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And on That Bombshell
- Inside the Madness and Genius of TOP GEAR
- Narrated by: Richard Porter, Ben Elliot
- Length: 8 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Arts & Entertainment, Entertainment & Performing Arts
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Summary
For 13 years, 22 series and 175 shows, Richard Porter was script editor of Top Gear, from the first faltering pilot episode in 2002 until the very last show presented by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May in 2015.
Along the way they destroyed cars, sparked diplomatic incidents, set fire to caravans, almost killed one of the presenters, and somehow transformed Top Gear from a shabby BBC Two motoring show into an Emmy-winning, record-breaking, planet-straddling behemoth.
And on That Bombshell tells stories from behind the scenes of one of the world's most successful television programmes, taking in driving monkeys, broken bones, flying cars, angry rednecks and Jeremy Clarkson's secret nickname.
Richard Porter provides a unique insight into how the programmes were made, revealing behind-the-scenes disasters more comical than anything seen on screen and explaining what it was like to work inside the self-professed 'poky motoring show' that accidentally became a global phenomenon.
Read by Ben Elliot and with an introduction read by the author.
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What listeners say about And on That Bombshell
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Adam Buckler
- 22-11-15
Interesting but it feels like it was rushed
The stories is interesting and well performed. However, the way the book is laid out doesn't always seem to flow from chapter to chapter very well and some of the anecdotes are a bit weak. It has the feeling of an essay that needs redrafting before submission and I wonder if this was due to rushing to get it out the door while top gear was fresh in minds.
3 people found this helpful
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- Mark
- 27-07-16
Excellent book
I rejoined Audible after some 4 years away just so that I could listen to this book! And well worth it was too. Great narrative by Richard Porter who painted a very real picture of what it's like to work on Top Gear, what worked, what didn't work, and what was a lot more hassle than it was worth!
The only criticism I would dare to level at it is the length, it could have easily been twice as long and told a lot more stories from their travels, but Richard is a busy man!
Looking forward to the next one detailing life on the Grand Tour!
2 people found this helpful
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- Kindle Customer
- 03-04-16
Great
Great book for fans of top gear. Loved the insight and behind the scenes look into this great show.
1 person found this helpful
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- m
- 10-11-15
Great for TG fans
As a big TG fan, though under few illusions over what the cast are actually like, there were no great surprises there.
Some fun and interesting behind the scenes stories, though others conspicuously absent in any detail - eg the arctic trip. If you like the off-the-wall witticisms of top gear, we are left in no doubt that Mr Porter is responsible for many. "Drowning in kittens"....haha. I guess the biggest disappointment is in being left wanting more. This is not the book's fault of course...
2 people found this helpful
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- stephen fussell
- 03-04-22
Top Listen in any Gear .I loved this TV show
such a shame the BBC didn't forgive Jeremy we all have off days ! including g Tink my little Jack Russell woof woof
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- Stuart
- 09-01-22
Fascinating and entertaining
Great to hear a coherent and compelling story of the development of the Top Gear show.
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- Giles
- 02-12-21
Oh no! Anyway….
Fantastic listen, and a must buy if you ever loved Top Gear, even the old ones. If you like this I really recommend the Smith and Sniff podcasts by the way.
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- Amazon Customer
- 25-10-21
A Must for any top gear fan
Thoroughly enjoyable, plenty of hilarious and interesting stories and as an additional plus its broken into good short chapters
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- Josh Brown
- 28-08-21
Some say....
....this could very well be the best book about Top Gear, in the world!
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- Carl Wyatt
- 16-04-21
Very interesting
I used to enjoy TopGear and it's been interested to hear about what was going behind the scenes.
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- Lars C.
- 14-01-20
Doesn't get bogged down
I finished it over the course of two marathon sessions, it's a fantastic look within the rise and fall of Top Gear, that quirky motoring show from across the pond.
1 person found this helpful
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- Interncat
- 14-04-22
Just an exceptionally biased topgear fan
By pengame alone, the book is probably a 3-4 stars. But I'm a topgear fan, hence the 5.
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- NEW GAME+
- 22-03-22
Ambitious and not rubbish!
A funny and, at times, heartwarming look behind the scenes at the BBC show Top Gear.
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- E.Friend
- 19-02-22
great stories great narration
Loved it and the narration was impeccable. Not much else to say , really. Excellent.
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- not given
- 29-12-21
most of what you need to know about topgear
great listen . finished in 2 days. most everything you need to know about the show to fully appreciate the effort so many have put in to give us this show. Thank you to the whole team, thank you for so many memories watching this with my wife and friends. thank you for all the inside jokes, the memes, the smug face, the cheeky made up sponsor stickers on all your challenge cars. thank you for being the surrogate friends l always wanted.
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- Anonymous User
- 10-12-21
Top Gear 4th wall
If you where a fan of top gear, put this audio book on and enjoy the inter workings.
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- Chris
- 26-08-21
Brilliant
A great in-depth look behind the curtain of the greatest car show ever made. If you are a fan of the show, then this is a must-read!
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- Douglas Speicher
- 15-02-21
Fascinating and heartwarming
I’ve just recently discovered the 2002-2015 UK Top Gear and am enjoying watching every single episode and special straight through. This book, as well as Ben Collins’ autobiography have created wonderful context and behind the scenes details. If you love Top Gear, you’ll love this book!!
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- C-Bass
- 28-11-20
Any fan would love this
This is a great behind the scenes look that made me even a bigger fan. Having watched every show, it is great to hear some of the hilarious details and extreme effort poured into each show. It is well read and with the accent makes you feel you are listening to the author.
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- Anonymous User
- 01-11-20
lovely
We thoroughly enjoyed this book. It came along as part of a road trip, and I honestly feel like those boys are part of my family.