Fifth Gear

Then I got an email.

from my chums at Fifth Gear who said that Anglesey had, not long after I had left, had, and I quote, ripped the ears off anybody who was left in the paddock about noise, about tarmac, about graffiti that was there on all the floor.

So I had to email a very apologetic email just saying that I couldn't resist it.

But I very much hoped that the graffiti would fade as quickly as it had gone down.

... all I wanted to do was hang out with Thomas and James.

Fifth Gear?

Do you know that one time I had breakfast with Thomas and James-

I remember, yeah

And for a long time there was only Top Gear.

You had Fifth Gear, but it's Top Gear, innit? Like, Top Gear's the dream job.

So the main three, th- they leave Top Gear, they start The Grand Tour.

Top Gear runs with different hosts, it fails, it dies.

this is the thing to always think about.

The BBC at the end of the '90s, just the, the ratings weren't quite where they needed to be, so the BBC say, "Okay, we're gonna rest Top Gear." Okay? Now, all of the Top Gear team immediately took all of their expertise, all of their presenters, and went to Channel 5 and did a show called Fifth Gear.

Yeah.

So they said, "We're gonna do the same show a- and we're gonna do it on Channel 5." Everyone did that apart from two, and those were Jeremy Clarkson and Andy Wilman.

I, I, I was gonna mention Karun.

Funny you should say that because, uh, 'cause when I was working with him on Fifth Gear, he wa- he was always just, his own cars were always just I want, I want a big boot and I want sheer practicality.

Mm.

And he loved like a, an E-Class.

I mean, to have two shows would be good.

It was always, like, back in the day, it was cool to have Top Gear and then you have Fifth Gear for something different.

Because that's the other thing is now you have the, like, surely they can't do the same thing.

Yeah.

you...

But your energy and stuff, like, I mean, are you quite, were you, did you have, like, a theatrical side to you at school or something, or were you, because, you know, even your pitch and your tone and your delivery in the early stuff I could find, you know, from Top Gear and Fifth Gear, you have some real, like, character on camera, and it doesn't feel like it's by accident, you know, that's you, surely you have to work to achieve that, or is that just the natural...

God, honestly, I'm literally blushing with all these compliments, thank you.

Are you down Tesco's and you're on the auto checkout just giving it, giving these great one-liners?

I think these have aged so beautifully.

Aluminium, it's just so wonderfully light and brilliant.

What are some of your favorite memories of driving these in your TV? Because you've done it for top gear and fifth gear as well, driving this.

Yes, I have.