Top Gear caravan stunt backfires

26 October 2009

Another Top Gear stunt went wrong after the BBC car show tried to attach a caravan to an airship and it crashed into a field near a busy road.

The bright orange airship, which was carrying presenter James May, was meant to land on a cricket pitch in the picturesque village of Eltisley, Cambridgeshire.

Instead it blew off course by strong winds and crashed on its side by trees and hedges half a mile away in a farmer’s field by the A428.

The BBC film crew ran to the scene to check whether James May and the rest of the crew were injured.
They were unable to reach the airship but a helicopter that was filming the stunt gave them the all clear.

Emergency services were at the ready but they were not needed.

The stunt was believed to be the end of a race between James May in an airship and co-presenter Richard Hammond in a Lamborghini.

Due to the fading light and windy weather filming had to be called off for the stunt for a programme in November, which will not be repeated.

This is not the first time that a stunt has gone wrong on Top Gear; Richard Hammond suffered serious injuries after a dangerous car stunt went wrong.

Spokesperson for Towergate Bakers, Paul Havenhand, says, “Unlike Richard Hammond James May is lucky to have escaped unharmed. Maybe this will teach them to approach these stunts with a little more caution!”

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