This article is about the British TV show Fifth Gear. For the Brad Paisley album, see
5th Gear (album). For the 1989 computer game, see
5th Gear (video game).
Fifth Gear is a British motoring television magazine series which has been broadcast since 2002. Originally shown on
Channel 5 from 2002 to 2011 (and branded as 5th Gear until 2005), it began as a continuation of the original version of the
BBC show Top Gear, which ran from 1977 until being cancelled in 2001. It moved to the
Discovery Channel in 2012, then in 2015 to
History;[1] since 2018 it has been broadcast on
Quest. Following a 2021 relaunch, with an emphasis on
electric cars, it has been branded as Fifth Gear Recharged.[2][3] The show is currently presented by
Vicki Butler-Henderson, Sid North,[4]Karun Chandhok[5] and
Jason Plato[6] with Grace Webb and engineer Jimmy de Ville also involved in reports. Its former presenters include
Quentin Willson,
Adrian Simpson,
Rory Reid,[7]Jonny Smith, former racing driver
Tiff Needell and Car SOS host
Tim Shaw.
Fifth Gear was first broadcast on 8 April 2002, featuring the same format and many of the same presenters, including Willson, Needell, Butler-Henderson and Simpson, as the BBC's Top Gear.[8][9][10] Channel 5 originally wanted to carry on using the Top Gear name, but the BBC refused as it still operated the
Top Gear magazine; the BBC relaunched Top Gearwith a drastically revised format later in 2002, placing a strong focus on comedy and general entertainment.[11]Fifth Gear has been referenced in Top Gear, such as when a barn fire damaged Top Gear property, host
Jeremy Clarkson satirically claimed that Fifth Gear had "burned our furniture."[12]
Needell announced Fifth Gear's cancellation on 24 May 2016.[13] On 14 June 2018, Needell announced on his official Twitter account that he had been doing some filming work for a new series of Fifth Gear which aired in September 2018 on
Quest,[14][15] but by 2019 had left the show to join Lovecars.com and their
ITV4 programme On the Road.[16][17][18]
Repeats of Fifth Gear also started being broadcast on
UKTV channel
Dave in April 2008 and later on
Discovery Turbo, with early episodes of the show being streamed '24/7' via the British feed of
Pluto TV in 2019.[19]
Format
The first seven series consisted of a 23-minute programme, not including approximately seven minutes of adverts.[8] The eighth series returned in the autumn of 2005 in a longer format of 45 minutes, and the ninth series (which went to a 13-week run) was increased to a one-hour airtime slot (approximately 46 minutes excluding adverts). For series 17, the show had reverted to the original format of 23 minutes, which including adverts takes the show to half an hour. In Series 21, the show reverted to the previous one-hour airtime slot.
Locations
At the start of series 10, the show introduced between-feature links filmed at the
Ace Cafe in London. In previous series, these links were filmed at the production company offices in
Birmingham. Originally produced by
Chrysalis Television, the Birmingham offices were situated on the top floor of the headquarters of
100.7 Heart FM (also, at that time, a
Chrysalis Radio company), near Birmingham's
Five Ways area. The team moved out when Chrysalis sold its television division to
All3Media in September 2003 (the section which later produced Fifth Gear is now known as
North One Television, part of the All3Media group).
In series 14, a location change from the Ace Cafe meant link sequences were filmed instead at the
Millbrook Proving Ground, along with some of the vehicle testing features.
In 2005, the show's producer,
Jon Bentley, also became a part-time presenter for a year before he went back to being solely the producer.
Tim Lovejoy was hired in September 2006 for series 9 and 10. In August 2008,
Tim Shaw became a presenter on the show for series 14. In October 2010,
Ben Collins, formerly The Stig on BBC's Top Gear, came to Fifth Gear for series 18.[20]
Shoot-outs
Fifth Gear claimed to be 'world renowned' for its 'infamous' shoot-outs, between similarly priced, similarly powerful cars, or, recently, cars versus bikes. These shoot outs took place at the
Anglesey Circuit on the Isle of
Anglesey close to
Aberffraw. During the refurbishment of Anglesey, shoot-outs were switched to
Castle Combe Circuit.
Week 1: The presenters conduct a 120 mph (190 km/h) crash test. They also compare two of the most powerful Jaguars ever made. They also take a look at the
Range Rover Evoque.
Week 2: Tiff chats to British rally driver
Mark Higgins. The presenters take a look at a new Mercedes convertible. Vicki races a new
Ford Mustang around
Le Mans. Jonny begins a journey of a lifetime in a very unlikely car.
Week 3: Tiff test drives the Lamborghini's new Aventador hypercar. Vicki makes her way through Italy's snowy mountain roads in Mini's brand new coupe. Jonny finds out about
vehicle wrapping.
Week 4: Vicki makes her way to Italy to drive a new convertible version of the Ferrari 458. Tiff takes part in a shootout between two ultra-powerful coupes. The team test drive the most economical car available.
Week 5: Tiff takes a look at the last ever Porsche 911. Vicki travels to Portugal where she takes on the role of a beach lifeguard in a brand new VW pick-up truck. Jonny attempts to make Renault's battery powered car go as far as possible on one charge.
Week 6: Jonny finds the best driving road in the world. Vicki takes the new VW Amarok pick-up for a test drive on a beach in Portugal. The driving skills of Roy Keane are tested by Tiff at the
Nürburgring. The presenters take a look at the new
Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet.
Week 7: Tiff takes a drive through France's
Champagne region in
Aston Martin's newest convertible. Vicki is the umpire in a race between two England cricket stars. Jonny takes a look at two off-road bargains to help see us through the winter.
Week 8: The presenters get the chance to drive the latest version of the Jeep. Cricket legend
Jimmy Anderson is put through his paces around the gruelling
Nürburgring race track by Tiff.
Week 9: Vicki drives through the
Pyrenees in the new
BMW M5. Jonny travels to
Barcelona to take a look at the
Seat's new city car. Tiff is joined by rally driver
Mark Higgins to test drive Renault's new hatchback.
Week 10: Jonny takes a look at some exciting cars at the
LA Auto Show.
Ian Botham is taught how to drive around the legendary
Nürburgring racing track. Vicki learns some evasive driving techniques from the police who chauffeur the Royal Family.
2012 (Series 21)
Week 1: Tiff tests the
Porsche 911 Carrera S. Jonny Smith gets a high-speed truck rally driving lesson and the team also test a
Volkswagen Beetle. Jason invites
Suzi Perry to test, if you tweak ECU, change tyres etc. have better time. Vicki is on a mission to refill during driving.
Week 2: Jason and Tiff test
Mercedes SLS AMG against an Aston Martin, a Jaguar and a Bentley. Johnny goes to Sweden to drive new Audi A1 quattro with
Stig Blomqvist.
Week 3: Vicki tests the dynamic performance management system in the
Lotus Exige S against ex-Lotus F1 driver
Karun Chandhok. Tiff conducts an investigation into the advantages of electronic stability control (ESC) and Jonny Smith recommends some used cars with ESC fitted as standard. Team test of the
Suzuki Swift Sport. Jonny tests sat-navs at three price levels. Vicki attends the Monaco Motor Show and drives the
Fisker Karma on the Grand Prix track as well as a Hunton XRS 43 powerboat.
Week 4: Tiff takes to the Italian F1 circuit in the hope of qualifying for the Lamborghini Series, and the team reports whether different types of petrol affect a car's performance.
Week 5: Team test: Mini Cooper convertible. Tiff tries drifting with new
Bentley Continental GT. Vicki goes to
Gordon Murray's home to see his history of designing and presents his first electric car, the T27. Jason goes to
Iceland to drive formula off-road with 2009 champion
Hafsteinn Thorvaldsson. Jonny learns how to wash a
Rolls-Royce Ghost EWB.
Week 6: Tiff celebrates the
Ferrari F40's 25th birthday, Jason pits the Mercedes C63 AMG Black Series against its BMW rival and Vicki drives a new Land Rover.
Week 7: Jonny takes a behind-the-scenes look at the
Isle of Man TT motorcycle race with
John McGuinness, and the
Subaru BRZ sports car is tested around the circuit. Tiff searches for his top three car racing games, Vicki tests the
Renault Twizy, and the team test the
Ford Focus Ecoboost 1.0 to see if it's more powerful than the 1.6 version.
Week 8: Jonny examines the new
Ferrari California, while Vicki explores the world of motorbike speedway in Denmark.
Week 9: Jonny heads to Sweden for an American car show, Tiff tests the
KTM X-Bow R trackday car, Jason explores affordable ways to upgrade a car stereo for better sound, and Vicki relives her
karting memories with a race.
2013 (Series 22)
Week 1: Vicki in the new
Porsche Boxster S against a jet plane, Tiff tests the difference between used and new tyres. Jonny goes to
Trollstigen to test
Ford Focus ST. Jason tests
Audi S8.
Week 2: Jason tests the brand new
Pagani Huayra, Tiff tests the new
Porsche 911 cabriolet to find out if it's quicker than the
Audi R8 Spyder. Vicki tests a super car off roader. Johny reveals the three classic cars that could be a better investment than gold.
Week 3: Vicki in the brand new
Porsche Panamera GTS against the all-new
Mercedes CLS 63, both cars are tested to the limit. Jason tests a brand new supercar made in the Netherlands. Johny spends a night in the Swiss alps to demonstrate how your car can keep you alive. Tiff tests the Frontline MG LE50.
Week 4: Tiff and rally driver
Kris Meeke find the ultimate hot hatch (
VW Golf GTI vs Renault Sport Megane vs Ford Focus ST vs Astra VXR), Vicki is in Germany to test the
Audi RS 4, Jonny finds out how the world's most powerful simulator has become F1's secret weapon. Jason reveals the ultimate secondhand sports car you can buy on a budget.
Week 5: Jonny jumps into the world of professional drifting, the team test the Audi S7 to the extreme, Vicki takes part in a world record attempt: the largest parade of Ferraris, Tiff tests filling tyres with nitrogen and Jason tests the new
Mercedes SL.
Week 6: Vicki races rally driver
Andreas Mikkelsen in three speed challenges, Jason tests the new
BMW M6, Tiff finds out what the ultimate small car is and Jonny shows the essential DIY skills that will allow you to save money.
Week 7: Vicki tests the new
Ferrari F12 Berlinetta, Jonny attempts to become the fastest drag race passenger, Tiff and Jason race each other in a dog fight find to find out which of the latest entry level hot hatches is the greatest, and the team test the latest car safety systems.
Week 8: Vicki visits
Pininfarina headquarters in Italy and tests the
Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradale, Jonny tests the modern-day Morgan three-wheeler, while Jason looks for the best
Bluetooth gadget to use while driving together with Suzi Perry.
Week 9: Tiff takes on
Sabine Schmitz in a battle between the Porsche 911 and the BMW M6, Jason tests the new Morgan Plus 8, Vicki goes off-road with the latest version of the Range Rover Evoque and Jonny is in the lab to test fuel saving gadgets.
2013 (Series 23)
Week 1: Tiff and Jason test the
Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG, the
Audi R8 V10 Spyder and the
Maserati GranCabrio to the limit to find out which is the best super cabrio on the market, the team test the new Range Rover Autobiography, Vicki races the
BMW M135i against world super bike rider
Chaz Davies on the BMW HP4 and Jonny drives 1000 km in Europe's cheapest car, the
Dacia Sandero.
Week 2: Vicki and Tiff go head to head with the Renault Sport Megane 265 vs the
Toyota GT86. Jason turns car doctor for the day as he tries to bring a tired engine back to full health. Jonny tests the Jaguar F-Type in Spain. The team test the Mazda6.
Week 3: Tiff tests the
McLaren 12C Spider, Jonny investigates the secret world of crash testing, the team test the brand new
Volkswagen Golf, Jason and Finnish double world champion rally driver
Marcus Grönholm pitch two brand new
Porsche Caymans head-to-head in an automatic vs manual gearbox battle.
Week 5: Jason and Tiff test three brand new hot hatches: the Renault Sport Clio 200, the Peugeot 208 GTi and the Ford Fiesta ST, Vicki tests the new
Donkervoort D8 GTO, the team test the brand new
Jaguar XF Sportbreak, Jonny is at Bentley's HQ and tests the
Bentley Mulsanne.
In Series 19, a new segment was introduced, called the Team Test. This is where
Tiff,
Jason,
Jonny and
Vicki all did a group test on an important new car. They all scored the car out of 10, and added their scores together to get the score for the car.
Show history
2009 cancellation and return
Channel 5 executives had been quoted as saying, "Five is proud of Fifth Gear's contribution to the channel but after 16 series, feels it's time to try something new."[21] On 27 November 2009,
Jeremy Clarkson mentioned on The Chris Moyles Show that it was a shame that Fifth Gear had been cancelled.
In late December 2009, however, presenter
Jonny Smith suggested via
Twitter that the show could return for another series early in 2010.[22] On 8 January 2010, Smith tweeted: "Fifth Gear IS coming back!", and in his next tweet, he said "Wow, such quick responses! Basically, we all know there's room for two car TV shows. FG will simply be a reviews based visual car magazine."
Tiff Needell also tweeted saying "Home to the news that, after much negotiating Fifth Gear looks like it will after all be returning to your screens sometime in the Spring!" and also hinted the show will have a new format in his next tweet "Glad so many of you are delighted by the Fifth Gear news — and, yes the format will be moving away from the stupid ... but still having fun!"[23]
On 17 January 2010,
Vicki Butler-Henderson and
Tiff Needell confirmed at the Autosport International Show that Fifth Gear will be returning in Spring 2010. The pair featured a car shootout in Fifth Gear style in the live arena show and said several times to the audience that the show would be back on air in Spring and to ignore the cancellation rumours.[24]
The series started on 3 June 2010. The series ran for 10 episodes and the first one had
Lewis Hamilton as a guest. On 1 October 2010, it was announced that
Ben Collins (who played the original White
Stig on Top Gear) would join the show.[20]
Second cancellation and return
On 14 May 2016, Tiff Needell announced the cancellation of Fifth Gear following its last episode repeat airing on
ITV4.[25] Following a three-year hiatus, Needell announced the show's return on 14 June 2018, having started filming for a new series to be aired in September 2018 on the
Discovery-operated
Quest TV channel.[26]
Fifth Gear is now[when?] being broadcast in the United States on the MotorTrend channel. Season 27 started on February 15 (episode 2, but episodes 1 and 3 are scheduled on Feb. 22nd).
Fifth Gear Recharged
In 2021, the show was relaunched as an electric car show under the amended title of Fifth Gear Recharged.[27] Former Top Gear presenter Rory Reid, joined the presenting team of Vicky Butler Henderson, Jason Plato and Karun Chandhok (with the former Formula One driver and Sky F1 pundit now being part of the core presenting team and not a guest), while consumer journalist Grace Webb and engineer Jimmy de Ville will contribute to the show in guest roles (Jonny Smith has left the series to present The Late Brake Show webshow). As well as testing purely electric cars such as the
Cupra Born,
Hyundai Ioniq 5,
Polestar 2 and
ATAE Munro Mark 1,[28][29][30] the show will also feature hybrids such as the Peugeot 508 PSE.[31]
During recording for Series 12, Episode 7,[32] two accidents took place while on set.
On 27 September 2007,[33]Tom Ford broke his foot and several toes[34] when he crashed a modified
Bedford Rascal van. Tom Ford was recording a piece about
drifting. He and co-host
Jonny Smith were racing each other in a
D1 Grand Prix style around a private track. After winning the event, Ford was performing a victory drift that went wrong, put his van (painted to resemble the
A-Team GMC Van) up on two wheels and into a safety barrier.
On 9 October 2007,[35] BTCC driver
Jason Plato suffered multiple burns when a
Caparo T1 he was driving at
Bruntingthorpe proving ground burst into flames.[36] The car, capable of 200 mph (320 km/h), burst into flames at an estimated 150 mph (240 km/h). Plato said: "There was a slight loss of power, I looked in the mirror and saw some smoke, there was a slight smell of oil and then suddenly there was this intense heat. The car spontaneously erupted into a ball of flames and I was sat in the middle of a fireball." The presenter was initially taken to Market Harborough and District Hospital by former BTCC driver
Phil Bennett before being treated at
Kettering General Hospital. He later received specialist burns treatment at
Stoke Mandeville Hospital. The incident was mentioned during Top Gear's discussion of the Caparo T1 the next year.
Both accidents were shown on the episode.
International airings
Fifth Gear has been broadcast on the
Speed Channel in the United States for a short period in 2004 to early 2007. It began airing on
Velocity on Wednesdays after Wheeler Dealers as of 3 October 2012.
Fifth Gear began broadcasting in Australia in November 2009, on
Seven Network's
free-to-air digital channel
7mate (previously shown on
7Two).
Fifth Gear started Canadian broadcast on
Discovery Channel Canada in 2008, beginning with 2006 series. This version ran in half-hour format.
Fifth Gear was also telecasted in Asia-Pacific in Discovery Turbo. It aired the 60 minute version.