I really enjoy the special Top Gear episodes, usually involving burning rubber across western Europe, boy's own adventures through the American Deep South, or attempting to turn a Robin Reliant into a reusable spaceship...
The latest wheeze involved a race to the North Pole from Canada, across treacherous ice, whilst avoiding hungry polar bears and suffering -35 degrees. The twist was how the race would be made: Richard Hammond travelled on a sled pulled by ten huskies, while Jeremy Clarkson and James May drove in a 4x4.
As always with these things, chunks seemed to be staged for the cameras and carefully edited for maximum dramatic effect, but it was certainly enjoyable. Which is the main thing!
From the trio's snow-training -- involving Hammond skiing into foreigners, and Clarkson being shoved into an ice hole by their special forces instructor -- it was all good boy's own fun. I'm sure Clarkson's fans (and especially his haters) all had a good laugh at his expense, as he emerged shivering and shocked into uncharacteristic silence. Credit to him though, as Hammond and May's own icy dips were conspicuously absent from the show.
The race itself wasn't as exciting as the "car vs airplane" across France a few years back, but it be ame a foregone conclusion that machine would beat dog after the first half hour. Only a catastrophic breakdown would have seen defeat snatched from Clarkson and May.
It was also a shame the emphasis was more on the 4x4 and less on the huskies, as Hammond seemed to have genuinely suffered in comparison. Still, I suppose Top Gear is a motoring magazine show.
What became noticeable in the Polar Special far more than previous Top Gear specials was the support crew. Obviously there are always camera crews around to film everything, but Clarkson seemed to have every Icelandic mechanic at his disposal! If it truly had been "a car" versus "some dogs", Hammond would have won -- as the 4x4 had to be bungee-pulled out of ice and got wedged between snow boulders every six hours.
Still, the end result and the unfairness wasn't the point. The three men just have a fun chemistry together, even if some of their gags are rehearsed and staged for the cameras, such as May bringing poncy food/gin along for the ride, or being driven away whilst still perched on the rear-bumper's toilet. But they're still funny.
But more interesting were the moments when reality broke through: Hammond taking three attempts to count to 10... Clarkson fearing for his life on wafer-thin ice... May becoming irritable when putting up the tent, etc.
It was also mildly informative. Now I know you can fit a wheel by dousing it in lighter fuel and setting fire to it! Or that you get out of snow by gently rocking the vehicle back and forth. And that huskies are seriously tough!
Moments of stunning beauty, such as the Star Trek-style "alien sun" and glimpses of polar bears, were also memorable... as was James May's dry comment to Richard Hammond, by phone, after finally winning: "Hammond? May. Bad luck."
The latest wheeze involved a race to the North Pole from Canada, across treacherous ice, whilst avoiding hungry polar bears and suffering -35 degrees. The twist was how the race would be made: Richard Hammond travelled on a sled pulled by ten huskies, while Jeremy Clarkson and James May drove in a 4x4.
As always with these things, chunks seemed to be staged for the cameras and carefully edited for maximum dramatic effect, but it was certainly enjoyable. Which is the main thing!
From the trio's snow-training -- involving Hammond skiing into foreigners, and Clarkson being shoved into an ice hole by their special forces instructor -- it was all good boy's own fun. I'm sure Clarkson's fans (and especially his haters) all had a good laugh at his expense, as he emerged shivering and shocked into uncharacteristic silence. Credit to him though, as Hammond and May's own icy dips were conspicuously absent from the show.
The race itself wasn't as exciting as the "car vs airplane" across France a few years back, but it be ame a foregone conclusion that machine would beat dog after the first half hour. Only a catastrophic breakdown would have seen defeat snatched from Clarkson and May.
It was also a shame the emphasis was more on the 4x4 and less on the huskies, as Hammond seemed to have genuinely suffered in comparison. Still, I suppose Top Gear is a motoring magazine show.
What became noticeable in the Polar Special far more than previous Top Gear specials was the support crew. Obviously there are always camera crews around to film everything, but Clarkson seemed to have every Icelandic mechanic at his disposal! If it truly had been "a car" versus "some dogs", Hammond would have won -- as the 4x4 had to be bungee-pulled out of ice and got wedged between snow boulders every six hours.
Still, the end result and the unfairness wasn't the point. The three men just have a fun chemistry together, even if some of their gags are rehearsed and staged for the cameras, such as May bringing poncy food/gin along for the ride, or being driven away whilst still perched on the rear-bumper's toilet. But they're still funny.
But more interesting were the moments when reality broke through: Hammond taking three attempts to count to 10... Clarkson fearing for his life on wafer-thin ice... May becoming irritable when putting up the tent, etc.
It was also mildly informative. Now I know you can fit a wheel by dousing it in lighter fuel and setting fire to it! Or that you get out of snow by gently rocking the vehicle back and forth. And that huskies are seriously tough!
Moments of stunning beauty, such as the Star Trek-style "alien sun" and glimpses of polar bears, were also memorable... as was James May's dry comment to Richard Hammond, by phone, after finally winning: "Hammond? May. Bad luck."
