Eddie Izzard covered this years ago.

Link to Top Gear's shuttle:
Here

Ground Control to Major Tom...

To boldly go where no car has gone before...

(Oh, and the explosion was fake, but whatever)

FUND. SKYLON.

It costs probably 1% as much as the shuttle, and wouldn't be especially challenging to make man-rated. It's a revolution and needs to get some backing before another Alan Bond stroke of genius dies before it ever got going.

man, that was the BEST episode ever - I was laughing so hard that I was crying!

Good on ya Top Gear... I would totally have an affair with Hammond!

The real reason that British manned space flight is wishful thinking: if Britain had a space program, their ships would inevitably be hijacked somewhere between Earth and Mars, and the crew replaced by aliens who can kill with a touch.

You'd think they'd have learned after all the problems with the British Rocket Group...

cutetara: man, that was the BEST episode ever - I was laughing so hard that I was crying!

Good on ya Top Gear... I would totally have an affair with Hammond!

That's funny, I thought it was one of the weaker episodes of any of the recent series. The whole shuttle thing seemed a bit too contrived. That said - at least the end was satisfying!

cutetara: man, that was the BEST episode ever - I was laughing so hard that I was crying!

I liked the caravan holiday one the best, closely followed by the road trip across the states.

The trip to the Pole beats all else.

Space flight is actually pretty easy. The problem is that governments aren't very good at doing it in a cost effective manner.

They're still trying to get a man in a track suit up a ladder!


/Come in Swinland

I hope this thread turns into a how-awesome-is-Top-Gear discussion.

/now if only BBC America would air it at a decent time
//it's probably my cable company's fault somehow.

Now if we could launch Jeremy Clarkson to the moon...

Seems the British got to the moon way back in the 80's.

RabidDog: I liked the caravan holiday one the best, closely followed by the road trip across the states.

I reckon one of them should have written 'Osama bin Laden is a hero' on the side of one of the other's cars. That would have gotten someone shot for sure.

BackwardsHatClub: cutetara: man, that was the BEST episode ever - I was laughing so hard that I was crying!

Good on ya Top Gear... I would totally have an affair with Hammond!

That's funny, I thought it was one of the weaker episodes of any of the recent series. The whole shuttle thing seemed a bit too contrived. That said - at least the end was satisfying!

I thought all of season 9 was sort of contrived, to be honest, the conflicts between the hosts just seemed a bit forced, and there were too many challanges (1 per episode, not counting the US trip). Season 10 though was back to the basics, with less Jezza grandstanding (the look on his face when they read the Channel challange was BRILLIANT, 'Mine won't do that!') and the British Leyland challange might just have beaten out 10,000 Supercar for best ever. My wife and I were literally crying with laughter watching that one.

As a note to guys who like cars with girls who don't care about them...show them this show.

One small stepladder for mankind.

Classic

The Robin episode was pure fun, and I will also say very exciting. The Endurance race of series 10 was a fantastically suspenseful episode, there was no fakery there.

The problem is after Hammond's crash, Top Gear became something like the second most watched show in Britain. Yes they don't have advertising, but popularity still counts for something with the BBC. The episodes now are geared to be popular, rather than appealing to petrol-heads.

Still love it though.

Series 9 was geared to be popular, but series 10 was more geared towards the gear head crowd. But with some good fun tossed in to appeal to a wider audience.

I still watch the first episode of the 10th season just to hear the supercars in that tunnel. It is a glorious sound.

Phil Moskowitz: Eddie Izzard covered this years ago.

I was thinking the same thing

Top Gear is one of my favorite shows, but BBC America's been showing that episode 4 times over the past two weeks. Gotta love the Stig!

I vote for the Reliant Robin shuttle launch as the best thing seen on TV evar. Damned impressive. Seriously, if the rocket were just a bit bigger I could imagine it getting into space.

The problem is that British scientists still haven't figured out to get a space shuttle to leak oil.

Kurohone
As a note to guys who like cars with girls who don't care about them...show them this show.

So true, my wife never watches car shows but always sits through the entire episode with me.

TeddyRooseveltsMustache
Top Gear is one of my favorite shows, but BBC America's been showing that episode 4 times over the past two weeks. Gotta love the Stig!

The one thing I'll miss when I move back to the States is Top Gear. Are they really showing on BBC America now??

I love Top Gear. Anyone know if it's on anywhere in Canada?

Shadow Blasko: They're still trying to get a man in a track suit up a ladder!


/Come in Swinland

Swindon!

Korangulation: I love Top Gear. Anyone know if it's on anywhere in Canada?

I know it's on BBC Canada, although that's not basic cable/satellite.

wldncrzy14: Link to Top Gear's shuttle:
Here

Thanks for the info, i thought the headline was a brilliantly contrived snark at Hammond's rocket car crash.

JoeyJoJo: Kurohone
As a note to guys who like cars with girls who don't care about them...show them this show.

So true, my wife never watches car shows but always sits through the entire episode with me.

TeddyRooseveltsMustache
Top Gear is one of my favorite shows, but BBC America's been showing that episode 4 times over the past two weeks. Gotta love the Stig!

The one thing I'll miss when I move back to the States is Top Gear. Are they really showing on BBC America now??

Yes, they show it on Mondays at 8 and 9 PM. New episodes air sometime later this month.

I should also add that they replay the episodes from Monday on Saturday.

If you've watched videos of the big amateur-model-rocket-outings, the crashes and explosions are the best part, so the Top Gear guys just condensed all those clips into one. So, watching it kaboom wasn't as excellent as that one guy's last line: "How are we going to use it again?!?" The punchline of an elaborate technical joke, I think it was worth it.

/never seen Top Gear before

Without a doubt, Top Gear is my favorite UK show. The three commentators are a perfect match and they mix up their show and make it interesting EVERY time.

I'm from the USA, so we only get the trimmed down version on BBC TV...so I have to watch it online for the full versions.

This show was excellent and the takeoff was much more than expected. Even though it crashed, any other ending would have produced the same results for me...an excellent episode.

Now, take american car shows...BORING. Have you ever sat thru an episode of Motorweek. I season pass it on Tivo and I must fast forward thru 80% of it.
I think there's a motor trend one and Car Crazy...nothing worth watching.

I recently watched the African and North Pole shows on Top Gear..."Brilliant :) "

My second favorite UK show is "The IT Crowd"...very funny

I think they could have succeeded putting the Robin into space had Hammond not spent half the budget on having his teeth whitened.

/loves Top Gear
//DNGAF if they make an american version for me
///it wont be the same

Mebbe Sir Richard Branson can cut them a deal on Virgin Galactic hoopty...

r1niceboy

"My epiglottis is full of bees! There's so much wildlife in my hair, you could film an episode of Badger Hunt in there!"

/also, best shuttle launch ever

I thought the Ariel Atom test was one of the best car spots evar. 2 years after seeing it, I still laugh my ass off.

The Bugatti going 253MPH was great too.

Bugatti (new window)

Somebody on 4chan made this image. Apparently there was some sort of "wishful thinking" meme back in the day about comic artists who draw themselves much better looking than they actually are.

I think of it now every time I hear the words "wishful thinking".

Can't stop laughing at that headline

/Hamsters to infinity and beyond!
//Ticket please, window seat preferred.

Gah, that's what I get for not reading the farking article.

The first thing I thought of was when the Hamster crashed the jet car. Glad he lived.

/Please disregard any previous comment
//Still going to Hell though.

dkimball: My second favorite UK show is "The IT Crowd"...very funny

What, no love for the Doctor?

Mr Logo: Space flight is actually pretty easy. The problem is that governments aren't very good at doing it in a cost effective manner.

So where is your space ship?

Welcome to the Machine: I thought the Ariel Atom test was one of the best car spots evar. 2 years after seeing it, I still laugh my ass off.

The Bugatti going 253MPH was great too.

Bugatti (new window)

Wow... I was almost expecting his to say "my god... it's full of stars".

Ghastly: Wow... I was almost expecting his to say "my god... it's full of stars".

I was just about to post that same thing. Great minds ...