Editing Tiff Needell

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Photograph of Tiff Needell as of the 2010s.
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Needell as he looked during his tenure on ''Fifth Gear''.
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Tiff Needell in the 1980s, during his racing career.
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|fullname=Timothy Needell|origin=uk|dob=29th October|sex=Male|occ=Presenter|media=Top Gear (1977 TV series)|occ2=Presenter|media2=Fifth Gear|occ3=Presenter|media3=Lovecars|debut=Top Gear (1977 TV series)/Series 17/Episode 1|debshort=Top Gear: Series 17, Episode 1|year=1987|final=Lovecars: On The Road/Episode 6|finshort=Lovecars OTR: Episode 6|year2=2020}}

'''Timothy "Tiff" Needell''' was a British racing driver and later automotive journalist who helped to present the original incarnation of [[BBC]]'s ''[[Top Gear (1977 TV series)|Top Gear]]'' from its [[Top Gear (1977 TV series)/Series 17|17th series]] in 1987 through to its cancellation at the end of its [[Top Gear (1977 TV series)/Series 45|45th series]] in 2001, before famously defecting to [[Channel 5]] in order to present ''[[Fifth Gear]]''. Following a seventeen year stint with the programme, Needell would be surprisingly axed<ref>[https://uk.motor1.com/news/371050/tiff-needell-axed-from-fifth-gear/ Motor1 - Tiff Needell axed from ''Fifth Gear''.]</ref> by Discovery executives for undisclosed reasons, leading him to close his career under a new company, [[Lovecars]], which produced the shortlived TV series ''[[Lovecars: On The Road]]''.

==Early life==
Born in 1951 in Havant, Hampshire, Needell was the younger son of Diana and Anthony Fairey "Tony"<ref>[https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/may-2011/93/tiffs-early-focus Motorsport Magazine - Tiff's early focus.]</ref> Needell, a pre-war spectator and auto-tester at the famed Brooklands circuit who later became a significant figure<ref>[https://www.sail-world.com/Australia/Powerboat-records-on-Lake-Windermere-A-Brief-History/-76606?source=google Sail-World - Powerboat records on Lake Windermere - A Brief History.]</ref> in the world of powerboat racing and naval<ref>[https://harmsworthtrophy.org/the-trustees/ Harmsworth Trophy - The Trustees.]</ref> architecture. Growing up, Needell attended Ottershaw<ref>[https://www.osobs.com/about-us/notable-old-boys Ottershaw School Old Boys' Society - Notable Old Boys.]</ref> School before attaining an Honours Degree in Civil Engineering<ref>[https://www.city.ac.uk/about/people/past-students/tiff-needell City, University of London - Tiff Needell.]</ref> at City University, graduating in 1974. As a child, Needell was "dragged"<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20080622205222/http://www.autotrader.co.uk/EDITORIAL/CARS/FEATURES/36616.html (Archive link) Auto Trader UK - "I could have been Lewis Hamilton".]</ref> to [[Goodwood]] by his father, where he witnessed star drivers of the era such as Mike Hawthorn and [[Stirling Moss]]. From there, the young Needell was hooked, and bought a Yamato Pax<ref>Locally distributed as a "Pal M4".</ref> M4<ref>[http://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Pax_M4 Camera-wiki.org - Pax M4.]</ref> in order to capture his heroes on film. He would compile together various scrapbooks of photographs captured at motor racing events, developing the films himself whilst at boarding school. Many of these photographs were later republished in the May 2011 issue of Motorsport Magazine.

==="Tiff"===
As he grew up with his older brother Michael (1948 - c.1985/6)<ref>[https://www.geni.com/people/Michael-Needell/6000000019344624389 Geni - Michael Needell (1).]</ref><ref>[https://www.geni.com/people/Michael-Needell/6000000091030086827 Geni - Michael Needell (2).]</ref>, Needell found himself unable to correctly pronounce his name, saying "Tiff" instead of "Timothy". From there, his nickname stuck throughout his entire life.

==Career until 2002==
Through his own<ref>[https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiff-needell-a1a50015/ LinkedIn - Tiff Needell.]</ref> admission, Needell considers his career as having started in 1977, the year he became a professional racing driver after having first sat in a racing car six years earlier<ref>[https://www.grandprix.com/gpe/drv-neetif.html Grandprix.com - Drivers: Tiff Needell.]</ref> as a result of winning a competition organised by [[Autocar (magazine)|Autocar]]. Despite success in many junior formulae throughout the 1970s to the extent that in 1976 he was considered the country's most promising young driver, in 1979 Needell would be denied his FISA application in order to race in [[Formula 1]] that year for the Ensign team, losing out his drive to Frenchman Patrick Gaillard. He would re-apply the following year, and successfully get the drive after Clay Regazzoni suffered<ref>[https://www.historicracing.com/driverDetail.cfm?driverID=1260 Historic Racing - Clay Regazzoni biography.]</ref> a career-ending injury at the 1980 United States Grand Prix West. Of two attempts, Needell would qualify just once, at the 1980 Belgian Grand Prix<ref>[https://www.statsf1.com/en/1980/belgique.aspx StatsF1 - Belgium 1980.]</ref> at Zolder, where he started 23rd, initially ahead of before trailing behind Brazilian F1 and Indycar legend Emerson Fittipaldi, until Needell's [[Cosworth]] engine gave out during the thirteenth lap after having climbed to 19th place largely through attrition. Needell would never start another F1 race, being booted from the team in favour of Dutchman Jan Lammers after failing to qualify at Monaco, effectively ending his open-wheel career.

During the first half of the 1980s, Needell would join the BBC and begin providing commentary for certain racing events and programmes, including ''Grandstand''<ref>[https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/3aaf1dd1dfaf4b348df8f68f39cf1798 BBC Genome - ''Sunday Grandstand''. (20th March, 1983)]</ref> in a role he would hold until at least 1985, alongside renowned sports commentators [[Murray Walker]] and Des Lynam. He would continue to have mild success in motor racing on a part-time basis, winning the 1989 Donington 1 Hour<ref>[http://touringcarracing.net/Races/1989%20Donington.html Touring Car Racing - 1989 BTCC - round 4.]</ref> endurance race with team-mate Laurence Bristow, as well as placing 3rd<ref>[https://www.racingsportscars.com/results/Le_Mans-1990-06-17.html Racing Sports Cars - Le Mans 24 Hours 1990.]</ref> during the 1990 running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. However, anything beyond glimpses of success were relatively few and far between following his unlucky foray into open-wheeled racing, and he began to develop more of an interest in a broadcasting career.

===Early ''Top Gear'' career===
Following administrative changes made to the programme in 1986, Tiff Needell would be scouted<ref>Roach, M. (2011) ''The Top Gear Story.'' London: John Blake Publishing Ltd., pp. 12-13.</ref> by new ''Top Gear'' producer [[Ken Pollock]], who felt he would be an excellent addition to the team due to being a more than competent driver who could talk about his experiences whilst driving. He would be given a role on ''Top Gear'' around the same time as future fellow colleague [[Jeremy Clarkson]], but would beat the latter in terms of a television debut by appearing in the programme's [[Top Gear (1977 TV series)/Series 17/Episode 1|seventeenth series premiere]] under the tenure of [[William Woollard]], during which he was given the role of test driving a Van Diemen Formula First racing car at [[Brands Hatch]] as part of a film otherwise presented by [[Chris Goffey]]. From there, Needell would make frequent appearances for racing films or other segments which required advanced driving techniques, such as demonstrating overtaking in a Ford Escort XR3, as well as driving the famed 1903 [[Napier Gordon Bennett]] around a private course. He would gradually move towards general road testing as the late 1980s progressed, representing the 1970s for ''Top Gear's'' ''[[Top Gear (1977 TV series)/Series 20/Episode 1|Car of the Decade]]'' special which kicked off the programme's [[Top Gear (1977 TV series)/Series 20|twentieth series]], behind the wheel of the finalist for that respective decade; the [[Alfa Romeo Alfasud]]. He would also test drive the [[Volkswagen Corrado]] in the [[Top Gear (1977 TV series)/Series 20/Episode 5|episode which aired]] one week prior to Jeremy Clarkson's debut in 1988.

===Rise to prominence===
With both [[Frank Page]] and [[Sue Baker]] having left ''Top Gear'' in 1988, Tiff Needell began to appear more and more frequently, becoming the third-most frequently appearing host during 1989's [[Top Gear (1977 TV series)/Series 21|Series 21]] and 1990's [[Top Gear (1977 TV series)/Series 23|Series 23]]. Throughout the intermediate [[Top Gear (1977 TV series)/Series 22|Series 22]], several of Needell's racing exploits were filmed and broadcast on ''Top Gear'', including his win at Donington in the [[Ford Sierra/RS500|Ford Sierra RS500]] and his partnership with sports car legend Derek Bell in the [[Porsche 962]]. That same series would also see Needell participate in the yearly Brighton Speed Trials, where he drove<ref>[https://storage.googleapis.com/wzukusers/user-14574817/documents/565c5c31857808HWLcV1/Brighton%20Speed%20Trials%201989.pdf Brighton Speed Trials - 1989 Programme. (''PDF'')]</ref> a [[Lotus Esprit]]. In November 1990, ''Top Gear'' would become the first television series produced in the West to test drive the [[Honda NSX]], with Needell behind the wheel. As he became a more familiar face to audiences, he began driving less-sporty cars, such as the [[Yugo Sana]] and became more of a well-rounded automotive journalist as opposed to just focusing on motorsport. In 1991, during what was William Woollard's [[Top Gear (1977 TV series)/Series 25/Episode 10|last ever episode]] of ''Top Gear'' as lead host, Needell would drive the [[Jaguar XJR-15]] at full throttle around [[Silverstone]]. A year later, he would test drive another high-powered Jaguar, the [[Jaguar XJ220|XJ220]], and during the Le Mans weekend would task Formula 1 driver Martin Brundle with taking the car to its top speed at the Nardò ring in Italy. After removing the catalytic converters, it was found the car was capable of 217 MPH, or the equivalent of 223 MPH on a straight road.

He would develop an on-screen rapport with subsequent lead host Jeremy Clarkson, and by 1994, the pair were relatively synonymous with one another, appearing on ''Top Gear''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s first ever home video release, ''[[Top Gear (1977 TV series)/Home Video Releases/Super Cars|Super Cars]]'', which compiled together several of their drives in one video, including the aforementioned XJ220 and NSX drives, as well as Tiff's review of the [[Porsche 911 (964)/Turbo|Porsche 964 Turbo]].

====Return to full-time competition====
For two seasons, Tiff Needell would return to the BTCC in an ultimately unsuccessful bid with Nissan following a one-off drive for the Écurie Ecosse team. At Donington Park, the same circuit which he had won in the Ford Sierra 4 years earlier, Needell would run in 5th immediately behind the BMW of Steve Soper and the Ford Mondeo of [[Nigel Mansell]] during the TOCA Shootout. At the Bridge section of the track, Mansell would briefly lose control of his car, ceding 4th position to Soper who passed uneventfully, but would be clipped by Needell, sending Mansell into the wall<ref>[http://www.the-fastlane.co.uk/cpdb/crashphotos_view.php?editid1=76 The Fastlane - TOCA Shootout 1993.]</ref> and knocking both drivers unconscious. Needell would escape relatively unscathed, but Mansell would be sent<ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/motor-racing-mansell-in-hospital-after-crash-british-hero-s-return-home-ends-with-highspeed-accident-in-touring-car-shootout-1501502.html Allsop, D. (1993) 'Motor Racing: Mansell in hospital after crash: British hero's return home ends with high-speed accident in touring car 'shoot-out'.', ''The Independent'', 1st November.]</ref> to the hospital, sustaining head and spinal injuries and causing the crowd to boo Needell, who felt the latter was at fault. The incident brewed significant animosity between Mansell and Needell, who maintained a feud for years after the accident.

Beginning from 1996, Needell would partner up with [[Lister Motor Company|Lister]], who produced the [[Lister Storm|Storm]] sports car in order to race a GT version at Le Mans and British GT. During the 2000 season of the latter, Needell would win all three races he entered, though unfortunately only one of these victories would officially count for championship points, as the team he entered with had not registered their entry by the competition's initial deadline.

===Continued success===
As the 1990s wore on, Needell's role on the show continued to grow bigger, particularly once hosts such as [[Steve Berry]] and Chris Goffey began to step down and his long-term broadcasting partner [[Vicki Butler-Henderson]] joined in late 1997. The previous year, whilst Jeremy Clarkson drove the [[Ferrari F50]], Needell was given the chance to drive the [[Ferrari 641]] F1 car that inspired its development. Along with six other ''Top Gear'' presenters of the era, Tiff Needell would participate in the very first ''[[Top Gear (1977 TV series)/Series 35/Top Gear Live|Top Gear Live]]'' special held at Silverstone. After taking various sports cars for a spin around the track, he would partake in a race against his fellow presenters in a specially-prepared [[SEAT Ibiza/Cupra|SEAT Ibiza Cupra]], finishing 3rd and being beaten by Jeremy Clarkson, with Goffey finishing 2nd. Clarkson in particular would brag about his victory over Needell. Between 1996 and 1997, Tiff Needell would have the first chance to drive many illustrious sports cars of the era, including the [[Porsche Boxster]], [[BMW Z3]], [[Ascari Ecosse]], and [[Porsche 911 (996)|Porsche 996]]. Heading into 1998, Needell would participate in various disciplines of motorsport, including driving [[Jim Clark]]'s Cosworth-powered [[Lotus 49]], a white-knuckled romp at Isola in a high-powered Nissan Micra ice racer, as well as trying out the American [[NASCAR]] racing series.

===Tenure as lead host===
After solely hosting the [[Top Gear (1977 TV series)/Series 40/Blood, Salt & Tears: 100 Years of the Land Speed Record|Land Speed Record Special]] at the end of ''Top Gear''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s fortieth series in late 1998, Tiff Needell would be unexpectedly thrust into the role of lead host after Jeremy Clarkson publicly announced<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/260265.stm BBC News - Clarkson slips out of ''Top Gear''.]</ref> his departure from the programme early the following year. He would be partnered by [[James May]], but by the end of the subsequent [[Top Gear (1977 TV series)/Series 41|41st series]], May was dismissed and Needell took on full duties as lead host.

On the 7th February, 1999, Needell would drive a [[McLaren F1]] to speeds of over 200 MPH<ref>[https://www.evo.co.uk/opinion/22733/think-race-circuits-are-scary-you-should-try-a-test-track-or-proving-ground Meaden, R. (2019) 'Think race circuits are scary? You should try a test track or proving ground.', ''evo'', 4th June.]</ref> around [[Millbrook Proving Ground]] in Bedfordshire, the fastest lap ever set at the course. He would then be one of very few people given the chance to test drive the [[Jaguar XK180]] concept car, and like the XJR-15, would do so around Silverstone. He would also test drive several more sports cars, including the [[Noble M10]], [[Honda S2000]], [[Ferrari 360 Modena]] and capped it all off with a tyre-shredding take on the [[BMW M5 (E39)|BMW M5]], a particular favourite on early video sharing websites. That July, Needell would visit<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/395366.stm BBC News - Car achieves almost 10,000 miles per gallon.]</ref> the Shell Eco-Marathon and marvel at its competitors, almost capable of breaching 10,000 miles per gallon.

Unfortunately, tough times lay ahead for Needell and the rest of the ''Top Gear'' team, as the programme struggled for relevance at the turn of the Millennium.

===Departure from ''Top Gear''===
In August 2001, the BBC announced<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/1480197.stm BBC News - BBC takes ''Top Gear'' off road.]</ref> that ''[[Top Gear (1977 TV series)|Top Gear]]'' in its previous incarnation was to be discontinued after 23 years on the air. This meant an uncertain future for three of its main hosts, including Needell, who after meeting with former colleague [[Richard Pearson]] in the Autumn of that year, decided to move<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 resultant programme, rechristened as ''[[Fifth Gear]]'', would 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. 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, and put pressure on the BBC to deliver a suitable replacement, which it would do later that year.

==Career since 2002==
Upon his move to ''Fifth Gear'', reuniting with host [[Quentin Willson]] in the process, who had not been seen on television since [[Top Gear (1977 TV series)/Series 43|Series 43]] of the earlier programme back in 2000, Needell immediately got to work. He drove several supercars during ''Fifth Gear''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s inaugural series, such as the [[Lamborghini Murciélago]] and [[Pagani Zonda]], as well as breaking the first of several records ''Fifth Gear'' would either break or set; the fastest ever recorded 0-60 time, which Needell would achieve<ref>[https://tigerracing.com/kit/tiger-z100#:~:text=Most%20have%20now%20seen%20Tiff%20Needell%20officially%20break%20the%20world%20record%20with%20this%20car%20on%20TV%E2%80%99s%205th%20gear%20programme%20at%202.9%20seconds. Tiger Racing - Tiger Z100.]</ref> in a [[Tiger Z100]] kit car, setting a time of 2.9 seconds against the then-previously standing record held by a [[Ford RS200]]. At the end of the series, Tiff, along with Vicki, would participate in a 2 hour long endurance race in a [[Radical Sportscars|Radical]] sports car.

That October, just after the premiere of ''Fifth Gear''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s [[Fifth Gear/Series 2|second series]], Needell would release ''[[{{PAGENAME}}/Home Video Releases/20 Cars That Changed the World|20 Cars That Changed The World]]'', a home video compiled entirely of digitised footage from older series of ''Top Gear''. This included footage such as Needell in the Napier Gordon Bennett, and [[Helen Mound]] in the [[Messerschmitt KR200]]. The following month, Needell would present a behind-the-scenes look at the 20th ''James Bond'' film, ''Die Another Day'', as well as perform an action sequence<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2490755.stm BBC News - ''Bond'' premières in South.]</ref> at the movie's Southern premiere in an [[Aston Martin V12 Vanquish|Aston Martin Vanquish]] with Prince Charles in attendance. In terms of supercars, Needell would receive the exclusive opportunity to be the first English motoring journalist to drive the [[Ferrari Enzo]], an endeavour which involved him jetting off to [[Fiorano]].

===MPH Live and other ventures===
In 2004, Needell would present a film where stuntman Derek Lee<ref>[https://www.grumpygreynomads.com/information/funny-but-true/stories/world-record-towing-a-caravan-jump Grumpy Grey Nomads - World Record Towing a Caravan Jump.]</ref> successfully jumped a BMW 5-Series towing a caravan over a distance of 187 feet and 8 inches before gracefully landing onto a pile of scrap cars, smashing the previous record set by Australian Ray Baumann by over 30 inches. Needell was present whilst an official from the Guinness World Records team measured Lee's jump and declared it the furthest.

In May 2005, during a round<ref>[https://prints.motorsportimages.com/formula-bmw-uk-championship-tiff-needell-vicki-3480789.html Motorsport Images - Formula BMW UK Championship: Tiff Needell and Vicki Butler-Henderson film a car challenge for Channel 5s fifth gear.]</ref> of the Formula BMW UK Championship at [[Rockingham Motor Speedway]], one of Needell's most famous post-''Top Gear'' career moments would occur, when he got behind the wheel of yet another contemporary F1 car, the BMW-engined [[Williams FW25]], and raced it against the car whose engine ultimately derived from the former's development, the [[BMW M5 (E60)|E60 BMW M5]]. One of the drivers participating in the event, Guernsey-native Andy Priaulx, taught<ref>[https://guernseypress.com/news/2005/05/25/priaulx-destroys-rockingham-time/ Guernsey Press - Priaulx destroys Rockingham time.]</ref> Needell how to get the most out of the car and smashed the track's lap time record in the process of doing so.

==Selected filmography==
{{Unabridged Article|articlename=Filmography}}
*''Grand Prix'': 1980 (1 episode - Belgian Grand Prix)
*''[[Top Gear (1977 TV series)|Top Gear]]'': 1987 - 2001 (236 episodes)
*''[[Fifth Gear]]'': 2002 - 2018 (173 episodes)
*''[[Lovecars: On The Road]]'': 2020 (6 episodes)

==Trivia==
*Despite his deceptively youthful appearance, Needell was already 50 years old upon ''Top Gear''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s initial cancellation in 2001.
*From 1987 until 2015, Needell maintained a record of longest continuous television career for a British automotive personality, overtaking Chris Goffey in 2011, by appearing in at least one automotive journalism themed programme per year.

==References==
<references/>

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