Top Gear (1977 TV series)/Series 40/Episode 15

Episode 15
Thumb 1Thumb 2 The Ford Focus goes sideways. This was Jeremy Clarkson's final episode as lead presenter until 2002.
Prod. code	NBHG250J
No.	451
Runtime	29:04
Viewers	3.82 million
Prev ep.	Series 40, Episode 14
Next ep.	Land Speed Record Special
Airdate	17th December, 1998

Series 40, Episode 15 of Top Gear aired on the 17th December, 1998. It was the fifteenth episode of Series 40; the 451st episode of Top Gear overall, including compilations. It was the 442nd episode since Top Gear entered national broadcasting in 1978, and was the 29th programme to air in 1998 out of a total 30. Series 40, Episode 15 was originally broadcast in 576i at a 14:9/16:9 Standard aspect ratio on British television channel BBC Two. The episode was primarily presented by Jeremy Clarkson, Tiff Needell, and Quentin Willson, with additional segments presented by Vicki Butler-Henderson and Steve Berry.

This episode is notable for being the final to feature Clarkson in his original capacity as lead host; he would announce his retirement from Top Gear at the beginning of 1999, citing a myriad of reasons including his dislike of the journey to Pebble Mill studios in Birmingham, and the direction in which the show was heading from a creative standpoint. He would be immediately succeeded in this role by Tiff Needell, with Clarkson's future co-host James May also stepping onboard for the programme's subsequent 41st series, which began airing in March of 1999.

Synopsis

As narrated by Quentin Willson:

• Which Car's The Star?: The most prestigious motoring award given this Thursday. Top Gear's Car of the Year.
• School Test: Vicki learns to drive... at last.
• Brave new World: And a chilling glance into the future of motoring.

Soundtrack

Series 40, Episode 15 contained the following tracks:

▶️ Hansen Bass - Jessica: Plays during the title sequence.
▶️ Edward Elgar - Variation IX (Nimrod): Plays when Clarkson mentions the Jaguar XKR.

Trivia

• Jeremy Clarkson would make two further appearances in original format Top Gear: the 21 Years of Top Gear special and Series 43, Episode 3, which aired in 1999 and 2000 respectively.
• It would be 99 episodes before Clarkson returned as lead host in Top Gear's 550th episode, which marked the beginning of the programme's 2002 relaunch.
• At 3.82 million viewers, this episode would mark the final time Top Gear surpassed 3.8 million viewers for a single episode until Series 3, Episode 3 aired 5 years later.
• Both of these episodes starred Jeremy Clarkson as lead host.
• This episode also marked the final time Steve Berry appeared as part of the main presenting crew; his increased role with the digitally-based UKTV and its show Top Gear GTi meant he'd make only two further appearances in Series 41.