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Top Gear Crew In Serious Trouble For Speeding In Norway

By Sanjoy Alexander

Courtesy: John Rogers/BBC via Getty Images
Courtesy: John Rogers/BBC via Getty Images /
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Top Gear Series 25 has hit a roadblock as the show’s cars violate speed limits in Norway. The crew may even face jail time along with hefty fines.

Norway is quite strict about its speed laws. Violate those laws and you will end up paying hefty penalties and will also get to spend up to 175 days in prison. Now, Top Gear is in deep trouble as their crew has violated a couple of speed limits while filming in the country.

The cast and crew were shooting a comparo featuring the Ferrari GTC4 Lusso and the Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo in the 3.5-mile long Atlantic Ocean Tunnel when the drivers got pedal-happy. One of the cars clocked speeds between 105 and 122 mph, while the other did all of 151 mph. Ehm… the speed limit for the aforementioned tunnel is 50 mph and the crew were granted special permit to go as far as 87 mph.

Since both the regulated and the specially-granted speed limits were violated, the authorities in Norway have cancelled the special permit. They have also initiated an investigation to find out who the drivers were and will be proceeding with measures to take necessary legal action against the show’s crew.

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 20: In this handout image provided by the BBC, The stars of Top Gear Chris Harris, Matt LeBlanc and Rory Reid at the BBCs Worldwide’s annual TV sales event showcase on February 20, 2017 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. A host of fantastic celebrities wowed international TV buyers at BBC Worldwide’s Showcase event in Liverpool. Now in its 41st year and attended by the world’s top television buyers, this evening’s red carpet gala featured global A-listers including Top Gear presenter Matt LeBlanc, Absolutely Fabulous stars Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley, and White Gold’s leading-man Ed Westwick. (Photo by John Rogers/BBC via Getty Images)
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 20: In this handout image provided by the BBC, The stars of Top Gear Chris Harris, Matt LeBlanc and Rory Reid at the BBCs Worldwide’s annual TV sales event showcase on February 20, 2017 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. A host of fantastic celebrities wowed international TV buyers at BBC Worldwide’s Showcase event in Liverpool. Now in its 41st year and attended by the world’s top television buyers, this evening’s red carpet gala featured global A-listers including Top Gear presenter Matt LeBlanc, Absolutely Fabulous stars Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley, and White Gold’s leading-man Ed Westwick. (Photo by John Rogers/BBC via Getty Images) /

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The cars were caught speeding by automated sensors and now Top Gear has one big mess to clean up.

Now, the big question will obviously be on whether the lead anchors were involved. A report in The Sun states that a BBC spokesperson had confirmed that both Matt LeBlanc and Chris Harris were not in the area when filming was taking place. But there wasn’t any mention on Rory Reid’s whereabouts in the network’s statement.

In all likelihood, the cars must have been piloted by stunt drivers who stand in for the lead anchors when filming additional footage which don’t need the main cast. Those are the chaps who step in when the driving gets too demanding and when the main hosts are too busy.

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BBC has added that they are co-operating with the authorities in Norway and will be working with the police to resolve the matter at the earliest.

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