Top Gear Filming Secrets from Ex-Stig

[@Drivetribe]

We hope you enjoyed this road trip, thanks to AG1 for sponsoring today’s video! Go to bit.ly/drinkag1-DT to get started on your first purchase and receive a FREE 1-year supply of Vitamin D3+K2 and 5 travel packs.

[@baz0348]

You steal Hammonds truck 😅

[@peterabbott1974]

That was one of your best video, that’s not bad !

[@StreetPreacherr]

Is that AG1 really like $100/bag? Can't blame the advertisers though, heard they pay 50% commisson PER SALE! And although likely pointless, the stuff shouldn't cause any harm...

[@dane_62]

If you ever do a part 2, I would love to see you go to the icecream shop where the citroen campervan went of the cliff in the Campervan Special.

[@christopherwilson7092]

I'd love to know about how the cars from challenges were insured, or who insured them . The cars on parents insurance etc and where they all disappeared too

[@Zzyyxx22]

“Former stig”! Mr Collins will always be The Stig.

[@tiadaid]

What about Perry McCarthy? Black Stig.

[@klutz1907]

stigga

[@brinta2868]

But he'll never be a camera man.

[@timmellor2599]

Ben Collins is the White Stig. Or Stiggy!

[@JosuePortillo85]

​@@klutz1907😭😭🤣

[@cafe405]

The amphibious vehicle challenge was funny, but nothing will beat Clarkson driving a tower block Citroën in the sketchiest of conditions with May wheezing with laughter behind him

[@DaSpecialZak]

the leaning tower of citroen was the funniest and the film was called building caravans

[@Weeeeezzzyyyyy]

Agree. Any rainy cold day at home, I usually pop that episode on and laugh my socks off at the scene.

[@BeauMonday]

Everything with Ben Collins in it is captivating

[@ghomerhust]

he's a car guy's car guy. perfect for the platform. im glad his channel is taking off, because i love seeing his continued success with cars

[@TheJVanders]

As a 30 year top gear fan, Ben is the best part of the show 🙌 👏 and the inside information the stig has is priceless!!!

[@TregMediaHD]

they are the four muskateers, ben is d'agtanian

[@samarthsareen7697]

I'm surprised that they never considered Ben for the host after the three goats left.

[@mnix8556]

Best part? I think the trio is the best part of the show 😭😭

[@LeonJones-xn5kc]

@@mnix8556that is the best part of the show how can people think that a guy on. Show for 1 minute per episode is the best part of the show 😂😂😂

[@jaymacgee_A_Bawbag_Blethering]

I don’t appreciate really all the secrets of how they filmed these iconic moments - leave it ! Ignorance CAN be bliss 👀 👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@LouParadise]

Dear Managing Director. Please allow more videos like this please, visiting old top gear locations and hearing the old secrets is what the people need! Yours Sincerely The Global Public

[@Me-zo8yc]

Perfect TG nostalgia

[@kuczaq69]

Oi, global public, not only Britsh

[@regretfulhero8728]

yes

[@dinukap4]

Pin this!

[@aboodmkm]

As a 32 year old man, “casually” watching a childhood icon of mine on a TV with a Stig tribute helmet next to it is mind blowing. I love how Ben is reminiscing and there is a glint in his eye when he speaks of his experiences during the show. Almost as if he is reliving them again. Wonderful video idea. Thank you Ben for living up to my childhood dreams.

[@si_h44]

It's actually very emotional the bit at the track, knowing how special top gear was back then, knowing we will never see anything like it again

[@Me-zo8yc]

Can't believe they want to put Barratt boxes on it

[@AJS86]

I'd love to see the cliffs where Clarkson's Citroën grand designs went off. That always had me in stitches. "What's that?" Wonder if the crater is still there from the reliant Robin space shuttles impact.

[@MrJeff1188]

I really love this video… I tend to forget how much life has gone by since our beloved trio helmed Top Gear. The significance of Top Gear to global car culture and the joy brought to countless viewers cannot be overstated. Seeing the relics abandoned in a rotting production trailer truly hurts my heart. I miss the excitement of seeing the guys return each season. Sending love to my automotive heroes from Missouri!

[@ericjaeger8935]

I love how Mike keeps trying to cultivate that buddy relationship with Ben but Ben's resisting it so hard. lol

[@jc_1337]

This is 75% of the reason I kept watching.

[@SchuckTales]

This was the best video you guys have ever done. I have been tracking Top Gear locations for years, with the hope that one day I’d be able to come there to drive around and visit some of them in person. It’s really cool to see how things have changed over the years, and that some of these memorable locations are still recognizable.

[@ghomerhust]

i've seen a few channels that "find" old top gear cars, like the first africa special, the one where Oliver came home. they found the merc and the lancia! it's so interesting to see where those cars go

[@petermascall1158]

I work with experience days at Dunsfold. They do use the top gear track. It's a great venue and worth a visit

[@richardhammer187]

Not even close to their best 😂

[@snbala]

Great to see the locations, particularly the test track, all I have to say is sod the houses, that track has to stay. All those locations shout out the trios presence, and It’s a shame that the Clarkson, Hammond and May era of Top gear is no more but we have the re runs and DVDs to remember the iconic episodes.

[@Solent_Ben]

Would be incredible to do this with the other three!

[@Barton_Motors_Ltd]

Make it happen!

[@ghomerhust]

oh yeah, a full reunion, at some of the biggest locations. that would be flipping epic!

[@footballboy681]

Pretty sure they still have beef with Ben

[@retrocompaq5212]

Nonbecause they Will lie

[@motivationalvibes876]

really@@footballboy681

[@tomhodder8107]

the most mind blowing part about this video was the shopping centre with actual open shops in it!

[@Jesus_H._Tap-DancingChrist]

It's just down the road from me. It's barely open in actuality

[@craigthomson8550]

Please do this again!! I could watch this all day and I can’t wait to see the behind the scenes on the second channel

[@manicr1]

I have loved the show from day 1 over 20 years ago. I still watch reruns every single day. I’ve purchased Ben’s writings and have used him as inspiration for many things in my life. Ben may not have been the only “Stig” but for me, there is no other. He is one of the worlds greatest drivers. He drives the wheels off everything he sits in and that is talent! If by chance he ever sees these comments, I just have to say THANK YOU Ben. You are a legit hero of mine.

[@ghomerhust]

for me, there is one stig. and ben is it. a car lover, a teacher, and a downright fun fellow. that's how i want to think of the stig. i could care less who the others are. for me, it's ben collins all the way

[@dexraikkonen7]

I agree 100%; in retrospect, I wonder if at some point would have been even better to have Ben as Ben Collins on some top gear stunts/films, with a bit of an "stigesque" style, would have fitted right in with the three wise men. (in my opinion)

[@johnnyr6391]

As a huge TopGear fan, (the episodes play on repeat in my shop for the last 20 years) This video was amazing. The inside scoop of the stig is just brilliant. More Top Gear Locations please director! Two days not enough!

[@TinKnight]

During the visit to Dunsfold, the view of everyone that had been there & driven was awesome...seriously, that needs to be preserved in a museum, because it's such a key representation of how important automobiles have been to all walks of society, in addition to all of the stories that each of them individually represent!

[@hexgraphica]

Did you realize that the early Top Gear test with convertible cars (Copen, Beetle, CLK, A4, Pluriel) was filmed in Hammond's favourite place? The one he talks about in the video where he tells what he felt during coma after his dragster crash

[@topmandog1]

in lake district?

[@MrSlowly63]

Buttermere I think. It's nice to know that I'm not the only one who still remembers these really old episodes. Watched that one only last week actually :D

[@topmandog1]

@@MrSlowly63 ive watched more dave repeats then i care to remember and now its on iplayer i can watch it foreverrrr

[@ghomerhust]

@@MrSlowly63 as someone who lives over 6000 miles away, i do really adore the drives in those early episodes. the B roads are so quaint and pretty. little windy tracks that look fun. in my area, the high plains of the US, everything is flat and square and often 7 lanes wide.. my time stationed in germany made me loathe the road systems here, and i long for the little twisty tracks of europe. REAL driving in real, little, fun cars. main reason my daily driver is a mk3 golf vr6! small and fun

[@GloomGaiGar]

@@MrSlowly63 pretty easy to remember when you actually have all the episodes backed up 3,000 times in hard drives, ssds and dvds

[@HenryBrooke1998]

My family went on holiday to Cornwall a couple of years ago, and my brother and I visited the Southwinds Campsite where they stayed during the motorhome challenge.

[@neildaniel8232]

I grew up surrounded by iconic Top Gear (and every other motoring show's!) roads, not for particular features but that everyone uses them constantly and have done for over 30 years! TG, Fifth Gear, Driven, Chris Harris on Cars, The Grand Tour, Evo and a plethora of TV shows. You lot were there filming Martin a few weeks ago even! There's a few different sections of road all within a 10 mile radius plus fields, woods and pubs that have all been used. Always feels odd looking at your local roads on the telly or YT!

[@ghomerhust]

as someone stuck in the flat high plains region of the US, im not jealous at all. nope. not at all. not wishing i could rip my H&R equipped VR6 golf around a few bends at speed without a pothole the size of a fiat 500..... nope.. not at all............ -silently weeps in the corner....-

[@cambo338]

This is so nostalgic and its so cool to hear some behind the scenes stuff. Man I miss this show

[@Jay-ql4gp]

I can see him pulling up to the security gate at the Top Gear track with an ID that just had the picture, and the name of, The Stig. I love that. I enjoyed this very much, thank you!

[@thementalmonkey17]

Bumped into you guys in the covert basingstoke shoot, cheers for being awesome and the great content!

[@GMMG1980]

Excellent video, great seeing all the locations again. I think the company that helped with the car trains was called Aquarius and Ben saying it must have been a company that knew what they were doing, as that is what they do, build road rail vehicles - from Defenders, ford rangers, Isuzu Dmax’s etc

[@MisterSynonym]

Fantastic video lads, I really hope you do a part 2. As a location suggestion, maybe that cliff, where Richard and James pushed Jeremy's self-made motor-home?

[@MonaroTravels]

Great episode, loved all the locations. I managed to recreate one of my own last year when I got to drive my Monaro onto Pendine Sands. HUGE smile on my face :D

[@seanroy3241]

This was an excellent trip down memory lane, the only addition I could have hoped for would be short clips of the events you two were talking about at each location as it's been decades since we have seen some of them. I understand that Drivetribe is a separate entity and I'm not sure what if any relationship you currently have with the BBC so licensing may be an issue. Nonetheless, fantastic video and Ben is and always will be our Stig.

[@JohnMcMahon.]

Who else has went looking for all these original clips as they’re talking about them? 😊 fantastic, absolute nostalgia, love it. 🥰 Edit: Guys, this was excellent. The banter, the stories, the locations, the editing, everything. Top notch. 👍

[@05SiLLYrado]

Ben is the GOAT!!! I was a young man (teens) when I first came across BBC one Digital Cable….Circa 2002. The host were, like so many to others, made people interested in cars. Thank you so much OG Top Gear Team and crew. I know we are all getting older…however your fans love will be eternal!!!! Thanks guys and crew!!

[@benknorr9893]

That was epic. The dynamic between the host & Ben was absolutely brilliant. Well done.

[@C.Fecteau-AU-MJ13]

"I just like looking at railway tracks, doesn't even need to be a train on it." 🤣 Phew thought that was just me

[@chiguy_]

Ben is such a down to earth guy. for all that he is "known" for and still as humble as anyone. would definitely love to just listen to the stories he could tell and to get tips from him on driving what a dream that would be. anyway great episode as always. keep up the fun. One of the funniest episodes for me was when they did the "RV"s how James almost blew over, Richard going way above and beyond with the expandable, and May just trying not to crash while laughing while he was driving. so that spot where they camped would be a place for me to go. and if you could revisit the north pole that would be cool too.

[@이상혁-s7l]

Plz make this as series. It'so glad to knew filming places and heard TG behind by ben!

[@GannAinm]

Loving Ben's Dutch Angle shooting. 13/10. Funny enough that pool bit made me think, regarding equalisation, of those tiny scuba tanks, the ones colloquially called "Two breaths ..." tanks, those really are made for that sort of stunt, not something serious but something where that extra 30-60 seconds might make an impact. I had never seen the point of them until now.

[@ryanb94457]

Great episode. Nice trip down memory lane and it’s always great to see Ben.

[@seriosertyp8145]

0:14 I never realized how unique and recognizable the Stig movements are. The quick switch from fighting stance to walking off full of disdain to continue his endless search for a worthy opponent.

[@Czechbound]

Revisiting old haunts can be a bit depressing if your old compadres aren't with you. Doubly so in the gathering darkness of a winter evening. You two make a good pairing. Great soundtrack to this episode too !

[@HK-ib9fu]

Nothing beat the feeling of waiting for a new Top Gear episode

[@RendiRetnandito29]

should've been a full week trip, I'd watch this even though it's 2 hours long

[@bruceyyyyy]

Ben couldn't figure out if he wanted to shoot vertical or horizontal. So he split the difference.

[@mossem5029]

We need more of these

[@Benjamin-hg5in]

This series was brilliant, i'd love to see another one of these

[@MrPhantom1961]

Such a shame about Dunsfold. They would hold the 'Wings and Wheels' airshow on the site in the past. Another airshow lost, along with Biggin Hill and Shoreham.

[@DannyVRPM]

Probably my favourite video of the channel so far. More Ben please 🙏🏻

[@SaabJitsu]

Mike and Ben. Give us more Mike and Ben. These 2 are on there way to becoming as big as the boys. Thier chemistry works and shows on screen. Well done boys, well done.

[@yammmit]

I read Ben’s book a few years ago as I was just starting to drive and I loved it.

[@BigBear--]

The "Caravan" episode where they build their own out of regular cars was one of the funniest episodes. When Jeremy's leaning tower of Piza started wobbling on the highway and James is behind him dying of laughter barely able to breath...that was such a genuine and hilarious moment. It'd be awesome to have you guys actually do the "challenges" again, but with The Stig this time.

[@heidisparklebottom]

You guys have such great chemistry doing vids together! Favourite duo tbh

[@ascottpatterson]

seeing the "White Stig" back at the air field, was awesome, seeing the iconic locations of where we were all stunned and amazed us all was a nice remembrance

[@scooter3343]

Hit me straight in the nostalgia right off the bat with the tree! God it's hard to believe that was 20years ago...I was 12 😂 I still remember watching that at grandmas house

[@carsoftheuk]

Need more videos like this visiting old TopGear locations, super interesting and super entertaining to watch!

[@andy14landy]

Next time you should visit Salisbury Plains (Range Rover vs Tank), Stanford Training Area (Boxster & SLK55 vs Army) and Pendine sands is quite iconic Top Gear.

[@J30YLK]

Fun Fact: The in-house Top Gear engineers did indeed do the majority of the work for the railway cars, if not all. The XJS had an adjustable camber mechanism on the rear axle that needed adjusting to stop derailing at junctions/points, but to achieve the higher speeds it needed a different camber.... It was adjusted with a cordless impact driver at the axles...whilst the car was moving and during filming...by someone hiding down inside the boot area...! That must have been a wild but scary experience 😂 🙌🔧

[@basilfabian05]

I love road trip videos especially the ones from Gears and Gasoline. This one was great too. It's never about the destination, its always the journey thats most important. Seeing all these iconic locations again was awesome 👍

[@martijnhonselaar7966]

Love this video great idea. You can clearly see the difference in response from Ben when he was actually involved in the shoot. Now imagine a video where they only visit locations where he actually was involved in, Ben will then be able to give a lot more behind-the-scenes information.

[@benreifhardt4471]

This video gave me a whole new appreciation for Mike. He's such a nerd and I'm here for it.

[@joelavery3235]

Ex Stig. No sir, he is the one and only Stig. When he drove the Caterham r500. What a lap!

[@scruff520]

Absolutely brilliant video Ben and Mike, pleeeassse do more of these TG revisits , so great to see 👍

[@tdj5245]

For the next top gear road trip, maybe a classic location abroad? Argentina is nice this time of year

[@veb92168]

Absolutely loved this episode!!

[@01FozzyS]

Some great memories of the show! Keep the locations coming,both of you!

[@Schmuly]

This is definitely one of my favorite drive tribe videos yet, really felt like a nice cozy trip down memory lane

[@xxr64t]

This is such a great episode. I wish this was a lot longer.

[@C.Q_Wilkenson]

16:35 love hearing the stig's response to ruben's lap time

[@BMack37]

You guys are really finding your stride Mike and Ben, you guys have great chemistry, this was the best video I've seen on this channel and I've been following for years. Mike, you have come a long way in your presenting, great job.

[@eaveskc]

Apparently there is a museum down near Portsmouth with a lot of the top gear cars, including the Jag train. You and Ben should take a trip down there

[@DittoGTI]

Beaulieu is a really big and famous museum? I'm surprised you don't know the name

[@evalonious]

7:09 "My 1st Question", as they walk past The "Clarks" Store. 😂❤🏁

[@petewatson9866]

This was great episode 👏🏼 hope you do more Top Gear locations🙏

[@Taylor___]

That was your best upload for a longgg time! Brilliant.

[@michaelcourtney4969]

Old episodes of top gear make me so nostalgic. I dont wanna sound like an old man but i do miss those times.

[@Moby41]

This was a lovely treat. Glad you guys put this together. Thank you!

[@ChrisJones-gx7fc]

It's cool revisiting all these iconic locations and reliving the memories made there.

[@milansretenovic6062]

Great video. Top Gear is the best tv show ever made. Nothing can beat it.

[@NBeaven]

You missed the easiest one for you with the fuel fill up in the Budget Supercar Challenge (S7 E4), used the Esso on lower Bristol rd in Bath. Saw them pull in and traffic ground to a halt 😂

[@frankisfunny2007]

I'd be interested in doing the same concept, but with Mike Skinner ("The American") for former "Grand Tour" locations. Some time in the future, of course.

[@paulrenowden8617]

He wouldn't do that because going to Grand Tour locations is Communist.

[@Sledgeh101]

The Ford Fiesta bit is one of my favorite TG bits. I genuinely wanted to get a Fiesta after that.

[@Denes2005]

14:32 silverstone, sebring, st petersburg, berlin tempelhof, and that’s all i can think of that can come anywhere close, maybe cleveland

[@FinnersBinners]

I went on holiday to Cornwall and accidentally found the cliff that Jeremy's campervan fell off of 😂. I took pictures of the exact place the camera was pointing at Jeremy and his doomed campervan.

[@mateuszbrejnak443]

Ford Fiesta review with chase was amazing. Yeah.

[@russellknight277]

Of course I know bidford on avon!! Born and bred and still living here. Actually just across the road from the bridge restaurant and remember waiting for filming to start, it was epic!!

[@joonassummanen6130]

Awesome video Guys. Its great to hear stories from behind the scenes of Top Gear.

[@darkwulf2k]

I would love to see you revisit some more locations. Maybe recreate the airship episode. The Scottish trip with Richard's Piloting Extremely Nicely in Scotland 250. The hill that Clarkson took the 4 x 4 up, i think it was north Scotland.

[@Emjackson89]

Such a great video. Ben needs to be on more of these videos. Fantastic

[@ghomerhust]

there's still major shows doing test driving at that facility as well. i think it'll stick around a while longer i absolutely love how ben has latched on to this newer style of broadcasting to the masses. he's perfect for it. i think his time as the Stig helped him connect with people, because every single time i see him in a show that isn't on his own channel, he's an absolute delight. been subscriber to his for a while now, and seriously enjoy his content. he's just a damned fun car guy

[@samosman123]

Brilliant film guys! You looked like you really enjoyed yourselves. Keep it comin'!

[@bimbettocavallo]

12:57 I used to live at the Farnborough business park and the only exit road from my house was through the race track they created. Yet, I never received the notice they mention in the video and I was surprised as anybody else when I saw that Top Gear episode. “When the heck did they come to shoot!?” kind of reaction…

[@jrbuch]

The shopping Centre chase with the Fiesta and Corvette was hilarious, yet also amazing because the shopping centre gave the go-ahead to Top Gear and didn't mind them driving two cars into stores, doing burnouts on the marble etc.

[@PhileusActual]

I think you neeeeeed to go across the channel to where the Toybota mk2 landed in France going across the sea! Those early episodes with those type of challenges were incredible! It was pioneering stuff because no one had ever done anything like it on TV. Like driving to the North Pole! That still gets me to this day. What an achievement that was (and how bloody expensive that must've been? Lol). The Stig (Ben Collins Stig) is still the best driver in the world in my opinion! How he drove the wheels off ALLL of the different cars and all of those different stunts! Top Gear was incredible!

[@zanemurcha9742]

Now this is the Drivetribe content I subscribe for. More stuff like this please.

[@thenick06]

This is so good! The nostalgia is hitting heavy

[@scoobysport2000]

Great video! Just a shame we couldn’t get a peek inside the old studio hanger. Would have been cool to see how it looks today.

[@KaleyGorla]

Thank you to this channel for keeping the og top gear alive

[@cbremer83]

This was a great show. I would love to see more like this. Maybe even visit some of the big locations around the world from the specials. This was excellent though.

[@dbrandon4528]

Great to see the test track is still there

[@jarletronerud]

Always happy to see Ben Collins!

[@Armedwithopinions]

Thanks for holding the torch, love this channel

[@alexk1222]

Go to the test track where Jeremy, James and Richard drove the lorries in season 12 of Top Gear. I'd quite like to see that one. And the train station where they filmed the steam locomotive in season 13.

[@DaSpecialZak]

I think the steam locomotive was filmed at kings cross

[@Me-zo8yc]

What an excellent concept for a video! Instant watch.