Series 21

7 episodes · 2014

Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May immerse themselves in nostalgia and try to prove that hot hatches from their younger days are better than today's equivalents. Jeremy grabs the keys to a Volkswagen Golf GTI, Richard takes the wheel of a Vauxhall Nova SRi and James May opts for the Ford Fiesta XR2i, and the trio set off on a road trip that includes a hill climb and a visit to a supermarket. However, their adventure concludes at an army training ground in Wales, where they and their steeds must face the heavily armed Top Gear Police Department. Downton Abbey star Hugh Bonneville blasts the Reasonably Priced Car around the test track.

Richard Hammond gets behind the wheel of the mid-engined Alfa Romeo 4C on the shores of Lake Como in Italy - but his enjoyment of the lightweight vehicle is disturbed by the arrival of Jeremy Clarkson, who demands a race against his quad bike. Jeremy also visits Belgium, putting the McLaren P1 hypercar to the test in Bruges and around the Spa-Francorchamps Formula One circuit - and its combined power output of more than 900bhp generated from electricity and turbocharged petrol V8 power is likely to cause astonishment. Meanwhile, James May spends time at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan to learn about the army's vehicle redeployment efforts, and Thor star Tom Hiddleston tries to coax the best time he can muster from the Reasonably Priced Car.

The three petrolheads demonstrate their love of small cars with a trip to Ukraine. Jeremy Clarkson chooses a Volkswagen Up for the journey, while Richard Hammond takes a Ford Fiesta and James May opts for a Dacia Sandero. On their adventure, the trio absorb the history of the Crimean Peninsula, including a visit to an old submarine pen - but the carefree exploration looks likely to become a chore when Jeremy, Richard and James are challenged to a long drive north through the expansive country, during which they must combat serious boredom. And as if that wasn't arduous enough, a new task is set when they arrive in Kiev - a trip into the wasteland of Chernobyl. This edition also features a track test of the Danish Zenvo ST1 supercar and James Blunt returns for another drive in the Reasonably Priced Car.

Jeremy Clarkson heads to Italy to get behind the wheel of the exclusive, hand-crafted Touring Superleggera Disco Volante, which is based on the already rare Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione sports car. Richard Hammond asserts authority over the sand dunes of Abu Dhabi in the six-wheel-drive Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG 6x6. James May defies his status as Captain Slow by blasting two Caterhams around the test track - the minimalist entry-level Seven 160 and the full-fat supercharged Seven 620R. Comedian Jack Whitehall sets a lap time in the Reasonably Priced Car.

Richard Hammond is in Abu Dhabi to drive a new hybrid sports car from Porsche, the 918, and test to see if it has what it takes to beat McLaren's hybrid hypercar, the P1. Jeremy Clarkson and James May are tasked with shooting and presenting a safe cycling public information film to an expert panel featuring Olympic gold medal-winning cycling legend Chris Boardman. Finally, Need for Speed and Breaking Bad star, Aaron Paul, is the 'Star in a Reasonably Priced Car.'

In the first of the all-new two-part special, Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May are on a mission to build a bridge over the River Kwai in Thailand. However, in order to do so, they must first drive across a country that has been largely closed to Westerners for over 40 years: Burma. The trio must make this trip in three trucks that have been bought for a limited budget. Unsurprisingly, they are not quite as the presenters might have hoped or expected…What follows is an epic journey of beautiful scenery, regular adversity, ongoing malfunction, and the constant bickering between the three hosts.

Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May continue their journey in three ancient and barely functioning trucks, heading toward their final challenge - building a bridge over River Kwai in Thailand. Having climbed mountains and endured a Burmese trucker stop, they must now venture into the Shan state, an area rife with civil war and normally closed to Western TV crews.