Editing Top Gear (2002 TV series)/Series 1/Episode 1

{{Infobox Episode
|episode = Episode 1 [[{{BASEPAGENAME}}/Pilot episodes|(third pilot)]]
|image           =<tabs plain style="margin:0;padding:0;" container="text-align:center;">
<tab name="Thumb 1">
[[File:TG 2002 S1E1 - Zonda Sideways.jpg|300px]]
The [[Pagani Zonda]] goes sideways.
</tab>
<tab name="Thumb 2">
[[File:TG 2002 S1E1 - Ford GT Concept.jpg|300px]]
Richard Hammond peers into the Ford GT40 Concept.
</tab>
</tabs>
|prodcode = GFGA001W
|number = 1 (since 2002), 550 (since 1977)
|length = 58:57
|viewers = 2.43 million
|next = [[{{BASEPAGENAME}}/Episode 2|Series 1, Episode 2]]
|airdate =
UK: 20th October, 2002
| airdates    =
WO: 13th November, 2002<br>
NL: 26th September, 2003<br>
PR: 9th November, 2004<br>
PL: 19th February, 2005<br>
RU: 28th April, 2005<br>
BE: 22nd July, 2006 (BBC Prime)<br>
FI: 4th January, 2007<br>
AU: 23rd February, 2008<br>
KO: 3rd May, 2008<br>
CZ: 3rd April, 2009<br>
HU: 15th June, 2009<br>
''Data may not be 100% accurate.''
}}

{{TG 2002 Episode|episodename=Series 1, Episode 1|airdate=20th October|year=2002|xth=first|series=[[Series 1]]|number=1st|number77=550th|number78=541st|prognum=2nd|totprog=11|resolution=576i|aspratio=16:9 Widescreen|tvorstream=British television|channel=BBC Two}} {{TG 2002 Episode Starring|hosta=Jeremy Clarkson|hostb=Jason Dawe|hostc=Richard Hammond|stig=[[The Stig#Black Stig|The Stig]]|star=[[Harry Enfield]]|waswere=was}}.

This episode marked the revival of the ''Top Gear'' name following the [[Top Gear (1977 TV series)/Series 45/Top Gear Awards 2002|2002 Top Gear Awards special]] in February. For the first time since 1998, the episode starred Jeremy Clarkson in the role of lead presenter.

==Synopsis==
{{TG Intro|narrator=Jeremy Clarkson}}
*I put two supercars head to head.
*Jason Dawe on what to do when car dealers attack.
*Richard Hammond will try to beat a speed camera.
*And there's a Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car.

Jeremy Clarkson starts off with two family hatchbacks, the [[Ford Focus (first generation)#ST170|Ford Focus]], represented with a high-performance ST170 model, and the [[Volkswagen Golf (fourth generation)|Volkswagen Golf]]. These cars are quite pricey for their segment, but are not out of the ordinary for cars of this status and level of equipment. However, Clarkson believes there is a cheaper option that will appeal the more frugal motorist.

{{Airing History}}
{{TG 2002 Pulled|pullstatement=As ''Top Gear'' was not yet as successful as it would eventually become, broadcasts of this episode were very limited, especially in its original 59 minute form. In addition, after the later success of host [[James May]], episodes from Series 1 would become undesirable and as a result, would be pulled from the BBC World Sales Catalogue after 2009. This was likely due to the fact there were now more than 100 other episodes available for syndication.}}

<big>'''United Kingdom'''</big><br>

Series 1, Episode 1 would premiere on [[BBC/BBC Two|BBC Two]] on the night of the 20th October, 2002. Unlike later episodes of ''Top Gear'', the episode would not be repeated following its initial airing, though it would be edited down into a 45 minute version by [[Red Bee Media]] for usage on [[UKTV]] channels such as [[UKTV/UK Horizons|UK Horizons]], where the episode began airing approximately 2 weeks after its premiere on BBC Two.

<big>'''Worldwide'''</big><br>

Internationally, the episode would first premiere on [[BBC/BBC World|BBC World]] on the 13th of November, 2002, 3 weeks after its UK release. It would then be shown in the Netherlands on [[Veronica (TV channel)|Veronica]] from the 26th of September, 2003, 11 months later, before appearing on [[BBC/BBC Prime|BBC Prime]] in November 2004, and then the likes of [[TVN Turbo]] in Poland and [[NTV]] in Russia during 2005, the latter in a similarly cut-down form to how the episode was shown on BBC World. The episode would be reshown in a handful of countries thereafter, but would not premiere in many Baltic and Balkan nations such as the Czech Republic, Hungary and Estonia until as late as mid-2009, a full six and a half years after the episode was first shown in the United Kingdom.

{{Unabridged|episodename=Series 1, Episode 1}}

==References==
<references/>

==Navigation==
{{TG 2002 S1}}