Top Gear live and a lot of hot air

Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May recently launched their Top Gear Live World Tour in anything other than a vehicle – a hot air balloon at London’s Royal Geographical Society. Straight out of Around this World in 80 Days.

This year’s tour, which hits Sydney in February, will play to over 340,000 fans on four continents, requiring 135 trucks, 3 ships, 1 freight plane and 94 cars, and 150 sets of tyres.

The new show promises “the world’s fastest cars pushed to their mechanical limits, acrobats laying their lives on the line and some middle aged men falling over…. and catching fire a bit.”

It is also accompanied by a Top Gear Live Festival with lots of touchy, feely elements for the audience before and after the show.

Alas it’s only Sydney that is privvy to the tour once again, and despite the Hamster’s appearance at the London launch, Richard Hammond isn’t attenting in Oz.

…but yes, The Stig was on hand too.