i didn’t really get into the bbc’s hit comedy gavin & stacey until the second series, but by the end of this last series i thought it was a cute little show that i really quite enjoyed – but i did start noticing a lot of similarities to a little tv show from across the pond.

nessa is phoebe stacey’s best friend is nessa, she’s a little odd and has an eventful history full of relationships with celebrities as well as some really important / bizarre jobs. phoebe is a little odd, and although she does have a more realistic, but still bizarre history, she still has those relationships with famous people that crop up in conversations that are then never to be heard of again. they have both been pregnant too.

gavin & stacey are ross & rachel gavin and stacey are the central characters, they are the ones that push the story lines along, they are also the least interesting out of the bunch – and it’s the same with ross and rachel in friends. if you did a poll of who your favourite characters were then these 4 would finish bottom, they are probably the most ‘normal’ but that’s not what we watch the show for – it’s the odd bunch around them that make each show tick.

smithy is joey this is a slightly trickier one, but food is their common obsession, they’re also not the cleverest of characters in their respected shows. if a joke is going to be aimed at someone’s lack of intelligence, then smithy and joey (both end in y’s too) are going to get it square in the chops. they both have dominant and fairly masculine sisters as well, although joey does have a lot of sisters so maybe that’s clutching at straws a little.

there are quite a few differences, and i’m certainly not saying that the creators of gavin and stacey directly copied friends, but the latter is probably one of the most popular comedy sitcoms that television has ever known – so a little unconscious inspiration can’t be faulted.

i’ve been watching top gear for what seems like ages, the program actually started out way back in 1977 – before i was born, but the real birth of the program for me is when the bbc ditched the old 30 minute program for a studio based 1 hour show in 2002.

with the new series just underway i felt i should do something special to highlight my love for all things top and gear and show you my favourite 10 pieces of top gear, courtesy of youtube.com!

10. celebrities

is it a chat show? well, every week they have a well know celebrity who is usually publicising their new film or book or play or tv program or album or… you get the idea. here’s some of the best interviews and more importantly – the best efforts around the race track in the very reasonably priced car.

johnny vegas | jonathon ross | stephen fry | sir michael gambon

9. a great car review

BMW M3 CSL: I’ve always been a fan of BMW’s – ever since my parents had a 5 series, but it was the smaller 3 series that I drawn to and the m3 was the main attraction. This is a great car test, brilliantly shot and it just shows up every other car show that tries to imitate top gear’s style.

watch

8. a nail biting race in an amazing car

Aston Martin DB9 vs Eurostar Train: Ahh, the races – this is something that many find a complete pointless part of the program, it’s just an excuse for a holiday in a nice car and too probably drive too quickly in it. but for me it’s something adventurous and exciting – the ending is almost scripted, they are so close or it could be just an extended road test. see for yourself.

watch part 1 | part 2

7. extreme car testing

bugatti veyron does 253mph: not many people will have the chance to do it, so to witness it – even if it is only on tv is great. i can’t believe that when the veyron hit it’s top speed that it was eating up a football pitch every 1 second!

watch

6. silly sporting action

car football (Toyota’s V VW’s): there’s sporting action too, football with cars, a giant ball and some neat tricks by some of the drivers – some not so neat tricks by others.

watch

5. amazing human feats

Audi RS4 Review + Mountain Race: I’ve already mentioned that I love the BMW M3, but this audi RS4 went straight on to my lottery win car wish list.

watch part 1 | part 2

4. some toys for the kids

remote control cars: this was one of the funniest things they done, why don’t people do this and charge entrance fees?

watch

3. science abuse / almost clever engineering

Reliant Robin Space Shuttle: i think a lot of people thought that this was a step too far and completely pointless, i’ve never wanted them to finish and suceed in a project so much before, when it lifted off and it looked like a proper rocket… wow.

watch part 1 | part 2

2. danger

Richard Hammond Jet Car Crash: just to show that not everything turns out well, this was actually quite serious and if he wasn’t as short as he is then it would of turned out very differently.

watch

1. the best piece of television ever

bugatti veyron vs a private plane: I could honestly watch this over and over, it’s brilliantly done – the idea isn’t original because they’ve done these races before, but what makes this special is the car. now add to that the drama of this cross continent race then you really do have a top bit of telly. enjoy!

watch part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4

top gear is great, the production quality, the writing, the chemistry between the presenters and even the music they use is all top notch – actually a lot of the cool soundtrack, breaks, downtempo, modern orchestral music is from my ipod – it’s one of the only programs that i look forward to and long may it continue!