The second episode of the third series of Top Gear aired on the 2nd of November, 2003. It was presented by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, James May, The White Stig and The Black Stig (in archive footage only). Stephen Fry was the guest star. It was the 22nd episode overall.
Synopsis[]
We reflect on The Black Stig's passing, as the HMS Invincible was off the coast of Portugal at the time, where the water is over 4 miles deep. The audience is treated to a montage set to Blue Öyster Cult's 'Don't Fear The Reaper' and Chicago's 'If You Leave Me Now'. Shortly thereafter, we're introduced to his replacement, The White Stig, before Jeremy turns our attention to the BMW M3 CSL, which he tested on the Isle of Man.
Tonight...[]
- We drive like this - on the road!
- Stephen Fry in our Reasonably-Priced Car...
- And how many caravans can you jump with a Volvo?
In later broadcasts and on streaming services, the Tonight sequence comments are replaced with new comments, including Jeremy most notably mentioning that on Today's Top Gear.. the new lines are as follows;
- The lighter way to enjoy an M3...
- A bevy of old BMWs...
- And we find the best sports car in the world.
Airing History[]
Series 3, Episode 2 originally aired on the 2nd of November, 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 3, 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 later appear on streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime and IPlayer.
Strangely, the episode would have a lone re-airing in April 2005, for reasons that are unknown. No other episode from Series 3 was repeated on BBC 2.
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 Meets New Stig".
- Top Gear's own website calls it "The one with the new Stig".
Trivia[]
- When Clarkson talks about the 3.0 CSL, he fears he might have even "owned this record", which is accompanied by the sound of a funky '70s instrumental, presumably an audio replacement for later re-airings. However, even on the original 2003 BBC Two airing, the "record" in question is unchanged, and clearly a stock track. Due to its similar sound and embarrassing connotations, it is possible the intended track might have been "You Sexy Thing" by Hot Chocolate, though it is impossible to know for sure.
Thumbnail[]
