The twelfth series of the BBC motoring show Top Gear, starring presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May, premiered on the 2nd of November, 2008 and concluded on the 28th of December, 2008.
With seven regular episodes airing through to the 14th of December, the series formally concluded two weeks after the last of these shows had aired with the Vietnam Special.
After two series of decline, viewing figures rose back up to near all-time high figures, with 7.32 million people on average tuning in to watch each episode. Though the least-viewed episode by a considerable margin was the finale, the Vietnam Special, it is rated far higher than any other episode of Top Gear as a whole. Due to the series' runaway success, it was easily renewed for a thirteenth series, which began airing in June 2009.
After an uneventful eleventh series, Series 12 marked the start of an almost-seasonal sequence of controversies due to statements connected with the hosts, primarily Clarkson. The first of these, the Lorry Driver Controversy, involved Clarkson's alleging that all truck drivers murdered prostitutes. The second of these, the Tesla Roadster Review Controversy highlighted how the shifting tone in review style resulted in comic effect being interpreted as factual content.
Episodes[]
| Episodes | Film(s) | Track Test | SIARPC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (97) | The presenters each buy a second hand lorry for under £5000 in an attempt to understand, "How to be a lorry driver" through a number of challenges. | Porsche 911 GT2 vs Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 (Jeremy) | Michael Parkinson |
| 2 (98) | The presenters head out to the USA to test a new generation of American Muscle Cars by driving from San Fransisco to the Bonneville Salt Flats. | Fiat Abarth 500 Esseesse (Jeremy) | Will Young |
| 3 (99) | The presenters attempt to modify a Renault Avantime for a limited budget, to make it lap the track as fast as a Mitsubishi Evo X. Meanwhile, Richard tests out "drivable" chair, the i-REAL in Toyota City and James prepares for his first Track Test by heading to Finland and receiving some coaching by Mika Häkkinen. | None | Mark Wahlberg |
| 4 (100) | The presenters attempt to drive from Basel to Blackpool on a single tank of fuel in a selection of various diesel-powered cars. | Pagani Zonda F Roadster vs Bugatti Veyron (James) | Harry Enfield |
| 5 (101) | Richard attempts to find The Best Bus for London by having a race between a selection of buses. Richard then races a Ferrari Daytona to Italy against James in a Diesel Powered Speed Boat. | Lexus IS-F vs BMW M3 (Jeremy) | Kevin McCloud |
| 6 (102) | Jeremy and James attempt to find out if Communism ever made a good car by looking at a several cars. Following an angry letter Jeremy attempts to make a Sensible Road Test of the new Ford Fiesta. | Caterham R500 Superlight vs Veritas RSIII (Richard) | Boris Johnson |
| 7 (103) | Richard pays tribute to the British Touring Car Championship before seeing how far a car jump whilst towing a Caravan. James reviews the Honda FCX Clarity in California. | Tesla Roadster (Jeremy) | Tom Jones |
| 8 (104) | Vietnam Special | None | None |
Reception[]
The show's IMDb page rated this series at an average score of 7.6/10, its joint-highest score up to that point alongside Series 9 & 10, indicating a positive reception overall. In particular, fans most enjoyed the Vietnam Special, which stands out from the rest of the episodes with a 9.2 rating. This is in spite of the fact it was the least viewed episode of the series by a considerable margin, with only 6.70 million people tuning in on the date of broadcast.
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| Series (2002 format) | |
|---|---|
| 2016+ | Series 23 | Series 24 | Series 25 | Series 26 | Series 27 |
| 2002 - 2015 | Series 1 | Series 2 | Series 3 | Series 4 | Series 5 | Series 6 | Series 7 | Series 8 | Series 9 | Series 10 | Series 11 Series 12 | Series 13 | Series 14 | Series 15 | Series 16 | Series 17 | Series 18 | Series 19 | Series 20 | Series 21 | Series 22 |