Top Gear Polar Special
| Top Gear: Polar Special | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Presented by |
Jeremy Clarkson Richard Hammond James May |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Production | |
| Running time |
TV cut 60 minutes Extended cut 70 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC Two |
| Picture format | HDTV 1080i |
| Original release | 25 July 2007 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | Top Gear |
| External links | |
| Website | www |
Top Gear: Polar Special is a special edition episode of BBC motoring programme Top Gear first broadcast on 25 July 2007 on BBC Two. The episode follows presenters Jeremy Clarkson and James May in their successful attempt to be the first people to reach the Magnetic North Pole in a motor vehicle. For added drama and competition they race against presenter Richard Hammond who travels by dog sled, the traditional means of transport around the Arctic.
At Resolute, Nunavut, Clarkson and Hammond announce their intention to travel from the small hamlet to the 1996 location of the magnetic north pole. Hammond will travel via dog sled, aided by American explorer Matty McNair, whilst Clarkson will attempt to beat them travelling by motor vehicle, a feat that had not before been achieved. Clarkson chooses to use a Toyota Hilux, modified for arctic conditions by Arctic Trucks, and aims to prove that Arctic exploration to the pole can be quicker and more luxurious than via traditional methods. He is reluctantly joined by co-presenter James May who is not keen to go to the pole at all.
The vehicles (Clarkson's and May's Hilux, a second Hilux and a Toyota Land Cruiser for the film crew) started to be modified in December 2006 Whilst the vehicle testing was underway the presenters were sent to Austria for cold-weather training by an SAS veteran, who taught them basic survival skills. Before departure they spent a further two nights of survival training out on the sea ice in Canada, but due to their constant tomfoolery were shown sobering images of the dangers of freezing weather and received a stark warning of the dangers they faced from polar explorer Ranulph Fiennes.
At 13:00 on 25 April 2007, both expeditions set out from Resolute and began making their way for Bathurst Island, an uninhabited island where they would be making camp for the first day. Hammond and McNair moved at a steady pace during the initial days of their expedition, only being stopped by the presence of a polar bear following them, whilst Clarkson and May's took advantage of satellite navigation to ensure their route too them over smooth ice and drew ahead. Problems soon developed for the Hilux though when it nearly fell through thin ice and had to be rescued by the support team, resulting in the need to plot a longer but safer route.
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