The third series of the BBC motoring show Top Gear, starring presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May, premiered on the 26th of October, 2003 and concluded on the 28th of December, 2003.
According to the statement given by Clarkson during the series finale, the show was allocated a yearly budget which they had emptied, an untold figure which was significantly smaller than successive series would go on to prove. This was due in part to segments such as the SAAB vs. Harrier Jet race, which necessitated the temporary removal of an active military aircraft to turn up on Dunsfold for the purposes of filming.
Viewing figures for the show were significantly up over both Series 1 and Series 2, with an average of 4.03 million viewers tuning in each week. As a result, the show easily saw its' renewal and Series 4 would begin airing in May 2004.
Episodes[]
| Episode Number | Synopsis | Track Test | SIARPC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (21) | Jeremy heads to Detroit to drive the Ford GT before seeing if the Diesel powered Volkswagen Lupo is more economical than the petrol one. Elsewhere James reviews the all new BMW 5 Series while The Stig is killed when attempting to drive the Nitrous Jaguar on the HMS Invincible Ramp. | Porsche 911 GT3 (Richard) | Martin Kemp |
| 2 (22) | Jeremy heads to the Isle of Man to drive the new BMW M3 CSL before introducing a new Stig while playing a tribute to the old one. James and Richard then head to the Isle of Man to drive a series of legendary BMW M Cars. All three presenters then reunite to find the best two seater convertible on sale in the Isle of Man. Richard attempts to see how many Caravans a Volvo 240 can jump. | None | Stephen Fry |
| 3 (23) | Jeremy heads to the English Riviera to drive the Bentley Continental GT, James reviews the Subaru Outback and Richard investigates the danger of drowning in a car. | Saab 9-5 Aero (Jeremy) | Rob Brydon |
| 4 (24) | Richard has a look at several new tuned Mins before having a look at Lamborghinis Miura. Meanwhile James has a look at his dream supercar, the Lamborghini Countach comparing it to a Ferrari Boxer. | Lamborghini Gallardo (Jeremy) | Rich Hall |
| 5 (25) | Jeremy sees how tough a Toyota Hilux Pick Up Truck is through several harsh challenges, James drives the new Fiat Panda and Richard looks into early classics. | Mazda RX-8 (Jeremy) | Simon Cowell |
| 6 (26) | James puts the Hilux on top of a building to see how indestructible it is before driving the 1977 Aston Martin Vantage. Richard compares the Peugeot 307CC to the Renault Mégane CC while Jeremy drives the Citroen C2. | Holden Monaro (Jeremy) | Sanjeev Bhaskar |
| 7 (27) | Jeremy has a look at the new Porsche Cayenne Turbo while Richard drives the new Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren. The presenters argue over the best current British Car and can professors do burnouts burnout? | MG SV (Jeremy) | Rory Bremner |
| 8 (28) | Jeremy has a look at the 1960s Mercedes 280SL, James reviews the 1970s Aston Martin Lagonda and Richard compares the new Nissan Micra to the Boeing 747. | Audi TT V6 (Jeremy) | Johnny Vegas |
| 9 (29) | Jeremy drives the Chrysler Crossfire, Richard reviews the Brabus Smart Roadster and James tests the Jaguar XJ6. | Honda Civic Type R, Honda NSX Type R (Richard) | Carol Vorderman |
Production[]
The series began filming around June 2003, as that is when the first production-ready Ford GT was built to celebrate the company's centenary. With ex-Formula 1 driver Perry McCarthy's autobiography Flat Out, Flat Broke: Formula 1 the Hard Way! revealing his identity as The Black Stig before the first series had even aired in September 2002 forced the BBC to terminate his contract and find a new test driver. Starting from a clean slate, this new Stig would be portrayed by Ben Collins for the next 7 years.
Perhaps one of the series' most well-known moments was filmed in November of 2003; The Indestructible Hilux would be driven to destruction by hosts Clarkson and May, the latter placing it on top of the Rachel Point Tower in Hackney, East London, under the full assumption that the fall would render the Hilux unrecognisable. The Hilux somehow not only survived the drop, but started and maintained drive between the engine and wheels, at the cost of its chassis being broken in two, held together by the extremely-damaged body panels.
Reception[]
The show's IMDb page rated this series at an average score of 7.2/10, indicating a positive reception overall.
DVD Release[]
No DVD Release for before series 9 technically exists, but a compilation DVD exists Titled, "Top Gear - The Best of Series 3 and 4" Produced for Top Gear Magazine in 2004 (Date Unknown As of This Time). It is 33 Minutes Long and contains 5 segments.
- The Fastest and the Best Test to the limit
- Lotus Exige Vs The Apache
- Crashing
- 747 Blow-Out
- Trying to kill Lionel Ritchie
[]
| Series 3 (2002 format) | |
|---|---|
| Presenters | Jeremy Clarkson | Richard Hammond | James May | The Stig (Ben Collins) |
| Episodes | Episode 1 | Episode 2 | Episode 3 | Episode 4 | Episode 5 | Episode 6 | Episode 7 | Episode 8 Episode 9 |
| 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 |