Photo: BBC / Top Gear
What would Top Gear be without some dose of controversy? According to the latest from unnamed sources inside the BBC, producers of the show spent £1 million to build the Wall of Death featured earlier in the latest season, only for it to be torn down after 16 minutes.
Fans of the series probably know which Wall of Death we’re talking about. It was shown earlier in the season, with presenters Andrew Flintoff, Paddy McGuinness and Chris Harris each taking turns on it on vehicles that had been written-off for insurance but modified for the stunt. They took turns on it at speeds topping 50 mph (80.4 kph), wondering out loud if this was their final ever stunt.
The location of the scene was North London’s Alexandra Palace, where the Wall of Death had been built. According to a BBC source speaking to The Sun (under the cover of anonymity, of course), the Wall was torn down right after the shoot, which means it was only used for some 16 minutes.
With a total price tag of £1 million, this would make the stunt one of the most expensive shown on BBC in recent times: £62,500 per minute of airtime, or £1,041 a second – or $1.3 million for the Wall, and $82,400 a minute, or $1,372 a second.
This wouldn’t be an issue if the money came out of producers’ pockets or from some wealthy financier, or maybe it wouldn’t feel like such a huge waste, but the BBC is paid for with taxpayers’ money. According to the source, the public needs to know where their money is going and how Top Gear producers are seemingly throwing it down the drain.
“The Wall Of Death was scrapped. Now people know where their TV license money is going,” says the tipster. “It was actually quite heartbreaking to tear it all down.”
In a statement to the media, Top Gear producers confirm the Wall was torn down after the shoot. A spokesperson for the BBC notes that “The Wall of Death was a purpose built set for the new series that was responsibly recycled after the wall had been dismantled.”
The location of the scene was North London’s Alexandra Palace, where the Wall of Death had been built. According to a BBC source speaking to The Sun (under the cover of anonymity, of course), the Wall was torn down right after the shoot, which means it was only used for some 16 minutes.
With a total price tag of £1 million, this would make the stunt one of the most expensive shown on BBC in recent times: £62,500 per minute of airtime, or £1,041 a second – or $1.3 million for the Wall, and $82,400 a minute, or $1,372 a second.
This wouldn’t be an issue if the money came out of producers’ pockets or from some wealthy financier, or maybe it wouldn’t feel like such a huge waste, but the BBC is paid for with taxpayers’ money. According to the source, the public needs to know where their money is going and how Top Gear producers are seemingly throwing it down the drain.
“The Wall Of Death was scrapped. Now people know where their TV license money is going,” says the tipster. “It was actually quite heartbreaking to tear it all down.”
In a statement to the media, Top Gear producers confirm the Wall was torn down after the shoot. A spokesperson for the BBC notes that “The Wall of Death was a purpose built set for the new series that was responsibly recycled after the wall had been dismantled.”
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