And on That Bombshell cover art

And on That Bombshell

Inside the Madness and Genius of TOP GEAR

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And on That Bombshell

By: Richard Porter
Narrated by: Richard Porter, Ben Elliot
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About this listen

For 13 years, 22 series and 175 shows, Richard Porter was script editor of Top Gear, from the first faltering pilot episode in 2002 until the very last show presented by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May in 2015.

Along the way they destroyed cars, sparked diplomatic incidents, set fire to caravans, almost killed one of the presenters, and somehow transformed Top Gear from a shabby BBC Two motoring show into an Emmy-winning, record-breaking, planet-straddling behemoth.

And on That Bombshell tells stories from behind the scenes of one of the world's most successful television programmes, taking in driving monkeys, broken bones, flying cars, angry rednecks and Jeremy Clarkson's secret nickname.

Richard Porter provides a unique insight into how the programmes were made, revealing behind-the-scenes disasters more comical than anything seen on screen and explaining what it was like to work inside the self-professed 'poky motoring show' that accidentally became a global phenomenon.

Read by Ben Elliot and with an introduction read by the author.

©2015 Richard Porter (P)2015 Orion Publishing Group
Engineering Entertainment & Performing Arts History & Criticism Transportation

What listeners say about And on That Bombshell

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic insight into my favourite show.

Makes you laugh, makes you sad, and everything inbetween.
Gives you a clear, concise, and honest look into the lives of the people who worked so hard to make the second coming of Top Gear such a huge success.
Well written.
Well read.
Excellent.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

This is a must for top gear fans.

You get hear inner working of Top Gear. makes you want to watch the shows again from series 1 and including old top gear

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic insight into the world's greatest show

What a story. His attempts at humor are often painful, but the telling of real events brings you to the room.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A laugh in every chapter.

Some say.......that this is actually a long lost Shakespeare comedy and that the narrator is actually Kristin Scott Thomas putting on her deep voice. All we know is......this is a bloody good book!
As befits the show, great writing, about a subject we all love, read with style and humour. Get it....now...and start listening with a grin on your face.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Fabulous

I thoroughly enjoyed the audiobook, i was not a massive Top Gear fan but definitely watched it whenever I could. Great insight to the behind the scenes of the phenomenal show. Loved it

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Insightful

It was great to get the view of someone who worked behind the scenes of what can only be described as " A one in a million " show. Most insightful.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Brilliant

Brilliant, funny and in parts almost made me cry, we all know how how the story ends but it's intriguing to hear it from the inside.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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lackadaisical narration

Having listened to Richards' wit and comical enthusiasm on the Smith & Smiff podcast with JS I found the narrator lazy and unwittingly boring. The content was very rewarding but the voice of Richard Porter as injected in the prelude would have certainly made it something I would have encouraged to others to listen to. Thank you for your efforts, insight and sharing a period of your life with us RP.

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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Drags on a bit.

Unfortunately not my favorite Tpp Gear book. It just seemed to drag on too much. Certainly not a book I would read a second time.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Too sibilant

Great story. But the recording is too sibilant. The “s”’s are ear-piercing. EQ it next time!

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