Top Gear: Series 22, Episode 1

• Top Gear heads to Russia for a race across St Petersburg.
• Richard Hammond power tests the Lamborghini Huracan.
• Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Ed Sheeran.

Episode Guide

Review: Hammond reviews the new Lamborghini Huracán. While he is impressed with the car’s acceleration, top speed, its gearbox and its handling, which are a real step up from the Gallardo and from Lambos of old, Hammond felt that to have fun with the Huracán you need your own test track as well as pointing out that though it is a somewhat beautiful car it doesn’t have the presence that a Lamborghini should have, believing its makers had decided to play it “safe”; his point is proven by a montage consisting of all the previous Lambos reviewed by Hammond. Hammond concludes by saying that although the Huracán is a better car than previous Lambos, the previous cars are better Lambos due to them both looking and feeling more special, which Clarkson agrees. However, the Stig posts a lap time of 1.15.8, making the Huracán faster than the McLaren MP4-12C and faster than its big brother the Aventador; it also makes it the fastest Lamborghini to have gone around the Top Gear Test Track.

News: The trio initially realise that not one of them is sat in the middle of the studio to kick-off the segment, so show a clip of a squirrel, until they can get there. They then discuss about the following: a new type of speed camera coming to Britain’s motorways, which already has busted someone out in Kent; Boris Johnson’s plans to create a low-emission zone in London; Hammond looks forward to the Ariel Nomad; Clarkson looks forward to driving the new hybrid Honda NSX, though has no further interest in mid-engined cars despite a new Ford GT coming out (reminding everyone about the issues he had with the previous GT he had bought); Clarkson admits to making a mistake in the Patagonia Special, revealing he had claimed the Condor was the largest bird, when it was the Wandering Albatross.

“City-Cross” Race: The presenters race each other across St. Petersburg, with Clarkson driving a Hovercraft, Hammond pedalling a £9000 bicycle, May driving a Renault Twizy and the Stig using public transport. Neither Hammond or Clarkson have it easy; Clarkson finds driving his hovercraft (which he references as being a Russian design of their Hovervan) to be quite hard, with steering being a major issue, while Hammond fails to take in the fact that the city uses trams, and falls off after his bike hits a tramline. The fall shears off a vital part of the bike, which results in him using another bike (borrowed from a passerby, who is given a lift to their work as compensation) to complete the race in. May, meanwhile, enjoys the car he drives in, liking the fact it was designed for European cities, having two seats in tandem, an electric engine that produces 17 horsepower, and scissor doors, though discovers that the city’s streets and roads are wider than he expected them to be for his small car. Clarkson, on the other hand, struggling with steering, attempts to use narrow, peaceful canals to avoid river traffic, but finds himself coping with low bridges. Despite the issues, both he and Hammond reach the finish line, with Hammond coming in just moments after Clarkson, only for both to find they were beaten by May. The Stig, who suffers no major issues, fails to finish after spotting a Porsche in a lot, banging his helmet against the fence blocking him from it.

Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Ed Sheeran sets a lap time of 1.54.3 on a wet track, becoming the second slowest star to drive around the track in the Vauxhall Astra.

Some say…

“Some say that his favourite football formation is 8-8-19, and that while we were off-air his iCloud was hacked and now everyone in the world has seen his helmet. All we know is he’s called the Stig!”

Stig Power Laps

Lamborghini Huracan
1:15.80

Star in a Reasonably Priced Car

Ed Sheeran
1:54.30 (very wet)

Music

Season Preview Montage:
00:56 – 02:06 – Royal Blood – Figure It Out (Instrumental)

Race Across St. Petersburg, Pt. 1:
03:35 – 03:51 – The Red Army Choir – The Cliff
03:51 – 04:05 – Eric Serra – The GoldenEye Overture
04:20 – 04:27 – Aphex Twin – Minipops 67 (Source Field Mix)
05:51 – 06:12 – James Horner – Saving New York
06:14 – 06:28 – James Horner – Saving New York
07:25 – 08:04 – John Powell – On Bridge Number 9
08:04 – 08:23 – Mark Mothersbaugh – Escaping the Russians
08:23 – 09:15 – Hans Zimmer – Mombasa
09:15 – 09:45 – James Newton Howard – Fall of Freetown
09:45 – 09:55 – Autechre – Outh9x
09:55 – 10:13 – Ramin Djawadi – Langa
10:13 – 10:20 – Autechre – Paralel Suns
10:29 – 10:43 – Autechre – SonDEremawe
10:43 – 11:28 – Lamb – We Fall In Love (Instrumental)
11:33 – 12:21 – Brian Tyler – Right on Time
12:22 – 13:05 – Brian Tyler – Fast Five Suite
13:05 – 13:28 – Autechre – SonDEremawe
13:28 – 14:53 – Hans Zimmer – Mombasa
14:57 – 15:22 – John Powell – The Bourne Identity
15:22 – 15:56 – The Courteeners – Saboteur
16:42 – 17:34 – Henry Jackman – Taking a Stand

Lamborghini Huracan Review:
25:57 – 26:38 – Deadly Avenger – Reavenged AND Eden
26:55 – 28:32 – Steven Price – Fire
28:37 – 29:05 – Henry Jackman – Zartan
29:05 – 29:55 – Harry Gregson-Williams – Sanchez Family
29:50 – 30:18 – Henry Jackman – The Causeway
30:18 – 30:23 – Henry Jackman – The Winter Soldier
30:24 – 30:51 – Ramin Djawadi – I’ll Take It From Here
31:24 – 31:48 – Daft Punk – Outlands, Part II
31:50 – 32:15 – U.N.K.L.E – Morning Rage
32:15 – 33:07 – Ramin Djawadi – Breaker of Chains

The Stig’s Lap:
34:56 – 35:02 – The Carpenters – We’ve Only Just Begun
35:22 – 35:26 – The Carpenters – We’ve Only Just Begun

Race Across St. Petersburg, Pt. 2:
47:45 – 47:53 – Matt Monro – From Russia With Love
47:53 – 48:38 – Henry Jackman – Bad Dojo
48:39 – 48:45 – Autechre – Outh9x
48:55 – 49:09 – Henry Jackman – Arashikage
49:39 – 50:02 – Ramin Djawadi – Langa
50:11 – 50:31 – Ramin Djawadi – Langa
50:31 – 51:30 – David Arnold & Michael Price – John is Quite a Guy
51:30 – 51:49 – Ramin Djawadi – Langa
51:49 – 52:11 – Henry Jackman – Captain America
52:12 – 53:00 – John Powell – The Bourne Identity
52:58 – 53:39 – John Barry – The Bomb
53:39 – 54:22 – John Powell – Treadstone Assassins
54:23 – 54:38 – John Powell – The Bourne Identity
54:38 – 54:54 – Roxette – It Must Have Been Love
54:54 – 55:10 – Mark Mothersbaugh – The Russians Capture Mei
55:10 – 55:38 – Hans Zimmer – Discombobulate
55:38 – 56:08 – Hans Zimmer – Data, Data, Data
56:22 – 56:50 – Hans Zimmer – Marital Sabotage
56:52 – 57:14 – Hans Zimmer – Marital Sabotage
57:17 – 59:04 – Hans Zimmer – Psychological Recovery
59:04 – 59:53 – Hans Zimmer – Catatonic

Screenshots