What would you say were the worst safety decisions from the production team (TG and TGT)?
Posted by Apatride@reddit | thegrandtour | View on Reddit | 92 comments
I am watching the Grand-ish Tour and the "race track" in Morocco felt very dangerous until I remembered it was just a TV set so, in case of mistakes, the car would probably go through a "wall" with minimal damage. But there were times where I feel the production team put the trio in situations that were needlessly dangerous. Hammond crashing the Rimac was a genuine accident and nobody could have prevented that but James crashing in the tunnel, without a helmet, during Scandi-Flick was just reckless and stupid. Are there other instances where the production team did a terrible job when it comes to safety (thankfully without any major consequences)?
FourEyedTroll@reddit
What about that military training exercise one where they died multiple times and kept having to respawn? Seems a bit of an oversight to let them get massacred like that.
DimensionMediocre439@reddit
That tunnel in Scandi Flick was the only time when I was shocked they were going through with it. I thought they were joking until Jeremy sped of. There was 0 margin for error in that tunnel. No safety barriers at the end, solid rock walls within a few feet of the cars blasting over iirc some uneven ground. Of course 1 of them crashed, how could they not?
AfterThrowParty@reddit
Yeah. I watch that tunnel sequence and all I can think is that there is no efforts taken whatsoever to be remotely safe, and realky there just is no safety way to do the thing they were doing. It's insane an entire film crew decided to go through with that bit without anyone on the production team stepping in and saying no.
bendezl09@reddit
I am pretty positive they set up road flares as the braking point. In James's video he blows past them which is why I think he crashes versus Jeremy not crashing.
LeftSaidTed@reddit
I’ll need to go back and rewatch but how the hell does Captain Slow of all people miss that
BrainiacMainiac142@reddit
He didn't miss it. He deliberately drove past it in order to keep his foot in for an extra second to try and win. This was discussed in an interview, which I believe I saw on YouTube.
This one isn't on the production team.
AfterThrowParty@reddit
I would argue the production team not stepping in and saying "this is stupid and dangerous we cant do this" is definitely a problem. But producers needed to step in more than anything. Someone, somewhere, needed to prevent the whole test. It was too dangerous even on a conceptual level.
AfterThrowParty@reddit
Not to be rude about it but I wouldn't be surprised if it was age related deteriorating eyesight. Unfortunately in certain lighting conditions not even the prescription glasses are gonna help you ee all the things you need to see.
mikeyjay224@reddit
I also remember Clarkson talking about this and saying there was a very clear point marked where they needed to brake and May just blew right by it.
DentsofRoh@reddit
Yeah but..
Cars come and go but Victory is Forever.
Zbodownlow@reddit
They definitely did.
AfterThrowParty@reddit
Next time I watch I'll have to look for that. I've admittedly never noticed.
64gbBumFunCannon@reddit
Fun fact: During this whole sequence being filmed, Andy Wilman was doing a video call with someone who owned a military transport plane, and at the exact moment he got the radio call, they were discussing safety. (according to his book)
Unusual-Coat383@reddit
I feel like they went for it/didn’t take proper precautions because of Covid. The world was still weird back then and the whole episode felt slightly off.
cannedrex2406@reddit
Similar to this, doing the 0-60-0 run in the American Special where if you failed, you ended up in crocodile infested waters.
Now whether you actually did end up in a river with crocodiles, I dunno, but it must've been stupid to attempt it nonetheless
devadander23@reddit
On studded tires
KnightsOfCidona@reddit
It should have been abandoned after Jeremy's attempt at the very least - it was undeniable then how dangerous it was.
Apatride@reddit (OP)
Yeah, that one is infuriating because the risk of accident was extremely high and, on the other hand, wearing a neck brace and a crash helmet (which I am sure they have available at all times) would have made it much less stupid (still very stupid).
lingenfelter22@reddit
I dont recall any injuries as it's been ages since I watched it, but clarkson driving a truck through a wall of (what was it...water jugs?) Seemed pretty moronic.
mushter17@reddit
Jeremy fucked his ankle in that. The wall was supposed to be weak so it would break apart easily, but nobody thought to tell the poor sod that built it so he, paraphrasing Mr Wilman, keen to do a good job for the TV lot, built something to rival the Great Wall of China. As a result instead of it being quite violent, it was....well, like driving through a brick wall.
Jeremy was told not to fly with his busted ankle until the swelling had reduced, but they had everything booked to fly to Vietnam the next week, and being Jeremy, he just went ahead and flew. That's why he can't kick start his bike in Vietnam.
lingenfelter22@reddit
Thats a very interesting bit of info, thanks for sharing it!
williamg209@reddit
Pretty sure it really fucked up his back like there's a story that says clarksons doctor recommended he quit tg due to his back
annoyice@reddit
“Always swerve and go for the big pile of mineral water.”
ChefBoiJones@reddit
It was a brick wall
lingenfelter22@reddit
I didn't think it would come up so quickly on YouTube but it was quick so I edited my comment. It still looks pretty darn violent today.
AfterThrowParty@reddit
The evo crash in the tunnel will always be the standout most completely reckless thing they have ever done in my opinion. There was virtually no safety precautions taken whatsoever. Not even a helmet. It was just "drive as fast as you possibly can through a super dark tunnel towards a cement wall, and try to stop." It's mind blowing to me, and the fact it's James May of all people doing it most dangerously is baffling.
I've always thought there's a moment where it feels like Richard had a sinking feeling about the whole thing. When he says "that was a brisket start for a James may!" It feels to me like a warning was going off in his head in that moment. But im probably projecting.
HMP729G@reddit
If I remember correctly even before James sets off he looks a bit out of it. Be it tiredness or otherwise
AfterThrowParty@reddit
He has said he was actually just extremely over excited. He was consumed with the idea of beating Clarkson's audi and just didn’t consider the dangers. It sounds like he was just too locked in on winning to focus.
williamg209@reddit
Well I mean probably they do all know each other insanely well
mushter17@reddit
There are quite a few things that I skimmed over at the time, but in retrospect thought "Christ that wasn't TV, that was just dangerous". But the only one where the moment they started the challenge I thought "this is fucking stupid" is the Scandi Flick tunnel. That was dangerous enough with lights on, especially with no safety gear, but the lights coming on and the one turning red so late was absolute insanity. There should have been red SO much earlier, perhaps 4 or 5 stages earlier, as a cursory warning, and then it was down to the presenter if they kept it pinned or braked. But if that red light came on, it was LONG too late. Reckless and stupid and wasn't even that good of a bit really.
TesticularNeckbeard@reddit
I don’t know how they shot the Death Road segment, but that seems full of opportunities to think you are being safe enough but maybe not really.
JustPhenomenal@reddit
The car Jeremy passes by during the segment is a Toyota Land Cruiser 200 (camera car #2 according to Wilman's book) and it was camera magic - at one point, as Jeremy is sweating in the driver's seat, the camera is positioned right outside his driver-side window, looking back at him. For a cameraman to actually stand there in real-time, they would have to be levitating out over the thousands-of-feet drop. This proves the vehicle was completely stationary for specific close-up shots, allowing a cameraman to safely position themselves, likely using a rig or standing on a wider section of the path before or after the actual driving. Also the nail-biting close-ups of the rear tire slipping off the mud and rocks crumbling into the abyss were shot separately. When you see the wide shots of the Range Rover and the Land Cruiser squeezing past one another, the road while narrow is visibly wider and more stable than the tight close-ups imply. The dramatic wheel shots and crumbling earth were filmed at a different time, or a different, safer spot on the road, and edited in to mimic a near-death experience.
But credit where is due, the segment is completely real in the sense that Jeremy did drive a shaky Range Rover along a terrifyingly high Bolivian cliffside.
PopeInnocentXIV@reddit
I did notice that the whole way along the death road they had the mountain on their left and the drop on their right. But during that sequence, it was the other way around.
Bacon5641@reddit
That bit under the waterfall i fully believed as a kid but watching back as an adult (especially one whos done video production) its easy to see the clever cuts and how those close up shots never pan fully. Similar to the crocodiles in that river in the US special. You see close ups of them, but never any wide shots or any indication that its even the same body of water the guys drive towards.
Being on death road is very dumb tho. But id say the winner is the tunnel in scandi flick. Not even a helmet. Might not have saved james a rib but less head trauma
KnightsOfCidona@reddit
The more dangerous bit was Hammond driving an absolute death trap of a car on that road. Porter later said it was lucky Richard is by the most experienced on loose surfaces (or off roading). They were at least not daft enough to have him drive down the slope at the end (Donkey's death was obviously scripted) because that would be suicidal.
SuspiciousLettuce56@reddit
donkey's death was scripted because they genuinely thought it would not be able to make it down the dune without killing hammond. that car was an absolute death trap accordng to both Richard and Wilman.
Lucajames2309@reddit
You’ve completely ruined it for me :(
/s
Apatride@reddit (OP)
That is a good contender for sure, although I feel they made it as safe as they could short of simply not doing it.
Few_Show1528@reddit
James standing next to a tensioned tow rope was pretty fucking stupid if you ask me.
h1h1guy@reddit
Theyd been doing this all day, i imagine its easy to get complacent and just not think about it
diyguitarist@reddit
Been at it all day, in the sun, tired, a momentary lapse, that's when the mistakes happen. If you'd have asked James before hand where to stand whilst towing he himself would of told you not to be where he was when the accident happened, but lapses of judgement happen.
MrRobertecas@reddit
I can’t think of the incident you’re referring to, which one was this?
lingenfelter22@reddit
One of the cars is pulling another out, James is manning the rope for whatever reason and gets smoked when the line becomes taught, hitting his head on a rock.
MrRobertecas@reddit
Yeah just rewatched that scene, that was crazy. The amount of blood aswell and James not realising where he is is scary.
lingenfelter22@reddit
Yeah head injuries are always at least a little scary, surprising what one person may survive while something seemingly minor can kill another.
SuspiciousLettuce56@reddit
middle east special when theyre driving through the syrian desert
SPRNinja@reddit
100%...
I remember watching that the first time thinking that it was dangerous before anything happened.
The first thing I learned about towing was stay away from the fuckin rope
Apatride@reddit (OP)
3 wise men? I would see this as a genuine accident and I can see how they did not see the potential for a serious injury. Any sailor would have known this was dangerous but most of us would have been caught by surprise.
Independent-Hat@reddit
One wise man, an idiot and a cheat!
KeyNefariousness6848@reddit
Letting Richard drive,
LegallyAHornet@reddit
Allowing Jeremy to fit those Boudica wheel attachments wasn't the best decision - that was an accident waiting to happen and it when it did come off it nearly took the crew out
FirmDingo8@reddit
The Rimac crash......looked like Hammond drove on when past the finish line, why didn't he just take his foot off the pedal?
Apatride@reddit (OP)
Not the production team's fault, though.
Few_Adeptness5348@reddit
That one was all on Hamster (Rimac crash) - saw an interview online where he said that one of the producers / production staff said they had permission or time, can't remember which, for one last run - and we all know what happened on that run.
Believe it was same "situation" with the rocket car - time for one last run. That crash was just "bad luck" (understatement I know).
saberline152@reddit
Hammond and the Jetcar was probably the closest one of them came to death. And it went badly because of a tire blowing up, this is why most high speed cars use metal tires...., They could have also made a guiding system etc...
KnightsOfCidona@reddit
Wilman himself says that one he doesn't feel guilty for that happening because they took all the precautions and had all the safety procedures which in the end was what saved his life. He did feel bad though that their 'dicking about' was now almost leaving two young children without a father.
Serberou5@reddit
100% The ending of Seamen. Genuinely out there with no support that could easily have been the end of all three of them.
Apatride@reddit (OP)
Was it really as bad as it was presented? There is a bit of "television magic" involved in many scenes just for the drama (as someone explained for the "Death road" part) and, having lived near one of the most dangerous seas (Northern sea between UK and France) and having been on the last ferry they allowed through before deciding it was too dangerous, I know that rescue boats are capable of performing absolute miracles. Maybe it was as dangerous as they presented it, but it would also be decently easy to present a relatively safe situation as much more dangerous just for the sake of drama.
Careful_Trip_311@reddit
Curious about your "death road" comment. I was always under the impression that that bit was really dangerous as well but perhaps I'm mistaken or not up on my top gear knowledge.
Apatride@reddit (OP)
Yeah, the short of it is that it was heavily staged to keep the hosts as safe as possible (it was still dangerous). I suspect many other "dangerous" situations, including the end of Seamen were mostly staged.
Serberou5@reddit
'mostly staged'
I don't think that ending was staged. As so done else stated And Wilman said in his book that it was real peril.
SuspiciousLettuce56@reddit
Wilman states in his book going into the South China Sea was among the stupidest things they did.
ItsMangel@reddit
They included new footage of the South China Sea in one of these grand-ish tour specials. One of the crew boats took on a lot of water, and James landed his boat on top of one after being picked up by a wave. Both could have easily resulted in sinking or injuries.
Careful_Trip_311@reddit
Oh I see there's a comment below on this, nice.
georgiafisherman@reddit
Absolutely this. This is the only one thing they’ve ever done where everyone, every single one of them, crew included, could have been in serious peril at any one moment and not only would the others not know, there would be virtually nothing they could’ve done about it.
Hogan-Rutherford@reddit
When Jeremy arrives at the dock he basically says this—that he doesn’t know where anyone else is and genuinely can’t be sure if they’ll actually turn up. The Scandiflick tunnel is undoubtedly the dumbest thing they did, but the South China Sea was brutal to watch and was clearly very dangerous.
ConstantPurpose2419@reddit
Hammond almost had sepsis at that point as well. There’s this insane story about how a cut on his leg had got infected by bacteria in the water and he had to have a giant shot of antibiotics.
Public-Guidance-9560@reddit
He's a hardy bloke isn't he!
featurenotabug@reddit
Standard Tuesday for Hammond
TechnologyFamiliar20@reddit
Giving Hammond a 350 km/h racecar probably.
DrZolvr@reddit
Dude, every single thing - EVERYTHING - on that show was scripted, rehearsed and edited. It's all fake. Entertaining but fake.
ItsMangel@reddit
Oh, yeah, they totally scripted Hammond driving the Rimac off a cliff and almost dying. Those zany script writers come up with the funnies bits.
abz_eng@reddit
Alabama & the slogans
They were being pelted with rocks!
Apatride@reddit (OP)
That is an interesting one. If you believe the official story, which is that they never realised how the Porsche license plate could be misinterpreted, then it is not the production team's fault in any way. And everyone on the team has been repeating over and over that they had no clue about that. My personal and highly unpopular take on that is that they stumbled on a car with an "interesting" license plate and it gave them the idea of filming a special in that region which was supposed to be in good fun but backfired tremendously. I simply can't believe nobody made the connection.
SALTYP33T@reddit
Everyone and I mean everyone HATES when you imply that they knew…..I gave you one less downvote!
Consistent-Island788@reddit
Alabama was the US cheap car challenge. Miami to New Orleans after Katrina. You're thinking of Patagonia mate.
Apatride@reddit (OP)
Right. My mistake.
KnightsOfCidona@reddit
Richard Porter came with the idea years earlier of the 'Texas Smart Car Challenge' where a presenter would drive a Smart around Texas with Man Love Rules OK'. He never got a chance to do it but then on that 'special' (was never meant to be full episode), he decided to bring it to fruition.
He wasn't on the shoot but told his American girlfriend (later wife) who was from the South about it jokingly. She immediately went crazy, telling him that it was going to end badly and there was people in that part of the world would react violently. Tried to get in touch with the crew to tell them to call it off but it was too late, it had already happened!
KnightsOfCidona@reddit
Post-trio but Freddie Flintoff, who was inexperienced driving performance cars, driving a three wheeler open top car without a helmet was madness and asking for trouble. Really did feel they were pushing the boat out with Freddie in order to recreate some of the old Top Gear magic and get more viewers, and Freddie was brave (some would say daft enough) to go ahead with it but it was always likely to end badly. The wall of death was one in particular I remember watching with unease.
cannedrex2406@reddit
TBF, the one where they made him Bungie jump with a flipping car was already scary enough
PRSArchon@reddit
He was wearing a helmet, but not one thay covers the face. But i agreex very stupid in every aspect
markkowalski@reddit
Lorry through a wall.
Public-Guidance-9560@reddit
The car scale thing in Morocco? I watched that the other day and when it actually collapsed it very well could have landed on a few feet! Thankfully everyone managed to jump out the way.
Rafxtt@reddit
Everytime they let Hammond drive a vehicle with 250+hp?!
16piby9@reddit
Uhm, keep going towards Ushuaia after they knew there was going to be protests is beyond stupid.. That town is very, very far away from being friendly towards brits as it is.
Kreindeker@reddit
No one so far seems to have mentioned driving into brick walls at the end of the £100 cars challenge so I will, even if the sum total of the damage to our boys was one fractured thumb.
If you take Clarkson at his word from one of his Times columns, they weren't overly happy to have been forced to fit all the extra safety equipment to the cars before the stunt, either.
BellamyRFC54@reddit
Dragster ?
jug_23@reddit
I know it’s a different top gear, but if you read the stuff Chris Harris has said about Andrew Flintoff’s crash there’s clearly a huge lack of safety focus in what they’re doing too. Just rule of cool style presumption that everything will be ok.
(Best bit I’ve heard is a circa 15 minute clip from an interview he did with Joe Rogan, which I otherwise wouldn’t care to recommend)
Unknown9111@reddit
James May falling into the ice
Apatride@reddit (OP)
I do not think it qualifies. I am talking about times where the production team put the hosts in danger with no ability to act on it. It is reasonable to think (it is almost certain) that they had a rescue team available for that "stunt".
BartholomewKnightIII@reddit
Giving Jermy access to a crane.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/BffT_mv5KLg
BillWilberforce@reddit
Hiring Hammond given his atrocious driving record, from before he even started at Top Gear.
@3:00
https://youtu.be/Yj0fZ5waq5g?si=iYvzlYfWtqvaIZvm