Top Gear of the Pops
Encyclopedia
Top Gear of the Pops was a one-off special of Top Gear
, broadcast in the evening on 16 March 2007. It was shown as part of the Comic Relief 2007 appeal, mixing the usual elements of Top Gear with Top of the Pops
, the music chart show that was cancelled in 2006. The standard Top Gear opening sequence had its car footage replaced with vintage clips of Top of the Pops, and, while The Cool Wall was mentioned at the beginning, it was not included in the broadcast.
The programme was produced for Comic Relief as a replacement for a quiz show, A Question of Comedy, which had been recorded some months earlier but withdrawn because the involvement of Jade Goody
as a contestant was felt inappropriate following the controversy surrounding her appearance on Celebrity Big Brother 2007
.
cut Lethal Bizzle
's song short by unplugging him mid-performance. Clarkson also dubbed Lethal Bizzle "Jizzy Tissue", and blamed his genre of rap music as being responsible for the demise of TOTP.
managed to deliver a regular and incident-free performance. They performed three times during filming to make sure everything was perfect. The band performed their single "Closer", which was labelled by Jeremy "The kind of thing that should be on TOTP, unlike that "Jizzy Tissue" crap."
performed with comedian Adrian Edmondson
on guitar. Supergrass were made to put up with bizarre "special effects" administered by the Top Gear presenters: live birds in front of and on the stage, excessive dry ice artificial fog, and finally strong winds from a wind machine, which blew Edmondson off his feet, almost causing him to fall off the stage. This led to a number of complaints by viewers who were concerned about the birds' welfare. Coincidentally, drummer Danny Goffey
's father, Chris Goffey
, used to present Top Gear, a fact pointed out during the show.
".
, although May has a degree in music, and is a pianist and flautist
) accompanied by The Darkness front man Justin Hawkins
. They performed Billy Ocean
's Red Light Spells Danger.
In addition there was a backing guitarist, a keyboard player and three backing vocalists.
night, the programme obtained 6.1 million viewers and was the most watched show in its timeslot with a 28% audience share.
Top Gear (current format)
Top Gear is a British television series about motor vehicles, primarily cars. It began in 1977 as a conventional motoring magazine show. Over time, and especially since a relaunch in 2002, it has developed a quirky, humorous style...
, broadcast in the evening on 16 March 2007. It was shown as part of the Comic Relief 2007 appeal, mixing the usual elements of Top Gear with Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
, the music chart show that was cancelled in 2006. The standard Top Gear opening sequence had its car footage replaced with vintage clips of Top of the Pops, and, while The Cool Wall was mentioned at the beginning, it was not included in the broadcast.
The programme was produced for Comic Relief as a replacement for a quiz show, A Question of Comedy, which had been recorded some months earlier but withdrawn because the involvement of Jade Goody
Jade Goody
Jade Cerisa Lorraine Goody was an English celebrity. She came into the public spotlight while appearing on the third series of the Channel 4 reality TV programme Big Brother in 2002, an appearance which led to her own television programmes and the launch of her own products after her eviction from...
as a contestant was felt inappropriate following the controversy surrounding her appearance on Celebrity Big Brother 2007
Celebrity Big Brother 2007 (UK)
Celebrity Big Brother 2007 was the highly controversial fifth series of the United Kingdom reality television series Celebrity Big Brother, a spin-off of Big Brother. The series was broadcast on Channel 4 in the UK , and involved a number of celebrities referred to as 'housemates', who live in the...
.
Lethal Bizzle
Presenter Jeremy ClarksonJeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson is an English broadcaster, journalist and writer who specialises in motoring. He is best known for his role on the BBC TV show Top Gear along with co-presenters Richard Hammond and James May...
cut Lethal Bizzle
Lethal Bizzle
Lethal Bizzle, also known as Lethal B , is a Ghanaian British rapper. His songs are known to satirise modern Gangsta rap; much of the humour comes from the adoption of hip-hop style and language...
's song short by unplugging him mid-performance. Clarkson also dubbed Lethal Bizzle "Jizzy Tissue", and blamed his genre of rap music as being responsible for the demise of TOTP.
Travis
Apart from McFly, TravisTravis (band)
Travis are a post-Britpop band from Glasgow, Scotland, comprising Fran Healy , Dougie Payne , Andy Dunlop and Neil Primrose...
managed to deliver a regular and incident-free performance. They performed three times during filming to make sure everything was perfect. The band performed their single "Closer", which was labelled by Jeremy "The kind of thing that should be on TOTP, unlike that "Jizzy Tissue" crap."
Supergrass
SupergrassSupergrass
Supergrass was an English alternative rock band from Oxford. The band consisted of brothers Gaz and Rob Coombes , Mick Quinn and Danny Goffey ....
performed with comedian Adrian Edmondson
Adrian Edmondson
Adrian Charles "Ade" Edmondson is an English comedian. He is probably best known for his comedic roles in the television series The Young Ones and Bottom , for which he also wrote together with his long-time collaboration partner Rik Mayall.-Early life:Edmondson, the second of four children, was...
on guitar. Supergrass were made to put up with bizarre "special effects" administered by the Top Gear presenters: live birds in front of and on the stage, excessive dry ice artificial fog, and finally strong winds from a wind machine, which blew Edmondson off his feet, almost causing him to fall off the stage. This led to a number of complaints by viewers who were concerned about the birds' welfare. Coincidentally, drummer Danny Goffey
Danny Goffey
Daniel Robert Goffey Daniel Robert Goffey Daniel Robert Goffey (born 7 February 1974 in Slough, Buckinghamshire (now Berkshire) is an English musician and singer-songwriter best known as the drummer and backing vocalist for the English Britpop band, Supergrass...
's father, Chris Goffey
Chris Goffey
Chris Goffey is a British journalist, best known as a presenter of the BBC motoring television series Top Gear. Goffey crossed over to Channel 4 in the mid 1980s and worked with two motoring programmes before returning to Top Gear...
, used to present Top Gear, a fact pointed out during the show.
McFly
During the show, the british pop-rock band McFly had to write and perform a song which contained the three specific words: "Sofa", "Hyundai" and "Administration". The song could not include the words 'love', 'baby' or 'heart'. The band then performed the song towards the end of the show, using a basic 12 bar blues pattern. The song, which had the overall title "Sofa, Hyundai, Administration" was included on CD2 of their single "The Heart Never LiesThe Heart Never Lies
"The Heart Never Lies" is the thirteenth single from the British pop rock/pop punk band McFly. It was released on October 22, 2007, as a part of the band's All the Greatest Hits album. Rumours were around that the song was going to originally be called "We Are The Lovers", but then the name "The...
".
News
- Clarkson argued that more cars should have a place where you can plug an iPodIPodiPod is a line of portable media players created and marketed by Apple Inc. The product line-up currently consists of the hard drive-based iPod Classic, the touchscreen iPod Touch, the compact iPod Nano, and the ultra-compact iPod Shuffle...
in, and later said that the iPod headphone wire always gets tangled - Hammond discussed Phil SpectorPhil SpectorPhillip Harvey "Phil" Spector is an American record producer and songwriter, later known for his conviction in the murder of actress Lana Clarkson....
's trial - in particular the fact he is accused of murdering someone called Clarkson. - May said he couldn't understand a statement made about ColdplayColdplayColdplay are a British alternative rock band formed in 1996 by lead vocalist Chris Martin and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland at University College London. After they formed Pectoralz, Guy Berryman joined the group as a bassist and they changed their name to Starfish. Will Champion joined as a...
- Hammond discussed festivals
- Clarkson talked about his dislike for Basement JaxxBasement JaxxBasement Jaxx are a British electronic dance music duo from London, England consisting of Felix Buxton born 1971 and Simon Ratcliffe born 1 December 1969. They first rose to popularity in the late 1990s...
- The presenters took a look at Snow PatrolSnow PatrolSnow Patrol are an alternative rock band from Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland. Formed at the University of Dundee in 1994 as an indie rock band, the band is now based in Glasgow...
's video "Open Your EyesOpen Your Eyes (Snow Patrol song)"Open Your Eyes" is a song by the alternative rock band Snow Patrol It has been released as the fifth single in total from the 2006 album Eyes Open . The song was released on 12 February 2007.-Music video:...
". - May mentioned the re-forming of GenesisGenesis (band)Genesis are an English rock band that formed in 1967. The band currently comprises the longest-tenured members Tony Banks , Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins . Past members Peter Gabriel , Steve Hackett and Anthony Phillips , also played major roles in the band in its early years...
and The PoliceThe PoliceThe Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For the vast majority of their history, the band consisted of Sting , Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland...
. Clarkson argued with an audience member, saying that liking Phil CollinsPhil CollinsPhilip David Charles "Phil" Collins, LVO is an English singer-songwriter, drummer, pianist and actor best known as a drummer and vocalist for British progressive rock group Genesis and as a solo artist....
did not make her a Genesis fan. - Hammond stated a list of songs that can't be played on Hospital Radio which include Cutting CrewCutting CrewThe Cutting Crew is a pop rock band formed in England in 1985, best known for their #1 hit, " Died in Your Arms".-Career:Vocalist Nick Van Eede founded the group along with Canadian guitarist Kevin MacMichael in 1985, and the two made demos that led to a recording contract, before bassist Colin...
's "(I Just) Died in Your Arms(I Just) Died in Your Arms" Died in Your Arms" is a power ballad written by Nick Van Eede and introduced by his band, Cutting Crew, in 1986. It was their biggest hit, peaking at #1 in the United States, Canada and Finland, and reaching the top five in the UK, South Africa, Sweden and Switzerland.-Background of the music and...
", The VerveThe VerveThe Verve were an English rock band formed in 1989 in Wigan by lead vocalist Richard Ashcroft, guitarist Nick McCabe, bassist Simon Jones, and drummer Peter Salisbury. Guitarist and keyboardist Simon Tong later became a member. Beginning with a psychedelic sound indebted to shoegazing and space...
's "The Drugs Don't WorkThe Drugs Don't Work"The Drugs Don't Work" is a song by the British rock band, The Verve and is featured on their third album, Urban Hymns. It was released on September 1, 1997 as the second single from the album, charting at number 1 in the UK Singles Chart, becoming the band's most successful single in the UK...
" and Feargal SharkeyFeargal SharkeyFeargal Sharkey is a singer from Northern Ireland who first found fame as the lead vocalist of pop punk band The Undertones...
's "A Good HeartA Good Heart"A Good Heart" is a 1985 single by Feargal Sharkey, from his self-titled album.Written by Maria McKee about her relationship with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers keyboard player Benmont Tench and produced by the Eurythmics' David A. Stewart, this was former Undertones singer Feargal Sharkey's third...
" (with Jeremy commenting its inappropriateness to be played in the transplant ward, "a good heart is hard to find").
The Top Gear band
The "Top Gear band" consisted of the three presenters (none of whom is a professional musicianMusician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, although May has a degree in music, and is a pianist and flautist
Flautist
A flautist or flutist is a musician who plays an instrument in the flute family. See List of flautists.The choice of "flautist" versus "flutist" is the source of dispute among players of the instrument...
) accompanied by The Darkness front man Justin Hawkins
Justin Hawkins
Justin David Hawkins is an English musician and singer-songwriter, best known for being the lead singer and lead guitarist of The Darkness, alongside his brother, guitarist Dan Hawkins...
. They performed Billy Ocean
Billy Ocean
Billy Ocean is a Trinidad-born English Grammy Award winning popular music performer who had a string of rhythm and blues international pop hits in the 1970s and 1980s. He was the most popular British-based R&B singer / songwriter of the early to mid-1980s...
's Red Light Spells Danger.
Top Gear band line-up
- Justin HawkinsJustin HawkinsJustin David Hawkins is an English musician and singer-songwriter, best known for being the lead singer and lead guitarist of The Darkness, alongside his brother, guitarist Dan Hawkins...
– vocals - James MayJames MayJames Daniel May is an English television presenter, journalist and writer. He is best known for his role as co-presenter of the award-winning motoring programme Top Gear alongside Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond....
– keyboardMusical keyboardA musical keyboard is the set of adjacent depressible levers or keys on a musical instrument, particularly the piano. Keyboards typically contain keys for playing the twelve notes of the Western musical scale, with a combination of larger, longer keys and smaller, shorter keys that repeats at the...
s - Richard HammondRichard HammondRichard Mark Hammond is an English broadcaster, writer, and journalist most noted for co-hosting car programme Top Gear with Jeremy Clarkson and James May, as well as presenting Brainiac: Science Abuse on Sky 1.-Early life:...
– bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Jeremy ClarksonJeremy ClarksonJeremy Charles Robert Clarkson is an English broadcaster, journalist and writer who specialises in motoring. He is best known for his role on the BBC TV show Top Gear along with co-presenters Richard Hammond and James May...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
In addition there was a backing guitarist, a keyboard player and three backing vocalists.
Ratings
On its first showing in the UK on BBC Two as part of Comic ReliefComic Relief
Comic Relief is an operating British charity, founded in 1985 by the comedy scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Lenny Henry in response to famine in Ethiopia. The highlight of Comic Relief's appeal is Red Nose Day, a biennial telethon held in March, alternating with sister project Sport Relief...
night, the programme obtained 6.1 million viewers and was the most watched show in its timeslot with a 28% audience share.