Top Gear (Chinese TV series)

Top Gear
Based on	Top Gear  by BBC
Presented by	Cao Jinyun Huang Zheng Li Rui Cheng Lei Richie Jen Tian Liang
Starring	The Stig
Country of origin	China
Original language(s)	Mandarin
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	13 (list of episodes)
Release
Original network	Hunan Television Shanghai Dragon TV
Original release	April 23, 2011 – December 11, 2014
Chronology
Related shows	Top Gear (2002 TV series) Top Gear Australia Top Gear Russia Top Gear Korea Top Gear France Top Gear (U.S. TV series) Top Gear Italia

Top Gear is a Chinese television series about motor vehicles, primarily on cars, and is an adaptation of the British television series Top Gear.^[1] The show premiered on 13 November 2014 on the network Shanghai Dragon TV. It is currently hosted by Cheng Lei, Richie Jen and Tian Liang. The show also features the Chinese cousin of "The Stig", whose identity is currently unknown.

History

The initial attempt at a localised Chinese Top Gear was a joint venture between BBC Worldwide and Hunan tv.^[2] The presenters of this particular incarnation included "Cao Jinyun, a Beijing-based cross talk (comedy) performer, singer Huang Zheng and Li Rui, a host from Hunan Weishi."^[3] The pilot episode was shot and finished in late 2010, the episode included a challenge between a donkey and a caddilac, one of the presenters was quick to explain that they could not push boundaries like their British counterparts.^[4] 15 minutes of the pilot leaked in March 2011 but was swiftly removed by the BBC. ^[5] The episode would later air as part of the series but would not be the first episode. The series, also known as Top Gear: the most high end, premiered on 23 April 2011 at 17:50 on Hunan TV^[6] and the last episode airing on 18 December of the same year.^[7]

In May 2014, BBC announced that it has signed a deal with Honyee Media to produce a local version of Top Gear in China.^[8] On 13 November 2014, the first series of the Top Gear China premiered on Shanghai Dragon Television, presented by Cheng Lei, a veteran Chinese TV presenter, Richie Jen, a Taiwanese singer and actor, and Tian Liang, a former Olympic gold-medalist in diving.

Overview

Season 1 (2011)

The first season of Top Gear China premiered on Hunan Television on April 23, 2011. Cao Jinyun, Huang Zheng and Li Rui served as the presenters of this particular season. The eighth and final episode was broadcast on 18 December of that same year. The show was later cancelled the following year and would not be seen again until 2014 on a different Chinese television broadcaster.

Season 2 (2014)

The second and revived season of Top Gear China premiered on Shanghai Dragon TV on November 23, 2014. The new presenting line-up included: Cheng Lei, Richie Jen and Tian Liang for the season. The fifth and final episode of the season was broadcast by the Shanghai Dragon TV network aired on 11 December 2014, on a weekly basis.

Season 3

As of April 2016, it is currently unknown whether a third season of Top Gear China would be commissioned. Plans were mentioned in January 2015, and was scheduled to be broadcast later in the year, but was never released. It has been put on hold ever since then.

Reception

Season 2 has had a total audience of 217 million with 5 episodes.^[1]

References

1. Alex Ritman (November 20, 2015). "Chinese 'Top Gear' Episode Draws Season-High Audience of 11 Million". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved November 29, 2015.
2. Global Times (28 October 2010). "More oversease networks plugging into China". Motoring. Global Times.
3. "Top Gear China rolls onto local tv screens". Motoring. CNN. 18 February 2011.
4. "Top Gear China features Caddilac vs Donkey". Motoring. Justin Hyde. 21 March 2011.
5. "Is this Top Gear China?". Motoring. Tim Beissman. 15 February 2011.
6. "the most high end". Motoring. Baike (China). March 2011.
7. "Last episode". Motoring. iqiyi (China). 18 December 2011.
8. Worldwide, BBC (26 May 2014). "BBC Worldwide Launches Top Gear in China". BBC. Retrieved 13 November 2014.