Chris Harris, the absolute pinnacle of honesty , integrity, loyalty and a true professional in the automotive media industry. Always a pleasure to listen to, and great to hear his side of Freddy’s story. Keep going Chris you are an anomaly in this media driven world 🤜🤛
@@HaggardPillockHD what’s that got to do with it? That’s like saying the sun isn’t the moon. Chris Harris wasn’t trying to be Clarkson. Why does everything have to be a comparison? Chris Harris has his own, informative and entertaining style and he is a hell of a driver. I challenge you to find a better driver while talking to camera this side of Tiff Needell.
@@Duffers999And I think Haggard's comment has everything to do with it. Chris may be a great this and a great that but Clarkson was irreplaceable. The day he was sacked is the day Top Gear died and that's a fact that very few will argue.
I wonder whether it was a way for them to get out and it was all orchestrated, they fired Clarkson, and i think the other two had a clause to get out of their contract if one of them left.
By all accounts of that story The producer had it coming and was a total baby about it. I've been struck before. I would have worked out a deal with the guy. Two grown men letting a personal quarrel cost them profits is a true shame.
Such a fucking shame because Top Gear was never the same after the OG trio but Chris Harris is legitimately awesome. The internet is brutal sometimes unfortunately
My dad worked for a sewage company and kept telling management that one day someone will have an accident on one of the tankers that have a ladder attached. No one did anything despite his insistence time and time again. One day he himself had to go up the tanker and he fell off shattering his arm and part of his back. He got paid a settlement and retired early (not because of that amount of money but because of his health). He still lives with the complications of those injuries. People, like him and Chris, who know their industry well, need to be listened to. The BBC can turn their heads because ‘hey, it doesn’t matter. We’re making a fun show that people watch!’ But when you’re blinded by money and pushing through, things like this happen.
Man I can't tell you how many different times I've seen people get hurt bad at jobs and 9 times out of 10 it's easily preventable somebody already brought up the fact it was going to happen and the weirdest thing is the company's always find a way to almost get back at the person who warned them because exposing a flaw and then nobody ever doing anything about it makes it so the company could be seen to lose face or perhaps even be liable and you know they're not going to do that they will not take responsibility for anything I'm sorry that happened to your dad but thank God he didn't land on his head or something like that but I know what it's like to live with pain your whole life it's no life at all and it really sucks
Ive never heard Chris talk so openly about this before. I find it very moving. Thank God Freddie is ok and moving on with things. And I'm sure Chris will have many more successes in the future.
I drive a Morgan 3 Wheeler on a regular basis. As soon as I heard of this accident, I knew exactly how it had happened. The BBC should be ashamed of letting someone unfamiliar with the physics drive it at speed. Chris is bang on here.
I agree. But I also think all 3 wheelers are dangerous af at speed. Remember when they had a single front wheel and 2 rear wheels? They stopped making them for a good reason. Too many people who were unfamiliar with the physics of them were getting badly injured or killed. That being said, they're relatively safe at legal speeds. I'm not against them but I still think they're dangerous at speed. Then again the same thing could be said about motorcycles if people don't know about hanging off. Knowledge is power and safety.
@@travisazzopardi8024 I've raced methanol burning vintage 3 wheelers at speeds far exceeding speed limits. They're as safe as the nut behind the wheel!
Plus Andrew is nuts, he has literally no fear, or at least didn’t. He’d have done anything. They’d have said to him here’s so and so vehicle, go and do this in it, and he’d have done it, no matter how mental.
@travisazzopardi8024 Having never driven a three wheeler, I was under the impression that two wheels at the front and one at the back was very stable. I would have most likely expect it to slide rather than roll. The car had a roll bar, i guess this saved his life but failed to protect against serious injuries. I guess it's easy to be caught out. The Robin reliant configuration didn't seem too bad, because the engine was so far back in the cab.
Chris Harris is a true car guy. He was a respected automotive journalist long before Top Gear. He gave the show some credibility, in its new format. The BBC really are an awful organisation, who specialise in brushing their failings under the carpet in the most unashamed way. As the saying goes, a good deed never goes unpunished.
Thing is, Top Gear was never much of a journalistic of a show, so if you don't have on-camera persona that blends perfectly with the other two - it doesn't matter.
@@skvltdmedia do you know the history of top gear? it was a respected journalistic car show, then the BBC sold the format and turned the name into something completely different.
@@skvltdmediathe Top Gear you’re thinking of was the pop culture product that you couldn’t take seriously. Watch Tiff Nedell review (and by review I mean beat it within an inch of its life) the McLaren F1, e46 M3, or the 996 Turbo back in the 90s. That was Top Gear at peak auto-journalism. Later on when they started dropping pianos on cars and hopping up the TV personalities, it became automotive junk food.
I did job with Chris at Goodwood five years ago - remember thinking then what a lovely, authentic, character he was - is. Really straightforward and humble. Good for him to come clean. Respect.
Chris is the best motoring journalist the UK has ever produced. He is an excellent presenter and a very good driver. The BBC should have given him full control of the format. The original trio are quite good fun, maybe a little but repetitive. It was an entertaining show if you aren't really that into cars and have a short attention span.
@@ayrshiresoundman Ironically I don’t think he would claim to be any of those things - and I’m not sure you are correct either. But he’s damn good, no argument there from me 👌
As Thomas Sowell, said, "People will forgive you for being wrong, but they will never forgive you for being right. Especially if events prove you right while proving them wrong." Sounds like that's what happened to Chris.
Flintoff gets a huge payout, McGuinness gets a radio show and Harris gets shafted. Flintoff was always an accident waiting to happen. He had no fear , unfortunately that wasn't matched with the driving skill required.
He already crashed plenty times on the show leading up to this. The hearse rollover with chris in the middle without a proper seatbelt was sketchy. Crashed a volvo going too fast aswell
Respectful, dignified, genuine and a great car reviewer to boot. I loved Chris Harris and his review style even when Top Gear was on at the same time as he was doing his thing. I really hope he finds success again doing what he does best… Straight, honest, objective and entertaining car reviews.
I used to enjoy watching it when Tiff Needel presented with Clarkson and Quentin Willson. It's been going since 1977. But as a format it went ballistic when may and Hammond joined.
The shock that is when watching any programme now BBC is we're watching a person with either a dark past or something that's happening right now & the BBC is hiding it knowing some bad sh*t is happening. Baffles me how people in BBC have known of past "Wrong-Doings" & haven't been convicted
Sorry but that's a poor degree of awareness as to why, it's almost certainly a part of the puzzle, but it's a very minor one at best. One of the most significant aspects of it, imho, and it's something that both people who are outside of the UK are not often aware of and the people who are inside the UK oftentimes forget about; is that the BBC is fundamentally an aspect of the Government's "communications" (which absolutely, positively isn't associated with propaganda, not at all nononononono) and isn't at all utilised to allow members of foreign organisations (be they governments, assets or someone who they're trying to recruit) to both meet and *meet* their favourite popstar, band, sportsman/athlete or *ahem* member of the studio audience (and I can say that was the case with certainty for "Top of the Pops" during the years that a certain infamous DJ was the primary host as there's been numerous personal accounts by both people who were in the audience, various co-hosts and former members of government stating as much as matters of record) in order to have (I don't wish to accuse everybody who took advantage of the offer of wrong doing, but sufficient amounts of them did, in addition to some of the guesting performers/musicians) the program developed a reputation for it amongst the public, which is to say the young people who were making up the studio audience at the time. I would wager that it's the way (having heard about it via friends or fans within the punk scene at the time. I am by no means levelling any sort of accusation towards Johnny, who is by my reckoning a very moral person and has no such predilections) by which Johnny Rotten was able to allude towards it in his, now infamous, radio interview.
Tiff Needel, quentin wilson, were better even Plato! Chris Harris is nowhere near top level, zero banter and an absolute bore. The trio were elite level, more to it than a car show… entertainment!
On what basis? I love top gear with the legendary trio, but never found anything compelling with Harris. Amateurs with a go pro in their garage are much more entertaining
@@sharonhunter9721 Jeremy has never been technical or knowledgable enough to be an actual car journalist. Don't get me wrong: he's a great presenter, good comedian and much more talented person in general and I've enjoyed every bit of video content with him, but he's not that great of a journalist as such: he's really opinionated, rarely objective and most of his statements within the show and outside are made more for giggles, rather than to share knowledge and feelings on particular cars.
@@m1chi13l Try older Chris Harris on Cars videos (Top Gear Magazine included), or some of his bits with Collecting Cars, for example a recent one on Tuthill 911K. It's just Top Gear TV is not his format. BBC tried to do the same comedic show approach as with original trio, but that clearly was a mistake. Harris is a relatively serious journalist and I don't feel he's at home within such format. Also, IMO the was completely no chemistry between him and his co-hosts at all. Both Paddy and Fred are just dummies squeezing out jokes that are PC enough to satisfy BBC, but that's it.
Chris Harris was the presenter that made the New Era of Top Gear bareable. His Knowledge and Taste in cars is unmatched. I Loved the Clarkson Years in both TG and GT. I hope Chris Harris gets an opportunity to make a new car show he clearly is the future of Motor Journalism
I think you'd have a smash hit if you got Chris Harris, Henry Catchpole and either Jason Camissa or Thomas from Throttle House as the third. All of them can drive but you'd have Harris as the hot shoe of the group, Catchpole would be your rally driver and Jason/Thomas could focus on a mix of different cars.
He is. And he can really, really drive. Worth looking up footage. You won't regret his nuanced, respectful and deep analysis of what we all do very badly.
Chris, in my opinion, was the only host who came close to being a decent replacement for the trinity. It’s too bad they put him with such lousy co-hosts.
Don't know if he's just nice or he has some sort of Stockholm syndrome but Chris was the only good part of that show and he wasn't very good either as they had him play a trash character. The other guys were just filler. His previous work on youtube was vastly better than the Top Gear he was a part of and I'm sure he could have a done a much better show on his own with a few guys helping and a tenth of whatever budget Top Gear had.
I never particularly warmed to Chris but I have so much respect for him talking about this, good on him for calling it out when he saw it coming too, it may not have been heard but it matters
It definitely matters at the enquiry, because it's on record about the meeting he had. He probably saved himself a lot of grief in this case, because big companies love to shift the blame if they can.
I take my hat off to you Joe, for letting Chris just talk. He's an engaging bloke whose opinion is always worth listening to. There's a great episode of 'The Late Brake Show' on RUclips featuring Chris and his car collection. Well worth a watch.
When Top Gear came back, with the huge list of presenters.. Must have been about 8, 9, 10 presenters.. The sister show, with Harris and Rory Reid was fantastic. It's like the old stuff they used to do for The Drive (which was a website, not a tv show). Can't say I watched it towards the end of the old line up. Clarkson's a cunt, May's a cunt, and Hammond's a cunt. Not sure why i'd spend an hour on a Sunday watching Cunts Cubed.
@@DaveSpecC Harris is a presenter. He doesn't do that well around racers. Doing their own stunts is what ended their show, but he wanted the best of both worlds, but here he is moaning about it. The original 3 didn't have egos so didn't so happily got stunt men in.
I think using the phrase "cover their arses" and BBC presenters is a bit delicate, considering all the arses of children they literally covered without accountability.
Sounds similar to what the Catholic Church did in Ireland for many years. I speak as someone raised in the faith but now somewhat agnostically atheist and as someone aware that other organisations in other faiths and walks of life have been guilty of doing the same thing. The motto seems to be protect the institution at all costs while nor caring who or what individuals get thrown to the wolves. Unfortunately it seems to be a rather unpleasant aspect of the human condition. I hope it can change and lessons can be learned but far far too often it can be a horrible case of history repeating itself.
I'm not a cars guy, but this fella has such a great aura. He's the spit of a slightly more rugged version of a college tutor I once had, same mannerisms and all. Was really well spoken and serious about his craft, as well as being a laugh.
@@HarryCallahan-tf3qr Not at all. If you worked in a shop, and your employer asked you to climb a ladder to stack shelves, would you stringently inspect the ladder before using it? No, you'd trust that everything was safe because you're an employee and that's not your job. If your employer's defence after an accident was "well, no one forced you to climb the ladder, so it's your fault" you'd be pissed.
I had no idea that Chris tried to warn the BBC and did the right thing as a professional driver. I also had no idea that he felt so personally responsible for not giving Fred the advice that could have prevented the crash, even though he didn't get the opportunity to. Really sad.
Who knew getting a Comedian and a Cricketer to do insane stunts in Cars when they have limited Driving skills would end in almost tragedy 🤷♂ I know he's probably signed all kinds of waivers but if I was Flintoff I'd be suing the crap out of the BBC.
I agree it was not a case of if but when as a none driver doing this stuff sooner or later one was going to fck up. The old three had far more experience and they still got it wrong on occasions. I stopped watching after 1st few shows.
@@TheHoneyBadger12 i dont disagree although Id argue they spent 20 years building up to the madness on top gear. The new lot were expected to do the madness from day 1
Nice to hear Chris’s side to it. It was definitely made very quiet (I had no idea) that he went to health and safety and said this is just getting past stupid and someone’s going to get hurt. Just by the way he speaks you can tell how much he took Freddie and Paddy’s safety as a responsibility on his own shoulders as their friend, copresenter but also as by far the most competent and experienced driver. This interview gave me a new added amount of respect for Chris
Makes a lot of sense they ignored they probably wanted this happen so they could finally kill Top Gear because of what it represents, Clarkson spoke about how for years they tried to sanitise it and make it more woke so many of the weirdos of the BBC have had it out for that show for a long time, it wont return or if it does it'll be the most dreary unfunny PC sludge you can imagine.
@@CrystalImagesTVI refuse to believe in any regard that the BBC would encourage a crash to happen and intentionally hurt one of the stars of the show, to try and get rid of it off the air. If they really wanted to, they could just.. not renew the current at the time team of the show.
As an experienced motoring journalist ( and more importantly friend ), Chris should never have let Freddie get behind the wheel of that Morgan on a race track without wearing a helmet regardless of what the BBC thought. He may have suggested wearing a helmet... who knows ? From a M3W owner who has driven on racetracks.
Everyone commenting about the original trio rather than the incompetencies of the BBC and the life changing impact it had on Flintoff are mad. Respect to Chris for speaking out.
@@Bob-zh7lr Oh, nooo. Thanks for enlightening me to the true way where we live our life based on YT likes. Sounds like a splendid way forward. I was lost there for a second. Thanks soooo much, son.
They aren't mad, just pointing out the "ending Top Gear" bit. Everybody knows it ended a long time before this accident, that doesn't make what happened to Freddie any less dreadful
"Never commission an enquiry you don't already know the outcome of" sounds like Yes, Minister. A fantastic comedy still remarkably applicable decades later.
It was bad at first, and I really didn't like him. After they trimmed down the cast to Matt, Chris and Rory, and let Chris be more himself, I started warming up to him. I think he has done the best you could hope for in the shadow of the holy trinity.
Does it? Or shouldni say did it? I know him from evo. Hes a top bloke. If you think any differently then it shows you know nothing. You as in them not you OP
@@richy69ify Reading really isn’t your strong suit, is it? The BBC wrote scripts for him when he first started. They tried to manipulate how he came across. Watch anything he has done on his own or even probably, maybe watch the video you are commenting on. He was asked specific questions about specific events and gave his professional opinion, because it’s his profession. I would say he has far more knowledge and expertise in what he is talking about than an androgynous keyboard warrior looking to argue on the internet. If you have nothing else better to do than try to stir up baseless arguments online, your mom should make you go sit in the backyard on the swing in timeout for a while.
He's no good on the race track. There's a video on here at the Nordschleife he got tailed by a MK2 Golf GTi in his Porsche GT3 and didn't do well racing Minis at Goodwood. I find him cocky, but obviously well suited to the TV camera. My Favourite car guy is the humble Ian Tyrrell.
Honestly, feel bad for Harris. You can tell that no matter who he works with , he treats them with kindness, candidness, and always placed his passion for cars closely after the health of the people he worked with. I hope that he can move on.
Because now they have proof that Clarkson and the gang were pulling in the viewers, not the BBC or the brand name. They are mad he is successful without them.
He should quit Top Gear and join the OG crew on their show or channel, since the the original trio retire, he and the other should continue what they do, so yeah
Chris Harris is the best. From being a excellent race driver to breaking down each car and what they can and cant do, pros and cons. Tiff Needle is another one like that. i always looked forward to Chris reviewing a car. The old top gear with jeremy and the group. It sort of got old after awhile. I mostly looked forward to what time the Stig was going to do and look at the leaderboard.
As content creators who have transitioned from television to now being exclusively on social media: I totally understand you, Chris! I sympathize with you, sending you lots of strength, and I hope you'll find a way to enjoy driving cars again to create images that inspire us and make us dream!
Chris Harris is a Legend, his mix of knwoledge and skills are top tier(semi pun there). Best driver of the show worldwide, next to Tanner Foust(another Legend)
Chris has been my favourite motoring journalist for a very long time and I've had the pleasure of meeting him on a number of occasions and even shared a track with him. He's a proper bloke, great presenter, impressively knowledgable and articulate, and a very talented driver. Like most car guys I watched the rebooted TopGear because Mr. Harris was on it. Freddy and Paddy are perhaps great at what they do in their respective fields, but why the BBC thought they'd be suited to what was once the world's most successful l car program I've no idea?! Then again the BBC aren't exactly known for their quality decision making!
Top gear might of died with the iconic trio but Chris Harris was a hell of a presenter. Proper car enthusiasts. With the Grand tour wrapping up and them waiting to keep the show running with different presenters. I would love to see Chris Harris take over The Grand Tour with his chosen team of presenters.
What a legend car journalist. What a brilliant driver, modest and very honest! Chris Harris has been my favourite car journalist by far even in the early 2000s.
Chris Harris is a class act. True enthusiast and did a good job when faced with going up against The original cast. He will always be one of my favorites to watch. Extremely talented and a wonderful person all together. He brought the technical side and knowledge to the show.
Great interview. I remember many times watching Top Gear with the old cast and the new cast and thought i'm amazed someone hasn't been seriously injured yet. Bring Top Gear back have good old fashioned car reviews and drag races, thats all we need.
That’s the BIG WISDOM at 13:50. I like Chris Harris. When he was gone for a bit he was missed and when he resurfaced you could tell he had been through it.
There's a lot of hate for Chris in these comments, but Chris Harris is one of the best drivers and car reviewers on the planet. Guy deserves some credit for his skill of taking a car to the limit while still presenting to camera.
I hear you but I'm kinda tired of watching him drift every car he drives. He seems to make it about his driving skills. Although he is outstanding, I never watched TG for the driving abilities of the hosts unless it was for comedic effect. :)
I like Chris and Freddie. Fred was the daredevil who would give anything a go (as we found out) and had some good chemistry with Chris. Paddy though was just turd. Super annoying and brought nothing to the table.
If you like Jeremy Clarkson and history documentaries, look up Jeremy Clarksons War stories on RUclips. It’s decades old now but I love his voice and hearing WW2 stories from a British perspective, as an American is insightful
Some of the best work that Clarkson has ever done has been his more serious documentaries. They always get overlooked because the comedic style of the Top Gear and The Grand Tour. Also worth watching the Senna tribute piece from Top Gear on RUclips that he narrated.
Its actually wild that BBC didnt know 3 wheeled vehicles were prone to rolling considering theyve produced plenty of footage of them doing exactly that.
I’m willing to bet the whole reason they got a 3 wheel car was because they’d hope something WOULD go wrong. The fact they did an automotive show without safety meeting before every shoot makes them 100% responsible.
@@df4196 It's like Richard Hammond's crash in the jet car. He had already driven it 14mph quicker than the British land speed record on that day, although the producers didn't tell Hammond this as they wanted a genuine reaction for the camera. They had reached their 5pm cut off time, but applied for an extension to do "one more run" for more footage and the rest is history! Obviously no one can tell when a tyre will fail, but it does seem like they were rather "pushing their luck" after 5 successful runs including the 314 mph full afterburner run.
Where's this footage you're on about ? The wheel configuration on Reliant Robins are different to Morgans. For the record, I think you'll find more footage of vehicles with 4 wheels rolling as opposed to 3 😉
I helped Chris and the whole crew film the TopGear Thailand episode and it was crazy to watch the entire production go down. It was such cool experience and I now own the BMW E30 Chris drove on that episode.
I met and chatted to them after a early filming they seemed really down to earth. I was only really interesting in meeting Chris having loved /Drive, Chris harris on cars and his years of work at EVO and other publications. The wife was more interesting in the other two of course
I also have worked with TG (construction and engineering), and yeah I agree, it's an intense yet enjoyable experience for sure! One day i was asked to modify the iconic Lap Time / Leader Board so it winds up higher and reveals a load more lap times that were hidden behind....which was a typical TV last minute request (no time or parts or warning, just make magic happen...but that's TV and its the best/most stressful/rewarding work out there!) 🙌🏻
You casuals shitting on chris harris like he Isnt one of the most well regarded and respected figures in the automotive industry alongside May Hammond and Clarkson …
If he’s so well regarded, why don’t “casuals” know who he is? We know the other guys you mention. Is he the car guys car guy like some abstract guitarist is the guitarists guitarist?
Sure, but he isn't as well regarded as a Top Gear host now is he. Let's be real, the cars were secondary to the chemistry of the hosts and Hammond, May, and Clarkson run laps around him in that regard.
@@Bonesawisready926 yes not in top gear i agree with you, but ive seen comments in here critisizing him for not living up to an impossible standard of the trio , While having no idea the contributions this man made to the industry along the years , and the massive fandom he has among true car enthusiast… and to be honest … I love hammond clarkson and May I grew up watching them , but chris is much more knowledgeable about cars and a far superior driver to any of the main trio
It’s awesome that Chris has opened up about this. Really brave being honest in the face of the corporate machine. He’s one of, if not the best, car journalist there is, his opinions to be respected above almost everyone. Sucks so hard he butted up against the politics of the corporate world - hope facing up to it doesn’t burn his ass again. Kudos and a hat tip to Freddy
BBC messed up twice, first by sacking Clarkson, May and Hammond, and second by pairing Harris with all those clowns that had no clue about cars. Harris should have been paired with someone actually competent and knowledgeable about cars, and he should have been the leader of the show, instead, what BBC did was make Harris look like the clown of the trio, while he was actually the only one in the trio who knew a lot about cars and driving. That was a fundamental and critical error. They totally underutilized Harris. As far as car reviews go, he's actually better than Clarkson, May or Hammond.
For those who may not know, Andrew 'Fred' Flintoff is a true national treasure in the UK. As one of the greatest cricketers of all time, he's known not only for his incredible talent on the field but also for his larger-than-life personality. He's funny, charismatic, and an impressive athlete, even becoming a professional boxer after retiring from cricket. What happened to him is heartbreaking, but I'm incredibly thankful that he's still with us.
Great interview! Good to hear about this from someone who was in the show...particularly Chris, given his level of experience. Have to say I'm both shocked...and not...that Chris' concerns were ignored. Shocked because it was one of the BBC's flagship shows, but not because they clearly didn't have any qualified staff to supervise the shoots. When you're relying on a single guy who is also part of the cast, to flag up H&S issues, thats sketchy as hell! Although given the accidents Richard Hammond was involved in...especially the rocket car one, its amazing the show didn't get cancelled sooner.
13:50 this is exactly how Hammond’s crash on the Swiss Hill Climb happened. Everyone had already gone twice, and as they were about to close the director asked Hammond for one more run. Hammond even said “you know this is going to be the one I bin it right”, and that’s exactly what happened.
Freddie Flintoff, who he's talking about, is genuinely a sweetheart. Hes a big dude, with a big heart. He was a cricketer who played for England. And with his help, they won the Ashes in Australia in (i think) the mid 2000's! Don't quote me, lol. Freddie was completely sloshed when they were celebrating when they got back home afterwards and were on the open top double decker bus driving through the celebrating crowds. There'll be footage of it online. You could feel the energy through the screen. 👏👌 EDIT: I just checked and yes, theres a superb pic of Freddie hammered outside of No.10! I'm sure he pissed in the garden there too! 🤦🏼♀️😂👏
@@goldenboots507 It is related. Top Gear came to an end because of Flintoff's accident, which split his face open down the middle. He needed it stitched back together with plastic surgery. Went from a real good looking guy to looking like Frankenstein.
@@cattysplat seeing the pictures of the guy now just makes me feel awful for him. he was a very good looking chap before, so I can't imagine waking up with such a notable disfigurement would have been easy at all. poor man.
@@goldenboots507oh wow a keyboard warrior talking utter nonsense as usual. Well done you for getting three likes and some random people like me to respond to your utter bollocks. Bravo 👏, just what you wanted.
Came in expecting a lot of unwarranted hate for Chris but I'm glad the masses appreciate him for his services to automotive journalism. Maybe Top Gear wasn't for him, I mean no one can ever realistically fill the shoes of the trio, but in terms of pure automotive journalism, Chris is top tier.
@@solalexander674 Yea I’ve seen Fred’s crash. People forget about Richard’s rocket car crash and the Hill top race when he flipped it over a cliff and caught on fire and had to be air lifted. I’m just pointing out that way before Chris Harris was on top gear, Top Gear had some insane close calls.
Harris was the only true heir to the OG trio’s success. He’s a true petrol head, through and through. Had the BBC given the gig to Harris, Henry catchpole and a young Matt Watson, true fans would’ve supported the show.
@@kurtsudheim825 Guinness world records confirm top gear had a peak viewership figures of 350 million per week throughout the show’s entirety, with 1 episode in 2007 having 8.4 million live viewers, Thus making it the most viewed factual tv show in history. You have no clue what you are talking about my friend.
Chris is an amazing motorsport journalist. He's informative, eloquent and entertaining. He will be just fine if he focuses on RUclips or something like that.
What Jezza, Hammond and May did could never be replicated. In saying that, Chris was truly entertaining on the reboot, 100% correct what his saying that he was the only professional driver on that show. They should have heeded his advice. I recall Hammond using a Morgan Three Wheeler in one Episode of TG and its looked a challenge to drive. Cant believe the BBC allowed Freddy drive that car without a Helmet.
Chris Harris on cars single-handedly was responsible for a 54 year old man that was always an “American muscle car” guy changing to an absolute obsession with European cars. His humor and sayings just drew me in. I now know what a GT2 RS is I know what that a 288 GTO is not magnum PIs car. I also appreciate a car that can go around a track vs a quarter mile. Thanks a lot.
9:20 I think the bbc really found their golden nugget trio with Chris, paddy and flintoff. I couldn’t agree more with what Chris was saying, the show was nearly once a season the show got stopped because someone got hurt. Paddy with the Lamborghini and Freddy with a lot happening to him. It is a shame it’s ended but I also think it was the right choice. And the fact the bbc didn’t listen to him, a race driver who knows what is safe and what isn’t is honestly disgusting.
The old boys were impossible to replace. Chris was BBC’s best shot at reinventing top gear or at least making a new show entirely. All the best to Chris in whatever he does next!
Guy speaking from the heart, genuinely affected and still upset about what he experienced and all people can do is comment about how the show wasn't the same after the original cast. 🙈
It seems to me that the BBC - largest and most prestigious broadcaster in the world, treats its staff as if they are the smallest and most insignificant, at times. A colossal shame.
@@PaulHipToBeSquareAllen Pedophiles everywhere, unfortunately. So it makes quite a lot of sense when you consider the scale, and age, of the company. Or are you one of those people who think Epstein island was fake?
Cool story, but Top Gear ended the day Clarkson, May and Hammond left.
I literally didn’t even know it was still going after they left 😂
Facts
@@Chwiirleadersame
100%
Exactly
Chris Harris, the absolute pinnacle of honesty , integrity, loyalty and a true professional in the automotive media industry. Always a pleasure to listen to, and great to hear his side of Freddy’s story. Keep going Chris you are an anomaly in this media driven world 🤜🤛
Couldn’t have said it better myself.
But Clarkson he ain't
@@HaggardPillockHD what’s that got to do with it? That’s like saying the sun isn’t the moon. Chris Harris wasn’t trying to be Clarkson. Why does everything have to be a comparison?
Chris Harris has his own, informative and entertaining style and he is a hell of a driver. I challenge you to find a better driver while talking to camera this side of Tiff Needell.
@@Duffers999what has Chris Harris's driving got to do with it? Why does everything have to be a comparison? 😆
@@Duffers999And I think Haggard's comment has everything to do with it. Chris may be a great this and a great that but Clarkson was irreplaceable. The day he was sacked is the day Top Gear died and that's a fact that very few will argue.
This didn’t end top gear.. it ended when the legendary trio left..
The accident was the cast after that trio.
It's funny that no one remembers Clarkson punching the producer
What this guy did was not top gear
What year was that?
Not really. You mean the ugly, bad breath and bad teeth racist guys?😂
Legendary?😂😂😂
Huge respect for the honesty and integrity shown by Chris.
The accident was Clarkson punching the producer and getting fired. That's when Top Gear ended. Thank god we got the Grand Tour😂
I wonder whether it was a way for them to get out and it was all orchestrated, they fired Clarkson, and i think the other two had a clause to get out of their contract if one of them left.
The accident was firing Clarkson.
By all accounts of that story The producer had it coming and was a total baby about it. I've been struck before. I would have worked out a deal with the guy. Two grown men letting a personal quarrel cost them profits is a true shame.
Well unfortunately they are done making Grand Tour
The grand tour is orders of magnitude better above and beyond anything this new grand tour ever attempted to be.
Chris Harris deserves his own show but not Top Gear. People will never stop complaining and comparing Chris to the Trio
You couldn't be more right - 100% on the money.
He should Join Drivetribe
you could call it Chris Harris on Cars....
I would watch that
He had one. It was amazing. He seem be same guy on his own show as he was on top gear but he could do wtv and wasnt compared to the orginal trio.
Such a fucking shame because Top Gear was never the same after the OG trio but Chris Harris is legitimately awesome. The internet is brutal sometimes unfortunately
If he was awesome he would have told the BBC to stick it up their a$$ when they approached him for top gear.
Agree, outside of the 3, this guy was good. He just needed his own show.
Agree, Harris was and is a car guy.
It was best with those 3 - original cast in 1980s were dull as fuck
@@NikboyleLol over to Tiff Needel
My dad worked for a sewage company and kept telling management that one day someone will have an accident on one of the tankers that have a ladder attached. No one did anything despite his insistence time and time again. One day he himself had to go up the tanker and he fell off shattering his arm and part of his back. He got paid a settlement and retired early (not because of that amount of money but because of his health). He still lives with the complications of those injuries. People, like him and Chris, who know their industry well, need to be listened to. The BBC can turn their heads because ‘hey, it doesn’t matter. We’re making a fun show that people watch!’ But when you’re blinded by money and pushing through, things like this happen.
Man I can't tell you how many different times I've seen people get hurt bad at jobs and 9 times out of 10 it's easily preventable somebody already brought up the fact it was going to happen and the weirdest thing is the company's always find a way to almost get back at the person who warned them because exposing a flaw and then nobody ever doing anything about it makes it so the company could be seen to lose face or perhaps even be liable and you know they're not going to do that they will not take responsibility for anything I'm sorry that happened to your dad but thank God he didn't land on his head or something like that but I know what it's like to live with pain your whole life it's no life at all and it really sucks
Ive never heard Chris talk so openly about this before. I find it very moving. Thank God Freddie is ok and moving on with things. And I'm sure Chris will have many more successes in the future.
He literally said he didn't want to, only because Fred is okay now
@@kurtsudheim825he said he didn't want any more success?
Well said. Hats off to Chris.
Fred’s not a car guy and he’s a shit driver. The guy had no business on Top Gear.
Freddie made millions off his accident do I'm sure he's mighty fine!!!
I drive a Morgan 3 Wheeler on a regular basis. As soon as I heard of this accident, I knew exactly how it had happened. The BBC should be ashamed of letting someone unfamiliar with the physics drive it at speed. Chris is bang on here.
I agree. But I also think all 3 wheelers are dangerous af at speed. Remember when they had a single front wheel and 2 rear wheels? They stopped making them for a good reason. Too many people who were unfamiliar with the physics of them were getting badly injured or killed. That being said, they're relatively safe at legal speeds. I'm not against them but I still think they're dangerous at speed. Then again the same thing could be said about motorcycles if people don't know about hanging off. Knowledge is power and safety.
@@travisazzopardi8024 I've raced methanol burning vintage 3 wheelers at speeds far exceeding speed limits. They're as safe as the nut behind the wheel!
Plus Andrew is nuts, he has literally no fear, or at least didn’t. He’d have done anything. They’d have said to him here’s so and so vehicle, go and do this in it, and he’d have done it, no matter how mental.
Ah let's blame someone else.
@travisazzopardi8024 Having never driven a three wheeler, I was under the impression that two wheels at the front and one at the back was very stable. I would have most likely expect it to slide rather than roll. The car had a roll bar, i guess this saved his life but failed to protect against serious injuries. I guess it's easy to be caught out.
The Robin reliant configuration didn't seem too bad, because the engine was so far back in the cab.
Chris Harris is a true car guy. He was a respected automotive journalist long before Top Gear. He gave the show some credibility, in its new format. The BBC really are an awful organisation, who specialise in brushing their failings under the carpet in the most unashamed way. As the saying goes, a good deed never goes unpunished.
I only found him a bit before he git the gig
Thing is, Top Gear was never much of a journalistic of a show, so if you don't have on-camera persona that blends perfectly with the other two - it doesn't matter.
@@skvltdmedia do you know the history of top gear? it was a respected journalistic car show, then the BBC sold the format and turned the name into something completely different.
Yes it was, but the original, & the reboot stayed as a car show, picky around season 5-10 did it become entertainment @skvltdmedia
@@skvltdmediathe Top Gear you’re thinking of was the pop culture product that you couldn’t take seriously. Watch Tiff Nedell review (and by review I mean beat it within an inch of its life) the McLaren F1, e46 M3, or the 996 Turbo back in the 90s. That was Top Gear at peak auto-journalism. Later on when they started dropping pianos on cars and hopping up the TV personalities, it became automotive junk food.
"No i don't wanna break my fingers" was the perfect response 😂
I did job with Chris at Goodwood five years ago - remember thinking then what a lovely, authentic, character he was - is. Really straightforward and humble. Good for him to come clean. Respect.
Who cares there are infinite 'good blokes' in the world. He's nobody.
@@bobbastian760 Grow up
Chris is the best motoring journalist the UK has ever produced. He is an excellent presenter and a very good driver. The BBC should have given him full control of the format. The original trio are quite good fun, maybe a little but repetitive. It was an entertaining show if you aren't really that into cars and have a short attention span.
@@ayrshiresoundman Ironically I don’t think he would claim to be any of those things - and I’m not sure you are correct either. But he’s damn good, no argument there from me 👌
@@bobbastian760 Who cares … ? Me. The world is full of gobshites. Chris is a gentleman. If you have any quality, that’s important 👍
As Thomas Sowell, said, "People will forgive you for being wrong, but they will never forgive you for being right. Especially if events prove you right while proving them wrong." Sounds like that's what happened to Chris.
Uncle Thomas is a clown.
@@JoshJones-37334 youre a clown
@@JoshJones-37334that's very cool, didn't know you were related to him. Can I get an autograph
I’m a simple man, I see a Thomas Sowell quote and I like it.
@@JoshJones-37334you must be the tolerant left that I’ve heard so much about!
Flintoff gets a huge payout, McGuinness gets a radio show and Harris gets shafted. Flintoff was always an accident waiting to happen. He had no fear , unfortunately that wasn't matched with the driving skill required.
He already crashed plenty times on the show leading up to this. The hearse rollover with chris in the middle without a proper seatbelt was sketchy. Crashed a volvo going too fast aswell
Not wearing a helmet is a pretty stupid move when you’re driving fast.
@@SharmVin an open top car to
I always said the same he is immature
Exactly what happend when you put a absolute fruit cake. Flintoff & mugginess should have not been anywhere near a car
Respectful, dignified, genuine and a great car reviewer to boot. I loved Chris Harris and his review style even when Top Gear was on at the same time as he was doing his thing. I really hope he finds success again doing what he does best… Straight, honest, objective and entertaining car reviews.
Never watched it again after Hammond,May and Clarkson left. They were Top Gear. You cannot replace them at all.
I don’t think the majority did
The bbc was just waiting for another accident so they could cancel it
Same bro was dog shit afterwards!
Grateful every day that hammond survived and recovered well from his accident
I used to enjoy watching it when Tiff Needel presented with Clarkson and Quentin Willson. It's been going since 1977. But as a format it went ballistic when may and Hammond joined.
Same.
The BBC doesn’t receive criticism, that’s why all the sex offenders from 30/40 years ago were allowed to stick around
....still do this day.
Don't forget recently, that news reader...
The shock that is when watching any programme now BBC is we're watching a person with either a dark past or something that's happening right now & the BBC is hiding it knowing some bad sh*t is happening. Baffles me how people in BBC have known of past "Wrong-Doings" & haven't been convicted
@@BCGT_Mikee_Dreddhuw Edwards, they paid him for noncing
Sorry but that's a poor degree of awareness as to why, it's almost certainly a part of the puzzle, but it's a very minor one at best.
One of the most significant aspects of it, imho, and it's something that both people who are outside of the UK are not often aware of and the people who are inside the UK oftentimes forget about; is that the BBC is fundamentally an aspect of the Government's "communications" (which absolutely, positively isn't associated with propaganda, not at all nononononono) and isn't at all utilised to allow members of foreign organisations (be they governments, assets or someone who they're trying to recruit) to both meet and *meet* their favourite popstar, band, sportsman/athlete or *ahem* member of the studio audience (and I can say that was the case with certainty for "Top of the Pops" during the years that a certain infamous DJ was the primary host as there's been numerous personal accounts by both people who were in the audience, various co-hosts and former members of government stating as much as matters of record) in order to have (I don't wish to accuse everybody who took advantage of the offer of wrong doing, but sufficient amounts of them did, in addition to some of the guesting performers/musicians) the program developed a reputation for it amongst the public, which is to say the young people who were making up the studio audience at the time.
I would wager that it's the way (having heard about it via friends or fans within the punk scene at the time. I am by no means levelling any sort of accusation towards Johnny, who is by my reckoning a very moral person and has no such predilections) by which Johnny Rotten was able to allude towards it in his, now infamous, radio interview.
Its called the BBC after all 😂 British Beast Corporation
Chris Harris is probably the best car journalist. The stuff he did with his channel Chris Harris on cars was just some of the best of commentary ever.
Agreed. She should have been a part of the trio.
Tiff Needel, quentin wilson, were better even Plato!
Chris Harris is nowhere near top level, zero banter and an absolute bore.
The trio were elite level, more to it than a car show… entertainment!
Harry Metcalfe is right up there too.
I was so excited when he appeared as a presenter. I was such a fan already from EVO magazine.
HUge fan.
LUv and PEAce.
@@gareth5853well it's because Chris Harris is just a car journalist not an entertainer. He just loves cars
Chris Harris is the Best!
The Ferrari F40/F50 video is probably the best car clip on RUclips.
Chris Harris may not be a comedic presenter like Jeremy Clarkson, but he is one of the greatest automotive video journalists ever.
Jeremy is both
On what basis? I love top gear with the legendary trio, but never found anything compelling with Harris.
Amateurs with a go pro in their garage are much more entertaining
@@sharonhunter9721 Jeremy has never been technical or knowledgable enough to be an actual car journalist. Don't get me wrong: he's a great presenter, good comedian and much more talented person in general and I've enjoyed every bit of video content with him, but he's not that great of a journalist as such: he's really opinionated, rarely objective and most of his statements within the show and outside are made more for giggles, rather than to share knowledge and feelings on particular cars.
@@m1chi13l Try older Chris Harris on Cars videos (Top Gear Magazine included), or some of his bits with Collecting Cars, for example a recent one on Tuthill 911K.
It's just Top Gear TV is not his format. BBC tried to do the same comedic show approach as with original trio, but that clearly was a mistake. Harris is a relatively serious journalist and I don't feel he's at home within such format.
Also, IMO the was completely no chemistry between him and his co-hosts at all. Both Paddy and Fred are just dummies squeezing out jokes that are PC enough to satisfy BBC, but that's it.
Chris Harris, the real, raw, Harris on Harris on cars, is a cut above JC. JC is a top journalist, Harris is a top motor reviewer
Chris Harris was the presenter that made the New Era of Top Gear bareable. His Knowledge and Taste in cars is unmatched. I Loved the Clarkson Years in both TG and GT. I hope Chris Harris gets an opportunity to make a new car show he clearly is the future of Motor Journalism
I think you'd have a smash hit if you got Chris Harris, Henry Catchpole and either Jason Camissa or Thomas from Throttle House as the third. All of them can drive but you'd have Harris as the hot shoe of the group, Catchpole would be your rally driver and Jason/Thomas could focus on a mix of different cars.
thought Mat leBlanc was great also
Never watched the ‘new’ top gear. But I really like this Chris Harris guy. Seems like a genuine, honest guy.
chrisharrisoncars. did that before top gear and has some awesome stuff. not many people can say they went sideways in an f40 and f50 on the same day.
He is. And he can really, really drive. Worth looking up footage. You won't regret his nuanced, respectful and deep analysis of what we all do very badly.
I can't watch anything with McGuinness.
Never met him, know very little about him but I have a visceral reaction to his face and voice
Chris, in my opinion, was the only host who came close to being a decent replacement for the trinity. It’s too bad they put him with such lousy co-hosts.
Don't know if he's just nice or he has some sort of Stockholm syndrome but Chris was the only good part of that show and he wasn't very good either as they had him play a trash character. The other guys were just filler.
His previous work on youtube was vastly better than the Top Gear he was a part of and I'm sure he could have a done a much better show on his own with a few guys helping and a tenth of whatever budget Top Gear had.
I never particularly warmed to Chris but I have so much respect for him talking about this, good on him for calling it out when he saw it coming too, it may not have been heard but it matters
It definitely matters at the enquiry, because it's on record about the meeting he had. He probably saved himself a lot of grief in this case, because big companies love to shift the blame if they can.
I take my hat off to you Joe, for letting Chris just talk. He's an engaging bloke whose opinion is always worth listening to. There's a great episode of 'The Late Brake Show' on RUclips featuring Chris and his car collection. Well worth a watch.
We Americans just like hearing intelligent British people speak.. it mesmerizes our American cheeseburger brains😂
Chris Harris was easily the best thing about “New” top gear
There was NOTHING good from new top gear
When Top Gear came back, with the huge list of presenters.. Must have been about 8, 9, 10 presenters..
The sister show, with Harris and Rory Reid was fantastic. It's like the old stuff they used to do for The Drive (which was a website, not a tv show).
Can't say I watched it towards the end of the old line up. Clarkson's a cunt, May's a cunt, and Hammond's a cunt. Not sure why i'd spend an hour on a Sunday watching Cunts Cubed.
@@flipnotrab you prefer presenters who need stunt drives to do their drift shots over a real driver? L take.
@@flipnotrab that's your opinion you have a right to it.... but I disagree.
@@DaveSpecC
Harris is a presenter. He doesn't do that well around racers. Doing their own stunts is what ended their show, but he wanted the best of both worlds, but here he is moaning about it. The original 3 didn't have egos so didn't so happily got stunt men in.
The BBC is very good at ignoring warnings and trying to cover their arses when it all goes wrong.
This is literally the first time ever the BBC has hidden stuff😐
I think using the phrase "cover their arses" and BBC presenters is a bit delicate, considering all the arses of children they literally covered without accountability.
@@rileyblue 🤣🤣🤣🤣 Yeah 1st time..... 🤦♂
Sounds similar to what the Catholic Church did in Ireland for many years. I speak as someone raised in the faith but now somewhat agnostically atheist and as someone aware that other organisations in other faiths and walks of life have been guilty of doing the same thing. The motto seems to be protect the institution at all costs while nor caring who or what individuals get thrown to the wolves. Unfortunately it seems to be a rather unpleasant aspect of the human condition. I hope it can change and lessons can be learned but far far too often it can be a horrible case of history repeating itself.
@@rileyblue Ever heard of Jimmy Saville?
Harris is the best car analysis and driver car shows have ever seen.
Not even close.. he is honestly a really bad auto journalist imo. He just drifts cars
@bradlyfan lol
This guy is such a great communicator. Seems like such a nice guy.
I'm not a cars guy, but this fella has such a great aura. He's the spit of a slightly more rugged version of a college tutor I once had, same mannerisms and all. Was really well spoken and serious about his craft, as well as being a laugh.
Huge respect to Chris for being so honest & open about such a horrible event. I hope the BBC is held accountable.
It won't be.
Accountable why? Did they hold a gun to his head and told him to drive that car??
@@HarryCallahan-tf3qr Ever heard of employers liability?
@xeno087 Are you saying he was Forced??
@@HarryCallahan-tf3qr Not at all. If you worked in a shop, and your employer asked you to climb a ladder to stack shelves, would you stringently inspect the ladder before using it? No, you'd trust that everything was safe because you're an employee and that's not your job. If your employer's defence after an accident was "well, no one forced you to climb the ladder, so it's your fault" you'd be pissed.
I had no idea that Chris tried to warn the BBC and did the right thing as a professional driver. I also had no idea that he felt so personally responsible for not giving Fred the advice that could have prevented the crash, even though he didn't get the opportunity to. Really sad.
Who knew getting a Comedian and a Cricketer to do insane stunts in Cars when they have limited Driving skills would end in almost tragedy 🤷♂
I know he's probably signed all kinds of waivers but if I was Flintoff I'd be suing the crap out of the BBC.
I agree it was not a case of if but when as a none driver doing this stuff sooner or later one was going to fck up. The old three had far more experience and they still got it wrong on occasions. I stopped watching after 1st few shows.
@@mattybob12310Literally, they had Stig for good reason.
You do know Hammond Clarkson and May are not professional drivers they are car journalists
@@TheHoneyBadger12 i dont disagree although Id argue they spent 20 years building up to the madness on top gear. The new lot were expected to do the madness from day 1
I hope chris Harris on cars will be posting again... this was the best car content on YT by far
Chris Harris deserves so much more respect from everyone. Such a cool nice guy.
Yh hes cool but a bit boring
@@stemster972 That's a total contradiction
@@pr-tj5by boring people can be Kool in there own way 😂
@@stemster972 Hmmm nah.... He's just totally cool
Nice to hear Chris’s side to it. It was definitely made very quiet (I had no idea) that he went to health and safety and said this is just getting past stupid and someone’s going to get hurt. Just by the way he speaks you can tell how much he took Freddie and Paddy’s safety as a responsibility on his own shoulders as their friend, copresenter but also as by far the most competent and experienced driver.
This interview gave me a new added amount of respect for Chris
Makes a lot of sense they ignored they probably wanted this happen so they could finally kill Top Gear because of what it represents, Clarkson spoke about how for years they tried to sanitise it and make it more woke so many of the weirdos of the BBC have had it out for that show for a long time, it wont return or if it does it'll be the most dreary unfunny PC sludge you can imagine.
@@CrystalImagesTVI refuse to believe in any regard that the BBC would encourage a crash to happen and intentionally hurt one of the stars of the show, to try and get rid of it off the air.
If they really wanted to, they could just.. not renew the current at the time team of the show.
As an experienced motoring journalist ( and more importantly friend ), Chris should never have let Freddie get behind the wheel of that Morgan on a race track without wearing a helmet regardless of what the BBC thought.
He may have suggested wearing a helmet... who knows ?
From a M3W owner who has driven on racetracks.
Everyone commenting about the original trio rather than the incompetencies of the BBC and the life changing impact it had on Flintoff are mad.
Respect to Chris for speaking out.
Thanks! Exactly, but that's how shallow the collective YT mind is.
Only 22 likes. You lost son. 😂😂
@@Bob-zh7lr Oh, nooo. Thanks for enlightening me to the true way where we live our life based on YT likes.
Sounds like a splendid way forward. I was lost there for a second. Thanks soooo much, son.
Having an amateur driver,driving an open top Morgan three wheeler at speed without a crash helmet is crazy.
They aren't mad, just pointing out the "ending Top Gear" bit. Everybody knows it ended a long time before this accident, that doesn't make what happened to Freddie any less dreadful
"Never commission an enquiry you don't already know the outcome of" sounds like Yes, Minister. A fantastic comedy still remarkably applicable decades later.
That's a good shout! I was wracking my brain trying to think what it could be but i think you knocked it on the head.
@candyquahogmarshmallow8257 isn't it from the thick of it?
Definitely Sir Humphrey can see him saying it.
What’s annoying is Chris is a likeable bloke but the scripting on top gear makes him seem awful
It was bad at first, and I really didn't like him. After they trimmed down the cast to Matt, Chris and Rory, and let Chris be more himself, I started warming up to him. I think he has done the best you could hope for in the shadow of the holy trinity.
From this video, he clearly isnt a "likable bloke", he comes across as a total dick.
@@mainmanmustard
He thinks he's better than he is, which is annoying. He should be more humble as he's an average driver on a track with others.
Does it? Or shouldni say did it? I know him from evo. Hes a top bloke. If you think any differently then it shows you know nothing. You as in them not you OP
@@richy69ify Reading really isn’t your strong suit, is it? The BBC wrote scripts for him when he first started. They tried to manipulate how he came across. Watch anything he has done on his own or even probably, maybe watch the video you are commenting on. He was asked specific questions about specific events and gave his professional opinion, because it’s his profession. I would say he has far more knowledge and expertise in what he is talking about than an androgynous keyboard warrior looking to argue on the internet. If you have nothing else better to do than try to stir up baseless arguments online, your mom should make you go sit in the backyard on the swing in timeout for a while.
Chris Harris is a car nerd through and through, also a fantastic driver.
top gear was never in competition with the grand tour LOLOLOLOLOLOL
Not a very good presenter IMHO
Yah at least Chris doesn't need a stunt driver to do his drift shots.
@@DaveSpecC Which is what ended the show, but here he is moaning.
He's no good on the race track. There's a video on here at the Nordschleife he got tailed by a MK2 Golf GTi in his Porsche GT3 and didn't do well racing Minis at Goodwood. I find him cocky, but obviously well suited to the TV camera. My Favourite car guy is the humble Ian Tyrrell.
Honestly, feel bad for Harris. You can tell that no matter who he works with , he treats them with kindness, candidness, and always placed his passion for cars closely after the health of the people he worked with.
I hope that he can move on.
Chris Harris needs his own show. He's a pleasure to listen to, a great human being..
www.youtube.com/@ChrisHarrisonCars
The BBC are stunningly bitter towards Clarkson and anything he touches.
That’s why Clarkson’s Farm is such a big hit on Amazon- and BBC is super frosty about it
Because now they have proof that Clarkson and the gang were pulling in the viewers, not the BBC or the brand name. They are mad he is successful without them.
Same as Neil Oliver
in the words of Clarkson / they can all just f)%k off
He returns the favour lol. I don't know why it's a surprise.
Chris Harris you’re a legend! He should start his own show, screw the BBC!
He has a massive presence on the internet with his own show and brand and loyal following - one of the best minds in automotive journalism.
exactly. BBC are a bunch of twats. he should call amazon or netflix
What is a TV ? I have heard some older people talk about it but never seen what it is ...
He should quit Top Gear and join the OG crew on their show or channel, since the the original trio retire, he and the other should continue what they do, so yeah
@@rustybearden1800
He's too cocky though. Two a penny car reviewer who's good in front of cameras.
Chris Harris is the best. From being a excellent race driver to breaking down each car and what they can and cant do, pros and cons. Tiff Needle is another one like that. i always looked forward to Chris reviewing a car. The old top gear with jeremy and the group. It sort of got old after awhile. I mostly looked forward to what time the Stig was going to do and look at the leaderboard.
Although top gear was different when the 3 kings left. Chris was always a joy to watch and full of knowledge. What a guy
Rory was too. Love the work he's doing on Autotrader.
@@Anonymous_0894 💯💪💪💪
3 maggots
You need to get Jeremy Clarkson on
he's dull
@@AANDYist lmao wat
I bet he’s tried
Yup! If Joe is a real car guy he would get all three on for a show.
@@balf1111117373 Rogan is big, but not sure he's Clarkson big. lol.
Chris Harris is a lovely man. I hope he comes back within a decade. You guys are awesome to listen to.
As content creators who have transitioned from television to now being exclusively on social media: I totally understand you, Chris! I sympathize with you, sending you lots of strength, and I hope you'll find a way to enjoy driving cars again to create images that inspire us and make us dream!
Please give "Chris Harris" his own car show! He's the best car journalist of today.
Chris Harris is a Legend, his mix of knwoledge and skills are top tier(semi pun there). Best driver of the show worldwide, next to Tanner Foust(another Legend)
Too bad Tanner is just insufferable
Jeremy May is far better
Chris’ vocabulary is incredible. Joe didn’t say much this episode.
Its the British accent that did it
Chris has been my favourite motoring journalist for a very long time and I've had the pleasure of meeting him on a number of occasions and even shared a track with him. He's a proper bloke, great presenter, impressively knowledgable and articulate, and a very talented driver. Like most car guys I watched the rebooted TopGear because Mr. Harris was on it. Freddy and Paddy are perhaps great at what they do in their respective fields, but why the BBC thought they'd be suited to what was once the world's most successful l car program I've no idea?! Then again the BBC aren't exactly known for their quality decision making!
Do you like the taste of his "exhaust pipe"?
Chris seems like such a top bloke, speaks so well, especially about a good friend of his!
Chris is very brave to come forward and say all this, it's sad to hear he struggled with it all. Hope your well Chris.
You're*
Chris Harris is the man. Best enthusiast auto reviewer ever!
I agree, his solo car reviews are brilliant, and man can he drive..!!
His Ferrari F40 vs F50 video here on RUclips is one of, if not the greatest pieces of automotive journalism, and pure unadulterated car porn.
@@khimarosI want that video every couple of months and it brings a tear to my eye! Powerful video, shame cameras went so good
@@khimarosJeremy's test of the V12 Vantage.......
@@Anonymous_0894not even close
In construction, 4 pm is known as the start of the stupid hour, where most mishaps occur.
Fatigue leads to carelessness.
Top gear might of died with the iconic trio but Chris Harris was a hell of a presenter. Proper car enthusiasts.
With the Grand tour wrapping up and them waiting to keep the show running with different presenters. I would love to see Chris Harris take over The Grand Tour with his chosen team of presenters.
Him, Hammond Daughter (or Lia Block) and someone funny that likes cars would make a great trio too
What a legend car journalist. What a brilliant driver, modest and very honest! Chris Harris has been my favourite car journalist by far even in the early 2000s.
Chris Harris is a class act. True enthusiast and did a good job when faced with going up against The original cast. He will always be one of my favorites to watch. Extremely talented and a wonderful person all together. He brought the technical side and knowledge to the show.
Great interview. I remember many times watching Top Gear with the old cast and the new cast and thought i'm amazed someone hasn't been seriously injured yet. Bring Top Gear back have good old fashioned car reviews and drag races, thats all we need.
That’s the BIG WISDOM at 13:50. I like Chris Harris. When he was gone for a bit he was missed and when he resurfaced you could tell he had been through it.
Joe needs to get Jeremy, Richard and James on the show
I think Hammond would be the most likely. May has already done the rounds recently. He was on Donut's podcast as well as Matt Farrah's
Can’t see that happening as I don’t think Joe pays for people to come on and I don’t think they need to publicise themselves
Clarkson costs more than Joe
The original top gear team kinda screwed Elon and Joe's loyal.
Highly unlikely that anyone can get all 3 in the same room for an interview. Maybe one at a time.
Never been a fan of Top Gear. But I am a fan of Chris and Tiff Needell. Excellent drivers that convey their thoughts eloquently on camera.
There's a lot of hate for Chris in these comments, but Chris Harris is one of the best drivers and car reviewers on the planet. Guy deserves some credit for his skill of taking a car to the limit while still presenting to camera.
I hear you but I'm kinda tired of watching him drift every car he drives. He seems to make it about his driving skills. Although he is outstanding, I never watched TG for the driving abilities of the hosts unless it was for comedic effect. :)
Nothing like the original trio. But I do think Chris Harris was fun to watch!
I like Chris and Freddie. Fred was the daredevil who would give anything a go (as we found out) and had some good chemistry with Chris. Paddy though was just turd. Super annoying and brought nothing to the table.
hammond and may are not original topgear
@@Lemingtona-x5gJeremy isn't the original Top Gear either. It started in the 80's.
@@Anonymous_0894 when Jeremy started it was still a proper consumer focused car review show
@@Lemingtona-x5g And it stayed that way about 4 or 5 seasons into the Clarkson, Hammond and May era.
If you like Jeremy Clarkson and history documentaries, look up Jeremy Clarksons War stories on RUclips. It’s decades old now but I love his voice and hearing WW2 stories from a British perspective, as an American is insightful
Some of the best work that Clarkson has ever done has been his more serious documentaries. They always get overlooked because the comedic style of the Top Gear and The Grand Tour. Also worth watching the Senna tribute piece from Top Gear on RUclips that he narrated.
All three were outstanding.
It's then you realise that he's actually a very intelligent person.
@@TheThedynamitekidthe senna piece was absolutely outstanding. So was his tribute to Lancia
The Greatest Raid is fantastic
Its actually wild that BBC didnt know 3 wheeled vehicles were prone to rolling considering theyve produced plenty of footage of them doing exactly that.
A whole (old) Top Gear skit in Sheffield centred around the fact that Reliant Robins can't stay upright may have been a bit of a clue?
I’m willing to bet the whole reason they got a 3 wheel car was because they’d hope something WOULD go wrong. The fact they did an automotive show without safety meeting before every shoot makes them 100% responsible.
@@df4196 It's like Richard Hammond's crash in the jet car. He had already driven it 14mph quicker than the British land speed record on that day, although the producers didn't tell Hammond this as they wanted a genuine reaction for the camera. They had reached their 5pm cut off time, but applied for an extension to do "one more run" for more footage and the rest is history! Obviously no one can tell when a tyre will fail, but it does seem like they were rather "pushing their luck" after 5 successful runs including the 314 mph full afterburner run.
Diversity hires over merit as a policy
Where's this footage you're on about ? The wheel configuration on Reliant Robins are different to Morgans.
For the record, I think you'll find more footage of vehicles with 4 wheels rolling as opposed to 3 😉
Thank you for putting light on what happened, and thank you for having Chris Harris on.
Poor Freddie. BBC ignored all safety warnings from Hammonds crashes and Harris telling them straight
Chris Harris is a legend, refined and reserved.
I helped Chris and the whole crew film the TopGear Thailand episode and it was crazy to watch the entire production go down. It was such cool experience and I now own the BMW E30 Chris drove on that episode.
I met and chatted to them after a early filming they seemed really down to earth. I was only really interesting in meeting Chris having loved /Drive, Chris harris on cars and his years of work at EVO and other publications. The wife was more interesting in the other two of course
I did also
I also have worked with TG (construction and engineering), and yeah I agree, it's an intense yet enjoyable experience for sure! One day i was asked to modify the iconic Lap Time / Leader Board so it winds up higher and reveals a load more lap times that were hidden behind....which was a typical TV last minute request (no time or parts or warning, just make magic happen...but that's TV and its the best/most stressful/rewarding work out there!) 🙌🏻
Damn that's cool man, fantastic car with great history, driven by someone who I actually respect...
...glad it wasn't driven by the others.
Chris is a brilliant host...hope he gets on the next big car show
You casuals shitting on chris harris like he Isnt one of the most well regarded and respected figures in the automotive industry alongside May Hammond and Clarkson …
If he’s so well regarded, why don’t “casuals” know who he is? We know the other guys you mention. Is he the car guys car guy like some abstract guitarist is the guitarists guitarist?
Sure, but he isn't as well regarded as a Top Gear host now is he. Let's be real, the cars were secondary to the chemistry of the hosts and Hammond, May, and Clarkson run laps around him in that regard.
@@Bonesawisready926 yes not in top gear i agree with you, but ive seen comments in here critisizing him for not living up to an impossible standard of the trio , While having no idea the contributions this man made to the industry along the years , and the massive fandom he has among true car enthusiast… and to be honest … I love hammond clarkson and May I grew up watching them , but chris is much more knowledgeable about cars and a far superior driver to any of the main trio
Well said. 👏
Totally agree.
Dudes reaction at 12:38 killed me😂
😳😂
Hilarious!
🤣
Rabbit in the headlights!
😂😂
It’s awesome that Chris has opened up about this. Really brave being honest in the face of the corporate machine. He’s one of, if not the best, car journalist there is, his opinions to be respected above almost everyone. Sucks so hard he butted up against the politics of the corporate world - hope facing up to it doesn’t burn his ass again.
Kudos and a hat tip to Freddy
BBC messed up twice, first by sacking Clarkson, May and Hammond, and second by pairing Harris with all those clowns that had no clue about cars. Harris should have been paired with someone actually competent and knowledgeable about cars, and he should have been the leader of the show, instead, what BBC did was make Harris look like the clown of the trio, while he was actually the only one in the trio who knew a lot about cars and driving. That was a fundamental and critical error. They totally underutilized Harris. As far as car reviews go, he's actually better than Clarkson, May or Hammond.
Couldn’t agree more.
spot on, was going to write something like that, but there you go
They only sacked Clarkson, the others left of their own accord because of it.
matt LeBlanc was great while he lasted
For those who may not know, Andrew 'Fred' Flintoff is a true national treasure in the UK. As one of the greatest cricketers of all time, he's known not only for his incredible talent on the field but also for his larger-than-life personality. He's funny, charismatic, and an impressive athlete, even becoming a professional boxer after retiring from cricket. What happened to him is heartbreaking, but I'm incredibly thankful that he's still with us.
hardly was a decent cricketer leave it at that
National treasure lol guys unbearable and who even watches cricket
Ya, great boxing career. He was known for being a party boy
that's great an all, but you don't hire a cricketer who can't drive to present a car TV show
@ChR0nos_7734 he could drive, he was a perfectly good driver. Clarkson, Hammond and May were no different, they werent expert drivers.
Great interview! Good to hear about this from someone who was in the show...particularly Chris, given his level of experience.
Have to say I'm both shocked...and not...that Chris' concerns were ignored. Shocked because it was one of the BBC's flagship shows, but not because they clearly didn't have any qualified staff to supervise the shoots. When you're relying on a single guy who is also part of the cast, to flag up H&S issues, thats sketchy as hell!
Although given the accidents Richard Hammond was involved in...especially the rocket car one, its amazing the show didn't get cancelled sooner.
13:50 this is exactly how Hammond’s crash on the Swiss Hill Climb happened. Everyone had already gone twice, and as they were about to close the director asked Hammond for one more run. Hammond even said “you know this is going to be the one I bin it right”, and that’s exactly what happened.
Respect to Chris Harris. A legend in the car review/ auto journalism game
Freddie Flintoff, who he's talking about, is genuinely a sweetheart. Hes a big dude, with a big heart. He was a cricketer who played for England. And with his help, they won the Ashes in Australia in (i think) the mid 2000's! Don't quote me, lol. Freddie was completely sloshed when they were celebrating when they got back home afterwards and were on the open top double decker bus driving through the celebrating crowds. There'll be footage of it online. You could feel the energy through the screen. 👏👌
EDIT: I just checked and yes, theres a superb pic of Freddie hammered outside of No.10! I'm sure he pissed in the garden there too! 🤦🏼♀️😂👏
Oh wow, what a pointless story totally unrelated to the subject matter.
@@goldenboots507 It's directly related to the title and is the person involved in the accident, how is your comment even real
@@goldenboots507 It is related. Top Gear came to an end because of Flintoff's accident, which split his face open down the middle. He needed it stitched back together with plastic surgery. Went from a real good looking guy to looking like Frankenstein.
@@cattysplat seeing the pictures of the guy now just makes me feel awful for him. he was a very good looking chap before, so I can't imagine waking up with such a notable disfigurement would have been easy at all. poor man.
@@goldenboots507oh wow a keyboard warrior talking utter nonsense as usual. Well done you for getting three likes and some random people like me to respond to your utter bollocks. Bravo 👏, just what you wanted.
Harris is totally right. The famous Richard Hammond Vampire dragster crash came at the end of the day when they went for just one more run.
Yep, at the end of the day fatigue plays a big roll in accidents.
@@DChrls It was about the tires not fatigue
Came in expecting a lot of unwarranted hate for Chris but I'm glad the masses appreciate him for his services to automotive journalism. Maybe Top Gear wasn't for him, I mean no one can ever realistically fill the shoes of the trio, but in terms of pure automotive journalism, Chris is top tier.
Richard Hammond survived two of the most insane crashes in top gear history.
Have you seen the open top trike, where u lay down to drive is and the crash, they re-built Flintoffs face and legs
@@solalexander674 Yea I’ve seen Fred’s crash. People forget about Richard’s rocket car crash and the Hill top race when he flipped it over a cliff and caught on fire and had to be air lifted. I’m just pointing out that way before Chris Harris was on top gear, Top Gear had some insane close calls.
That rocket car crash that Hammond was in was brutal.
Yes, and that is probably ultimately why Freddie had his.
@@rLxJakethe crash on a hill climb that went on fire was on the grand tour not top gear
Harris was the only true heir to the OG trio’s success. He’s a true petrol head, through and through. Had the BBC given the gig to Harris, Henry catchpole and a young Matt Watson, true fans would’ve supported the show.
Not a chance, it was a poison chalice to whoever got the job.
I think Harris and Thomas and James from Throttle house would have been a better trio
harris is in a different league to the "OG trio".
Bit nobody watched the og show, that's why it was cancelled & rebooted, & by season 5-10 was just entertainment
@@kurtsudheim825 Guinness world records confirm top gear had a peak viewership figures of 350 million per week throughout the show’s entirety, with 1 episode in 2007 having 8.4 million live viewers, Thus making it the most viewed factual tv show in history. You have no clue what you are talking about my friend.
I've recently seen Freddie Flintoff and the results of his injuries. He is lucky to be alive.
Not much protecting you in a Morgan 3-wheeler
Chris is an amazing motorsport journalist. He's informative, eloquent and entertaining. He will be just fine if he focuses on RUclips or something like that.
What Jezza, Hammond and May did could never be replicated. In saying that, Chris was truly entertaining on the reboot, 100% correct what his saying that he was the only professional driver on that show. They should have heeded his advice. I recall Hammond using a Morgan Three Wheeler in one Episode of TG and its looked a challenge to drive. Cant believe the BBC allowed Freddy drive that car without a Helmet.
Chris Harris on cars single-handedly was responsible for a 54 year old man that was always an “American muscle car” guy changing to an absolute obsession with European cars. His humor and sayings just drew me in. I now know what a GT2 RS is I know what that a 288 GTO is not magnum PIs car. I also appreciate a car that can go around a track vs a quarter mile. Thanks a lot.
9:20 I think the bbc really found their golden nugget trio with Chris, paddy and flintoff. I couldn’t agree more with what Chris was saying, the show was nearly once a season the show got stopped because someone got hurt. Paddy with the Lamborghini and Freddy with a lot happening to him. It is a shame it’s ended but I also think it was the right choice. And the fact the bbc didn’t listen to him, a race driver who knows what is safe and what isn’t is honestly disgusting.
Agree 100% - three good lads having the craic!! 😂😂 Shame it ended 🙌
This guy's reviews are awesome. Its unfortunate. Love watching him!
In addtion to the original trio, Chris is one the best auto generalists there has ever been. Might be the GOAT for some.
The "original" presenters as you put it were Angela Rippon and Tom Coyne! Wish you idiots would think before you type 🙄
Original Top Gear didn't have 'the trio'. There was Quentin Wilson, Clarkson, Tiff Needell etc. May and Hammond joined much later
The old boys were impossible to replace. Chris was BBC’s best shot at reinventing top gear or at least making a new show entirely. All the best to Chris in whatever he does next!
Great guy. Always good to see someone with standards and a conscience. Hope you're goin well freddy ya legend 👍🏼
Guy speaking from the heart, genuinely affected and still upset about what he experienced and all people can do is comment about how the show wasn't the same after the original cast. 🙈
Fair play to Freddie for bouncing back
Alan Partridge
People bounce back,rod hull Rolf Harris etc etc
@@rickybaillie4222 I'll replicate the cover stance
Fred was always good with bouncers tbf
@@TheJuanvegasNeedless to say I had the last laugh
1:52 welcome
Saw this at the stamp lol. Good effort
finally a guest whos not a comedian hunter or conspiracy theorist a true bad arse and a hell of a driver ,best guest for ages
ive always like chris. he seems like a decent honest person.
It seems to me that the BBC - largest and most prestigious broadcaster in the world, treats its staff as if they are the smallest and most insignificant, at times. A colossal shame.
Unless they’re touching Kids.
The Beeb is so utterly "woke", but it's health & safety is like that??? What tossers
@@mikewaite5507 So utterly woke that Nigel Farage had a permanent seat on its biggest political debate show
@@PaulHipToBeSquareAllen Pedophiles everywhere, unfortunately. So it makes quite a lot of sense when you consider the scale, and age, of the company. Or are you one of those people who think Epstein island was fake?
@@Suspended4thYT BBC is as woke as is possible. It’s not a debate, if you don’t understand there is no hope for you.
I miss seeing Captain Slow on those cross country races
In Italy he is Mr. Slowly 😂