Top stuff - from start to finish (From This is Hampshire)

Top stuff - from start to finish

1:00pm Thursday 9th February 2012 in News By Simon Moss

Gazette reporter Simon Moss, with Top Gear presenter James May, at Dunsfold Aerodrome

SIMON MOSS reports on what it's like to be part of the audience at the filming of one of Britain's most popular TV shows - Top Gear LIKE thousands of others who have grown to love the Sunday evening injection of tomfoolery, explosions and cars that is Top Gear, I had longed to be one of the lucky few standing in the crowd watching it all unfold.

For six years, my name has been on the waiting list for one of the 300 or so free tickets on offer to those willing to spend seven hours standing in a hangar in rural Surrey as the show is filmed.

Last week, my dream came true as my dad and I secured two tickets, meaning we would finally have the chance to see what goes into making a show that is revered the world over.

The blurb on the ticket requests a 50-50 split between men and women so there aren’t a load of “ugly male car geeks ruining everyone’s Sunday night”. This early warning did not bode well for the old man and me, but we got in easily enough.

While the gates opened at midday on Wednesday, filming did not begin until 2pm, meaning we had a good couple of hours to kill. We hung around with hundreds of other ugly male car geeks – interspersed with the odd attractive blonde – looking over the familiar racing track which Jezza (that’s Jeremy Clarkson to non-disciples) and the boys speed round each week.

The inside of the hangar was a lot larger than I had expected, and it was a feast for the eyes to see the famous “cool wall” and battered Toyota Hilux up close.

Guests were free to mill around, admiring the set and taking pictures, before listening to the director and floor manager for some house rules (let the cameramen through at all times, switch off your mobile phones etc).

Then the great Clarkson came out, to rapturous applause, and informed us, due to filming commitments, we would see not just one, but two star interviews.

Richard Hammond and James May followed him on to the stage in the middle of the hangar, where they had some playful banter regarding Hammond’s height, Clarkson’s hair and the rest.

While I am sure they go through the same routine each time, the audience lapped it up.

When it comes to filming, however, the trio are slick, rarely needing more than one take to work through their pre-rehearsed lines.

It became obvious, as we moved to various corners of the studio for filming, that the more attractive (female) audience members were pushed closer to the front so they could be seen on camera.

So for the best part of four hours, we enjoyed the surroundings, applauding on cue and watching the various links being filmed while also watching the videos that had been filmed on numerous screens in between.

Then came the celebrity interviews – Matt LeBlanc (of Friends fame), and the People’s Choice Sexiest Male Alive (or so I am told) in 2010, actor Ryan Reynolds. The extended interviews were good fun, including the expletive-ridden exchanges that don’t make it on screen.

The cast and crew work hard to make the audience feel involved and – above all – ensure they have a good time.

It was a great experience to see first-hand one of British TV’s best exports. Just be prepared for a long wait to get tickets.