Porter, Richard (2016): And On That Bombshell: Inside the Madness and Genius of Top Gear

What is it about?

The book covers the story of Top Gear, the globally known car show by BBC. More specifically, the book concentrates on the "Jeremy Clarkson" years, i.e. 2002-2015.

The author of the book is (or was) the script editor of show, who can provide a highly interesting "behind the scenes" point of view about making the show.

The book does not follow a strict chronological progression (though the very first and last chapters are about the birth and the death of the Clarkson era show). Instead, most of the chapters - and there are quite many - focus on a theme, such as "The specials", "As not seen on TV", "Five ways to die in Bolivia" and "The naan bread".

Was it good?

For me, something of a fan of the show, the book was highly appealing and entertaining, and I even tried to find small slots of time here and there to continue with the book.

In my opinion, the two main merits of the book are (1) providing an insider's view about the show and making it, and (2) the style of writing which is well in line with the humour used in the show as well.

Moreover, the thematic - as opposed to chronological - organization of the book seems to work very well; telling about an incident, a particular aspect of the show, or the making of a certain segment of an episode makes very engaging reading.

The main take-away for me?

While it should be no surprise, still I kept wondering throughout the book how much thinking, careful planning, writing and re-writing and and a small army of people it takes to make a television program seem like it is spontaneous, unplanned and effortless. I would have not imagined that the presenters, especially Jeremy Clarkson, are so meticulous about the flow of script and transitions between program segments.

Who should read the book?

Quite obviously, if one loves (or even hates) Top Gear, the book is quite likely highly enjoyable. If not, the "insider's view" may not work very well unless the making of television programs in general is of interest.

The book on Amazon.com: And on that bombshell