Top Gear in the sewer

mike65 · 22-07-2009 6:35pm #1

from bbc.

"Hang on lads, I've got a great idea," was the sentence made famous by Michael Caine at the end of the Italian Job.

But it might also apply to the Top Gear team as they have come up with a plan to copy the famous film by racing Minis through Belfast's sewers.

A spokesperson for the BBC show said presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May hoped to film the race through the city's new six-mile sewer network in the coming weeks.

In past shows, the three have raced to the North Pole, driven across the African continent and sailed cars across the English Channel, however, it is the first time they have raced underground.

The original scene sees a gang led by Charlie Croker, played by Caine, hatch a plan to steal $4m in gold destined for banks in Turin before making their getaway in three Mini Coopers.

The city's sewerage system makes the ideal route for the little cars, which are chased through the tunnels by the Carabinieri.

Although the entrance and exits in the film's sewer sequence were shot in Turin, the 'in tunnel' footage was shot in a sewer in Coventry, which was under construction at the time.

A NI Water spokesperson said the company put forward a number of proposals to the BBC last year and the idea to film a Top Gear episode at the Belfast Sewers Project was developed from there.

"NI Water enters into negotiations with many organisations and specialist journals and magazines in order to promote the £100m Belfast Sewers Project, one of the biggest civil engineering projects in the UK," she said.

Tunnelling work on the project to replace Belfast's Victorian-era sewerage system began in 2005.

The scheme is scheduled for completion early next year.

Busi_Girl08 · 22-07-2009 8:01pm

Sounds good, pity they couldn't do the cliffhanger ending

Suppose it was best...pulling a stunt like that could cost a lot of money...and life:P

Myrddin · 22-07-2009 8:21pm

Jez must have been readin our whining about the poor episodes lately :rolleyes:

Sounds like it could be really good, looking foreward to sundays ep

kona · 22-07-2009 8:25pm

In Real Minis, or the obese pretenders.

Silverfish · 22-07-2009 8:29pm

kona wrote: »

In Real Minis, or the obese pretenders.

Has to be a real mini, you'd never get one of those fat yokes through the sewers, never mind 3 of them.

But then again if they're going to wreck any, it better be one of the fat yokes and not one of the real ones.