BBC to get into gear in Bristol

Top Gear is relocating its production base to Bristol.

“Our Bristol hub is an already incredibly successful and vibrant production base that makes many of our highly popular returning factual entertainment series and blue-chip natural history titles – so the Top Gear team will be in very good creative company. It’s an exciting move for the show.” – Hannah Wyatt, BBC Studios’ Managing Director for Factual Entertainment and Events Productions

The 33rd series, due on screens in 2022, will be the first to be produced from the new base in Bristol. The move will create a number of openings for editorial and production management staff based in the nations and regions.

Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey – home to the iconic Top Gear test track – will continue to be utilised for recordings. There will also be the usual location shoots across the UK and around the world.

Production for the show’s 31st series has been taking place all over the UK during the Summer and the team recently completed its first international shoot since prior to the pandemic when the presenters and crew visited Iceland.

“It’s like a merry-go-round of relocations, it wasn’t that long ago Casualty was moved from Bristol to Cardiff. Did it improve or worsen what we see on screen? Not one iota.” – TV critic Vivian Summers.

Other factual-entertainment formats the BBC is making in Bristol include Countryfile, DIY SOS, Antiques Roadshow, Fake or Fortune and Gardeners’ World.