And On That Bombshell, Richard Porter
And On That Bombshell, Richard Porter
List: $24.99 | Sale: $17.50
Club: $12.49

And On That Bombshell
Inside the Madness and Genius of TOP GEAR

Author: Richard Porter

Narrator: Ben Elliot, Richard Porter

Unabridged: 8 hr 30 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Orion

Published: 10/22/2015


Synopsis

I was Top Gear's script editor for 13 years and all 22 series. I basically used to check spelling and think of stupid gags about The Stig. I also got to hang around with Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May. It didn't feel like something you should get paid for.

From the disastrous pilot show of 2002 to the sudden and unexpected ending in 2015, working on Top Gear was quite a rollercoaster ride. We crossed continents, we made space ships, we bobbed across the world's busiest shipping lane in a pick-up truck. We also got chased by an angry mob, repeatedly sparked fury in newspapers, and almost killed one of our presenters.

I realised that I had quite a few stories to tell from behind the scenes on the show. I remembered whose daft idea it was to get a dog. I recalled the willfully stupid way in which we decorated our horrible office. I had a sudden flashback to the time a Bolivian drug lord threatened to kill us.

I decided I should write down some of these stories. So I have. I hope you like them.

And now, a quote from James May:

'Richard Porter has asked me to "write a quote" for his new book about the ancient history of Top Gear. But this is a ridiculous request. How can one "write a quote"? Surely, by definition, a quote must be extracted from a greater body of writing, for the purpose of illustrating or supporting a point in an unrelated work. I cannot "write a quote" any more than I could "film an out-take".

'Porter, like Athens, has lost his marbles.' - James May

Read by Ben Elliot

(p) 2015 Orion Publishing Group

Reviews

Goodreads review by Jake on March 29, 2016

ambitious and not rubbish!......more

Goodreads review by issa on December 30, 2017

I inhaled this book. It is a fantastic combination of silly but witty jokes, amusing but insightful anecdotes, and genuine historical lore about Top Gear. Porter's clean style and clear voice make for a quick read that takes you into pretty much every aspect of the show you'd always wondered about. W......more

Goodreads review by Paul on December 26, 2015

This would be my usual in depth style review but by the time Goodreads put it on here I'd read quite a few more books. That said, I absolutely loved this book, for any fan of the show it's an essential read. It tells the reader how Top Gear used to be and how in its new format how it became the glob......more

Goodreads review by Fred on March 01, 2016

No logic to how it is written. Like a bunch of small blurbs pasted together to make a book. Dissapointing......more

Goodreads review by Christopher on November 05, 2018

This is the story of Top Gear's triumphant run where it became the most-watched show worldwide and the most popular car show of all time, rewriting what many of the rules and style of television in the process. It is written by the script editor Richard Porter, who worked with the three main hosts t......more


Quotes

I can't imagine that it's [Top Gear] triumphant 13 year run will have a finer chronicler. Daily Mail

AND ON THAT BOMBSHELL is a funny and revealing look behind the scenes at the 13 years of the Clarkson-Hammond-May Top Gear era. CHOICE magazine

... a funny and, at times, thought-provoking look into the world of one of the biggest motoring programmes of all-time. AUTO EXPRESS

a fascinating and amusing insight into a true TV phenomenon OCTANE