Mr Wilman’s Motoring Adventure: Top Gear, Grand Tour, Clarkson and Me
For two decades, Andy Wilman stood just out of frame whilst Clarkson, Hammond and May became some of the most recognisable faces on television. Now, Jeremy's oldest friend and co-creator of both Top Gear and The Grand Tour has finally broken cover to tell the story from the inside. What's remarkable is just how much he's seen. Top Gear began life as a rather sensible little programme about buying cars. Somehow, it transformed into a record-breaking global juggernaut, earning a spot in the Guinness Book of Records as the most-watched factual TV show on the planet. Those Sunday night broadcasts had a peculiar alchemy to them, turning three bickering middle-aged men into genuine cultural icons. Then, quite abruptly, it was over. Wilman traces the whole arc of it: the unlikely rise, the spectacular collapse, and the phoenix-like reinvention as The Grand Tour. He writes with the irreverence you'd expect from someone who spent years in the company of that particular trio, and the humour throughout is sharp and unforced. It's a book that feels lived-in, full of the sort of candid detail that only comes from someone who was genuinely there. A treat for any fan of cars, comedy, or brilliantly chaotic television.
- Author: Andy Wilman
- Publisher: Michael Joseph Ltd
- Genre: Film & Cinema
- ISBN: 978-0241788950
- Pages: 416 pages