Editing Fifth Gear

{{Infobox Show
|image           =<tabs plain style="margin:0;padding:0;" container="text-align:center;">
<tab name="Default">
[[File:FG Logo 2005.jpg|300px]]
The ''Fifth Gear'' logo used since 2005.
</tab>
<tab name="2002">
[[File:FG Logo 2002.png|300px]]
Numeral ''5th Gear'' logo used only during 2002.
</tab>
<tab name="2003">
[[File:FG Logo 2003.png|300px]]
''Fifth Gear'' logo used during the 30 minute episode era.
</tab>
</tabs>
|year=2002
|epcount=272
|origin=British
|airstatus=No longer airing
|year2=2019}}
''For the programme which has aired since 2021, see [[Fifth Gear: Recharged]].''

'''''Fifth Gear''''' is the name of an automotive-themed intellectual property created by [[Richard Pearson]] in 2001 and aired during three separate tenures between 2002 and 2019, produced by [[North One Television]]<ref>Originally known as ''Chrysalis Television Midlands''.</ref> since its inception. It has been adapted to a television format multiple times in its native [[United Kingdom]], in addition to subsequent international versions that were made once the programme had proven itself a success in the early 2000s.

After original host [[Quentin Willson]] departed ''[[Top Gear (1977 TV series)|Top Gear]]'' in late 2000, he would spend the successive year as an independent journalist, uncovering<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1456337.stm BBC News - Exposed: Criminals behind huge car fraud.]</ref> a major international car fraud involving the sale of Japanese cars in the UK by proxy of Dubai. That August, ''Top Gear'' would announce its cancellation<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/1480197.stm BBC News - BBC takes ''Top Gear'' off road.]</ref> after 23 years on the air. In light of this news, three of ''Top Gear''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s then-current hosting team, comprised of lead presenter [[Tiff Needell]], [[Vicki Butler-Henderson]] and [[Adrian Simpson]] all chose to defect<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/1657807.stm BBC News - ''Top Gear'' team switch lanes.]</ref> to rival broadcaster [[Channel 5]], the team meeting up with former ''Top Gear'' producer Pearson after the latter had successfully persuaded the estranged Willson on the idea. The resultant programme, rechristened as ''Fifth Gear'', would [[Fifth Gear/Series 1|premiere]]<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/1918330.stm BBC News - ''Top Gear'' finds a new home.]</ref> in April of 2002 and recycle much of the format that the outgoing ''Top Gear'' had employed. Contemporary public reception<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/1918681.stm BBC News - ''5th Gear'': Your views.]</ref> to this new series was largely positive.

Later on, the programme was joined by two-time BTCC champion [[Jason Plato]], who had previously worked for [[Channel 4]]'s since-cancelled ''[[Driven]]'', along with the presenting duo of [[Jonny Smith]] and [[Tom Ford]]. Simpson and Willson would eventually depart the series, and [[Tim Shaw]] would also briefly join the presenting team for the programme's [[Fifth Gear/Series 14|fourteenth series]] in 2008.

==Format==
Originally, ''Fifth Gear'' was very similar to ''Top Gear'', but as time progressed, developed more distinct characteristics, such as its famed [[Fifth Gear/Shoot-Outs|Shoot-Outs]] between two cars of a similar type. For the first seven series, the show aired in a 23 minute format, before doubling to a 45 minute format in 2005. ''Fifth Gear'' then lasted through to its sixteenth series in 2009 in this format, before Channel 5 cancelled<ref>[http://www.ausmotive.com/2009/10/19/fifth-gear-cancelled.html AUSMotive - ''Fifth Gear'' cancelled - CONFIRMED.]</ref> the programme at the end of that year. This cancellation was brief, and the programme was relaunched the subsequent Summer back in its original 23 minute format, with less time spent on more dramatic stunts and a heightened focus on automotive journalism. ''Fifth Gear'' lasted four series in this format as part of a renewed two-year contract with the network, until late 2011, when the programme was shuttled off to [[Discovery]]<ref>[https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/247672-fifth-gear-returns/ BRISKODA - ''Fifth Gear'' Returns.]</ref> in 2012, returning to a 45 minute format from its [[Fifth Gear/Series 21|twenty-first]] series onwards. The programme would move once again to the [[History Channel]] in 2015, before being cancelled. ''Fifth Gear'' went into hiatus for three years before being revived in 2018 by Discovery channel [[Discovery (network)/Quest|Quest]], where it returned one final time for its [[Fifth Gear/Series 27|twenty-seventh]] and [[Fifth Gear/Series 28|twenty-eighth]] series.

For the first seven series, ''Fifth Gear'' was based at an [[Fifth Gear's original offices|unnamed office]] in [[Birmingham]], likely near their earlier place of employ at [[Pebble Mill Studios|Pebble Mill]], and was otherwise filmed on-location. From Series 8, the programme became partly studio-based at the [[Ace Cafe]] near Wembley in [[London]].

==Series overview==
272 episodes would air in total between 2002 and 2019 across 28 total series, including specials such as those made for ''[[Fifth Gear/Series 2/James Bond's Cars Special|James Bond]]'' and ''[[Fifth Gear/Series 4/Italian Job Special|The Italian Job]]'', in addition to end of series compilation specials.

==Presenters==
From the programme's inception, Tiff Needell and Vicki Butler-Henderson were ''Fifth Gear''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s joint lead hosts, with Quentin Willson the first to officially join. Tom Ford would be the programme's first new hire, debuting in the fifth episode. From there, the team of five would stabilise, with the occasional on-screen appearance from producer Jon Bentley, before Simpson's departure at the end of Series 6 and Willson following not long thereafter. The team would then continue to operate as a quintet thanks to the addition of former ''Driven'' host Jason Plato through to 2006's Series 10, where they were then joined by Jonny Smith and [[Tim Lovejoy]]. Lovejoy's role on the programme wouldn't last long, and in Series 14, Tim Shaw joined until the programme's 2009 cancellation. Both Shaw and Ford would be absent from the 2010 revival, Ford in order to fully focus on his obligations for BBC's ''Top Gear'', eventually being "rewarded" as lead host for the shortlived BBC America run of ''[[Top Gear America]]''.

From 2010 through to the first year of its 2018 revival, a period comprising 11 series and 96 episodes, the presenting team did not change between Needell, Butler-Henderson, Smith or Plato. Of the programme's hosts, Vicki Butler-Henderson remained the only host to have starred in every series. Tiff Needell appeared in the first 27 series until his unexpected firing a year into Discovery's ownership of the IP. In his place arrived [[Jimmy de Ville]] and former F1 driver [[Karun Chandhok]] for the [[Fifth Gear/Series 28|final series]] of traditional ''Fifth Gear'' in 2019.

An unusually high proportion of presenters with the male given name "Timothy" would serve as host throughout; it is both the original birth name of Tiff Needell and Jason Plato (with Jason being the latter's middle name), in addition to being the names of later hires Tim Lovejoy and Tim Shaw.

===Timeline of presenters===
Placeholder.

==References==
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