Mediaguardian reports that NBC has ordered a pilot of Top Gear to be made in the US and hosted by Americans. Now aside from the fact that with the writers’ strike now in its 11th or 12th week, the networks need non-scripted programming to fill out the end of the season, could the choice of Top Gear be in any way related to the recent news that it was the second most torrented programme on Mininova in 2007?
Indeed, it was the only non-US and non-scripted programme to make the list. There’s obviously a demand for it, so producing a US version is something really obvious to do. Quite who the US version of Clarkson will be should be an interesting decision.
And with a US version, and an Aussie version, I think that we can expect bigger and more elaborate stunts and set-ups since the same thing could be shot three times with different presenters and the same crew, sharing the costs if BBC Worldwide wanted.
In any event, in a country where Nascar and Indy Car racing is huge, and where it’s every man’s right to drive the biggest, most fuel-guzzelling vehicle he can, a popular motoring show seems obvious.