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And On That Bombshell: Inside the Madness and Genius of TOP GEAR Paperback – December 13, 2016

by Richard Porter (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 1,924 ratings
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I was Top Gear's script editor for 13 years and all 22 series. I basically used to check spelling and think of stupid gags about The Stig. I also got to hang around with Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May. It didn't feel like something you should get paid for.

From the disastrous pilot show of 2002 to the sudden and unexpected ending in 2015, working on Top Gear was quite a rollercoaster ride. We crossed continents, we made space ships, we bobbed across the world's busiest shipping lane in a pick-up truck. We also got chased by an angry mob, repeatedly sparked fury in newspapers, and almost killed one of our presenters.

I realised that I had quite a few stories to tell from behind the scenes on the show. I remembered whose daft idea it was to get a dog. I recalled the willfully stupid way in which we decorated our horrible office. I had a sudden flashback to the time a Bolivian drug lord threatened to kill us. I decided I should write down some of these stories. So I have. I hope you like them.

And now, a quote from James May: 'Richard Porter has asked me to "write a quote" for his new book about the ancient history of Top Gear. But this is a ridiculous request. How can one "write a quote"? Surely, by definition, a quote must be extracted from a greater body of writing, for the purpose of illustrating or supporting a point in an unrelated work. I cannot "write a quote" any more than I could "film an out-take".

'Porter, like Athens, has lost his marbles.'

Previous page
  1. Print length
    256 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Orion
  4. Publication date
    December 13, 2016
  5. Dimensions
    7.75 x 2.15 x 5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1409165078
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1409165071
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

I can't imagine that it's [Top Gear] triumphant 13 year run will have a finer chronicler.―Daily Mail

AND ON THAT BOMBSHELL is a funny and revealing look behind the scenes at the 13 years of the Clarkson-Hammond-May Top Gear era.―CHOICE magazine

... a funny and, at times, thought-provoking look into the world of one of the biggest motoring programmes of all-time.―AUTO EXPRESS

a fascinating and amusing insight into a true TV phenomenon―OCTANE

About the Author

Richard Porter worked for 13 years as writer and script editor for BBC's Top Gear. During that time he created implausible metaphors, invented Stig facts, and thought it was a good idea to write inflammatory slogans on cars for a drive through Alabama. Also in the car world, he is evo magazine's longest serving columnist, the malfunctioning brain behind sniffpetrol.com, and the author of 15 books on a range of automotive subjects, including the bestselling CrapCars.

Away from machines, he has written serious things for the BBC science department and the Natural History Unit, and stupid things for Total Wipeout and Comic Relief. He is reasonably tall.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Orion; Reprint edition (December 13, 2016)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1409165078
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1409165071
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.75 x 2.15 x 5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 1,924 ratings

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Richard Porter

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
1,924 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Scott Sloan
5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible insight into the world of Top Gear.
Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2015
Verified Purchase
Just finished it, and really enjoyed it. Porter captures the highs and lows that made Top Gear such a phenomenal show. I came to the show during its 10th series and kept with it pretty much up until the end. Porter covers most of glory times of those earlier shows and in short easy to digest chapters in a prose that reads much in the same way as Clarkson speaks. My personal favorites were always the road trips to places like Vietnam, Bolivia, and the Second America Trip. Those along with some of the more amusing challenges was always what kept me coming back along with the segments on new cars and whatever ones seem to have caught one of the presenters fancy.
Porter seems to have been in the Inner Circle of the show for such a long period and am sure has tons of more stories and anecdotes to offer. I was surprised that the book seemed to end almost too quickly, and would have liked more insight into such things involved in the show. Porter also does his best to cover things that didn't go so well on the show. From segments that didn't work that we know about, for example The dreaded India special that seemed to show cracks in the foundation of the World's Most Watched Show, to the Burma special that i consider to be just un-watchable. He Porter offers his peek behind the curtain into segments that never saw the light of day and as he describes them for all very good reasons. The chapters devoted to the fictional tame racing driver The Stig were my favorites and the chapter singling out Michael Schumacher is touching and done very well and is one of my favorite moments from the show.
The final chapter in the book simply titled The End is a bit of a head scratcher for me. Porter who had gone on for the entire book about how they were all friends and got along fine seems to suddenly distance himself from Clarkson and the incident that spelled the end for Top Gear in this current incarnation. At first i was angered and disappointed by this as to how this guy who was such an integral part of the show's crew and continually praised Clarkson's devotion to the show and making it the best that it could be to suddenly change camps and call out Clarkson's apology to the staff as "Half-Hearted and Childish." About this time then realized that the show ended simply because the BBC wanted it to end. If they hadn't it wouldn't have and would have continued. They would have sat down Clarkson Oisin (the employee stated in the book that Clarkson "punched') and simply said let's come to terms with this and move on with our operation of entertaining people, and pretty much printing money. As that didn't happen Top Gear with Hammond, May, and Clarkson has now ended for better or worse.
Overall it's an excellent, excellent book for any fan of Top Gear and one that i can highly recommend. Enjoy!!
4 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Top Gear humor at its finest!
Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2019
Verified Purchase
Richard porter, the script editor for Top Gear, and author of this book has done a fantastic job writing this. I am only half-way through it, but it is so good I had to review it. It is incredibly cool seeing the behind the scenes look at the production, and the entire story of how the famous trio got together to create the worlds biggest car show. Every single page there is a laugh to be had, and it is especially hilarious seeing more details to some of the funniest moments in Top Gear history. If you are a fan of James, Richard and Jeremy, then this book will surely give you some good laughs, and some cool facts that answer questions viewers may have had. Richard Porter has done an excellent job here. 10/10 would read again.
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K & S Sharma
4.0 out of 5 stars An easy and fun read if you liked the show
Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2016
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If you are a fan of Top Gear (UK), this is a wonderful book that goes behind the scenes. Much like "The Man in the White Suit", this book provides a personal account of what it was like to work at Top Gear with all the personalities involved. The author's has a dry and self-deprecating humor (much like the show!) that makes for a fast read. Toward the end there's a loss in momentum in the narrative, but that's a minor nit. Its an easy and fun read.
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Sam The Sham
5.0 out of 5 stars Great First Hand Tell Of TOP GEARS Years On Television
Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2016
Verified Purchase
Very good book if you are a Top Gear fan. I have watched this show for many years and always enjoyed the format. The author explains, in detail, how the show came to be, what went into making it, and all the fun parts in between. It's a shame that Jeremy Clarkson ruined it (read the book) for all. However, I suspect the BBC was looking to down size the monetary aspect of what it was paying it's presenters. Can't wait for May, Clarkson, and the little guy, to appear in their new show on American cable, soon. The book is well written and holds the readers attention well. The anecdotes are funny and the references to former episodes were spot right on, specially if you are a show follower. The BBC crapped in their hat when they fired Clarkson and collapsed the show when the other two refused to work without him (good for them). But then again, it is the BBC (they cancelled Doctor Who once, too.) Buy the book, you'll be glad you did.
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E. White
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent; a Top Gear Fan's DREAM book!
Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2016
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Richard Porter's voice is clearly one that has ran through Top Gear for many, many years. He's the perfect guy to have written this book. It's excellent. I would recommend this to any fan of Top Gear's "Clarkson, Hammond, and May era." The writing is clear, straightforward, and easy to read quickly. Richard Porter is straight-up HILARIOUS. I can see myself reading this multiple times. I can't say anything bad about it. If you want to read a book about Top Gear that's informative, funny, straightforward, and charming... this is it! I would also recommend "The Stig: The Untold Story" for laughs, and Ben Collins' book "The Man in the White Suit" for another insider look at Top Gear. They are both great books as well.
This is a great book to read as Top Gear's "C/H/M era" is ending, and as we transition into new, exciting adventures!
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Sean B
5.0 out of 5 stars Was a very interesting book, with some really hilarious stories of out 3 favourite clowns
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 5, 2024
Verified Purchase
Got this on Kindle and binge read it it was some interesting, written by one of the long term script writers (a very loose term lol).
Lots of very interesting and some times laugh out loud hilarious behind the scene's stories.
Lot's of explanation and some clarification on how Top Gear worked and was put together.
For any one who enjoyed watching old "New Top Gear" with Clarkson, May and Hammond this would be a recommended read.
I'd highly recommended this book.
One person found this helpful
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Veronica
5.0 out of 5 stars Nice read if yoy are interested in Top Gear OG
Reviewed in Italy on August 3, 2023
Verified Purchase
The author was script editor for Top Gear from season 1 to the last. In his book he tells how Top Gear worked from the inside, what it felt contributing to one of the most successful tv shows... "In The World!" (sorry, couldn't resist), from its tentatively start up to its shambled end; by tackling different aspects of the show and the decision making process behind several of the most famous clips (and a few of the most infamous ones...) with the same writing style that informed many of Top Gear's best jokes and sketches, he shows just how much love and passion went in the making of a tv show that was adored by its makers as well as its viewers. And if you love TG but still don't know if this book is worth reading, he talks about the truth behind the Argentina Special. And the Punch That End It All. And he apologises for the India Special. A lot.
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Dr. Tim Parker
5.0 out of 5 stars The best Top Gear book on the market. Great read.
Reviewed in Canada on December 21, 2018
Verified Purchase
I was a huge fan of Top Gear from the early days, and have seen all the episodes many times on TV including reruns and on the DVDs the Beeb releases from time to time. This book, by the series Script Editor for the entire run of Clarkson/Hammond (and in the second series adding May) is a loving portrait of the series, how it came about, how the crew functioned, as well as lots of stories and gossip about various shows and personalities on the show.

I started reading this one evening, and since I had a 15-hour flight to pass, read the entire book in pretty much one sitting. I enjoyed every page of it (as well as the three chunks of photos), and learned a lot about the show and the personalities. The book covers the first "new" Top Gear all the way through to the end, and it's never boring or repetitive. There's some laugh-out-loud parts, and some that make you feel a bit sad, but ti's well written and helps show the growth of Top Gear, why it became one of the most watched and also the most irreverent "car shows" on TV, and why it's still a hit in its Top Gear and Amazon Prime "Grand Tour" incarnations.

If you're at all a fan of Top Gear or the three presenters, this is an enjoyable book. A fun read; informative too.
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Jaime Bartolome
4.0 out of 5 stars Enterteining and fun
Reviewed in Spain on July 13, 2020
Verified Purchase
A great insight into TV writing, TV producing and the making of Top Gear. Probably more honest and sincere than 99% of books about enterteinment industry.
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Saajan j.
5.0 out of 5 stars Trip down top gear memory lane- pure nostalgia. A must buy for any top gear fan!
Reviewed in India on January 7, 2020
Verified Purchase
This is for anyone who likes the trio and the old top gear. Seriously, this is gold for me because reading it takes me back to college days when watching top gear was one of my most favourite things to do and those were the good old days. The book makes it a bit nostalgic because you just know that the humour, the adventure, the chemistry the trio put out back then can't be replicated by them or by anyone else.
It was pure gold! The book is written by one of the script writers and it speaks of top gear from the time james and hammond were being auditioned. In fact even before that when top gear ended and was re-incarnated by Jeremy and wilman. The rest of it was how they did the shoots, the ideas, the work that went behind it, behind the scenes chemistry of the trio, stig, dacia sandero, tv specials. It's a great read!
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