The Grand Tour presents One For The Road EPISODE REVIEW

When it comes to cars, adventure, and crude toilet humor, no one comes close to Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May. These three men have been butting heads for over two decades and now, their time has reached its bittersweet end as the final Grand Tour adventure, titled One For The Road, signals the end of the world's most undesirable but desirable threesome.

The Grand Tour presents One For The Road

The Grand Tour trio bought three classic cars for their final road trip across Zimbabwe. They ventured and survived to Botswana, the fateful place where the first-ever Top Gear special occurred nearly two decades ago. James chose the Triumph Stag, Richard chose the first-generation Ford Capri, and Jeremy chose the Lancia Montecarlo.

Tackling through Zimbabwe's worst road conditions, forest fires, coal dust, crocodile-infested waters, and bustling towns, the trio is doing whatever means necessary to get from Zimbabwe to Botswana, where they will relive the fateful moment they conquered their first-ever Top Gear special nearly two decades ago by driving through the flats towards Kubu Island.

After over two decades, the days of seeing Clarkson, Hammond, and May butting each other came to a complete end. From Top Gear to The Grand Tour, driving and rambling across Europe, the Americas, and Asia, they have cemented themselves as the greatest motoring trio that ever existed and now that they've fully served their purpose, it's hard to imagine what's next for them after their final Grand Tour.

An appropriately grand goodbye to TV's most iconic motoring trio that sped around the globe in fast cars and crude toilet humor.

Goodbye forever, Clarkson, Hammond, and May.

My Top 10 Favorite Grand Tour Episodes

Popped up from the time Trump won the presidency, The Grand Tour welcomed back the infamous Clarkson Hammond and May trio for more exciting motoring mayhem since leaving Top Gear in 2015. For eight years, fans have witnessed their globe-trotting motoring mischief from Portimao to Sahara, but sadly, the time has come to say goodbye as The Grand Tour's series finale is coming next month.

The Grand Tour Episode 1

As the world prepares for The Grand Tour's final road trip, it's time for me to jot down my top ten favorite episodes from the hit Prime Video TV series.

10) Season 3 Finale - Season 3 finale not only marked a fitting tribute to Ford saloons but it also marked the final time the show featured the tent full of audience and the Eboladrome.

9) Season 2 Episode 3 - The third episode of The Grand Tour Season 2 featured James May driving a Kia Stinger against skateboarders. Hammond and May turned a business park into a racetrack for salarymen to enjoy. And Clarkson took a trip from Monaco to Italy in the Bugatti Chiron. The Chiron segment is my favorite in terms of mindfulness.

8) Mongolia Special - The penultimate episode of The Grand Tour Season 3 saw the boys explore the Mongolian wilderness using their DIY off-roader. With scarce supplies at their arsenal, the trip became a struggle for survival. The epic struggle of survival comes with massive twists even at the end of their Mongolian adventure.

7) Season 1 Episode 11 - This episode of The Grand Tour features the trio driving second-hand Maseratis in the north of France. The climax is truly a thriller and comedy gold, and I couldn't stop laughing at the "Deshabille" sign on James' Zagato Spider.

6) Season 1 Episode 2 - The second episode of the first season saw the boys in a military training ground in Jordan which involves rescuing a VIP from a hijacked plane and escorting the VIP to safety while being pursued by terrorists. After several attempts later, the boys cleared the exercise...only if they didn't count Jeremy Clarkson as a casualty at the end of the exercise. On the plus note, we get to see the Audi S8 Plus in action.

5) Seamen - After the end of Season 3, The Grand Tour moved on to focus on cross-country adventures, and one such is Seamen; where the boys are on an aquatic adventure from Cambodia to Vietnam. The watery hijinks and some history lessons from Clarkson made this adventure one of my favorite Grand Tour episodes to watch over and over.

4) Season 1 Episode 9 - This episode features one of Clarkson's craziest inventions: a Mercedes SL rigged with monster off-road wheels called "The Excellent." It also showcases post-apocalyptic vehicles that are not immune to attacks from military vehicles such as tanks and battleships.

3) Season 1 Episode 3 - This episode of The Grand Tour features the trio on an epic Italian road trip. They drive an Aston Martin DB11, a Rolls Royce Dawn, and a Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat. While in Venice, Hammond's American habits ruin the rest and relaxation of the other presenters. Even after they reach the end of the trip, no one is safe from Hammond's American antics. In the segment following the road trip, Hammond and May destroy Clarkson's home after losing a bet from the pilot episode.

2) Season 2 Episode 5 - This episode of The Grand Tour features one of my favorite moments. Jeremy Clarkson stages his own Gymkhana-style video using a Subaru Impreza WRX. In true Clarkson fashion, some sheep are killed in the making of that clip.

1) Eurocrash - Of all the Grand Tour episodes I've watched, this ended up being my favorite. In Eurocrash, the boys set off on a road trip no one tried; from Gdansk, Poland, to Lake Bled, Slovenia. A cheeky-named backup car, Formula Easter, the second-largest Jesus statue in the world, an old WW2 POW camp, a stolen Nigel Mansell wax statue, a Praga Bohema hypercar, archers, and a climactic race to the airplane, this is The Grand Tour like no other.

The Grand Tour presents One For The Road premieres this September 13, 2024, exclusively on Amazon Prime Video. Before the tearful finale, be sure to binge-watch the entire series!

A quick 45-year history of Eat Bulaga

The Philippines' longest-running variety TV show, Eat Bulaga, is officially 45 years old today. For four-and-a-half decades, the longest-running noontime variety TV show in Philippine history, Eat Bulaga, has become the staple of every Filipino household with its rousing and engrossing segments with engaging hosts, including the so-called Holy Trinity of Eat Bulaga; Vic Sotto, Joey de Leon, and Senator Vicente "Tito" Sotto III.

In honor of the show's 45th anniversary, it's time for a quick history lesson about the Philippines' longest-running variety TV show.

TVJ and the Dabarkads
Moving Forward to TV5
Image: TV5

Eat Bulaga first aired on July 30th, 1979, with Broadcast City as their first home studio with RPN-9 (now RPTV) as their home network. Then, they moved to the Celebrity Sports Plaza in 1987 until they switched to ABS-CBN's Studio 1 (now Dolphy Theater) in 1989. The show re-used the Celebrity Sports Plaza in 1994 to say farewell to ABS-CBN as they moved to GMA-7 and their fourth home studio of the show, Broadway Centrum, in 1995. 

After 23 years of delivering rousing and engrossing segments in the heart of Broadway Centrum, not to mention spawning an Indonesian version of the said show, the country's longest-running noontime show has moved to its fifth home location, the APT Studios, marking a brand new beginning in Eat Bulaga's four-decade history.

The TVJ and the Dabarkads enjoyed the spoils of the success of their show for over four decades until the Dark Age of Eat Bulaga came. No, it's not because of the COVID pandemic, it's because of the Jalosjos family in charge of TAPE that spurred a feud between TVJ and TAPE, Inc. That feud between them because of the show's proposed changes prompted the TVJ trio to leave TAPE for good at the end of May 2023 along with the other Dabarkads. Their farewell speech wasn't televised and instead streamed on the official Eat Bulaga Facebook page.

Come June 5, 2023, nearly a week after TVJ and the Dabarkads left Eat Bulaga, the noontime show welcomed the new batch of hosts consisting of Paolo Contis, Buboy Villar, Betong Sumaya, Cassy and Mavy Legaspi, and Alexa Miro. The new batch of EB hosts was later expanded with former Manila city mayor Isko Moreno and Kimpoy Feliciano. Their welcoming arrival in Eat Bulaga is mired with criticisms with some saying this is not the Eat Bulaga Filipinos loved.

Moments later, the TVJ and their Dabarkads pals got themselves a new home; TV5. The problem is, that they're still figuring out what will the name of their TV5 show will be due to a legal battle over who has the right to use the Eat Bulaga title, between the TVJ trio and TAPE. They did say they would say the title on July 1st, adding days of speculation for the observers who follow the ongoing Eat Bulaga war that caused a seismic shift in Philippine noontime viewing.

Then, on that fateful day of July 1, 2023, the same day IT'S SHOWTIME made its GTV simulcast debut, it's the comeback of TVJ and the Dabarkads in their new home channel, TV5. From an emotional welcome to the climax of their world premiere, they've unveiled the official name of their new noontime show, It's titled EAT... That's it, they called the show EAT..., but the TVJ trio said this title is temporary because they're still in a legal battle over the Eat Bulaga trademark.

The 5th of January, 2024 saw the TVJ trio of Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto, and Joey De Leon, win the copyright infringement and unfair competition cases against TAPE, Inc. and TV network GMA over the rights of the Eat Bulaga! trademark, meaning neither TAPE nor GMA Network has the right to use the Eat Bulaga or EB trademark.

As a result of the ruling, the January 6, 2024 episodes of both noontime shows saw drastic changes. The old Eat Bulaga! that Filipinos know, under the thumb of TAPE Inc., has been rebranded as "Tahanang Pinakamasaya!" while the TV5 EAT... variety show has been renamed as "EAT...BULAGA!", a seismic shift in Philippine television nearly four-and-a-half decades in the making.

Two months later, after nearly two decades on the air since moving to GMA-7, TAPE Inc.'s variety show formerly known as Eat Bulaga, renamed Tahanang Pinakamasaya, has officially ended its broadcast run. The presenters of Tahanang Pinakamasaya bid their final farewell to the viewers and audiences last Saturday, March 2, 2024, before TAPE pulled the plug on its official livestream, raising speculations that this is the end of the era. It really is.

As a result, the episodes aired on the final broadcast week were usually reruns of select episodes. A week after Tahanang Pinakamasaya was axed, GMA temporarily aired movies to fill the void left by the show's closure until IT'S SHOWTIME made its GMA-7 simulcast debut beginning April 6th.

The rest is history. Long story short but you get the point.

45 years, four TV networks, six venues, one Eat Bulaga. Over the years, Eat Bulaga has featured countless celebrity guests, musical performances, and comedy sketches. It has also been a platform for social commentary and advocacy. The show has won numerous awards.

Eat Bulaga is more than just a TV show. It's a cultural phenomenon that has touched the lives of generations of Filipinos. Happy 45th anniversary, Eat Bulaga!

Doctor Who S1 FINALE Episode Review

In the previous episode titled The Legend of Ruby Sunday, The Doctor and Ruby Sunday seek help from UNIT to uncover the mysterious woman popping up on their adventures as well as Ruby's true mother. Although they failed to find Ruby's real mother, the unmasking of Susan Triad led them to the resurrection of Sutekh, the god of death.

With Sutekh reborn, armageddon was unleashed in Empire of Death, the Season 1 finale of Doctor Who: The 15th Doctor saga.

Doctor Who S1 FINALE

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Doctor Who S1E7 Episode Review

"There's always a twist in the end." That's what The Doctor sang after defeating Maestro in The Devil's Chord but strangely, this isn't just his victory song. It's a forewarning. 

A forewarning that saw the mysterious lady, played by Susan Twist, popping up in his adventures and with Maestro's warning about "the one who waits", things are going full circle as the recent Doctor Who episode, the first of the two-part season finale, unmasks the biggest mysteries The Doctor and Ruby encountered.

Doctor Who S1E7

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Doctor Who S1E6 Episode Review

19th-century England, an intergalactic bounty hunter, alien shapeshifters, and a few Bridgerton references. That's Episode 6 of Doctor Who, The 15th Doctor saga.

Doctor Who S1E6

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Doctor Who S1E5 Episode Review

The 15th Doctor's first season has reached its halfway point and this latest episode saw The Doctor and Ruby remotely helping a young woman escape the city overrun by mysterious monsters. Like and subscribe, they said.

Doctor Who S1E5

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Doctor Who S1E4 Episode Review

What would you do when The Doctor is nowhere to be found? Ruby Sunday learned the hard way in the fourth episode of Doctor Who, the 15th Doctor era.

Doctor Who S1E4

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Doctor Who S1E3 Episode Review

The countdown to disaster is in full swing with the third episode of the 15th Doctor's adventures, which marks the return of Steven Moffatt, the showrunner during the Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi years, as the writer in charge of this episode.

Doctor Who Season 1 Episode 3

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Doctor Who S1E1+E2 Episode Review

So it begins. The Ncuti Gatwa era of BBC's megahit TV series, Doctor Who, the first of the bi-generation era, kicked off with a two-episode worldwide premiere. It's an honor to have Russell T Davies returned as the showrunner of this show as Gatwa's time as The 15th Doctor has officially begun.

Doctor Who Season 1 Episode 2

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TAPE's Tahanang Pinakamasaya, the old Eat Bulaga, ends broadcast

After nearly two decades on the air since moving to GMA-7, TAPE Inc's variety show formerly known as Eat Bulaga, renamed Tahanang Pinakamasaya, has officially ended its broadcast run.

TAPE's Eat Bulaga rebranded as Tahanang Pinakamasaya!
while TV5's E.A.T. is now EAT...BULAGA!

The recent episode is basically a re-run of past episodes but TAPE and GMA released statements regarding the noontime show's closure. 

On TAPE's side:

It is with a heavy heart that we inform our televiewers that our noontime show ‘Tahanang Pinakamasaya’ on Kapuso network, GMA-7, will no longer be on air effective March 8, 2024.

TAPE, Inc. extends its profound gratitude to its home network, GMA-7, for a long and fruitful partnership. GMA 7’s kind consideration and understanding of the company’s unwanted circumstances have been instrumental in helping the company in this transition. Despite our best efforts to save the show, both parties have reached a mutual agreement to finally call off the show.

To the loyal viewers, esteemed hosts, supportive advertisers, hardworking crew and dedicated employees who have been with us from the beginning - from the longest running noontime show ‘Eat Bulaga’ to the present ‘Tahanang Pinakamasaya’ - our sincerest ‘Thank you!’ and optimistic ‘See you again!’

On GMA-7's side:

 Due to unavoidable circumstances, TAPE has made the difficult decision to cease the airing of 'Tahanang Pinakamasaya.'

GMA Network would like to thank TAPE for its invaluable contribution to noontime programming for the past decades, which Filipinos will surely remember for many years to come.

Maraming salamat, Kapuso.

The presenters of Tahanang Pinakamasaya bid their final farewell to the viewers and audiences last Saturday, March 2, 2024, before TAPE pulled the plug on its official live stream, raising speculations that this is the end of the era. It really is.

As a result, the episodes aired on the final broadcast week were usually reruns of select episodes. Not much is known about what show will take over its now-vacant noontime slot dominated by ABS-CBN's IT'S SHOWTIME and TV5's EAT BULAGA with the TVJ and the Dabarkads. Some say GMA-7 will air just movies on the said timeslot for the time being.

How did it all lead to this?

The Eat Bulaga that Filipinos know first aired at the end of July 1979, Broadcast City was their first home studio with RPN-9 (now RPTV) as their home network. Then, they moved to the Celebrity Sports Plaza in 1987 until they switched to ABS-CBN's Studio 1 (now Dolphy Theater) in 1989. The show re-used the Celebrity Sports Plaza in 1994 to say farewell to ABS-CBN as they moved to GMA-7 and their fourth home studio of the show, Broadway Centrum, in 1995. 

After 23 years of delivering rousing and engrossing segments in the heart of Broadway Centrum, the country's longest-running noontime show has moved to its new location, the APT Studios, marking a brand new beginning in Eat Bulaga's four-decade history.

The TVJ and the Dabarkads enjoyed the spoils of the success of their show for over four decades until the Dark Age of Eat Bulaga came. No, it's not because of the COVID pandemic, it's because of the Jalosjos family in charge of TAPE that spurred a feud between TVJ and TAPE, Inc. That feud between them because of the show's proposed changes prompted the TVJ trio to leave TAPE for good at the end of May 2023 along with the other Dabarkads. Their farewell speech wasn't televised and instead streamed on the official Eat Bulaga Facebook page.

Moments later, the TVJ and their Dabarkads pals got themselves a new home; TV5. The problem is, that they're still figuring out what will the name of their TV5 show will be due to a legal battle over who has the right to use the Eat Bulaga title, between the TVJ trio and TAPE. They did say they would say the title on July 1st, adding days of speculation for the observers who follow the ongoing Eat Bulaga war that caused a seismic shift in Philippine noontime viewing.

Then, on that fateful day of July 1, 2023, the same day IT'S SHOWTIME made its GTV simulcast debut, it's the comeback of TVJ and the Dabarkads in their new home channel, TV5. From an emotional welcome to the climax of their world premiere, they've unveiled the official name of their new noontime show, It's titled EAT... That's it, they called the show EAT..., but the TVJ trio said this title is temporary because they're still in a legal battle over the Eat Bulaga trademark.

The 5th of January, 2024 saw the TVJ trio of Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto, and Joey De Leon, win the copyright infringement and unfair competition cases against TAPE, Inc. and TV network GMA over the rights of the Eat Bulaga! trademark, meaning neither TAPE nor GMA Network has the right to use the Eat Bulaga or EB trademark.

As a result of the ruling, the January 6, 2024 episodes of both noontime shows saw drastic changes. The old Eat Bulaga! that Filipinos know, under the thumb of TAPE Inc., has been rebranded as "Tahanang Pinakamasaya!" while the TV5 EAT... variety show has been renamed as "EAT...BULAGA!", a seismic shift in Philippine television nearly four-and-a-half decades in the making.

Long story short but you get the idea. The Eat Bulaga of yesteryears is dead and gone for real.

Thanks for the memories, OLD EAT BULAGA. You fought well until the very end.

The Grand Tour presents Sand Job

The Grand Tour returns for its biggest and longest adventure yet. Because being the biggest and longest adventure yet, it will take about the length of a Marvel superhero flick to fully watch it.

The Grand Tour presents Sand Job

The latest Grand Tour adventure is titled Sand Job, and in this ultimate adventure, Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May are sent to the remote African country of Mauritania (yes, it's a real place) to follow in the footsteps of the legendary Paris-Dakar Rally while driving used Grand Tourers modified for offroad use.

Clarkson drives a Jaguar F-Type Roadster, Hammond drives an Aston Martin DB9 Volante, and May drives a Maserati GranCabrio.

Started out with the encounter with the longest coal train with the cars attached between it and the guard car, the trio traversed through war-torn Mauritania by surviving the harsh elements of the Sahara desert. 

From a bat-filled cave that led them to a minefield, an Aston went autonomous (sort of), an exploding fuel tanker, a visit to the British embassy, a drag race at a traffic-filled runway, to a shocking ending, it really is the biggest and longest Grand Tour adventure yet. It's worth watching it over and over again if you find it relaxing and funny at the same time.

Although unconfirmed, the Sand Job proved that The Grand Tour really came out with a bang. A big explosive bang.

Rea Gen Villareal wins IT'S SHOWTIME's TNT Year 7

The grand finals of IT'S SHOWTIME's Tawag Ng Tanghalan Year 7 saw a three-way fight between Rea Gen Villareal, Vensor Domasig, and Eunice Encarnada. The fight to determine this season's champion.

Image: ABS-CBN Studios

With a score of 97.4, Rea Gen Villareal from Caloocan City blew the competition to become TNT Year 7 grand champion. She will receive a talent management contract with Star Magic's Polaris, a contract with ABS-CBN Music, and one million pesos.

Rea joins the ranks of past TNT champions from Noven Belleza to last year's Lyka Estrella.

Congratulations to Rea Gen Villareal for becoming the seventh Tawag Ng Tanghalan grand champion!

Leopaul's Heaven and Hell: The Eat Bulaga of yesteryears is dead and gone!

The first week of 2024 is met with spiraling results but there's one piece of news that rocked Philippine television, a seismic shift nearly four-and-a-half decades in the making.

Friday, the fifth of January, 2024, saw the TVJ trio of Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto, and Joey De Leon, win the copyright infringement and unfair competition cases against TAPE, Inc. and TV network GMA over the rights of the Eat Bulaga! trademark, meaning neither TAPE nor GMA Network has the right to use the Eat Bulaga or EB trademark.

TAPE's Eat Bulaga rebranded as Tahanang Pinakamasaya!
while TV5's E.A.T. is now EAT...BULAGA!

As a result of the ruling, the January 6, 2024 episodes of both noontime shows saw drastic changes. The old Eat Bulaga! that Filipinos know, under the thumb of TAPE Inc., has been rebranded as "Tahanang Pinakamasaya!" while the TV5 EAT... variety show has been renamed as "EAT...BULAGA!", a seismic shift in Philippine television nearly four-and-a-half decades in the making.

Purist Dabarkads around the globe welcomed the biggest news in Eat Bulaga history, pleasing the move as "justice" for all the fans who became part of the TVJ experience since the end of July 1979, and to celebrate Eat Bulaga's return to TVJ, they've started its simulcast airing on CNN Philippines for Saturday episodes. Of course, CNN Philippines used to be RPN-9 and RPN-9 is the first channel where Eat Bulaga first aired in 1979 so it's like a homecoming for TVJ.

Those loyal to the Dabarkads' code of honor knew it was right, bringing the EB naming back to where they truly belonged; the legendary trio who came up with the concept, not the company who calls the shots.

The war that started last year with the feud between TVJ and TAPE has finally found the endgame it truly deserved. I have to say, I'm very pleased that the Philippines' favorite TV trio fought hard to claim what's theirs and won, proving that the fight for redemption is a long and bumpy road ahead. It's arduous but hey, at least we now know the answer.

For the first time in nearly 45 years, Filipinos never experienced such a radical change in EB history. The "old" Eat Bulaga, the one under TAPE control, is now dead and gone while the "new" Eat Bulaga, the EAT one aired on TV5 with the trio that gave birth to the brand, is now using the brand that truly belongs. In other words, the "old" Eat Bulaga on GMA-7 is now "Tahanang Pinakamasaya!" and the EAT TV5 show is now called "EAT...BULAGA!"

The next time someone asks what happened to Eat Bulaga, this is the answer. Need to say it again? Tahanang Pinakamasaya is how TAPE killed Eat Bulaga and the TV5 EAT show is Eat Bulaga, born again as the "new" Eat Bulaga. 

If it is July 30, 2024, the day Eat Bulaga celebrates its 45th birthday, you know which show will celebrate. It's the TVJ one, not the TAPE one. TAPE killed Eat Bulaga and TVJ brought Eat Bulaga back. Remember that.

Doctor Who 2023 Christmas Special

The 15th Doctor's maiden voyage kicked off in the 2023 Christmas Special of BBC's Doctor Who, where he and his new companion, Ruby Sunday, are dealing with a group of mischievous creatures wreaking havoc over the Christmas season.

Doctor Who 2023 Christmas Special

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Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Special 3

The finale of the three-part Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Specials saw The Doctor face off against the return of the most powerful enemy he ever faced, The Celestial Toymaker. The final showdown that will truly wrap up the DoctorDonna saga before The Doctor achieves his true regeneration.

Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Special 3

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Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Special 2

The end of the first part of the Doctor Who 60th anniversary special saw Donna accidentally spilled coffee at the controls of the newly revamped TARDIS, causing it to go haywire. What happens next? 

The second part of the 60th-anniversary special trilogy sees The 14th Doctor and Donna get stranded in a deserted spaceship, dealing with a faceless enemy from within.

Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Special 2

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Winners of the Top Gear Awards 2023

The January 2024 issue of BBC's Top Gear Magazine unveiled this year's TG Awards winners, the first time since the Top Gear TV series went dark "for the unforeseeable future" following Freddie Flintoff's on-set accident late last year.

Winners of the Top Gear Awards 2023
Image: BBC

The Top Gear Awards features questionable but unique titles, which is nonsense to some, to be given to the cars as featured by Top Gear. Unlike most automotive awards, the folks from Top Gear went to a more unscripted approach to determine which is the best car of the year. And now, the winners...

Disruptor of the Year: Tesla Cybertruck

Manufacturer of the Year: Lamborghini

Bargain of the Year: Dacia Spring

Luxury Car of the Year: Rolls-Royce Spectre

Hypercar of the Year: GMA T.50

All The Car You'll Ever Need: BMW M3 Touring

Design of the Year: Toyota Land Cruiser 250

Track Car of the Year: Porsche 911 GT3 RS (992)

GT of the Year: Aston Martin DB12

Family Car of the Year: Kia EV9

Car We're Most Looking Forward to Driving in 2024: Ford Mustang GTD

Performance Car of the Year: Honda Civic Type R (FL5)

Innovation of the Year: Koenigsegg CC850 Engage Shift System

Eco Warrior of the Year: Volvo EX30

Lifetime Achievement Award: Adrian Newey

Retro Hero of the Year: Tamiya Wild One Max

Car of the Year: Hyundai Ioniq 5 N

URL: https://www.topgear.com/car-news/2023-topgearcom-awards/revealed-winners-2023-topgearcom-awards

Congratulations to the winners of this year's Top Gear Awards!

Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Special 1

Since the end of The Power of The Doctor last year, The 13th Doctor regenerated back into The 10th Doctor. Why did The Doctor gain an old face from a long time ago? Was it because of his loose ends regarding Donna Noble? 

The beginning of the 60th-anniversary special trilogy sees The 14th Doctor reunite with Donna Noble as they're dealing with a terrifying threat on a larger scale.

Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Special 1

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A quick six-decade history of BBC's Doctor Who

The 23rd of November, 2023, marks the 60th anniversary of BBC's flagship TV series, Doctor Who. From Classic Who to Modern Who, from William Hartnell to Jodie Whitaker, the megahit TV series became the hallmark of the sci-fi genre since its 1963 airing and evolved into a mixed media project that served as one of the BBC's success stories.

With only two days left before the first part of the Doctor Who 60th-anniversary specials airing on BBC in the UK and on the Disney+ streaming service globally, how did we go from here? The past, present, and future of the Doctor Who series?

60 years of Doctor Who

Classic Who - Aired on the BBC on November 23rd, 1963, William Hartnell is the very first actor to play The Doctor in the said series, forever laying the foundation of the Doctor Who series. The Classic Who era welcomed the most iconic Doctors in TV history from Hartnell to Sylvester McCoy, a memorable cast of characters, monsters, and a rogue gallery of villains ranging from Daleks, Cybermen, and even his arch nemesis, The Master. Seven classic Doctors (William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, and Sylvester McCoy) are forever known as legends not just in the franchise but in the entire TV sci-fi genre.

16 years of void - The Sylvester McCoy era became the final era of the Classic Who and when the TV show was laid to rest in 1989, it left a 16-year void before its 2005 comeback. Of course, the whole Doctor Who team tried bringing it back on May 27, 1996, with a TV movie aired on FOX, starring Paul McGann as The Doctor, but feels like the comeback didn't work as expected.

2005 return - On March 26, 2005, Doctor Who is back on the telly after a 16-year absence. With Russell T Davies serving as the showrunner and actor Christopher Eccleston playing the role of The Doctor, the 2005 revival signaled the start of the Modern Who era. Joining Eccleston is Billie Piper who plays the role of his companion, Rose Tyler, the two witnessed how the world ended, facing off against the Daleks, preventing world catastrophe, and uncovering the truth.

Greatest Doctor of All Time? - Christopher Eccleston's reign as The Doctor lasted for 13 episodes, the entire first season of the reborn Doctor Who TV series, and got replaced by actor David Tennant at the season finale. Making his first moves at the 2005 Christmas Special, David Tennant cemented his status as the GOAT in the Modern Who times. In fact, Tennant's making a comeback in the 60th anniversary special as the 14th Doctor! This marks the first in the Doctor Who franchise a Doctor actor doing two non-consecutive terms. 

Teaming alongside Piper as Rose, Freema Agyeman as Martha, and John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness aside, the most popular companion in the David Tennant years is none other than Donna Noble, played by comedienne Catherine Tate. First met at the 2006 Christmas special, the two reunite at the beginning of the fourth season and with past companions collide, including the late Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith, a legend companion from the Classic Who times, it showcased the show's exploding popularity.

New Decade, New Who - David Tennant's time ended at the beginning of 2010, and with Russell T Davies stepped down from his showrunner duties, Steven Moffat took over and actor Matt Smith filled in the shoes of The Doctor, signaling the new era of Doctor Who. From The Eleventh Hour to The Time of The Doctor, the Matt Smith years shifted the Doctor Who era to a more family-friendly approach. 

During his tenure, the Matt Smith years of Doctor Who introduced companions such as Karen Gillan as Amy Pond, Arthur Darvill as Rory Williams, and Jenna Coleman as Clara Oswald. Actress Alex Kingston, who showed up in the David Tennant years as River Song, popped up as well, showing her origin story and her shocking relationship with Amy and Rory.

After the 2013 Christmas Special, Smith was replaced by Peter Capaldi, showing off his darker undertones while keeping the mantra of protecting the universe by all means. Apart from teaming up with Jenna Coleman as Clara, the Peter Capaldi years welcomed Pearl Mackie as Bill Potts and comedian Matt Lucas as Nardole, who first appeared in the 2015 Christmas Special.

Fast fact that both Gillan and Capaldi got their early stints in the DW Season 4 episode titled The Fires of Pompeii.

50 years of DW - November 23rd, 2013 marked the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who and to celebrate that occasion, a 50th-anniversary TV special, titled The Day of The Doctor, was aired. The Doctors, played by Matt Smith and David Tennant, joined forces with their mysterious predecessor known as The War Doctor, played by the late John Hurt, who popped up at the end of the 7th season. Racing against time, the three Doctors join forces to save the universe.

Long before the explosive 50th-anniversary special went on air, a biopic titled An Adventure of Space and Time was aired, starring David Bradley as William Hartnell, the 1st Doctor. Also, a Doctor Who web short was streamed, showcasing the 8th Doctor getting regenerated into The War Doctor, filling the void that was left after the 1996 TV movie.

Breaking the series' boundaries - The Peter Capaldi years signaled the final time Steven Moffat served as the showrunner and their time ended in the 2017 Christmas Special, Twice Upon A Time, which featured Bradley as The 1st Doctor, Broadchurch creator Chris Chibnall took over the series as the showrunner. Breaking the series' boundaries, the 11th season of Doctor Who welcomed the series' first female Doctor, Jodie Whitaker. During her four-year tenure from 2018 to 2022, the 13th Doctor joined forces with Ryan Sinclair (Tosin Cole), Yaz Khan (Mandip Gill), Graham O'Brien (Bradley Walsh), and Dan Lewis (John Bishop). Together, they've faced numerous enemies, new and old, including the reborn Master (played by Sacha Dhawan), while learning the truth about The Doctor's origins.

Loose ends? - As the Jodie Whitaker years came to an end, it was announced that actor Ncuti Gatwa would take over the role of The Doctor, but first, David Tennant will reprise his Doctor role in the 60th-anniversary specials. Why bring Tennant back to Who? Unanswered questions between The Doctor and Donna Noble after the end of the Season 4 finale. With them returning in the three-part specials, they have one loose end to mend before The Doctor can attain his true regeneration, and that's what the world awaits.

Spin-offs and mixed media - The Whoniverse expands outside the world of Doctor Who with official spin-offs featuring iconic characters and settings such as the R-rated spin-off series, Torchwood, which stars John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness and Eve Myles as Gwen Cooper, among others, the kid-friendly The Sarah Jane Adventures where DW legend Elisabeth Sladen reprises her Sarah Jane Smith role and teams up with a group of kids battling alien threats, and then there's Class, which is set at Coal Hill High, the same school appeared in the world of Doctor Who. Word from the outside world is there was a TV show called K-9, which features The Doctor's robot ally K-9 in its entirely new form. 

TV shows aside, the Whoniverse also expands outside the TV screens in the form of comic books, novels, audio dramas, and others. One such example is the Doom's Day project which features a mysterious character named Doom as she spreads across the Whoniverse from comic books to audio dramas, racing for her life to find The Doctor. The Doom's Day project is part of Doctor Who's six-decade celebrations.

Six decades of Doctor Who, no, the Whoniverse. The past, present, and future of the Whoniverse will never stop expanding and as the world prepares for the show's 60th-anniversary specials and the imminent arrival of the new Doctor, expect brilliant things to come in the Whoniverse.

Happy 60th anniversary to the Whoniverse!

Image: BBC