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Richard Hammond (Rex Features via AP Images)
“The British are coming,” proclaims The New York Times. “Mayhem sure to follow.”
The headline refers to Richard Hammond’s new show, Crash Course, which, the article points out is a program “produced in America for an American audience.”
The paper of record points out that Crash Course is the newest spin-off from Top Gear, a “TV show about cars that has evolved into a comedy cavalcade of motorized mayhem — and one of Britain’s most beloved cultural exports. It has also become a touchstone for the worldwide automotive culture.”
Hammond tells the Times that although he travels all over the world, “America seems in some ways more foreign than many of the other places I go.”
Hammond says Americans are much more laid-back and self-assured about going on camera than their British cousins.
“Americans are chatty and stupidly good at being on camera,” he said. “You don’t get that in Britain.”
Crash Course allows Hammond to take Top Gear’s destruction to a whole new level: he has access to professional, even military, machines to crush, rip apart and eviscerate anything that has the misfortune to come in his path. One of the episodes takes Hammond to Fort Bliss in Texas, which the Times says “may be the least British place on earth,” to use an Abrams tank to flatten an American icon, a Ford Mustang. But Hammond also crushes a Chevy – and a Porsche. Throughout the run of the series, says the Times, 15 minivans are destroyed.
Hammond also goes to Oregon, where he employs logging machines, to Florida, where his weapon of choice is a trash compactor, and to Louisiana, where he has fun with giant cranes and magnets at a salvage yard.
Crash Course will premiere on BBC America April 16, immediately after the first episode of the new Top Gear season.
The new show also got a nice mention in AutoGuide.com and a glowing review in the Exhaust Notes section of MSN Autos which wrote that it is “far more interesting than any of the American-market car shows that have popped up in the past few years. Hammond is genuinely charming in front of the camera, and his boyish enthusiasm is nothing short of infectious.”
• Does this look like Richard Hammond to you?
• Crash Course also provided Hammond the opportunity to do a Q&A with Car and Driver magazine, where he elaborated on the point he made to the Times about America being “more foreign” to him than other cultures.
He said that it’s ironically because both nations speak the same language.
“I’m sure it’s because of that shared language that we can cut to the chase and get to the subtleties that make your life different,” Hammond explained. “If I’m in Italy or Japan, I just want to work out how to say ‘beer’ and ‘laundry’ in the hotel. Whereas in the States, very quickly you’re actually sitting with guys and talking about what their lives are like. What they do. What matters to them. What their hopes, aspirations, and fears are.”
17 Comments
Can’t wait!
This show sounds like “Ow My Balls” from Idiocracy…
Alittle offended by Richards comment ” Americans are stupidly good at interviews” “I think “good” would suffice considering an American audience will be viewing it and some of those funds he recieves from it will be coming from across the pond in America……..: a little ignorant ton his part really: I married a Brit so I can say this…..and I find Brits for all the travel they do are really ignorant to thte intelligent innovation they carry in their hand “IPOD” was intented in the US not Britian…..what have the Brits innovated lately???? Opps I can’t think of anything…..
Who haven’t the Yanks pissed off lately? Oops I can’t think of anyone . . .
And I’m also married to An American.
Wow, really? Stop being so childish the both of you. It’s a show about cars, for god’s sake!
Oh, pipe down Bridget…you’re making yourself look humourless. It’s just an expression. It’s no different than if he had said “insanely good”, or “ridiculously good”, or “absurdly good”. Don’t be so hypersensitive.
As for me…looking foward to it, Hamster!
Hamster: Don’t you have a sense of humor ???? Hamster: if you commented you were sensitive to it and it struck a chord…awe come on now…Brits haven’t invented anything in the last decade…ok….get on with it and invent something that will blow the Ipad away!
I’m looking forward to it. As to the question asked “Does this look like Richard Hammond” referring to the YouTube video…no, it does not. It started out looking like the Hamster, but by the end I more reminded of And
I’m looking forward to it. As to the question asked “Does this look like Richard Hammond” referring to the YouTube video…no, it does not. It started out looking like the Hamster, but by the end I was more reminded of Abe Lincoln.
Whoo hoo can’t wait either!
Hopefully people will forget about that Good Ole boy NASCAR war party that was chain’ him.
That just made us look soooo bad.
Anxiously awaiting the new season/series of Top Gear AND Richard Hammond’s Crash Course!
Ticking off the days…
I think the term “stupidly” is being taken the wrong way. As an American I found his comment to be a compliment not the other way around.
“Brits haven’t invented anything in the last decade…ok….get on with it and invent something that will blow the Ipad away!”
Bridget if it wasnt for the Brits who invented the tv and other devices used to make the Ipad it wouldnt have been possible. And i own and ipad and its not that good. Granted its a cool “gadget” but it has nothing on my home computer(which is a lot faster and can perform much more complex tasks.
And speaking of computers etc…It was the british that Created the interent. (arguably one of the biggers inventions in the history of mankind) Sir Timothy John “Tim” Berners-Lee, OM, KBE, FRS, FREng, FRSA (born 8 June 1955[1]), also known as “TimBL”, is a British computer scientist, MIT professor and the inventor of the World Wide Web.-Straight from wiki if you want to check him out yourself
Also a few other british inventions(some of the most used and important in the world)- Radio, Telephone, jet engine, train(steam locomotive, railway, ship cargo containers, vacume cleaners(first motorised vacume cleaner…Also dyson was invented in britian. Lightbulb(The 1st light bulb was built by Humphry Davy (an Englishman) in 1809). Basically british invention have made many things possible…Including global communication and trade
Also the first flushable toilet and toilet paper was invented and made in Britian, So if it wasnt for us you would be getting up in the middle of the night and having to walk 50 yards outside just to use the toilet(in the freezing cold) and then having to scoop some sawdust and sprinkle it over to try to eliminate the odur.
I really wish i could go on…But there are far too many for me to document…And it would take pages of typing. So the british are responsible for far more inventions thatn most people recoginse. And no offense but what has America invented latley that has “changed the world”? So forgive us for not inventing any new stuff latley but i think that we have earned a break. Besides most recent inventions (if you can call them that) I would say technological advancements have been made in Japan.
Granted America is good at creating Machines of war or Tools of destruction(so has britian especially during ww2, aka the Spitfire , Arguably the best and most famous plane of ww2 . But with the current crisis in America(yes im talking about the 14 trillion debt or whatever it is right now) i doubt there will be any major tech coming from America in the years ahead from America.
And if you havent already Guessed im British. I mean no disrespect to Americans As i think both countrys have there pros and cons. But im fed up going into forums etc and hearing some loud mouth american saying America is the best county in the world..Etc and giving no info to back it up. Also it should be noted that Many Americans are of British or English herratige .
Anyway got to go my new tv has just arrived from argos… Time to set it up and vs some people on Cod from whatever county they are from.
Bridget;
First off, I’m American and I found Richard’s comment hilariously true. Stop being pissy, because he wasn’t trying to offend anyone. It was a compliment. Besides, it’s an expression. I’m with Entropy; stop being so hypersensitive.
Secondly, you wouldn’t be holding that iPad in your hands if it weren’t for the Brits. Read Lee’s comment. And besides, the iPad isn’t the most amazing invention in the world. If you really think so, you’re blind.
I also agree entirely with Lee’s argument, especially the last bit. Like I said, I’m American. And even I’M tired of going into forums and seeing people from my country shouting about how amazing America is with the same attitude that you have and not being able to back it up. You’re self-centered, ignorant, and rude.
America has its pros, and America has its cons. Just like every other country. Get over yourself and stop whining.
I’m American and I thought Richard’s comment was funny. I can’t wait to see the show.
@Lee, I’ve had the opposite experience in forums lately. People from both our countries can be loudmouthed, immature, and condescending. Look at the comments in most any British show clip on Youtube.
BLAH BLAH BLAH…Who cares….Just tesr stuff up already!
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE THE DUKE OF HAMMOND’S CRASH COURSE!
MORE, MORE, MORE PLEASE!