Top Gear Live

Top Gear Live (TGL) is on its way to the RDS this 3 - 6 December.
The all-new show is a big step up on last year's. Motors went to Birmingham's NEC to get a preview of what's in store for Irish fans.

The show opens with Ireland's very own Naomi Lynch who is Shane's (from Boyzone) sister doing her best to torch the place with a wonderful fire dance, but where are the cars? Straight away two Subarus burst into flames and proceed to doughnut and J-Turn about the place. TGL uses a lot of flames and explosions in this show so if you're near the front wear a T-shirt and ear plugs!

The presenters arrive in their own cars; Clarkson in his CLK 'Black', Hammond in his 911 (of course) and May comes in is last in his Fiat Panda! Our heroes set and battle through some hilarious challenges such as a Reliant Robin race (a great part of the show) plus they get clever with a challenge to design vehicles from the garden shed and race them. The Top Gear Stunt team of six drivers that include multi world record holder Terry Grant, stunt legend Russ Swift and his son Paul.

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They perform some mad driving stunts through out the 90 minute show. Paul Swift who is pretty handy in a front-wheel drive car took me for a spin (literally) before the show in a colour-changing 300bhp Focus RS.

The audience gets involved too with a live 'Cool Wall' where new cars drive in to be voted on by the crowd. There is also a race between two sections of the audience that is won by cheering the loudest, while steering is done by holding up coloured pieces of card. There's a parade of exotic supercars and of course some drifting Japanese cars too.

The headline act is definitely the Stig in 'Carmagedon' where he ultimately attempts a loop the loop in a car. When I say car, I really mean, more, adapted buggy - with machine guns! The finale is a fitting end to a high octane show. The three Top Gear messers do a great job entertaining the crowd and the TG stunt team is excellent at the essentials i.e. filling the arena with tyre smoke and flames!

Clarkson is without doubt the driving force behind the show's success but he also has the good sense to surround himself with talented people like the show's producer Roland French. Roland told me that it is great fun dreaming up the show's format (this one started pretty much straight after the first one finished). Roland has pulled together an impressive backroom of talent (there are over 20 skilled stage hands working on the show).

I met Steve from the Top Gear Technology Centre (TG's shed) who loves his job as he gets to build the wonderful machines that Roland and the TG presenters dream up. Lou is another man who likes his job as he gets to blow up Reliant Robins all day! Alistair whose job it is to blow up and burn things told me his job is actually "safe just as long as you remember it's dangerous!"

TG Live is a wonderful oasis from the world & for kids of all ages.
P.S. Note to Green party; the cars may scream around the arena but over the whole world tour will only do a few kilometers each! For further information visit www.topgearlive.ie/dublin2009/

Michael Sheridan