The day I went to watch Top Gear be filmed

"Guy Meurice" (guymeurice) 02/16/2014 at 15:04 • Filed to: None

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A couple of weeks ago I got a phone call from my sister. I don't often get calls from my family as I'm all business. "Hello? What's up? OK. Cool. Bye." I don't think they like talking to me, they only ever call me with news or to ask very specific questions! This one was "Would you like to come and watch Top Gear be filmed next week?". Yes. Yes I would.

Bye.

So I did what any self respecting petrolhead would and went online to gloat. I also promised to wear a specific !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and try and get it on the telly. My fellow Opponauts wanted me to do a write up, so here it is. I'll preface this by saying we were asked not to have our phones on during filming, which I adhered to, which meant whenever there was a good chance to take a photo I had to switch my potato on and wait for the valves to warm up, so my photos aren't amazing, and they aren't particularly interesting!

See?

On Wednesday I went into work early to get some bits sorted then caught a lift up to the train station. I would have loved to have taken my MG, but we've had a few floods here and it's currently got no air filters, which I didn't think would end well! My sister picked me up from a station near her and we started the journey across Kent and Surrey to the studio, which is in the arse-end of nowhere.

After an hours drive we arrived and were given our wristbands. We obviously weren't beautiful enough as we didn't get any of the special wristbands that I'll tell you about later. I blame my sister for that as she was trying to eat a chicken salad sandwich with one hand while the guy was talking to her. I looked fantastic.

The weather was horrendous, it was raining sideways and the little cafe in the car park was RAMMED. I really mean rammed, people were just standing in there shoulder to shoulder looking out the windows. They weren't even talking. We stayed in the car. It would have been nice to be able to walk around the car park as there were a couple of interesting cars there, but nothing amazingly special. I imagine in the summer it would be great fun.

Eventually everyone started moving towards the end of the car park. I'm still not sure what signalled this sudden mass exodus, as we didn't see a thing. We waited for about 10 minutes in the sideways rain before everyone made their way to the hangar. Again, as far as I'm aware there was no signal for this. Maybe everyone just got fed up with waiting at the same time. It could have just been a social experiment to see how long people will stand in the rain.

As you probably noticed the studio is in an airplane hangar on the edge of an airfield. It's not very big, surprisingly small in fact. It looks a lot bigger on TV. We had a short while to look around the place, there were two Zenovo ST1's, one orange and one black. A little cordoned off area of scandinavian furniture and the usual set pieces.

After a while the floor manager and director came on the stage to tell us the rules. No phones, don't be a dick, act natural etc. We were also told we had to laugh at the jokes even if they told them 100 times. Another thing we were told is that the HD cameras are prone to 'strobing' when there's a particular pattern or some stripes in the shot. They said that we may be moved out of shot if our clothing or hair is strobing and not to get upset when this happened. Eventually Jezza himself came on and said hello. He also said the strobing thing was bollocks and it just meant we were ugly. Fair.

May and Hammond came and introduced themselves and after a few minutes it was time to film. Now we all know the show is scripted. If you don't then I've got some shocking news for you regarding Father Christmas. One thing I didn't realise is how professional all three presenters are. When I say professional, I mean they fucked around and swore and made jokes (and at one point Clarkson took the camera and pointed it at all the more interesting parts of the women in the crowd), but when they were being filmed they went through the script in an incredibly natural way, even if they had to do a pick up, the conversation would flow very naturally, despite being scripted. It was really impressive!

Everyone likes to think to themselves "Oh I could do that, hoon around a track and chat shit about cars" but you couldn't. These guys are good at what they do. Very good.

There are a number of screens dotted about the place and all the microphones are broadcast over the sound system at all times, so even if you can't see the presenters you can hear them and watch them on screen, it made for a really entertaining experience, and they seemed to put on a proper show. The outtakes were much better than what gets put on the show. Top Gear really need to start an outtakes Youtube channel!

Back to filming. Jeremy took bets on the number of takes he'd need for the 'Scandinavian design' intro, Hammond reckoned four, because there were props, and some guy in the crowd reckoned double figures. He did it in a single take with only one pick up, when he was talking about the sandwich. For those of you who don't know a pick up is what happens when the director wants to re-film a part of the show, but doesn't need the preceeding part. When this happens the crowd have to laugh at what happened previously (sometimes five minutes before) so that they can do a follow on from there with the correct sound (and with the people in the background laughing still). It was really weird to see this amazingly natural conversation be repeated in an almost identical way, and they had fun with it.

There's a part when Clarkson is talking about the Zenovo and he says "I don't know why they didn't call it Marius and take it outside and shoot it!". The crowd laughed, but with an overtone of "ooooh!" as if to say "Too soon!". He turned around and said "What? It's just a giraffe!". When they began to film the next part (which I think may have been thenews from memory) he had to repeat it, but said "Take it outside and FUCK IT". which elicited a much different sound from the crowd, so I'll be interested to see how they edit that together on the show. They'll probably just take the laugh!

The show is filmed in the order it is shown, I assume they do this to keep the crowd entertained with a coherent show in the studio, as it makes for a lot of moving of cameras around through the crowd, and for a lot of shuffling of people as they try and get a decent view. There was one guy who kept putting his head right in the way. He seemed to be able to do it to about five people at once. It was quite impressive!

For the news segment they asked the crowd to move back and for people to come forward with certain wristbands. These are the wristbands we missed out on at the gate. All the people who made it to the front and waited there up to this point were asked to move back and to allow the beautiful people to stand at the front. Such is life! It seems like they only really change where people are standing during two segments of the show, the news and the celebrity interview. I'm not sure why this is. It could be that it's just too much hassle to do it for every segment, as it did seem to be quite the kerfuffle.

When it came time for the interview with James Blunt they asked the crowd to move back again for another group of pretty people. This time I was prepared and used my beautiful face/beard combo to sneak back to the front. Unfortunately I was behind the TV, not a prime spot, but definitely in there. I tried to get my t-shirt on show, but I'm not sure if I'll have managed it. While they were setting the rest of the shot up and getting Mr. Blunt on stage Jeremy came over and told me he thought my beard might be strobing. I'm not sure if he was telling me my beard was ugly or not, but my reaction was to slowly cover the lower half of my face up with my hand and stare at him. He laughed and walked away. As he walked away I came up with a great comeback, but I'd already missed my chance. Bad times!

The interview was another great example of how professional the whole place can become. They did the whole interview with no retakes or pickups, and James Blunt came off as really friendly and decent. I've liked him for a while because of his Twitter comebacks, something they touched upon in the interview. He also came back with a couple of decent digs at Clarkson, who completely lapped them up and made good fun of himself. He often comes off as an arrogant arsehole, and he may well be, but he seemed genuinely funny and willing to have a laugh and chat. Maybe it's just part of the show for him, who knows. Either way, I came away thinking a lot more of him than I had previously.

It was a really fun day out, despite the cold and the wind and the standing around constantly. I'd definitely go again given the chance, and would highly recommend it to anyone, not just an enthusiast. I think the filming would be entertaining for anyone, much in the same way that Top Gear is accessible to people outside of the car community. After filming I took the chance to get a couple of photos without the flashing lights, but I didn't get many as my sister wanted to leave.

Brian, The Life of > Guy Meurice 02/16/2014 at 15:18

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That is so cool! I'd love to time a visit to the UK with an opportunity to attend a taping. The closest I came was attending the taping of the first TGUSA episode. Here's a screen grab of the interview with Buzz Aldrin. I'm third from the left in the background and LTDScott, builder of the Homer LeMons race car is on the far left.

DasWauto > Guy Meurice 02/16/2014 at 15:20

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Neat writeup, thanks for sharing it. If I ever get the chance, I'm definitely attending a filming.

AM3R > Guy Meurice 02/16/2014 at 15:58

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I read this entire write up in Clarksons voice.

Awesome write up, looked like fun.

MonkeePuzzle > Guy Meurice 02/16/2014 at 16:02

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not unlike my random visit to New York, accompanied by two very attractive women I found myself ushered politely to the front row of Letterman and TRL. At the first ad break of TRL I was shuffled to the back whilst my two attractive female companions remained at the front. Care not, as I couldn't care in the slightest about actually attending TRL. Both were interesting though, mostly for all the background stuff that goes on.

Firewrx234 > Guy Meurice 02/16/2014 at 16:02

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I appreciate the insight! Very cool.

GFFFFF > Guy Meurice 02/16/2014 at 16:23

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Do they show you the filmed segments in between live shots? Or do they literally just hammer them out one after another without the audience having context of the films?

123456 > Guy Meurice 02/16/2014 at 16:25

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Good observation regarding the scripting. I've worked for Top Gear Live and they go through the show so many times with scriptwritws before the audience arrives...

Interesting that they to told everyone not to be a dick. Did you have to sign some sort of disclaimer beforehand to make you responbile for any delays you cause if you act like a pillock?

Cé hé sin > Guy Meurice 02/16/2014 at 16:27

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And yes, that was tonight's programme. Not one of their best but maybe that's just me.

Bubs > Guy Meurice 02/16/2014 at 16:27

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Excellent writeup, thanks for sharing!

Dropfox2 > Guy Meurice 02/16/2014 at 16:33

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I knew they didn't have all those pretty big breasted women near the stage by accident.

Fernando > Brian, The Life of 02/16/2014 at 16:43

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Rumour has it the waiting queue to attend a shooting/filming is a few years long...

alexotics > GFFFFF 02/16/2014 at 16:45

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I too, wonder this.

Cé hé sin > Dropfox2 02/16/2014 at 16:59

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You disappoint me. I had thought it was mere happenstance and that the presence or absence of a pretty face and cleavage had no bearing on anything. Mind you I also believe in the tooth fairy and Santa.

Maxaxle > Guy Meurice 02/16/2014 at 16:59

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What was it like to be in the presence of this legend?

Maxaxle > Guy Meurice 02/16/2014 at 17:01

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What kind of hobby shop carries these? My kind of hobby shop.

Nytmare > Dropfox2 02/16/2014 at 17:08

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Another reason it looks out of place and slightly awkward is because they are standing by themselves, but no pretty female would ever come to the event by themselves. Her boyfriend is back there somewhere, but not beside her.

Flavien Vidal > Guy Meurice 02/16/2014 at 17:19

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Front page material... I will suggest it! Definitely enjoyed reading it.

EDIT: lol, it's already on the front page, my bad haha

E4drht > Brian, The Life of 02/16/2014 at 17:29

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Scott!!! I own his previuos LTD LX.

curbwatching > Dropfox2 02/16/2014 at 17:30

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I'm surprised no-one's ever done a Tumblr of just Top Gear screenshots of the women that stand in the shot during those segments.

Slave2anMG > Dropfox2 02/16/2014 at 17:34

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You that like it's a bad thing :)

The Transporter > Guy Meurice 02/16/2014 at 17:40

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There's a part when Clarkson is talking about the Zenovo and he says "I don't know why they didn't call it Marius and take it outside and shoot it!". The crowd laughed, but with an overtone of "ooooh!" as if to say "Too soon!". He turned around and said "What? It's just a giraffe!". When they began to film the next part (which I think may have been thenews from memory) he had to repeat it, but said "Take it outside and FUCK IT". which elicited a much different sound from the crowd, so I'll be interested to see how they edit that together on the show. They'll probably just take the laugh!

You'd be surprised what you can get away with by cross fading the audio between two audience reactions. TGUK and a lot of other shows with live studio audiences do this all the time and if you really know what to listen for, you can hear when they do it.

jimthebrit > Guy Meurice 02/16/2014 at 17:56

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Thanks for the knows!

Flavien Vidal > Guy Meurice 02/16/2014 at 18:10

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Hahaha watching the episode now and recognized you with the strobing beard behind the TV description :)

DJHerbert > Guy Meurice 02/16/2014 at 18:13

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FYI, it's the ZENVO ST1, not Zenovo. They're Danish, not Chinese...

http://www.supercars.net/cars/4304.html

A3R0 > Guy Meurice 02/16/2014 at 18:25

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Thank you for writing this. Fantastic write up! It is now your duty as an Opponaut to watch the whole episode frame by frame to see if your there.:)

Just kidding, I have no power in the world of Oppo.

Guy Meurice > GFFFFF 02/16/2014 at 18:31

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They do the whole thing in order, so you stand and watch the VT's as they'd be shown on the telly. Makes it a lot more entertaining than if they did it all in one go.

Guy Meurice > 123456 02/16/2014 at 18:32

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No, can you imagine if such a thing existed? I'd be forever being sued!

Guy Meurice > A3R0 02/16/2014 at 18:33

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I was standing behind the TV during the interview with James Blunt, I'm basically a star!

Joseph Shaul > Brian, The Life of 02/16/2014 at 18:34

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They got Buzz Aldrin?

Eff that Jay Kay wanker. I bet an Apollo astronaut is not the type to lift for the follow-through...

Joseph Shaul > Flavien Vidal 02/16/2014 at 18:35

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IMAGE PLZ

damnthisburnershitsux > Dropfox2 02/16/2014 at 18:37

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Boobs

Dropfox2 > Nytmare 02/16/2014 at 18:38

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Yea I always figured they probably moved them around to get them in shots but I never thought it was as blatant as "ok your hot here's a pink wristband-hey we need all the pink wristbands up near the stage now"

Dropfox2 > damnthisburnershitsux 02/16/2014 at 18:45

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Do you know what a Jewish girls boobs are called?

TractionControlOff > Guy Meurice 02/16/2014 at 18:52

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I'm on the waiting list for tix. I'd happily fly out to London if I get the call. Great write-up; it only makes me want to get chosen even more!

wiffleballtony > Guy Meurice 02/16/2014 at 19:00

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My wife and I had the opportunity to be apart of the taping of Top Gear US in season one. We too had to wait outside of a hangar in the cold (uncharacteristic of southern California) but the British producers said it was a more authentic experience. What was interesting during the filming we were apart of was that they filmed parts for a couple different episodes with the same audience. They also filmed the reasonably priced car bit several hours later. I met Rutledge who was really nice. I remember being in the audience standing next to a hideously colored Panamera. Good times.

Pdexter > curbwatching 02/16/2014 at 19:09

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finalgear as the largest Top Gear community has had loads of threads dedicated to that. There was even a legendary Vicki Butler-Henderson boobs thread.

Yeah...

StalePhish > Flavien Vidal 02/16/2014 at 19:21

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Hahah screenshot needed!

StalePhish > Maxaxle 02/16/2014 at 19:26

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A couple YouTube clips of the episode that truck was in is what originally got me hooked on Top Gear back in college

ToastyPizza > Guy Meurice 02/16/2014 at 19:26

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I think I found you :O!!!!!

aclasschris > Guy Meurice 02/16/2014 at 19:29

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Nice write up, appreciate the insider look.

ToastyPizza > ToastyPizza 02/16/2014 at 19:32

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Here's another one!

Suburbaru > Joseph Shaul 02/16/2014 at 19:47

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That was an awesome guest, but TG USA doesn't do Star in Reasonably Priced Car anymore. They did for the first two seasons, but I don't think they have time to fit it in. They don't have a live audience segment at all now, it's just mostly one big challenge per episode.

Flavien Vidal > StalePhish 02/16/2014 at 19:53

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There you go guys :)

Flavien Vidal > Guy Meurice 02/16/2014 at 19:55

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Thought I would repost that here hehe

Love the strobing beard btw :)

StalePhish > Flavien Vidal 02/16/2014 at 19:57

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Creeping over the TV, haha awesome!

Kayone74 > Dropfox2 02/16/2014 at 20:02

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I went to a taping for the first attempt at the Top Gear USA pilot and it was much the same setup, that one taping experience along helped me understand the template of pretty much all the Top Gear UK in studio segments, as well as the multiple takes. We often had to start laughing on cue and get the right volume and levels to match with a previous scene so they could be cut together seamlessly, and yes they put all the beautiful women up front in select spots and made notes on which girl stood where so when they returned for a different live segment, continuity was maintained. That was fine because as a TV watcher I'd rather see them in the foreground of the crowd then some ugly men. That's TV entertainment for you.

FourOnTheFloor > Kayone74 02/16/2014 at 20:10

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Not surprised. The producer of TGUK Andy Wilman came over and helped with the first several TGUSAs.

Kayone74 > FourOnTheFloor 02/16/2014 at 20:13

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Yeah I saw Andy Wilman that day he spent quite a bit of time talking to use, explaining how the 'sausage is made' so to speak and how we were to act in front of the camera. I like the behind the scenes production process of TV and film

CrimsonRocket > Dropfox2 02/16/2014 at 20:27

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Don't leave us hangin' !

D-Whizzle > wiffleballtony 02/16/2014 at 20:33

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The biggest part of the US show that I hate is the interviews. They seems really cut-together, and not natural at all.

Dalilon > Guy Meurice 02/16/2014 at 20:40

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Awesome write up and congrats on being able to go to the show! You are very lucky!

Scrape > Guy Meurice 02/16/2014 at 20:46

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That is the biggest difference between the US and UK shows...the UK boys are pros at presenting, and did it before they landed Top Gear. James and Jeremey can make watching paint dry interesting, and I'm sure James may actually do that for entertainment. The US guys really haven't been on TV previously, other than Adam who had been in movies and things, but they are different things. I'm sure none of them have had proper cadence and pronunciation training, and it shows. Though, they have gotten better.

Still, I would be great to go to a taping. Jealous, man...jealous.

Dropfox2 > CrimsonRocket 02/16/2014 at 20:48

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Jewbs

CrimsonRocket > Dropfox2 02/16/2014 at 21:27

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The disappoint is strong.

FourOnTheFloor > Kayone74 02/16/2014 at 22:51

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He's a brilliant guy. Values cinematography which is one of the key differentiators (aside from the character) between TG and any other car show.

/Drive is great, especially with the limited budget. Unfortunately that stunning cinematography really comes at a price.

wiffleballtony > D-Whizzle 02/16/2014 at 23:01

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I agree. Truth be told, that day the interview was to be Michele Rodriguez. We didn't bother to hang around for it.

brandondrums > Dropfox2 02/17/2014 at 01:05

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Yeah no kidding. They always happen to put the pretty girls over Hammond's seat too.

OkCars- 22k Crossroads > Dropfox2 02/17/2014 at 01:14

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i dont remember where's that epsiode from, but believe me, I remembered those breasts before i saw your comment, DAMN

ThatsRacing > Guy Meurice 02/17/2014 at 03:06

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Ah, I was wondering about the sound system in that studio. I did a show with Richard Hammond In 2012 called Crash Course and I was amazed at how quietly he spoke. I had to constantly ask him to speak up or repeat what he said. Didn't help that we were at a race track, but still. I was thinking that if there was no sound system in the Top Gear studio there was no way anyone would hear what he was saying and laugh at the jokes.

d3v > Guy Meurice 02/17/2014 at 03:34

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Did anyone who was standing near it grow any extra appendages or start glowing?

Foo2rama > Brian, The Life of 02/17/2014 at 03:53

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Umm.. the first TGUSA episode filmed had the blind guy and the dog peed on the stage...

Guy Meurice > Maxaxle 02/17/2014 at 04:14

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It was pretty awe inspiring. I couldn't shake the feeling that with a lick of paint and a new battery I'd be able to get it MOT'd and on the road!

Guy Meurice > d3v 02/17/2014 at 04:15

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Not that I saw, but you can never tell.

I certainly didn't see anyone bouncing around on their balls singing 'Buffalo Soldier'.

Fred > Guy Meurice 02/17/2014 at 07:13

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Finding out about how to kill a Toyota Hilux on Youtube got me interested in this show, along with wanting to buy a diesel Toyota 4x4(very rare in the US). That was 3 years ago and to this day I still record and watch their reruns. My favorite TV show of all time, plus the British humor is good too.

Malik > Guy Meurice 02/17/2014 at 07:36

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Please someone tell me what it takes to attend one of those. I have been dreaming about it for a while....

Guy Meurice > Malik 02/17/2014 at 07:57

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Go here;

http://www.applausestore.com/all-shows

Scroll right to the bottom and apply! It's free, as it's a BBC show.

Ben C > Scrape 02/17/2014 at 09:14

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This. It's important to note that all three (the UK trio) are TV presenters first and foremost. Which is why not anybody can do what they do.

FormerInstants > Guy Meurice 02/17/2014 at 09:15

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Everyone likes to think to themselves "Oh I could do that, hoon around a track and chat shit about cars" but you couldn't. These guys are good at what they do. Very good.

So, when I visited the Nurburgring, I thought I might try narrating my drive to explain to everyone how awesome it was. I was like, "they do this all the time on Top Gear, how hard can it be?" Very hard actually. I managed to speak through a bit of Dottinger Hoe, but once the track got twisty, I was using far too much brain power for just driving to be able to come up with anything to say. A more detailed script might have helped, but it gave me new respect for the way they talk about how the car is driving while they're driving it on their track.

Dream Crusher, a name suggested by steliosr32 > The Transporter 02/17/2014 at 09:16

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Something similar happened when I attended a taping of the Colbert report. Stephen mispronounced a few words and at the end he repeated them and they slipped them in during editing.

Guy Meurice > FormerInstants 02/17/2014 at 09:18

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While I was at uni I had some camera equipment on loan and we decided to do some car reviews in our various shitboxes. One of the guys was driving his Renault Clio and was doing really well, he only lasted a few minutes though, before it just became too much. It's incredibly difficult to keep it up and concentrate on driving, even on normal roads!

Can't imagine trying it on a track!

FormerInstants > Dropfox2 02/17/2014 at 09:18

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I recall one episode where the presenters made some comment about all the guys in the middle rows of the audience trying to stand just right to brush up against the women that were being moved forward.

The Transporter > Dream Crusher, a name suggested by steliosr32 02/17/2014 at 09:33

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Movie magic.

Tom-Rollinson > Guy Meurice 02/17/2014 at 09:42

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Awesome write up! Best part about the show was definitely Chernobyl.... as soon as I saw you behind the telly I chuckled as well! haha

mstrjon32 > Guy Meurice 02/17/2014 at 09:51

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You have my unlimited envy, sir. For the past three years I have requested tickets and have yet to have any luck. But I am going to keep trying and am going to jump in the car, drive through the night, and head over the channel if I can ever snag any.

Brian, The Life of > Foo2rama 02/17/2014 at 10:04

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They were taped on the same day. I assumed the Buzz Aldrin episode aired first since his was the first time on the SIARPC lap board.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > FormerInstants 02/17/2014 at 10:04

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It's the interview with Ross Noble from series 17, episode 2.

Chris Havill > Guy Meurice 02/17/2014 at 11:19

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i went to a taping of TGUSA (back when they did that) and it was fun and interesting. got to see tim allen and brett micheals.

they shot the whole of series one in like, a week, and i think i saw part of 2-3 episodes being shot. they didn't show us the whole "segment" of anything. the ferrari vs plane to vegas they only showed us the last 30 seconds, and the same with the lotus to the south of florida. kind of a shame, but they were trying to shoot a whole season in a week.

adam ferrara was hilarious, tanner was cool as always (said a few words to him a couple of times, in a few places, and he's always nice) didn't see much of rut.
can't see me on TV, but you can hear me at one point, which is pretty hilarious, because they re-shot the part i telled in and i thought "yep, getting a shot without me yelling" and when we watched it, there i was. like to think i caused a small argument in the editing room as to whether to keep me in or cut me.

all in all, was a good day.

Chris Havill > Chris Havill 02/17/2014 at 11:20

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oh, and yes, i also felt the sting of being told to move back and let prettier people in front :(

Chris Havill > Scrape 02/17/2014 at 11:23

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rutledge was a nascar reporter.

tanner has had multiple shows about supercars.

if anything, adam has the least TV experience.

Chris Havill > D-Whizzle 02/17/2014 at 11:24

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yeah, the tim allen interview was like, 5-10 minutes of just him adn rut talking cars, and rut even said it "yeah, its sad this is going to be cut down to like 3 minutes".

Chris Havill > FormerInstants 02/17/2014 at 11:26

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whereas Clarkson can casually conversate as he slides a 1000hp zenvo around, in the wet.

Drivingforfunandprofit > Dropfox2 02/17/2014 at 11:33

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haha, I just watched this episode yesterday. I knew it was not coincidence that the beg bewbs were always in the front row.

f5alcon > D-Whizzle 02/17/2014 at 11:41

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There are not interviews in the US version after season 1

Tanderson2491 > Guy Meurice 02/17/2014 at 12:17

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I enjoyed the episode a lot, but I did find myself thinking about the scripting and crowd laughing a lot more than I normally do. Thanks for the awesome writeup on your experience!

FerMorcillo > Guy Meurice 02/17/2014 at 12:34

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Nice ! So jealous !

Question tho. I've always wondered this. Do they make comments during the other parts of the show not filmed in the studio? Do people laugh and stuff?

nigelastydameiaburn5 > Guy Meurice 02/17/2014 at 13:19

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I always thought it was weird that they make the crowd stand—I'd think the audience would turn against them after a while, like "Really, you cheap bastards can't even give us seats?" How long are you actually standing around for?

Guy Meurice > FerMorcillo 02/17/2014 at 13:58

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The studio lights go dim and they just show them on the screen, they didn't make any comments about them when I was there though until afterwards when they were filming the next bit.

I think they attempt to give you the most similar experience to the final episode as they can.

Guy Meurice > nigelastydameiaburn5 02/17/2014 at 14:00

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We were standing for between three and four hours. If they had seating then they would need a MUCH bigger studio as they film in the same place a lot. In this episode I think three segments were filmed between the invincible pickup and the weird electric car. There's a lot of shuffling around!

relidtm > curbwatching 02/17/2014 at 15:12

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there is its here

http://womenoftopgear.tumblr.com/

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Guy Meurice 02/17/2014 at 15:20

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"... but I didn't get many as my sister wanted to leave."

Ughhh... having a bad wingman/wingwoman sucks. And it's odd that she wanted to leave earlier than you considering she asked you to come with her.

The Stig's Canadian Cousin > Joseph Shaul 02/17/2014 at 15:25

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Not sure if you saw the episode or not... Buzz might have gone mach 10 in a rocket but I'm pretty sure he lifted for the whole lap :P. Can't blame the guy though, I mean he's 84.

Foo2rama > Brian, The Life of 02/17/2014 at 15:35

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I thought Buzz was day 2 afternoon filming... Still cool to be there though!

Brian, The Life of > Foo2rama 02/17/2014 at 15:42

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It was episode 2 (apparently) filmed on the same day as #1.

Smoak on the Water > ThatsRacing 02/17/2014 at 22:49

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My wife and I loved that show. Which guy are you on the show, if you made it on camera?

McLarry > Guy Meurice 02/18/2014 at 00:25

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Just watched that episode! Very jealous, kudos!

rs510 > Guy Meurice 02/18/2014 at 06:32

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How did you manage to get tickets to go see it?! I've been trying for years to no avail, sitting on the sidelines as others who apply, ignore the offers because they could not care less.

On the plus side, ever time I apply for Topgear, I get emails saying, "go see Ant and Dec do something retarded because we need an audience and are struggling to find people"

Guy Meurice > rs510 02/18/2014 at 08:18

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Haha, my sister applied, I don't know when. How many tickets do you apply for? She applied for two, maybe that makes a difference?

frankie fizz > Guy Meurice 02/18/2014 at 12:37

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Zenovo is a medical aesthetics company in the UK — this beauty here is a Zenvo

Saf1 > Flavien Vidal 02/18/2014 at 17:29

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All this beard talk!! It had me picturing THIS

Saf1 > Guy Meurice 02/18/2014 at 17:32

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Well done for getting on Guy and the writeup! How long ago did you/your sister apply to attend? I heard the waiting list is 2yrs. Also, do they do any "eliminations" before attendance on shoot day?