deadly animals and plants.

** Subverted in the Vietnam special, where the team show nothing but respect to the Vietnamese and are [[Oh Crap|naturally horrified]] that the bogey-prize motorbike is emblazoned with the Star-Spangled Banner and is set to play "Born in the USA". It was a great big serving of Vietnam [[Scenery Porn]], with [[Take That]] jokes aimed at the Americans.

* [[Neat Freak]]: James May, to the point of quite possibly having OCD.

'''May''': And I always like to have the air vents lined up so they're really completely symmetrical. }}

* [[Never Live It Down]]: Invoked.

* [[The Nicknamer]]: Clarkson.

* [[Nitro Boost]]:

'''Hammond:''' Do you remember what happened to [[Continuity Nod|the first Stig]]?<br />

'''Clarkson:''' He fell off an aircraft carrier.<br />

** During the £100-car challenge, after Clarkson opens the envelope on the final challenge: ''crashing on purpose''.

** In the second amphibious car challenge, when Clarkson opens the golden challenge envelope and discovers they'll have to cross the English Channel.

{{spoiler|It did, being the only one of the three not to sink}} }}

** When [[Torches and Pitchforks|circumstances demanded]] a quick exit from a gas station in the [[Deep South]]...

'''Hammond:''' ...[[You Have Got to Be Kidding Me!|You're]] ''[[You Have Got to Be Kidding Me!|joking.]]'' }}

** And when Clarkson discovered that the Vietnam challenge meant driving the length of the country... on motorbikes.

** At the beginning of the Middle East Special. "You have landed in Iraq..."

*** Followed later in the same special by a challenge envelope delivered after they enter Turkey, and are happy about being "safe".

** Clarkson has one in whilst driving a Sportscar-train, happily declaring that he's travelling at nearly 80 and ''then'' realising there's a very large parked Diesel in front of him, causing him to slam on the brakes.

** One from the Bolivia challenge that leaves the trio speachless.

** During the Botswana challenge (driving across the entire country in cars), the Vice President hears about the challenge and goes to give his regards to the hosts because such a thing has never been attempted before. He then sees the cars they plan to use.

** Hammond, James, and Clarkson had to drive through a wild animal sanctuary in their home made not very reliable convertible van. before they went through the lion part, the gang found out that the lions had not eaten in two days.

* [[Old Shame]]: Out of universe. American viewers found the cast (and crew)'s run-in with Alabama hillbillies very embarassing.

* [[Overdrive]]: The Britcar 24-hour endurance race.

* [[Overly Long Gag]]: The special gearbox on a new Porsche Boxster Spyder. Hammond has to spell it out because he claims he cannot pronounce it.

[''the word "Doppelkupplungsgetriebe" appears on the screen''] }}

** "Dual Clutch Gearbox" is actually not much shorter, though.

** 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.

** 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]]''.

* [[Political Correctness Gone Mad]]: The show in general and Clarkson in particular are the direct antithesis of this trope, and frequent complaints are heard from the PC branch of the [[Moral Guardians]]. There's a belief among fans that there are actually people who watch ''[[Top Gear]]'' for the sole purpose of finding something to take offence at.

* [[The Pollyanna]]: Any presenter trying to defend the worthiness of the car he has chosen for a challenge in the face of mounting evidence to the contrary. Expect [[Blatant Lies]] and maybe a [[Verbal Backspace]] or two.

* [[Poor Man's Porn]]: Clarkson starts the News in 02.03 with a warning to parents:

** The way the three presenters [[Cargo Ship|talk about cars sometimes]] makes one wonder if they take ''Auto Trader'' with them to the lavatory....

* [[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".

* [[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.

'''Clarkson''' (series 18, episode 4):Tonight, I wear a hat... James wears a hat... and Richard is behind a low wall! }}

::Spoofed in a Series 3 episode where the precap featured things they'd ''like'' to do (Queen Elizabeth II as the Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car, anyone?) but couldn't afford, because they were out of money.

* [[Precision F-Strike]]: James May

'''May''': You're a [[Curse Cut Short|fu--]]<br />

[''hard cut to'']<br />

** Some of the cheating in the challenges certainly qualifies.

** From the first episode of Series 12:

** Clarkson's Volkswagen ad, which featured Polish citizens milling about in panic and ended with the caption {{spoiler|"Volkwagen Scirocco TDI: Berlin to Warsaw in one tank"}}.

** Another Clarkson, this one an outtake: "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSsLOjeUjuo&feature=related#t=3m06s Come to England, the birds have got great tits.]" The 'birds' in question laughed rather than take offence. And to be fair, they both did have absolutely smashing tits.

*** The next two outtakes in the reel count as well. They wouldn't be nearly as funny if Clarkson wasn't so blatantly obvious about it.

** A long-term [[Running Gag]] is that many series will begin with Clarkson saying how they have got complaining letters wanting more sensible things on the show, only to subvert it. For example:

** They later took on the Presenters of the Australian Top Gear. [[Hilarity Ensues]].

** Such as booking their "limo" which was actually a prisoner transport van, the double-decker car race had the car on top for the Australians ''upside down'' as well as the Stig also being delivered in a crate upside-down. The Australian's however were far more capable than the Germans of getting their own back on the lads during some of the challenges.

* [[Relax-O-Vision]]: Not censorship, but rather an anti-boredom motive.

** Played straight in the Bonneville Salt Flats special. Claiming they have visas to visit America to film a factual review but not to do an entertainment program, Clarkson censors several scenes because they're getting dangerously entertaining.

* [[Renaissance Man]]: James May, between his music degree, pilot's license, and shows about toys, the Apollo program, technology and alcoholic drink, not to mention his knowledge of cars. His programme ''[[James May's Man Lab|James Mays Man Lab]]'' and book ''How To Land An A330 Airbus, And Other Vital Skills for the Modern Man'' are further examples of his diverse areas of interest and expertise.

* [[Ring Ring CRUNCH]]: An annoying talking device meant to remind diesel drivers to put the correct fuel in their vehicles. Clarkson killed it with a hammer.

** James May once shot his mobile phone, apparently.

* [[Rock Star Parking]]: At the end of their epic races. The presenters may have to fight traffic getting to the hotel, but they can always pull up right at the door. Averted when May and Clarkson were doing challenges in their luxury limousines. They were ordered to drive into the center of London and park. They failed.

* [[Romanticism Versus Enlightenment]]: Some of the presenters and episodes embody this. For example Jeremy is mostly Romantic with some Enlightenment moments where as you could argue that James is the opposite. Richard is more Romantic arguably.

** 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.

** He later takes the Veyron Super-Sport to 259.5 mph.

* [[Saw Star Wars 27 Times]]: The Stig's African cousin is said to have seen ''[[The Lion King]]'' 1,780 times.

* [[Scenery Porn]]: In the overseas episodes. The Vietnam special made particularly heavy use of this in the service of the feature's main objective: to show the country as more than "just that place where a war happened." The Polar Special also featured some truly stunning cinematography.

* [[Schmuck Bait]]:

'''Hammond''': ''GUH!'' }}

* [[Screams Like a Little Girl]]: Hammond during the Bolivia Special [[Fly Crazy|in response]] to the insect life and [[Reptiles Are Abhorrent|the snake in his car]].

* [[Self-Deprecation]]:

** May's first appearance on the revived ''Top Gear''

** The show's motto of 'Ambitious but Rubbish'.

** Clarkson [[Insistent Terminology|consistently refers to the show as]] "that poky little motoring programme on [[BBC 2]]", especially when accepting awards.

* [[Sex Sells]]: Played for laughs on occasion but otherwise averted. Clarkson's contribution to his and May's Volkswagen Scirocco ad was to put the attractive actress in a bikini. When told it was going to be a funeral scene, he clarified: "Black bikini."

** May called up a local model agency for a car calendar challenge. They sent ''a man''.

* [[Shaggy Dog Story]]: Arguably, the whole of the Mallorca classic car rally in Season 13, but particularly Hammond's car: a badly-broken 1953 Lanchester, which he tolerated only because he believed it was built by his grandfather. {{spoiler|It wasn't.}}

* [[Shaped Like Itself]]

* [[Shipper on Deck]]:

** Hammond and May jokingly ship Clarkson/Will Young.

* [[Shout-Out]]: The show makes too many to mention.

** [http://www.dilbert.com/2010-05-16/ This] [[Dilbert]] strip introduces software legend Wolfgang with the following lines in riff on the Stig's [[Running Gag]] intro. {{spoiler|It's Wally with a beard.}}

** [[Timothy Zahn]] did the same in his book ''[[The Cobra Trilogy|Cobra Gamble]]'':

"Sure," Jody said. "I mean, how hard can it be?" }}

** James May made one when one of the other two screwed up a challenge during their race against the German car show.

'''May:''' [[The Great Escape|Cooler. Eight veeks.]] }}

** Perhaps an unintended one but Clarkson seems to like using [[The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time|HEY! HEY! LISTEN! HEY!]] to get everyone's attention from time to time.

** During the snowplow challenge whenever something goes wrong {{spoiler|meaning all the time}}:

** The Series 17 premiere, when Clarkson introduced guest star [[Alice Cooper]]:

** When Clarkson attempted to use explosives to blow up a condemned series of houses, which had the grand effect of knocking down a ''door''.

** 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''.

* [[Shrouded in Myth]]: The Stig, based on the [[Running Gag]] introductions almost every episode.

* [[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.

* [[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.

* [[Sliding Scale of Silliness Versus Seriousness]]: Very much on the "silly" side.

* [[Smug Snake]]: Jeremy Clarkson, in every sense. During one episode the studio audience actually booed his success at a task, a reaction which Hammond ''loved''. The Clarkson / Simon Cowell interviews: battle of the [[Smug Snake|Smug Snakes]]!<br /><br />And from Season 12:

* [[So Bad It's Good]]: In-universe. James May wrote a [http://www.topgear.com/uk/james-may/james-may-the-old-masters-2008-07-01 column] about how, while he does get a kick out of getting to drive incredible supercars, he's grown to love absolutely ''terrible'' cars and he said Clarkson agrees with him, because of the challenge, triumph, and nothing-left-to-lose freedom that comes from driving them.

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

* [[Spoof Aesop]]: Especially when it comes to environmental matters or money saving. Usually in the form of a "Top Gear Top Tip". One of the best: the "American South" special, in which they traveled across the southern United States in cars purchased for no more than $1,000 US. After nearly crashing into a river full of alligators due to bad brakes, having an angry mob chase them out of a gas station while throwing rocks at them ''and'' their film crew for having slogans such as "MAN-LOVE RULES OK" and "NASCAR sucks!" painted on their cars, and witnessing firsthand the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina (which inspired them to donate their vehicles to local families, which ''then'' prompted a [[Amoral Attorney|lawyer]] to threaten to sue them for misrepresentation because Clarkson mistakenly claimed his '89 Camaro was a '91 model, and also ever so kindly offer to drop the lawsuit for <s>a protection racket of</s> $20,000), they all learned a valuable lesson: Don't go to America.

* [[Spot of Tea]]: Often, and sometimes under the most outrageous circumstances (i.e. while floating in the Bay of Dover after one's amphibious vehicle has capsized.)

* [[Squick]]. In-universe, when one presenter teases another with a little homoerotic subtext, expect to see the second person twisting in comical discomfort.

'''May''': Stop saying things like that! }}

** And

[''camera switches to Hammond, who is now looking somewhat concerned''] }}

** And on the caravan holiday, when the trio realize they are parked near a noisy and active train crossing

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

<!-- %%% -->

** While he's certainly more low-key than the other dudes, I certainly wouldn't call May "ordinary".

* [[Strongly Worded Letter]]: After James had rant about calling a Bentley British (because of the company being owned by VW, the car in question being styled by a Belgian and engineered by a German):

* [[Stuff Blowing Up]]: Almost every episode. In fact, it's noteworthy when they ''don't'' do it.

* [[Stupid Statement Dance Mix]]: Jeremy's [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RY9u0LxIWJk got one].

* [[Surprisingly Good English|Surprisingly Good Vietnamese]]: In the Vietnam special, Clarkson actually learned enough Vietnamese to understand the oral driver's exam, and answer the question directed at him; the legal age required to get a full motorcycle license (the answer being 18). Predictably, Hammond and May were shocked.

'''Clarkson''': You're ''screwed'', then. }}

* [[Suspiciously Similar Substitute]]: The white Stig (Ben Collins), replacing Perry McCarthy as the black Stig.

* [[Suspiciously Specific Denial]]: In one episode they had to get their cheap Alfa Romeos into a Concours d'Elegance competition. Hammond's Alfa died on the way there and since cars were only allowed to enter if they did so under their own power that was a bit of a problem. They snuck in under the eyes of the marshalls by driving their cars bumper to bumper, May towing Hammond's Alfa with the tow rope hidden under Clarkson's car. Hammond at least tried to come up with an excuse but Clarkson just couldn't be bothered...

'''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 That]]: In the 2008 Christmas show, Clarkson joked about how lap footage would be improved by playing a CD of V8 engine noises as a [[Take That]] to fan allegations that [http://www.topgear.com/blogs/planettopgear/135-show-six-wilman/ a lap soundtrack had been falsified] earlier in the series.

** 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]]:

*** Cue a large round of applause - as much as the Brits like Bill, May touched a nerve there.

** In the Stig's first power lap of Series 15, the footage suddenly cut away halfway through to show some cars playing football, while Clarkson could still be heard narrating about how the Stig's car had exploded and crashed, and other incredibly exciting things were happening. This was a [[Take That]] at ITV for their ill-timed [[Commercial Pop-Up]] during the HD broadcast of England's first game of the 2010 World Cup two weeks earlier.

** In a far more personal and literal ''Take That!'', Jeremy Clarkson once took a more direct route to redress from a newspaper that had defamed him. Eschewing a long and costly libel action, Clarkson walked up to the newspaper editor as he and his fellow-journalist mistress sat down to dinner in a swanky London hotel. Noting that the editor was doing for real what his newspaper had falsely accused him, Clarkson, of doing - neglecting his wife in favour of a mistress - Jeremy addressed the double standard involved by punching the hapless hack out cold, laying him in a heap several feet away from his chair. This appears to have done nobody's career any harm, as the punchee Piers Morgan is now a TV presenter in his own right, and his bit on the side has advanced up the pecking order of the Guardian.... but Clarkson is right in that while ''his'' alleged affair became front-page news, newspapers become strangely protective and close-lipped when it involves one, or in this case two, of their own.

** After making a [[Refuge in Audacity|particularly audacious]] joke on ''The One Show'' that those on a recent strike "should be taken out and shot in front of their families" which caused minor controversy, OFCOM cleared Clarkson of breaching regulations by stating that it was clear that he wasn't being serious. Clarkson then made fun of how overblown the incident had become in 18x06.

'''Hammond''': [[Too Soon|Don't go there]]!<br />

'''Clarkson''': And ''you'' should be taken out and shot in front of your family, which it turns out, you ''can'' say on television!<br />

'''Clarkson''': *''winks at the camera''* }}

* [[Talks Like a Simile]]: Clarkson yet again (also in his newspaper articles). The effect is amplified by the fact that many of them reference random subjects pulled out of nowhere apparently on the spur of the moment.

[''responding to another critic who has said car X is better than car Y''] "Yes, in the same way that treading on a rusty nail is better than having sex with the entire sixth form of a girls' school!" }}

** When comparing British vs American petrol on the performance of the Koenigsegg([[Running Gag|igseggigsegg]]) CCX;

* [[Tank Goodness]]:

** Clarkson, driving a Land Rover, tried evading a British Army Challenger 2 tank. [[Multi-Track Drifting|And failed.]]

** Clarkson, Hammond and May [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1051349/Pictured-Top-Gear-presenters-thunder-central-London-massive-armoured-tank.html rode in a "tank" over the Tower Bridge] as a promotional stunt for Top Gear Live 2008. [[Tanks, But No Tanks|The press like the word "tank".]] It is actually an [[Awesome Personnel Carrier|armoured personnel carrier.]]

** When challenged to a knock-houses-down-off by a demolition team, they decided on ex-military vehicles. Although none were actually ''tanks'' per se, they were visually fairly similar. (And they were tempted to ''use'' some of the tanks, but ultimately went with support vehicles like Clarkson's deminer.)

** One episode had Hammond driving a US Army M1A2 Abrams and shooting the main gun and machine guns on it.

* [[Teeth-Clenched Teamwork]]: Rare is the co-operative ''Top Gear'' project that does ''not'' go this way. Perhaps the best example is the episode where the boys [http://www.bbc.co.uk/topgear/videos/index.shtml?cat=more_challenges&id=55 built their own Caterham].<br /><br />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]].

** When at a car auction, James repeatedly rejects cars, claiming that not to worry, there are plenty more to choose from.

** Clarkson when sewing a new roof for their home-made convertible;

*[[Gilligan Cut|Five seconds later]]*<br />

'''Clarkson''': Damn and blast! I've sewn myself to the machine! }}

* [[Testosterone Poisoning]]: Clarkson's V8 Engine powered blender. And the "Manly V8 Smoothie" he concocted with it, which contains beef (with bones in it), peppers, bovril, Tabasco, and (for extra bite) a ''brick''.

'''Hammond:''' [''in pain''] It's put hairs on my eyeballs!! }}

* [[That Came Out Wrong]]: Often. Whether a given instance is genuine or just playing to the [[Rule of Funny]] is sometimes up for debate

** Also: "This is the biggest and most powerful [[Foreign Cuss Word|car]] I have ever experienced. [''[[beat]]''] I can't believe I just said that."

* [[That Makes Me Feel Angry]]: In the "Polar Special" (Clarkson, Hammond, and May's attempt to reach the magnetic north pole), James May finally tells Jeremy Clarkson, "I'm so unspeakably outraged with you." (Granted, this is after they have been in extreme cold digging a path through an ice boulder field for days and are both exhausted past the point of civility.)

* [[That's No Moon]]: The presenters looking down the giant sand dunes along the Chilean coast and suddenly realizing a) they're huge, and b) they'll have to drive down them.

* [[Theme Tune Cameo]]: Happens "accidentally" in the San Francisco to Bonneville Salt Flats episode: the Allman Brothers Band song "Jessica" (the ''Top Gear'' main theme song) comes on the radio while they're filming a 'factual' review of American muscle cars in America.

'''Clarkson:''' On tonight's program...[chuckles] }}

* [[There Are No Therapists]]: James May often falls afoul of the obsessive compulsive disorder he swears he doesn't have, spending more time naming and filing his tools than actually using them to complete a job.

** Clarkson drew massive criticism for his "Change gear, change gear, change gear, murder a prostitute" joke in the Lorry Driving Challenge, having made it mere weeks after a lorry driver was arrested and charged in connection with a string of prostitute murders. It's well known that Clarkson is a huge fan of [[Too Soon]] jokes and uses them a lot on purpose just to wind the press up, but the reaction continued to be that he went too far with this one.

* [[Totally Radical]]: In a wry and self-deprecating way (of course) during May's review of the life-size [[Thunderbirds|FAB1]].

'''May''': [''in the car, throwing up a 'sign'''] So I aks you... is I bling? }}

* [[Transplant]]:

** 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''.

* [[Trans Atlantic Equivalent]]: The [[Top Gear US|US version of]] ''[[Top Gear US|Top Gear]]'' has premiered in the History Channel. It's got a race track (with different names), a Stig, three hosts, and only 40 minutes to do their [[Scenery Porn|gorgeously filmed]] thing in.

** The opening narration explained what ''Top Gear'' [[Take That|is not]]: no dancing, no makeovers, no cooking ...

* [[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.

* [[Troll]]: Clarkson.

** Clarkson says racing drivers -- and by that association, the Stig -- have a very small brain and worthless opinions.<ref>A race driver is ''the'' go-to guy for pretty much all race-tuning and for a full understanding of how well a car works for performance driving.</ref> Also, this quote:

** Also, the slogans during the US Special.

** And his dozens and dozens of other targets.

** The comments about truck drivers got him into trouble:

** Not to mention;

* [[Troperiffic]]: Just look at the size of this page. Go on, look. We'll wait.

* [[Trophy Room]]: After the show won an Emmy they kept it in a toilet in their offices, which are little more than portable cabins. The Top Gear set does have other 'trophies', such as the indestructible Toyota Hilux.

* [[Two Decades Behind]]: Clarkson comments that as of 2012, the Italians have yet to discover an interesting little safety-feature.

* [[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.

* [[Understatement]]: Any time you hear the phrase "That's not gone well." Jeremy, after testing the V8 blender: "I'm not sure this works."

* [[Unexplained Recovery]]: Lampshaded in the 'car for a 17-year-old' challenge, after Hammond rear-ended a car and Clarkson pronounced him dead.

* [[Unflinching Faith in the Brakes]]: An element of some cheap-car challenges. Sometimes this faith is justified. Other times... not.

* [[Unfortunate Names]]:

** John Manlove, who owns Manlove Forensics, the company that they have used twice to check the forensic history of second-hand cars.

* [[Unfriendly Fire]]: May, manning a paintball-shooting 'tank,' opened fire on Clarkson's car during one of the ''D Motor'' crossover challenges

'''Hammond''': You're right, you would. Fire! }}

* [[Unit Confusion]]: In Series 15 Episode 3 May refers to a measurement as "an eighth of an inch, or three millimetres in Roman Catholic."

** May owns a [http://www.abpic.co.uk/photo/1133855/ Champion 8KCAB Decathlon light airplane] with the registration number G-[[Catch Phrase|OCOK]], though it has not appeared in the show

* [[Verbal Backspace]]: Often.

'''Clarkson''': Two things. }}

* [[Very Special Episode]]: The team will often contribute to televised charity fundraisers by changing their usual format and embarking on challenges completely outside their field of expertise to raise money, [[Rule of Funny|just for the hell of it]].

* [[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.

* [[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:

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

* [[What a Piece of Junk!]]: Every now and then.

* [["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''!"

"Tonight: Richard Hammond buys a coffee! James May slips on some snow! And we show a picture of Steve [[Mc Queen]]!" }}

** Hammond and May racing against a letter being delivered by Royal Mail. Complete with dramatic shots of mail being unloaded from planes and sorted.

** 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.

* [[What Do You Mean It Wasn't Made on Drugs?]]: After Clarkson's "normal road test" of the Renault Twingo 133:

** Also, the anti-drunk driving PSA Bacardi asked them to show during {{spoiler|Schumacher's}} interview. As Jeremy put it:

* [[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."

* [[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.<br /><br />When the time came to do Clarkson's lap time in a van, Sabine came up just a bit short. Try as she might, she couldn't get the Ford Transit to do the lap any faster than 10:08, even though she'd stripped the van (by removing the hub caps, spare tyre, toolkit, ''and'' Richard Hammond) and attempted slipstreaming behind a Dodge Viper. Granted, they did supply her with a UK-spec right hand drive one.

'''Hammond:''' You didn't tell ''me'' that; you said it was perfectly safe! }}

** Sailboat racer Ellen MacArthur, who held the Star in a Reasonably Priced Car lap record until the Liana was retired, despite having little applicable experience.

* [[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?"

 

{{reflist}}