Depending on your region, the special is available as part of Top Gear Series 16. However, check the runtime. The original UK broadcast was 75 minutes. The US edit on Amazon is often cut to 60 minutes, removing the "mobility scooter race" and several jokes about Iraqi security.
Early in the journey, the team picks up a police escort. The problem? The officers are armed with AK-47s and are clearly bored. They decide to "entertain" themselves by treating the Top Gear convoy as a high-speed pursuit. One police car overtakes at 100 mph, blocking traffic, while another weaves aggressively behind Hammond’s MX-5. Clarkson’s terrified commentary is comedy gold: “This is not an escort. This is a kidnapping in progress.”
Airing as the Christmas special in 2010, officially titled "The Three Wise Men," the premise was deceptively simple: Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May would travel 1,200 miles from Northern Iraq to Bethlehem, all while driving two-seater convertibles they had bought for less than £3,500.
If you are about to watch the , here is what to expect minute-by-minute:
The setup is classic Top Gear . The producers drop the trio in the war-torn border region between Turkey and Iraq. Their goal? To recreate the journey of the Three Wise Men, but with significantly less wisdom and significantly more horsepower. top gear - middle east special full episode
(spent £466 over budget; camouflaged using Afrika Korps inspiration ) . The Route and Challenges
user wants a long article about "Top Gear - Middle East Special full episode". I need to gather information about this special, including its plot, cars used, behind-the-scenes facts, controversies, availability, etc. I'll search for relevant information using the specified search terms. have gathered information from multiple search results. Now I need to synthesize this into a long article. I will open the most relevant pages to extract detailed information. have gathered information from multiple sources. Now I need to write a long article. I'll structure it with an introduction, sections on the premise, the cars, the journey, behind-the-scenes details, controversies, reception, how to watch, and a conclusion. I'll cite the sources appropriately. Christmas quest to find a new Stig, a trio of absurdly unsuitable sports cars, and a long-forgotten era of Middle East travel: the "Top Gear Middle East Special" is a fascinating and nostalgic time capsule of the show at its most ambitious. This is a definitive guide to the full episode.
"Top Gear — Middle East Special" is a lively, adventurous installment of the long-running motoring-entertainment series that blends humor, car-focused challenges, and scenic travelogue elements into a memorable road-trip episode.
Did we miss your favorite moment from the Top Gear Middle East Special? Share your thoughts in the comments below. And if you found this guide useful, check out our deep dives into the Bolivia Special, the Burma Special, and the final Grand Tour specials. Depending on your region, the special is available
A gold relief medallion, a bottle of hotel shampoo (Frankincense), and a Nintendo DSi (in place of myrrh).
Moving south into Jordan, the landscape shifts to brutal desert sand. The sports cars struggle heavily with overheating. A memorable highlight of this leg features the presenters driving through the iconic, narrow sandstone canyons of Petra. 4. Israel and the West Bank
Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan, after arriving via a Russian Ilyushin Il-76 cargo plane .
Unlike later Grand Tour specials that relied on multi-million-dollar budgets and scripted explosions, the Middle East Special retains an organic grit. The threat of instability, the heat of the desert, and the genuine mechanical failures create a tension that scripted television cannot replicate. This is the experience: uncut, raw, and hilariously uncomfortable. The US edit on Amazon is often cut
In Jerash, Jordan, the boys stumbled upon a 2nd-century Roman Hippodrome. Naturally, they treated it like a makeshift NASCAR oval, pushing their fragile convertibles to their absolute limits in a cloud of dust and tire smoke.
If you want to relive the peak era of motoring television, searching for the on official streaming platforms is entirely worth your time. It represents the perfect blend of automotive journalism, travel documentary, and unscripted comedy.
Watch the presenters navigate the challenging terrain of the Middle East in their chosen convertibles: Top Gear - Middle East Special (Part 1/25) Matt Briggs YouTube• Sep 21, 2020 AI responses may include mistakes. Learn more
