The archetypal television car show of the 20th century. Originally hosted by Angela Rippon but probably best know for Jeremy Clarkson's witty and sarcastic script.

Phrases like 'This isn't a car..it's a child of the devil' and 'We all know that small cars are good for us, but so is cod liver oil - and jogging' meant that Clarkson soon became more popular than the cars he was raving about.

Top Gear went up a gear and attracted millions of viewers throughout the eighties and nineties, and spawned a magazine and various copycat shows.