UK TV

I hate cars. I didn’t learn to drive until I was 21 because I hated them so much. I’ve owned two cars in my life, which was a bit of an aberration, and they were both rubbish and nothing but trouble. Cars are evil. They suck up money and destroy the planet. Use public transport instead if you can.

But I love Top Gear. It’s one of the best hours of television around and I’m not sure why. Obviously, it has something to do with the chemistry of the presenters. There’s also something about the way it doesn’t take itself too seriously and the way it mixes genres, one moment being the standard car review show, the next veering into scripted comedy, the next into reality TV. One moment it’ll be a chat show, the next moment it’ll be shot like a movie.

It’s terribly blokey, and not desperately informative for the average car driver, but it’s wonderful fun. If you’ve not tried it because you’re put off by Jeremy Clarkson or cars, I suggest you give it a whirl, since it’s still great.