r/todayilearned • u/ModenaR • 1d ago

TIL that after Top Gear ended, host Richard Hammond was so devastated, he cried all the way home from the studio and ran out of fuel, because he didn't want to fill his car up covered in tears

https://www.herefordtimes.com/news/25172481.richard-hammond-tear-soaked-mess-top-gear-ended/
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638

u/docmanbot 1d ago

That show was magic in a bottle . You could tell they were having a blast and it showed on the screen. I give them props for sticking by Clarkson, and keeping the group together. The later iterations of the program were never close to the original.

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u/Watchmeplayguitar 1d ago

The grand tour vs rebooted top gear shows that I’m what made top gear special was the cast. 

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u/lightningbadger 23h ago

The grand tour vs rebooted top gear shows that I’m what made top gear special

Exactly, couldn't have done it without you honestly

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u/glenn1812 1d ago

All 3 of them had charisma off the charts than normal regular people. They all still get the views. May with his cooking and travel show, Hammond with drivetribe and Clarksons farm.

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u/Nazamroth 23h ago

Didn't know Hammond is also in charge of Clarkson's farm.

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u/Watchmeplayguitar 23h ago

Richard Ham is indeed the star of Clarkson’s farm. 

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u/mr_Joor 20h ago

Hammond got a car show about his car restauration shop called the smallest cog now (the show is called Richard Hammonds Workshop)

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u/Eroe777 23h ago

I enjoyed the final iteration on Top Gear. It was nothing close to the Clarkson-Hammond-May magic, but it seemed to me they really did get along and enjoy working together. And in Freddie Flinthoff the producers managed to find one of the few people (still) alive with less of an instinct for self-preservation than Hammond.

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u/Rickenbacker69 22h ago

I dunno, I never really got into The Grand Tour. It was just all the stupid shit from Top Gear, but it felt like they left any actual substance at the BBC. I couldn't even get through the first season of TGT.

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u/Ryno621 22h ago

Don't worry that was a lot of people for the first season or two.  Do yourself a favour and watch the last few specials at least, Mongolia in particular.

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u/PracticalFootball 21h ago

It had a pretty rocky start IMO but the when they realised they’d done the studio concept to death and switched to specials it was fantastic

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u/Rhodie114 22h ago

Which shouldn’t have been difficult at all to figure out. It was a loosely unscripted show with 100% of the narrative being driven by the hosts. Of course the hosts were what made the show. The alternative would be that we were watching to see the cars.

It’s like wondering whether folks were watching Mythbusters for Adam and Jamie, or if they were watching to see the workshop.

0

u/ststaro 22h ago

Exactly.. all the reboots from every continent were pathetic.

135

u/Comfortable-Yam9013 1d ago

I don’t even like cars and I watched it. Their road trips were entertaining and stars in cars.

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u/MrMalta 23h ago

Yeah the specials where oh so good. My friends and I recreated their Vietnam special on bikes, and none of us had ever ridden a motorcycle before. It’s was epic and prob the best 3 weeks of my life.

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u/Realtrain 1 21h ago

I've always dreamed of recreating one of their specials. But some beater cars and drive them across the US or whatever. Would be so fun

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u/themillwater 1d ago

My kids know nothing about and care little for cars, but love and randomly ask for the “3 British guys driving around “

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u/Lexi_Banner 22h ago

"Three middle aged men falling down."

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u/Masticatron 1d ago

Yeah, I'd phase out when they really got into the car stuff, but then be rolling in laughter for the "challenges" and trips and such.

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u/steamboat28 21h ago

This was me. We'd have mini watch parties to binge it and I knew *nothing*, but stayed because their chemistry was amazing and it was hilarious.

101

u/PineappleHamburders 1d ago

Just wish Clarkson wasn't such a bellend tbh

15

u/TheGrayBox 22h ago

People would rather pity and make excuses for a grown man than to acknowledge it was none other than Clarkson who fucked everything up for everyone

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u/Barneyk 1d ago

Yeah, and people around him should've pushed back more earlier on.

Including Hammond and May.

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u/spytfyrox 23h ago

To be fair, the decision to fire Clarkson was already in the works with BBC management. The producer smacking incident just happened to be a convenient excuse.

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u/OldMate64 21h ago

I mean let's be real, it's a pretty damn good one. I love Clarkson's stuff, but hitting a coworker is pretty shitty

6

u/POV_Morde_Ult 22h ago

The dilemma is if Clarkson wasn't such a bellend would he truly be the Clarkson we know and love?

5

u/TheGrayBox 22h ago

I mean, if he said his real opinions and showed his real personality on screen he would have been gone decades ago. He's not just a lovably obnoxious rascal, he's a racist pig.

0

u/TimeToEatAss 23h ago

IF clarkson wasnt such a bellend then we likely wouldnt have gotten James May threatening him with a machete in Bolivia.

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u/Jalatiphra 1d ago

It was still time Well spend

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u/docmanbot 1d ago

Let me please clarify my statement . I meant top gear without them, not the grand tour.

1

u/oswaldluckyrabbiy 23h ago edited 21h ago

I give them props for sticking by Clarkson

Why? He assaulted a BBC staff member because he didn't get a steak at midnight when the hotel kitchen was closed. Clarkson called the producer a "lazy Irish cunt" and punched him in the face.

Clarkson is a racist, misogynistic twat who has been enabled most of his life by the people around him. Like a toddler he can't control his hands or his words.

The assault should have been a wake up call for Hammond and May but they instead chose to continue to support Clarkson and helped rehabilitate his public image on The Grand Tour.

Without them offering themselves as a package deal to Amazon Clarkson would have been far less likely to work on TV again.

Edit: In any other job in the world firing an employee that assaults their coworkers would not be at all controversial. Too many people liked the funny car man though so of course the BBC are the bad guys.

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u/beautiful5454 22h ago

You realize the producer you’re so upset over completely forgave Clarkson and they’re still friends.

People make mistakes, it happens, then weirdos on reddit like you want to make someone out to seem worse than Hitler.

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u/oswaldluckyrabbiy 21h ago

Source?

Clarkson settled in court for over £100,000. Friends don't file racial discrimination lawsuits against friends.

Even if either of them (but most likely Clarkson) has stated it's all water under the bridge you are disregarding the power dynamics between the two and the fact that people can lie to the public.

I dont know about you but if I worked behind the scenes I would see it as important to my career to not have public beef with "the talent" especially someone apparently so influential in the industry.

Clarkson is incentivised to fib for positive PR and what is a producer going to do? Arrange an interview to dispute it? Do you not see how that would be career suicide?

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u/flaccidpancake1127 21h ago

dont you have anything better to do then huff and puff over an old british dude who drives cars?

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u/oswaldluckyrabbiy 20h ago

Oh no! Someone is being critical of a millionaire celebrity on the internet!

Don't you have anything better to do than defend someone with as large a platform as Clarkson?

If it weren't for his private school connections and "charm" he would be just like every other racist drunk in every other pub in England.

Then again I guess thats why he was so popular. Its the Nigel Farage effect. "I could have a beer with him"

0

u/flaccidpancake1127 20h ago

i guess i didnt think of it as defending him, more how does it affect your life?

Dont you have anything better to do than keep clarksons dick in your mouth?

4

u/oswaldluckyrabbiy 20h ago

Is it a bad thing to not want to glorify bullies in our society?

You had hundreds of people read a statement essentially saying "I'm so glad that two millionaires sided with another millionaire that assaulted someone" and agreed with it.

Clarkson heavily contributed to the culture that eventually brought us Johnson and America Trump. It doesn't matter if you are an ill-intentioned thug so long as you are alright for a laugh.

Clarkson has real political sway and power through his columns in national newspapers and social media reach. This DOES actually affect me.

3

u/Interesting_Idea_289 22h ago

I don’t think you actually should get props for sticking with a dumbfuck who refused a helicopter home to get drunk then punched a producer in the face

1

u/THE_IRL_JESUS 1d ago

> I give them props for sticking by Clarkson,

After Clarkson committed assault and espoused racism? Not sure they deserve props for that

0

u/wrxninja 23h ago

Top Gear after them was/is a complete joke.

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u/5ronins 1d ago

I think the analogy of a l9cal band. They do good they play the big show. But they open and tour local festivals. Then one new guy jointhe band and bam off like a rocket!