And On That Bombshell
On sale
22nd September 2016
Price: £10.99
For 13 years, 22 series and 175 shows, Richard Porter was script editor of Top Gear, from the first faltering pilot episode in 2002 until the very last show presented by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May in 2015.
Along the way they destroyed cars, sparked diplomatic incidents, set fire to caravans, almost killed one of the presenters, and somehow transformed Top Gear from a shabby BBC Two motoring show into an Emmy-winning, record-breaking, planet-straddling behemoth.
And on That Bombshell tells stories from behind the scenes of one of the world’s most successful television programmes, taking in driving monkeys, broken bones, flying cars, angry rednecks and Jeremy Clarkson’s secret nickname. A unique insight into how the show was made, it reveals behind-the-scenes disasters more comical than anything seen on screen…
*****
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.’
Along the way they destroyed cars, sparked diplomatic incidents, set fire to caravans, almost killed one of the presenters, and somehow transformed Top Gear from a shabby BBC Two motoring show into an Emmy-winning, record-breaking, planet-straddling behemoth.
And on That Bombshell tells stories from behind the scenes of one of the world’s most successful television programmes, taking in driving monkeys, broken bones, flying cars, angry rednecks and Jeremy Clarkson’s secret nickname. A unique insight into how the show was made, it reveals behind-the-scenes disasters more comical than anything seen on screen…
*****
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.’
Reviews
... a funny and, at times, thought-provoking look into the world of one of the biggest motoring programmes of all-time.
a fascinating and amusing insight into a true TV phenomenon
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.
I can't imagine that it's [Top Gear] triumphant 13 year run will have a finer chronicler.