It took many years to get an American version of “Top Gear” on the air, but History is planning to keep the car-crazy series around.
History announced on Thursday (Feb. 10) that the U.S. “Top Gear” has been renewed for a second season, beginning production this spring.
“‘Top Gear’ is our baby so you can understand why Hammond, May and I were anxious about passing it on to the presenters of the US show. We needn’t have worried because ‘Top Gear’ is clearly in safe hands, even if they do insist on speaking in those stupid accents,” states U.K. “Top Gear” host Jeremy Clarkson. “Watching an episode from series 1 with Richard and James, we found ourselves in a genuinely heated debate about which of the presenters” cars was best. We were just three ordinary chaps watching a car show and loving it, which is exactly what Top Gear should be. Bring on series 2.”
Across the Pond, “Top Gear” premiered way back in 1977 and has undergone a number of permutations, ranking consistently as BBC Two’s most-watched program, in its current guise. That version of “Top Gear” currently airs on BBC America.
The American version is hosted by comedian Adam Ferrara, champion rally and drift racer Tanner Foust and racing analyst Rutledge Wood. History bosts that the first season was watched by nearly 60 million viewers overall, a number that doesn’t really mean much of anything. History boasts that the “Top Gear” audience is the network’s youngest ever for any series.