Top Gear (2002 TV series)/Series 16

Series 16 (2002 format)
Series 16 continued to boast viewing figures of over 7 million.
Episodes	8
Originally aired	21/12/2010 - 27/02/2011
Original network	BBC Two
Resolution	1080i
Aspect ratio	16:9 Widescreen
Preceded by	Series 15 (2010)
Superceded by	Series 17 (2011)

The sixteenth series of Top Gear premiered in the United Kingdom on the 21st December, 2010, and concluded on the 27th February, 2011, after a run of 8 episodes. The series' main host was Jeremy Clarkson, and he was accompanied by Richard Hammond, James May and The Stig as co-presenters. The series was produced at Television Centre in Wood Lane, London, and aired on BBC Two in a 60-minute studio format. Series 16 attracted an average viewership rating of 7.19 million viewers per episode, with a peak of 7.68 million viewers for Middle East Special, and a low of 6.53 million viewers for Episode 6.

Highlights from this series include the 2010 Christmas Specials, which marked the final time Top Gear would air a studio-based episode during Christmastime, the Albanian Mafia Challenge, and a crossover event with Top Gear Australia.

This series was the first to feature Ben Collins' replacement as The Stig, who was introduced after Tiff Needell briefly returned to Top Gear for the first time since 2001 as a result of Fifth Gear's hiatus. The introduction of this Stig was woven into the plot of the Middle East Special as one of the show's more fictional elements it adopted later on.