Picture from bbc.co.uk.

From left to right, hosts Richard Hammond, J eremy Clarkson, and J ames May standing on the Top
Gear test track.


Note: The observation consists of approximately the first 45 minutes of a one hour program.
Relevant Background Information: The show is based in the present-day United Kingdom.
Important sites within the show include the Top Gear test track, the Top Gear studio, an ad
agency, and other various locations in the UK. The show was a spinoff from a long-running
show of the same name with a new cast. The show is based on uniquely presented car reviews,
competitions, and road trips.
Figured world: a group of people who share a common interest and share special ways of
behaving and communicating with each other
I am observing Top Gear which isnt a place of business. Its a television show thats
meant to entertain watchers with the shows antics and perhaps teach viewers something about
cars. The show dances across lines between documentary and fiction, blending factual car
information and comedic skits. The three hosts of the show test drive new sports cars, buy cheap
cars and compete with each other in humorous challenges, and complete voyages across various
exotic landscapes. A single show often encompasses various themes, topics, and activities. The
standards for appropriate behavior are quite low as the shows hosts often try to sabotage each
others cars and are seemingly prone to abandon each other in times of peril. The shows hosts
also at times condone speeding and other risky behavior in a car. Communication ranges from
semi-reasonable discussion to comedic banter to vicious arguing and volume largely depends on
whatever activities are taking place in the scope of the episode. Within the context of the show,
there is very little considered inappropriate; in reality, though, the shows hosts have been
subject to criticism for making potentially insensitive jokes and for reckless behavior. Different
communities of practice include the hosts, who share an interest in cars and a similar way of
communicating. Another community of practice would be the studio audience, who share an
interest in watching a live viewing of a prerecorded show and have a common form of
communicating by being silent and laughing at designated times.
Actors: the people who serve a role in a community of practice
Jeremy Clarkson: The main presenter of the series, Jeremy Clarksons role
extends beyond presenting segments and interviewing guests to the role of a
somewhat crude and immature person who speaks his opinion, no matter what it
is, in terms that are all at once poetic, acerbic, and humorous. He differs
somewhat from the average person in his choice to be provocative in his reviews
and interactions with others.
Richard Hammond: One of the series co-hosts, Richard Hammond is prone to a
more measured assessment of events. He is often criticized by the other two hosts
for his unrefined taste. He often presents reviews, segments, and races more
catered to his specific interests and in so doing differentiates himself from the
other hosts and offers viewers a different perspective.
James May: The series third host, James is presented as being the most eccentric
of the three, with an eccentric taste in cars and bikes and a sense of humor that
often tends to elude the grasp of others. Known for driving slowly, getting lost,
and being able to put others to sleep with long discourses on the minutiae of
various subjects of interest to him, James May provides something of a foil to the
other hosts by balancing their love for speed and nonchalant mannerisms with his
precision and poise.

Artifacts: Physical and intellectual properties that characterize a community of practice and
are important to the actors
Cars: Perhaps its too obvious to mention, but cars are the basis of the show. The
significance of the car is multi-faceted, in that it simultaneously represents a multitude of
different emotions, ranging from the rush of adrenaline to the love-like feeling of being a
steward and caretaker for a certain car.
Freedom: The idea of freedom underscores the entire show. Cars themselves represent
a sort of freedom; not only in the freedom of choice that allows one to buy, own, and
customize the car of his or her choosing, but also in the freedom of being able to, at any
moment, get in your car and go wherever the road may take you.
Communities of practice: Smaller part of a figured world, consisting of a few people who
share special ways of behaving and communicating with each other

The hosts: Jeremy, James, and Richard. These three share a love for the automobile and
the endless freedoms and possibilities it represents. Their shared way of communicating
is verbally, which usually consists of making jokes at one anothers failures or personal
characteristics, sharing their various plans and approaches to the challenges in the show,
and expressing their exasperation with one another after an act of sabotage or after a joke.
The studio audience: A group of people who meet at every show to watch film of out-
of-studio segments and to observe various in-studio segments. Some are car lovers, some
are not, but all are united in the sense of humor and adventure that the show imparts.
They mostly communicate wordlessly with each other and with the hosts through
applause, laughter, and booing.

Picture from topgear.com. The studio audience during taping.
Domain: the glue holding a community of practice together; a shared interest that all
members of the community of practice all have in common
The car: The hosts and studio audience all use the car to learn more about driving,
engineering and world culture

Practices of communities: practices of communities are the practices followed by the
communities of practice; methods that the actors in a community of practice follow in order to
advance the ideas and practices of their domain
Driving: One of the practices within the community is driving. The community of
practice recognizes the efficient and enjoyable method of driving as a way to get from
point to point and as a way to transcend the doldrums of life.
Modifying cars: One of the practices within the community is modifying cars. The
community of practice recognizes that modifying cars can make driving more fun and
also recognize that modifying cars is fun in and of itself, and creates a more involved
relationship between a car and its owner or driver.
Practices of communities: practices of communities are the practices followed by the
communities of practice
Literacy practices: Ways of communicating by actors; includes all forms of communication
from conversation and body language to text message and carrier pigeon
Talking: The most common way of communicating in the show, talking is used to
express all ranges of emotion felt by the hosts. Talking has been used to violate social
norms by making crude jokes.
Nonverbal communication: The audience participates via nonverbal communication.
Their use of laughter, gasps, boos, and the like are used to express various emotions such
as approval, disapproval, elation, and disappointment with events that occur.
The observation:
10:00mins: The show begins by Jeremy mentioning meaningless minutiae that would occur
during the show. The action begins when he reads a letter from a viewer asking what the show
would be like if it had been produced 50 years earlier. He replies the same and we are
introduced to the main film of the show, wherein the presenters will be racing each other across
England and Scotland in the fastest train, motorcycle, and car of 50 years prior. The car and bike
would be traveling on what would have been the main highway to the north at the time, and the
train would be traveling along The Great North Line that ran adjacent to it. The hosts randomly
pick which theyll be using by drawing names from a hat. We are introduced to the car, bike,
and train. Richards impression of the bike is that it is the grandfather of all sport bikes and a
sort of hero of his. James feigns disappointment at not getting to ride the train, but is secretly
relieved to be driving what he considers one of the most important cars of the era. Jeremy
expresses that shoveling coal on a steam train is an unpleasant and laborious task.
16:00mins: Richard begins to express disappointment in the bike when it breaks down on the
side of the road and afterward, when hes stuck riding in the rain. The train, which has by now
pulled far ahead of the car and the bike, continues to be hard work, and develops a steam leak,
which must be repaired when the train stops to take on 4000 gallons of water. A few moments
later, Richard passes James when the car must stop for fuel. The presentation of the race is
shelved for later in the show.
28:00mins: The show now switches to its in-studio segment. The Ferrari Fxx is driven around
the top gear test track by the shows mysterious racing driver, the Stig, who usually never speaks
and remains hidden behind all-white racing gear. In this episode however, he is, perhaps
jokingly, revealed to be famous Formula 1 driver Michael Schumacher. Jeremy interviews him,
peppering him with questions regarding his favorite moments in his racing career, which drivers
he respected most, and his retirement.
45:00mins: James overtakes Richard while the latter is stopped for gas. Jeremy attempts to cook
eggs by putting them on a shovel and putting the shovel into the engines fire, which humorously
results in egg flying out of the trains smokestack. Jeremy pretends to choke on an egg sandwich
while throwing it out the window. Meanwhile, the motorcycle breaks down on the side of the
highway when sludgy fuel is pulled into the carburetor. Richard grows more frustrated with the
motorcycle as he continues to be rained on and starts to feel numb from the riding position and
vibration. The car takes the lead while the train is stopped for water and coal. James shares his
affinity for the car. With the train back underway, Jeremy is scared by a near breakdown in the
train when the trains boiler stops getting water. A potential explosion is narrowly averted. The
film draws to a close with a montage of Jeremy and James abandoning their vehicles and racing
on foot to a bar. Jeremy, covered in soot, enters the bar and is disappointed to find James seated
drinking a beer. After sharing their thoughts about the race, one of the hosts asks where Richard
is. This is immediately followed with a clip of motorcycle finally crossing the Scottish border,
still a few hours from the bar. Richard humorously says that its still very much any mans race.
The show ends with Michael Schumacher pretending to be a clueless driver while taking a lap in
the shows reasonably priced car driven by all of the celebrity guests.
The Observation, part two
10:00mins: Jeremy drives a Mercedes-Benz Sl65 AMG Black Series. He start off by extoling
the cars virtues, namely its power and livability, while doing many acceleration runs and
glamorous drifts. He then derides it for being as comfortable as a pile of stones, demonstrating
this by getting out of the car and sitting on a pile of rocks, saying that it felt just like the car. He
also derided the car for having the turning circle of a moon. He concludes by saying that it is
far too expensive, and decides that the car is both wonderful and awful at the same time. The car
is then lapped around the Top Gear test track and the car is described as being faster than cars
that are now faster than it.
17:00mins: The hosts discuss car news by making fun of Citoren for having to invent a new
word to describe their cars in a positive fashion, and by contemplating the merits of a handbag
made out of a Chevrolet Camaro interior. They discuss a heat wave alert issued by the UK
government, which they humorously undermine by playing car sauna, a game where all three
hosts sit in a car in the sun with the windows rolled up and the heat on until one is forced to
leave.
25:00mins: Amidst the global financial crisis, the shows hosts go to Londons banking district
in cheap and cheerful cars. They get wealthy bankers to sit in their cheap cars and tell them
that this is the future theyve created. They then put loudspeakers atop their cars and drive past
government buildings shouting slogans about the governments financial policy.
37:00mins: Michael McIntyre, a semi-famous British comedian known for his stand-up act and
appearances on television comedy programs, is a guest on the show. Michael McIntyre talks
about his television show, his car history, and what life is like owning an Austin Princess. He
later takes a lap of the Top Gear test track, nearly rolls the car, and becomes the most average
person to ever take a lap there.
45:00mins: James May meets up with rally driver and internet sensation Ken Block. Ken takes
James on a wild ride through an active California airfield in a 380 horsepower rally car, honing
the art form he calls Gymkhana. James ride along includes many drifts on gravel, dirt, and
tarmac, a chase scene with a motocross bike, and a jump.
The Observation, part 3
10:00mins: Richard Hammond decides that typical executive cars, such as BMWs, Mercedes-
Benzs, and Audis, are too dull. He then says that if you are a pikey like him (this gypsy racial
slur is avoided by putting a pie and a key on the hood of a car), then there is an Australian
alternative for you. He then drives that car and concludes that whoever bought it would be a bad
business man and that the world of powerpoints would not take you seriously, quipping that
once your business failed, you could outrun the bailiff in the car. He then expressed that
practical vehicles for construction workers were too slow, and introduced another car, saying
unfortunately, its Australia that comes to the rescue. He concludes by saying that if youre
not a business man and want a fast car, the Australians can help. The Stig is then introduced to
race the two cars around the track by Clarkson, who jokes that the Stig cut an ugly audience
members hair and that he wouldnt try to take compensation from a soldier, as the British
government had done at that time, drawing the cheers of the crowd. Afterwards, Clarkson
concludes that the car is perfect for someone whos business is selling pegs and heather,
making another subtle jest at gypsies.
18:00mins: The hosts discuss car related news, with James May saying that anyone who bought
the Ferrari F430 16m Suceria was a big daft cock because the new Ferrari 458 was going to be
out soon. They discuss Formula One driver Felipe Massas accident, where a spring hit his
helmet at 140 mph. They compare this to Richard Hammonds crash, which caused him to suffer
frontal lobe damage. Clarkson jokingly asks that when Massa recovers, will he be an irritating
little arse? Hammond retaliates by implying his cohosts are irritating and fat. Clarkson quips
that anyone who buys a bad car has no interest in driving and therefore cant be good at it and
therefore should not have a license.
34:00mins: James May and Jeremy Clarkson attempt to make ads for the VW Sirocco Tdi.
Professional advertisers told them to focus on the truths of the product and May quipped that the
Beetles ads didnt highlight the cars connection to Hitler. They drive the VW and conclude
that the Sirocco was a beautiful and practical car ruined by a diesel engine. The professional
advertisers suggest that instead of ruining the Sirocco with diesel, VW made diesel better with
the Sirocco. Their first intelligent advertisement, made by Jeremy, consists of a Sirocco with
an explosion behind it and the tagline Its explosive. James first advertisement consists of
facts and lame mother-in-law jokes, causing the two to separate. Jeremys second ad consist of a
man whose arm has been destroyed because he ran out of gas on the highway and got hit. The
man beside him says that it wont happen to him, because the Sirocco Tdi gets such exceptional
fuel economy, resulting in a tagline of The New Sirocco Tdi: for people who value their arms.
The advertisement they decided to show to the professionals showed the car passing quicker cars
while theyre stopped at a gas station. The advertisement was criticized by the ad men for
promoting speed. Their final ad was criticized for a graphic depiction of suicide.
40:00mins: The hosts decide that to appease the professional ad men they should set the
commercial somewhere where speeding was impossible: a funeral. James and Jeremy bicker,
with James trying to create a serious ad and Jeremy trying to get explosions, half-naked women,
and drifting into the ad. The advertisement ends up being a disastrous mixture of the two. The
ad is rejected by the professionals and the two hosts split up to make separate commercials.
James mixed the sound of an engine with sped up footage of a plant growing, playing up the
eco-friendly nature of the car. Jeremys shows people running, trying to escape from something
via mass exodus while radio announcers narrate. The ad ends with the tagline The new Sirocco
Tdi: from Poland to Warsaw on a single tank, making a humorous association between VWs
German heritage and World War Two. The ads are put to a vote by the audience and Jeremys is
declared the winner.
The Above and Beyond Observation Four
3:00mins: The hosts attempt to prove to the producers of the show that rear-wheel drive cars are
better than front-wheel drive cars by buying cheap sports cars for 1500 pounds. Jeremy picked a
Porsche 944, Richard a Nissan 300zx, and James a Ford Capri. Jeremy jokes that Richards car is
a Datsun and a pornographers car, and he also jokes that James bought a car from the 1980s.
The two hosts get revenge by slamming both the Porsches doors shut causing the sunroof to fly
up.
5:00mins: The hosts are told they have to drive the old cars 500 miles across France to a race
track. Jeremy states that his car has done 201,000 miles and feels like it, listing off the many
broken parts. Richard brags that his car has half the miles and nothing is broken. James
humorously says that 500 miles in and some of the gauges have started working.
8:00mins: Theyre told that if one of their cars breaks, theyll be forced to drive a Morris
Marina, a car that has been a cause of friction between the show and UK car enthusiasts after
they dropped a piano on one. Later at night, one of Jeremys taillights is broken, and rather than
drive the Marina, the worlds least practical man chose to mend something for the first time in
his life. He describes fixing something as being akin to losing ones virginity and proceeds to fix
everything he can.
13:00mins: They arrive at a race track the next day and are told they have to use their sports cars
to beat a lap time set by the Stig in an ordinary French hatchback. After Richard and Jeremy fail
at this task, Jeremy declares that its all up to James, saying do this for the prog rock
generation. Richard jokes that James lap, like prog rock, will last 48 minutes and make no
sense to anybody. The show depicts James ambling through the first turn. The footage pauses
and the blank screen is captioned with A Long Time Later and James lap ends, 16 seconds
slower than the French hatchback. This results in the Ford overheating.
15:00mins: The next test for the sports cars is to see if they can do 0-60-0 in 200 meters. To
incentivize the shows hosts, the producers placed one prized position from each of the hosts at
the end of the 200 meters. Jeremy nudges his prized drum kit with his car, Richard stops well
within the interval, and James slams into his own piano. This damages the Capri even more,
with smoke pouring out of the air vents. Richard runs over Jeremys piano out of spite. The
segment is shelved for further examination later in the show.
21:00mins: The in-studio segment begins with automotive news. They discuss Googles first
autonomous car design, and Jeremy points out for comparisons sake that although autopilot is
safer, no one would get on a plane with no pilot. James quipped that cars that drive themselves
were invented a long time ago and theyre known as taxis. Jeremy introduces the new Jaguar XJ
and James asks if its a bit caddish. Jeremy says that its the sort of car for a man whod take
his wife to a nice dinner and spend the whole time flirting with the waitress. James said that
Jaguar owners are untrustworthy in a friendly way.
29:00mins: Jeremy drives the Jaguar XFR, taking it to 165 mph, despite the car being limited to
155 miles per hour. He compares the comfortable ride to sitting on a fat dog. He races it
against a BMW M5 and declares the Jaguar to be just as good.
34:00mins: Because cars in the UK are taxed based on CO2 emissions, Jeremy attempts to make
a Range Rover carbon neutral by funneling exhaust gas into a small greenhouse being towed
behind. As he drives and explains, the greenhouse slowly starts to disintegrate, covering the road
in shattered glass. James explains that it would actually take 400000 plants to make the car
carbon neutral, necessitating a 6 mile long greenhouse.
42:00mins: Actress Sienna Miller is the guest on the show. She discusses being born, literally,
in a theater. She also talks about her film career, including G.I. Joe, and her status as a fashion
icon. She reveals that she has only had a drivers license for 5 days, that she wrecked a car the
first time she drove, and has never driven a manual transmission. Despite all this, she sets a
respectable lap time.
Interview:
How does humor impact the show? The humor is the driving force of the show for me.
Although many forms of media can offer knowledge of cars, they can be boring, while Top Gear
is funny and still interesting even to non car people.
Explain the social expectations of the show. In the show theres a lot of joking which creates a
social atmosphere where generally rude behavior is okay.
Name a time when these social expectations were violated by the hosts. Sometimes the shows
hosts are polite and apologetic to each other which reverses audiences expectations.
How are these social expectations of the show (modifying, car shows, road trips, etc)
different from real life? In the show, activities like drifting, racing, and speeding are acceptable
while in the real world they are not.
In what way do your interactions (modifying, car shows, road trips, etc) with cars different than
those seen on the show? The shows interactions with cars are much more interesting. Top Gear
has a lot of money that has allowed them to drive more expensive cars and take more exotic trips
than I ever have.