Leading Gear Dropout: Producer Andy Wilman Throws in the Towel

It virtually felt inevitable: Longtime Leading Gear executive producer Andy Wilman, who alongside Jeremy Clarkson rescued the show from obscurity 13 years ago, has officially resigned, the BBC confirms.

Wilman’s resignation maybe does not come as a surprise: An internal e-mail from the producer was leaked final month, subject line “Au revoir.” In the email, Wilman mentioned, “Our stint as guardians of Prime Gear was a great one particular, but we have been only element of the show’s history, not the entire of it.”

A day later, Wilman publicly denied that the internal e mail was a resignation, calling it “a private note of thanks to 113 individuals who have worked on the show more than the years” and bemoaning its publication. But the email absolutely sounded like a farewell, and knowing what we know now, it appears to have held an undeniable bit of foreshadowing.

Wilman has been a close buddy of Clarkson’s considering that childhood, and together they saved Prime Gear from the brink of cancellation. “The 2 old college friends turned a slightly worthy motoring customer system into an entertainment show that was funny, irreverent, highly produced, and a hit about the world,” BBC media and arts correspondent David Sillito stated.

The producer’s resignation comes immediately soon after cohost James Might told reporters that he would not return to Best Gear with no Jeremy Clarkson. Meanwhile, the BBC has confirmed that it will air the final 3 episodes of Season 22, which were place on hold throughout the investigation into the assault that got Clarkson dropped from the show.

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BBC’s Kim Shillinglaw has confirmed that the show will return for Season 23—though with Clarkson and Wilman gone, and with May’s vow that he won’t do the show with a stand-in for Clarkson, it’s seeming like the next season of Prime Gear will be very different from what we’ve grown employed to.

This story initially appeared on roadandtrack.com.

Leading Gear Dropout: Producer Andy Wilman Throws in the Towel

Cyclists gear up for Massive Bike Revival

David Cameron, Boris Johnson and Andrew Mitchell apart, you rarely see a politician on a bike.

Which is funny, simply because political parties really like cycling. It plays to crucial agendas such as well being and the environment and it is an simple win as far as boosting green credentials is concerned.

The outgoing coalition government put its cash where its mouth was with £1 million of backing for a campaign to assist individuals cycle more safely by providing them the expertise to repair and preserve their bikes.

On yer bike

The Big Bike Revival, masterminded by cycling charity CTC, aims to encourage much more folks to dig out their old bike and rediscover the joys of cycling.

The campaign begins in earnest in Might, when would-be cyclists will be in a position to take their bike to a participating re-cycle centre.

They can then understand how to fix and preserve the bike, or trade it in for a different model.

Men and women will also be in a position to find out about cycle instruction and other activities in the location. You will even be capable to donate any unwanted bicycles.

Pollution resolution

Announcing the government backing, Robert Goodwill, the coalition’s transport minister, mentioned: “We are severe about getting folks on their bike – cycling is great for our wellness and indicates less-congested cities and less pollution.

“Now spring has arrived, there is no far better time to bring out that bike gathering dust in the shed.

“The Massive Bike Revival will help you sort out the punctures and minor mechanical troubles that we have all used as an excuse not to get out on 2 wheels.”

Saddle sore

In 2013, 42% of adults in Britain had access to a bicycle, however 63% had not ridden in the preceding year. But 37% say they could simply swap the automobile for the bike for short journeys of much less than 2 miles.

A CTC pilot project in October 2014 proved a big good results, attracting a lot more than 1,300 men and women to 10 centres across West Yorkshire, Greater Manchester and Liverpool.

A final list of participating re-cycle centres will be accessible in May possibly – watch this space.

Ride and park

The outgoing government also announced a further £15 million on improvements to cycle facilities at nearly 300 railway stations across the country.

The money will spend for an added 7,500 cycle parking spaces at 279 stations, tripling the number of cycle parking spaces at stations considering that 2010.

Main stations set to benefit from a grant contain Derby, Lincoln, Dorking, Preston and Rugby.

There will also be a new cycle route and 300 cycle parking spaces in Cheltenham Spa.

Cyclists gear up for Massive Bike Revival

Cyclists gear up for Huge Bike Revival

David Cameron, Boris Johnson and Andrew Mitchell apart, you hardly ever see a politician on a bike.

Which is funny, because political parties love cycling. It plays to important agendas such as well being and the atmosphere and it’s an straightforward win as far as boosting green credentials is concerned.

The outgoing coalition government place its funds where its mouth was with £1 million of backing for a campaign to aid individuals cycle a lot more safely by providing them the abilities to repair and sustain their bikes.

On yer bike

The Huge Bike Revival, masterminded by cycling charity CTC, aims to encourage much more folks to dig out their old bike and rediscover the joys of cycling.

The campaign starts in earnest in May, when would-be cyclists will be capable to take their bike to a participating re-cycle centre.

They can then learn how to fix and sustain the bike, or trade it in for a diverse model.

Men and women will also be able to find out about cycle instruction and other activities in the area. You will even be in a position to donate any unwanted bicycles.

Pollution resolution

Announcing the government backing, Robert Goodwill, the coalition’s transport minister, stated: “We are serious about receiving men and women on their bike – cycling is wonderful for our well being and signifies much less-congested cities and much less pollution.

“Now spring has arrived, there is no greater time to bring out that bike gathering dust in the shed.

“The Big Bike Revival will help you sort out the punctures and minor mechanical issues that we have all utilised as an excuse not to get out on 2 wheels.”

Saddle sore

In 2013, 42% of adults in Britain had access to a bicycle, but 63% had not ridden in the earlier year. But 37% say they could very easily swap the automobile for the bike for short journeys of much less than 2 miles.

A CTC pilot project in October 2014 proved a big accomplishment, attracting more than 1,300 people to 10 centres across West Yorkshire, Higher Manchester and Liverpool.

A final list of participating re-cycle centres will be available in Might – watch this space.

Ride and park

The outgoing government also announced a additional £15 million on improvements to cycle facilities at practically 300 railway stations across the country.

The funds will spend for an added 7,500 cycle parking spaces at 279 stations, tripling the number of cycle parking spaces at stations because 2010.

Major stations set to benefit from a grant incorporate Derby, Lincoln, Dorking, Preston and Rugby.

There will also be a new cycle route and 300 cycle parking spaces in Cheltenham Spa.

Cyclists gear up for Huge Bike Revival

BMW clicks into gear in North London

BMW has joined forces with rental company Sixt and auto-sharing platform DriveNow to launch a trial click-and-drive scheme in the London boroughs of Islington, Hackney and Haringey.

The scheme will make a fleet of 250 BMWs available to drivers in the exact same way that “Boris Bikes” are available to cyclists in the capital.

Image courtesy of Sixt

And Sixt claims that it will make auto sharing so low-cost and handy that “only the rich will buy cars” in the future.

So just how does the new scheme perform? Will it serve as a template for comparable schemes across the nation.

Let’s take a closer look…

Sensible moves

Motorists wanting to take advantage of the new London-based DriveNow scheme will use a smartphone app to find, unlock and start the BMW 1 Series and Mini automobiles dotted around Islington, Haringey and Hackney.

Their journeys will then be charged by the minute. And as soon as they have reached their destination, they will be capable to leave the car in any on-street parking space – as extended as it is inside the 3 participating boroughs.

This differentiates the scheme from rival auto-sharing services such as Zipcar, exactly where customers should return the automobile to its starting position.

DriveNow, which is already operating in German cities, is in talks with other London boroughs about expanding the service.

Fair shares for all?

Most people who live in cities only use their cars for a tiny percentage of the journeys they take every week.

That is why BMW believes automobile-sharing schemes will turn into increasingly well-known in the years to come.

The car manufacturer also hopes that this initiative will help it to reach a distinct sort of driver.

BMW board manager Peter Schwarzenbauer stated: “The average age of our automobile purchasers is mid 40s but the typical age of a automobile sharing user is 32.”

Culture shock-absorbers

There is no doubt that signing-up to automobile sharing could drastically cut costs for motorists living in urban areas.

The query, nonetheless, is regardless of whether drivers are ready to give up vehicle ownership fully.

Daimler’s Car2go car-sharing scheme, launched 2 years ago, had equivalent aims to this new joint venture from BMW and Sixt.

But it has given that been withdrawn following coming up against the “UK’s robust culture and tradition of private automobile ownership”.

Uber alles?

The new London-primarily based DriveNow scheme will also face competitors from cut-price tag taxi ordering solutions such as Uber, though Mr Schwarzenbauer argues that there is space for both in the capital.

“I see them as partners,” he said. “You might use a single of our automobiles to drive to a restaurant and then use Uber to come residence.”

Or hail a cab, of course.

What do you reckon? Would you give up your vehicle and rely on a click-and-drive scheme? Let us know in the box under

BMW clicks into gear in North London

Not Intentional: Leading Gear Producer Responds to Argentina Quantity-Plate Incident

On the heels of Jeremy Clarkson defending Top Gear in the international incident over a potentially offensive license plate from a shoot in Argentina, the show’s producer Andy Wilman has released a statement of his personal. As you might expect, he has also pled innocent.

You can read Wilman’s full statement at Top Gear, but allow us to summarize the missive’s standard gist: According to Wilman, the Leading Gear team did not intentionally seek out the number plate “H982 FKL”—Argentinians say the number plate references the 1982 Falklands War, a kerfuffle more than which they’re still quite salty—for the Porsche 928S Clarkson was driving for the show’s Argentina special. In fact, the plates merely came with the vehicle and apparently went unnoticed by the group until a Twitter user pointed out their potentially offensive nature when the crew already was in Argentina. Clarkson and crew immediately removed the H982 FKL plate and fitted diverse ones, but word had already gotten out and as a result began the Argentine veteran mobs and crew fleeing you have by now heard all about.

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Wilman also lays out the unlikely actions the TG group would have had to take to supply such a plate. Oh, and that other offensive number plate located in Clarkson’s Porsche—the one particular referencing man parts—was an intentional joke, but it was intended to make Clarkson appear dumb. Per usual.

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Not Intentional: Leading Gear Producer Responds to Argentina Quantity-Plate Incident