The second episode of the second series of Top Gear aired on the 18th of May, 2003. It was presented by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, James May and The Black Stig. Jamie Oliver was the guest star. with British Actor Chris Barrie presenting the week's "Greatest Car" segment, later omitted from future broadcasts. It was the 12th episode overall.
Synopsis[]
This episode is noted by Jeremy Clarkson as having a 'luxury theme', who decides to introduce the episode with assorted expensive food and drink before moving on to luxury cars such as the Rolls Royce Phantom.
Tonight...[]
- Jamie Oliver's meals on wheels...
- A German sledgehammer in a velvet bag...
- And which is the fastest political party?
Segments[]
Rolls-Royce Phantom Review[]
The first segment features Jeremy Clarkson's honest opinion on the Rolls-Royce Phantom, as it was the first new design produced with the company under BMW's helm. He remarks that in the Rolls-Royces of the '60s, '70s, and '80s there'd be an assortment of noises produced whilst riding in one, such as that of the engine, tyres and wind from outside, as well as the clock being loud enough to be audible at 100 MPH. However, the new car is 'like a whisper' in comparison, and far easier to drive than any previous Rolls-Royce, which Clarkson demonstrates by driving the vehicle through a small village. He then drives the vehicle towards Hull, for the purpose of promoting British ingenuity with regards to the Humber Bridge, a thoroughly British achievement which stood as the longest suspension bridge for over 17 years. This is in comparison to the Phantom, whose designer and dashboard construction were the only British things about the new car, the rest being German. He remarks that this is 'pathetic', but that the car itself is an awesome one.
Cool Wall[]
The Cool Wall for Series 2, Episode 2:
| Car | Ranking |
|---|---|
| Rolls Royce Phantom | U |
| Ferrari Enzo | U |
| Audi A3 | U (C) |
Airing History[]
Series 2, Episode 2 originally aired on the 18th of May, 2003, on BBC 2. It was then regularly reshown on channels such as BBC Prime and UKTV People throughout the mid '00s, along with the rest of Series 2, before indefinitely ending up as a permanent fixture on Dave from the channel's 2007 debut onwards, albeit in a cut 45-minute version. It would have its Australian premiere in August 2008, and later appear on streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime as part of the earliest available series of the show. Full version ultimately added to iPlayer in 2021.
Episode Names[]
Though never given a name upon its original airing, much like every other episode of Top Gear, two slightly different names were retrospectively applied to the episode by the BBC years later:
- Top Gear's section on BBC's website calls it "The Team Finds the Fastest Political Party".
- Top Gear's own website calls it "The one with the fastest politicians".
Thumbnail[]
| Series 2 (2002 format) | |
|---|---|
| Presenters | Jeremy Clarkson | Richard Hammond | James May | The Stig (Perry McCarthy) |
| Episodes | Episode 1 | Episode 2 | Episode 3 | Episode 4 | Episode 5 | Episode 6 | Episode 7 | Episode 8 Episode 9 | Episode 10 |