Top Gear Wiki
Register
Advertisement

The eighth and final episode of the twenty-second series of Top Gear aired on the 28th of June, 2015. It was the first and last episode in Top Gear's current history to be presented by James May and Richard Hammond, without former presenter Jeremy Clarkson, and the last episode in which May, Hammond, and Clarkson appeared. It was the 183rd episode overall.

The final episode was officially announced on the 9th of June, 2015 and aired on BBC Two on the 28th, some three months after the show was put on hiatus. It aired as the 11th of 13 planned episodes for Series 22, which begun with the two-part Patagonia Special in December 2014.

Notably, the episode marked the final appearance of long-time Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson, who was dismissed from the show in March 2015, and fellow presenters James May and Richard Hammond, who declined to renew their contracts in the aftermath of Clarkson's dismissal.

It is occasionally referred to as "The Big Send-Off Special", due to the episode's feature length and unconventional structure.

Tonight...[]

  • James falls out of a boat...
  • [Richard] have[s] a fight with a gear lever...
  • And... oh dear, this is a bit embarrassing...

Overview[]

Film 1[]

Jeremy, James, and Richard are challenged to involve themselves in the world of classic car ownership by each purchasing a cheap midget convertible and embarking on a series of challenges including a mishap-filled track day.

Film 2[]

The presenters are tasked with purchasing the best secondhand SUV possible for less than £250. Having made their selections the guys are then instructed to meet up for a series of challenges involving indoor ski slopes, caravans, and lots of mud with a terrifying penalty for the loser.

Airing History[]

Series 22, Episode 8 originally aired on the 28th of June, 2015, on BBC Two. It was then re-aired on the 4th of July at 9:35 PM, on the 5th of July at 8:00 PM and then aired a fourth and final time on the 19th of July on BBC Three at 9:20 PM. The episode would eventually make its way to Dave, where it has regularly re-aired since, albeit in a cut format, and has appeared on various streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime, in addition to the BBC's own iPlayer. It was part of the series purchased by MotorTrend in April 2019.

Ratings[]

Original airing[]

  1. BBC2: Top Gear (6.92 million viewers)
  2. BBC1: Antiques Roadshow (4.63 million viewers)
  3. ITV1: Surprise Surprise (2.71 million viewers)
  4. Channel 5: Film: Dirty Dancing (1.34 million viewers)
  5. Channel 4: Amazing Spaces: Shed of the Year (1.32 million viewers)
  6. BBC4: Glastonbury (0.67 million viewers)
  7. Other programming (<0.58 million viewers)

Second repeat (5th July)[]

  1. BBC1: Fake or Fortune? (4.81 million viewers)
  2. ITV1: Surprise Surprise (3.17 million viewers)
  3. BBC2: Top Gear (2.18 million viewers)
  4. Channel 4: Amazing Spaces: Shed of the Year (1.48 million viewers)
  5. ITV2: Film: Jurassic Park (0.66 million viewers)
  6. Other programming (<0.56 million viewers)

Top Gear would easily claim the #1 spot for its channel, topping the list of BBC2's Top 30 programs for the week comprising the 22nd - 28th June, 2015. It would be the second most watched program for that entire week, falling only behind the episode of BBC1's EastEnders which aired on the Monday, which claimed 7.29 million viewers. Of its timeslot, the show would finish a decisive first, ahead of BBC1's Antiques Roadshow and ITV1's Surprise Surprise, making up approximately 38.1% of the primetime audience.

After claiming 1.14 million viewers upon its initial reshowing on the 4th of July, the episode would continue to perform respectably the next night, finishing third in its timeslot and making up approximately 17% of the primetime audience. By the time it re-aired a third time on BBC Three, only 0.62 million people would tune in, which still made it the 25th most watched program outside of the five main ex-terrestrial channels for that week.

Trivia[]

  • This episode was the 183rd episode of Top Gear since its relaunch in 2002, including specials.
  • It was the 712th episode to air since the first series in 1978.
  • It was the 749th piece of official video media to be released under the Top Gear name since its creation in 1977.
  • This episode would mark Jeremy Clarkson's 399th and final appearance in an episode of Top Gear, from his debut on the Original format of the show in 1988 until this episode.
  • Likewise, this episode would also mark Richard Hammond's 179th and final appearance in an episode of Top Gear.
  • However, James May would still appear in three further episodes of the show for the second series of spinoffs focusing on the Cars of the People.
  • This episode would have the smallest studio audience of zero, surpassing even the small production crew-based audience in Series 1, Episode 1.
  • It is the first and only time the show has had a silent outro.

Trailer[]

Top_Gear_Series_22_Trailer_Top_Gear

Top Gear Series 22 Trailer Top Gear

Advertisement