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 = {{FlagUK}} 20th October, 2002
| airdates    =
{{BBCW}} 13th November, 2002<br>
{{FlagNL}} 26th September, 2003<br>
{{BBCP}} 9th November, 2004<br>
{{FlagPL}} 19th February, 2005<br>
{{FlagRU}} 28th April, 2005<br>
{{FlagBE}} 22nd July, 2006 (BBC Prime)<br>
{{FlagFI}} 4th January, 2007<br>
{{FlagAU}} 23rd February, 2008<br>
{{FlagKO}} 3rd May, 2008<br>
{{FlagCZ}} 3rd April, 2009<br>
{{FlagHU}} 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.

===Citroën Berlingo Multispace===
{{Unabridged Article|articlename=Citroën Berlingo Multispace Film}}
Enter the Citroën Berlingo Multispace. This vehicle is even cheaper than a Focus or Golf, and though it may be based on a van, that isn't a reason to discount it as viable family transport. To put its credentials to the test, Clarkson decides to drive it down the [[M20 (Motorway)|M20]] Motorway towards [[Folkestone]], so that Clarkson can drive it back home. Taking the Eurostar, he loads the Berlingo into a train car and travels to France, before disembarking at Calais. He then takes the Berlingo to a "Cash and Carry" warehouse by the name of EastEnders, operated<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7357983.stm BBC News - Has The Booze Cruise Come To An End?]</ref> by David West. Him and Clarkson discuss why these duty-free warehouses are so popular with British day tourists, before the latter mentions that the police are cracking down on resellers by having their cars crushed. To avoid this, he purchases and places a single bottle of Blue Nun in the Berlingo's rear hatch, despite its ability to carry so much more.

Back at the studio, Clarkson, along with new host Jason Dawe discuss the Berlingo and its alternatives, with Dawe's role as the show's car-buying expert. There's the Fiat Doblò, Renault Kangoo and Ford Tourneo Connect, but these all pale to the Berlingo, either in terms of value or performance.

===Ford GT40 Concept===
Richard Hammond is introduced to the series for the first time by taking a look at the [[Ford GT40 Concept]], which Ford are to put into [[Ford GT (first generation)|production]]<ref>[https://newatlas.com/gt40-race-replica-roadster-to-go-into-production/1154/ New Atlas - GT40 Race Replica Roadster to go into production.]</ref> 2 years later. This includes a brief overview of why the [[Ford GT40|original GT40]] was created and raced to defeat [[Ferrari]] at Le Mans, before showing off the concept's various automated electronic parts such as its rear engine cover, and automatic fuel filler cap. Hammond believes the car resembles its inspiration so much that he deems it an enlarged copy of the original.

===The News===
{{Unabridged Article|articlename=The News (16th October, 2002)}}
In the very first edition of The News, Jeremy and Richard discuss how the British government pledge<ref>[https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200102/cmhansrd/vo021015/debtext/21015-04.htm Parliament - Regional Development Agencies.]</ref> to spend £145 million improving the road network for the next 5 years, which works out at a rate of 3 and a half miles every year. This is followed up by talking about [[Fiat]]'s bleak near-future, where the company was then losing<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/business/2009/may/04/sergio-marchionne-fiat-general-motors The Guardian - Sergio Marchionne.]</ref> close to £2 million every day. To try and stem this tide, they have launched an estate version of the [[Fiat Stilo]]. There's also a look at cut-price roadsters in the forms of the [[Nissan Micra (third generation)#C+C|Nissan Micra]] and [[Smart Roadster]], before dedicating the rest of the segment towards Formula 1, in light of [[Michael Schumacher]] dominantly winning<ref>[https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/articles/single-seaters/f1/2002-the-year-michael-schumacher-described-as-perfect Motorsport Magazine - 2002: The Year Michael Schumacher Described As 'Perfect'.]</ref> that year's season with still a third of the races left to run. Clarkson and the audience place blame on the increased electronic aids, where cars can be tuned wirelessly from the pit garage, and vow for Formula 1 to strip these out for future seasons.

===Track Test: Murciélago vs. Zonda===
{{Unabridged Article|articlename=Murciélago vs. Zonda Film}}
In the world of Italian supercars, there's a new name; [[Pagani]]. With its jet-fighter styling, the company's [[Pagani Zonda|Zonda]] is an unbelievably quick supercar powered by a 7.3 litre [[Mercedes-Benz]] engine prepared specifically<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170202064820/http://www.pagani.com/en/zonda/default.aspx (Archive link) Pagani Automobili - Zonda.]</ref> by the latter's [[AMG]] firm. Clarkson thinks the car is fantastic, considering it came from nothing, but must stack up against arguably one of the most fierce opponents imaginable; [[Lamborghini]]'s newest flagship V12 halo car, the [[Lamborghini Murciélago|Murciélago]]. The latter is the first ground-up vehicle produced by Lamborghini since its acquisition<ref>[https://europe.autonews.com/article/19980622/ANE/806220833/vw-s-audi-agrees-to-buy-lamborghini Automotive News Europe - VW's Audi Agrees To Buy Lamborghini.]</ref> by [[Volkswagen]] in 1998, and there were worries the new car wouldn't feel like a traditional Lamborghini. However, with its radical styling, trademark scissor doors and screaming V12, the car more than fits the archetype set by its immediate predecessors, with the only hints of German engineering making the car easier to drive. Clarkson freely powerslides both cars across the [[Top Gear Test Track]], before holding a drag race between the two Italians. Despite the Murciélago's blinding quickness, it is beaten by the upstart Zonda, much to Clarkson's amazement.

====Power Laps====
And the surprises don't stop there. In order to better evaluate the potential performance of cars such as the Zonda and Murciélago, they need a tamed racing driver to put them through their paces. Enter [[The Stig#Black_Stig|The Stig]]. A voiceless, anonymous racing driver clad in an all-black racing outfit. He is introduced by Clarkson as having a small brain and worthless opinions; doctors allegedly call this condition [[Nigel Mansell|Mansell]] Syndrome. However, in spite of this mental deficiency, The Stig is very good at his main job; driving cars fast.
{| class="wikitable" style="width: 675px;"
! style="width: 75px"|Position
! style="width: 320px"|Car
! style="width: 115px"|Time
! style="width: 165px"|Track Conditions
|- align="center"
|1
|'''Pagani Zonda'''
|1:23.0
|Moist<ref>In actuality, the track was dry during filming; a water truck was used to try and dampen the track in the name of impartiality, and this ultimately failed.</ref>
|- align="center"
|2
|Lamborghini Murciélago
|1:29.0
|Moist
|}
The Zonda sets a lap time which is a full six seconds quicker than the Lamborghini, in spite of Clarkson claiming the latter to be faster through the corners on top of having the advantage of all-wheel drive as opposed to the Zonda's rear-wheel drive. Clarkson believes a lap time that quick won't be beaten for the rest of the series, and offers viewers the chance to prove him wrong by sending in their own cut-price and modified cars.

===The Stig vs. A Speed Camera, Part One===
{{Unabridged Article|articlename=Speed Camera Challenge}}
Around the time the episode was produced, there was a persistent rumour that if a car is able to go fast enough, it can bypass a speed camera's detection system. To put this to the test, Richard Hammond has brought the programme's new Stig and a [[Honda Civic Type-R#Second_generation|Honda Civic Type-R]] to a deserted strip of runway along with a speed camera and appropriate measuring equipment to verify if this is true or not. The Stig is able to get the Civic Type-R up to a velocity of 129 MPH (207 KPH), which is not fast enough to evade detection from the camera.

===Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car, Introduction===
Further investigation must be put aside for the time being, as it's time to introduce another new type of film; the [[Top Gear (2002 TV series)/Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car|Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car]], where a celebrity will take the show's very own [[Suzuki Liana]] out for a lap around the track. This week, the special guest is [[Harry Enfield]]. Jeremy Clarkson introduces Enfield by mentioning the typical car history enjoyed by successful comedians, mentioning [[Rowan Atkinson]] and his [[McLaren F1]] for instance, with Enfield instead opting<ref>Autocar Magazine, 23rd March 1988.</ref> for a [[Vauxhall Cavalier (second generation)#Convertible|Vauxhall Cavalier]] convertible, a car which he still owned at that point and Clarkson pulled a shiny tarp from to reveal in all its glory.

{{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}}