GET TOP GEAR 24/7 ON YOUTUBE™
BBC Worldwide launches Top Gear Channel on YouTube
19 August 2008:
If you’re a Top Gear addict who needs a regular fix of Clarkson, Hammond and May then worry no more. From today, you can
get the best bits of the show any time of the day or night from a new Top Gear Channel on YouTube
(www.youtube.com/topgear).
The new channel will showcase great Top Gear moments such as the epic race between a Bugatti Veyron and a light
aircraft, as well as celebrity interviews with the likes of music legend and car-enthusiast Jamiroquai and pop
impresario Simon Cowell.
The Top Gear Channel will mark the first time BBC Worldwide has launched a dedicated section on YouTube for a single
programme brand and reflects the enormous global popularity of the show. The Top Gear channel will complement the
existing BBC Worldwide YouTube page (www.youtube.com/bbcworldwide) and will create an official online space for one of
BBC Worldwide’s biggest brands and its legion of dedicated fans.
Top Gear content on the existing BBC Worldwide YouTube Channel has already proven itself to be massively popular, with
one clip of Jeremy driving the lightweight Arial Atom generating over 3 million views in the last year. New content to
be added on the new channel will include the race between an Aston Martin DB9 and a train to Monte Carlo, the team’s
attempted English Channel crossing in converted cars and the presenters’attempt to buy a decent Porsche for under £1500.
In addition to Top Gear clips, the channel will also feature content from the presenters’ other shows. Other programmes
featured will include Jeremy Clarkson’s MotorWorld, Clarkson’s Car Years, Clarkson’s Extreme Machines and Richard
Hammond Meets Evel Knievel.
Simon Danker, Director, Digital Media, BBC Worldwide, said: “Top Gear has a massive audience across the globe so we
thought it was time it had its own place on YouTube. The BBC Worldwide YouTube Channel has already proven its value to
users, having generated millions of views since its launch in March last year. We’re now expanding our portfolio of
YouTube Channels to reflect the massive online popularity of certain programme brands and to give fans of shows like Top
Gear a dedicated destination on YouTube.”
ENDS
About BBC Worldwide
BBC Worldwide Limited is the main commercial arm and a wholly owned subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation
(BBC). The company exists to maximise the value of the BBC’s assets for the benefit of the licence payer and invest in
public service programming in return for rights. The company has seven core businesses: BBC Worldwide Channels, BBC
Worldwide Content & Production, BBC Worldwide Digital Media, BBC Worldwide Global Brands, BBC Worldwide Sales & Distribution, BBC Magazines and BBC Home Entertainment. In 2007/08, BBC Worldwide generated profits of £117.7million on
sales of £916.3million.