Top Gear Burma/Thailand Special

[Boycie]

From BBC's official website:

"Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May are on a mission to build a bridge over the River Kwai in Thailand. However, in order to that they must first drive across a country that has been largely closed to Westerners for over 40 years: Burma. [/size]Futhermore, the trio must make this trip in three lorries that have been bought 'sight unseen' from the internet for a limited budget. Unsurprisingly, they are not quite as the trio might have hoped or expected. What follows is an epic journey of beautiful scenery, regular adversity, ongoing malfunction and the constant bickering of three badly dressed buffoons."[/size]

Looking forward to watching it and wondering if they drove from Yangon to Kanchanaburi via Dawei?

Were any members present when they were filming in various parts of Thailand? Got any stories/photos?

Topic running here for Myanmar news/photos.

[ExpatOilWorker]

Looking forward to see that. Will it air this season (21)?

[krisb]

Brilliant series.

No doubt this episode will be a laugh.

[Soutpeel]

Brilliant series.

No doubt this episode will be a laugh.

It is a great series, but alas watching the latest season they seem to be running out of idea's.....however the banter between them is still very funny if you understand the humour

[Boycie]

The Burma Special will be a two-part special episode of the BBC motoring show Top Gear. The special will see the three presenters travelling from Burma, otherwise known as Myanmar, into Thailand to construct a bridge. The special will air as the penultimate and final episode in Top Gear's twenty first series, on the 9th of March, 2014 and the 16th of March, 2014 respectively.

Sent from my Spectrum ZX81

[Boycie]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LQPytIFjCM

[wym]

Excellent thanks, definitely on my watch list, maybe tomorrow with the kiddywinkles

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Really enjoyed that; and according to Clarkson's tweets the second part should be even better. (He was almost apologising for the first part.. )

I hope we'll see some good Thailand time in the second part.. though as the guys haven't really been spotted too much in major places I think it may skip from Mae Sai pretty much to Kanchanaburi.

BTW did everyone notice that they present the trucks as being sourced in Burma, but they all have Thailand plates. It was probably easier to use Thai trucks and then move them to Burma for their episode to drive them back into Thailand. (Might not be allowed to have foreign trucks in Thailand?) Anyway, they're crappy old Thai trucks.

BTW, HD links (720 and 1080p) are here: http://www.finalgear.com/shows/topgear/21/6/

Edited March 11, 2014 by WinnieTheKhwai

[fredob43]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LQPytIFjCM

Thank you so much for that Boycie enjoyed it. Usual crap but I like crap from those 3. I thought I would miss it as couldn't get it on YouTube for some reason.

Would be obliged if you wouldn't mind putting next week's link as well.

Once again many thanks.

[Boycie]

Watched Part 2 and enjoyed, but not the best.

I have been looking and waiting for Part 2 to be uploaded onto YouTube, so that i could post it here for you fredob43.

But i have just realised that Part 1 has been removed because of copyright issues, so i don't think we will be seeing Part 2 on YouTube anytime soon.

Also i cant believe that 'Jeremy Clarkson accused of racism', the comment went straight over my head along with many others.

[IMHO]

http://www.finalgear.com/

[Ace of Pop]

Clarkson is like Vegimite.Love or Hate... I like him being a Secret Non P.C Homophobic Redneck Type,like many who wont admit to being so either. Perhaps Piers Morgan would go down better with a few Boy Scout Types here.

[Tomtomtom69]

Really enjoyed that; and according to Clarkson's tweets the second part should be even better. (He was almost apologising for the first part.. )

I hope we'll see some good Thailand time in the second part.. though as the guys haven't really been spotted too much in major places I think it may skip from Mae Sai pretty much to Kanchanaburi.

BTW did everyone notice that they present the trucks as being sourced in Burma, but they all have Thailand plates. It was probably easier to use Thai trucks and then move them to Burma for their episode to drive them back into Thailand. (Might not be allowed to have foreign trucks in Thailand?) Anyway, they're crappy old Thai trucks.

BTW, HD links (720 and 1080p) are here: http://www.finalgear.com/shows/topgear/21/6/

Burmese trucks can either not enter Thailand at all, or are only permitted within a few kms of a border crossing. That's why they used Thai vehicles. With permission, Thai vehicles can enter Myanmar and travel to wherever they have been granted permission by the Burmese government. Without permission, they too, can only travel within a short distance from the border and often only for one day or a few days (depending on the border crossing).

[Ace of Pop]

Id Love to see Him with the Average Idiot at Thai Immigration He would Upgrade the Mexicans.

[harrry]

Had a look at part two today. Had some nice points but I think they bit off a bit more than they could chew this time. It looks as though they had a really hard time of it and the anger in places went from scripted fun to real very often. I think they were all tired out with the heat and the work. Much more so than their Afrikan trip.

[ExpatOilWorker]

Not as good as I expected. Clarkson is a bit too destructive, especially when he flips the crane over on its side.

[WarpSpeed]

Really enjoyed that; and according to Clarkson's tweets the second part should be even better. (He was almost apologising for the first part.. )

I hope we'll see some good Thailand time in the second part.. though as the guys haven't really been spotted too much in major places I think it may skip from Mae Sai pretty much to Kanchanaburi.

BTW did everyone notice that they present the trucks as being sourced in Burma, but they all have Thailand plates. It was probably easier to use Thai trucks and then move them to Burma for their episode to drive them back into Thailand. (Might not be allowed to have foreign trucks in Thailand?) Anyway, they're crappy old Thai trucks.

BTW, HD links (720 and 1080p) are here: http://www.finalgear.com/shows/topgear/21/6/

Burmese trucks can either not enter Thailand at all, or are only permitted within a few kms of a border crossing. That's why they used Thai vehicles. With permission, Thai vehicles can enter Myanmar and travel to wherever they have been granted permission by the Burmese government. Without permission, they too, can only travel within a short distance from the border and often only for one day or a few days (depending on the border crossing).

His comments about the reasoning for driving on the right while having mostly right drive cars, buses etc. was ignorant. The law was changed over 40 years ago, plenty of time to have left drive cars there save for sanctions, the country that is most likely to sell them locally is Thailand as there is a glut of used cars there and obviously locale, that's why they are mostly right drive. Due to the past sanctions of other countries Thailand was the most likely place to acquire vehicles and buses for example mostly through black market sources.

Edited March 27, 2014 by WarpSpeed