Top Gear fans are awaiting the return of Jeremy, Richard and James for a new season of Top Gear and their annual Top Gear Christmas Special. New information has been revealed last night that the special will go out a little late this year.

The show will be broadcasted in February, according to presenter James May, who also confirmed the next series will be six episodes rather than eight. Top Gear specials have been the centerpiece of the past four Christmases on BBC2, but this year this will not be the case. It will either be a Winter Special than a Christmas Special says Captain Slow.

It’s actually now a Winter Special in a very hot country. The reason is that it is part of the next series, our January/February one, which is quite a short one. We weren’t able to film it until quite late in the year and there is a lot of editing putting it together.
We would be rushing it a bit if we got it out before Christmas. We were already calling it ‘Top Gear’s February Christmas Special’.
At least we’ve avoided clashing with X Factor and I’m A Celebrity… There’s no point tearing your audience apart by dividing them.

Previous article2013 Audi RS6 Avant Leaked?
Next articleOfficial: 2013 Audi RS6 Avant

35 COMMENTS

  1. BBC TV is getting worse.
    This year alone they have cut the number of live F1 races.
    Then the red button streams
    Maybe they think everyone likes shows like Strictly Come Dancing

  2. This is the dumbest thing I have ever heard, a Christmas special in February and then they tell us we’re getting 6 episodes instead of 8? Not happy…

  3. Not wanting to sound ungrateful, at least we are actually getting another series, but I think they’re running out of things to do, it’s better to put together six good episodes than eight average ones. I hate to say it but the series was becoming a bit contrived and predictable, I’d rather have quality than quantity.

  4. usual BBC, charge us silly money for TV licences and then spend less and less on decent programs and more and more paying Managers off who have only worked there 10 months

  5. 6 episodes… A month and a half is not a “season”, for God’s sake… I just hope, that after that they will return with some new shows sooner than February 2014.

  6. We have back to back crap like strictly come dancing on… and the BBC can’t even be bothered to air the top gear speacial before christmas… what excuse are they using now???? the last one was that it could not go up against xfactor…. BBC is getting worse with femineing TV trip!

  7. should not be allowed. they’re too busy with there own projects
    to be bothered with top gear when will the BBC realize nobody cares about z list x celebs trying to come back they had there time why don’t they just fade away and let some real entertainment be aired that’s what i pay my license fee for..

  8. Well looks like another waste of time from bbc and the top gear fat cats.whats the point in not doing a full season of shows they should be made to take a pay cut if they are not supplying the shows which the public have been waitng for and should only concentrate on the show that made them famous, once top gear is filmed they should then carry on with their own projects but at the end of the day the only thing they are concentrating on is their wallets and not they public that support them

  9. A lot of hate going on here, with some valid reasons. However I LOVE TOP GEAR, but more than that. I think what makes the show are the 3 people that host it. You all want more of the show, not for the cars and the trips to wherever in the world, but for the COMEDY aspect, SO SO SO FUNNY. It has the rite balance. We know that top gear costs a lot to put together, and shows like strictly come dancing and x-factor not as much.

    I would love more top gear but it there was more of it the quality would go down the loo. If you want a boarding fact show, that is just that about the cars, 5th gear is for you or you tube.. However top gear it more than just about the cars, it also reminds people about the fun they use to have with their mates b4 the got married and had kids, and got real jobs. It’s about doing want you wanted to do after collage, if you liked cars and money was no problem.

    The hosts are doing a wonderful job of entertaining us, and at the end of the day it is a job to them, and they need to make a living doing it. Top gear wants to appeal to the younger people, or to those that are young at heart. Now stop you complaining about it and move on. You’re all a load of kill joys and you can’t remember what your life was like b4 you got hitch. .

    PS doctor who is on xmas day, thats my second fav TV show…. go matt smith…..

  10. I do hope the 2012 Ugandan Christmas special is played over the Christmas period.As a disabled person I have been waiting four years to get on the show hopefully this new series I can actually see the show live.

    The new series should actually show the European Gumpol Ralley with audience disabled passenger from the audiance,Dakkar Ralley,and actually take blind disabled audience (Competition) people across Africa in second hand four wheel drives.F1 should always be featured as its gone from BBC screens elsewhere.

    What about news of Richard Hamonds help to restore a steam railway near where he lives?

  11. Bored of waiting now especially being as the series is getting shorter. Pay tv license ånd this used to be the best show on the bbc now i find myself watching fifth gear.

  12. Fantastic news.ok there are not enough episodes as i would like .but better late than never.as for all those towie lovers who think that top gear is crap .you do not have to watch it.stick to eastenders .x factor and towie.let real people watch a proper show that dsnt take itself too serious

  13. I love watching top gear and have not missed a xmas special. I think however that maybe they should have a fourth member using a van. I use a van all the time so it would be a good giggle to watch the cars trying to keep up with a van like mine. I would even do it. ( bit of self promo there) ha.

  14. seriously guys, no top gear for an entire year almost! what’s going on with BBC!? this is the best TV program of the entire world and what are we having on TV that is stopping TG from showing up every week mate! and now Xmas special in Feb? this is a joke!

  15. every man i have spoken to about xmas tv has said the same thing that no one can beleive that there is no top gear and we have all scourred the listings in disbelef then to read this and find there are only 6 episodes in the new seris and one of them is the winter special i cant help but think that the guys are just to busy doing other things for guys like me that have watched every episode 10 times.
    im thinking perhaps they should have ended top gear when jeramy finished the seris the other year in the perfect aston ???

  16. Sorry but another big f£&k up by the bbc. These clowns in charge just keep taking our money but not providing the service… So that’s this year both tv and radio bosses have messed up massively with top gear “Christmas” special and bbc radio 1 employing that idiot grimmy for the morning breakfast show. Please show me where I can opt out of the bbc and save my money

  17. This is clearly a commercial decision by the BBC/BBC Worldwide. By ‘postponing’ this years Top Gear Special, they are hoping people will go out and buy the new TG DVD. It is discgraceful. Imagine if the BBC decided no EastEnders on Xmas day – there would be uproar. So little on BBX this Xmas for many of us – TG is usually a nice silver lining Xmas week. I almost wonder if BBC Worldwide pushed this, so more people would watch old specials on Dave and then they charged a higher ad rate based on this.

    THE BBC HAVE LET DOWN A LOT OF FOLK- WHAT A WASTE OF MONEY THE LICENSE FEE IS.

  18. I have watched EVERY episode of Top Gear. I NEVER watch BBC except on Sundays when Top gear was on, A whole year without them AND no Xmas special? Why the do I pay my Licence?

  19. I was a good boy I was. And I didn’t get my Christmas Present of Top Gear.
    While Dr. Who has been replayed a bit, it is a touch disappointing.

    And yes I was born with the name Jason Kay. While I do like cars, I cannot carry a tune in a bucket (which means I have difficulty playing a stereo), nor do I have bags full of cash to buy more than one toy at a time… My last being a track-ready 944 Turbo Cup replica.

    JayKay (patiently awaiting the Winter Special)

  20. The only decent programme worth watching over Christmas….and it’s not even on,I was rubbing my eyes in disbelief after going through the tv guide for a third time.It’s a shame – maybe next Christmas!

  21. I'm annoyed that they think their audience is shared with people that watch X-Factor/'I'm a celebrity'! I have never understood that – I would never watch either. And when you consider that the population of people that watch shows at their convenience is growing, why does it matter if you have that other tosh on at the same time? Hellooooooo BBC iPlayer?

    Top Gear is one of the most entertaining shows on TV – stop messing with the schedules or my kitten gets it in the face,

  22. Great Job BBC! Only OUR money… Don't use it on our favorite programs, instead use it on George Entwhistle's salary! Oh Wait, He didn't do a years work!

Leave a Reply to John Cancel reply

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here