The episode begins with the hosts arriving in Amman, Jordan, where they meet their local guide, a British expat named Mike. They are given three locally-sourced cars: a Jordanian-spec Chevrolet Caprice, a UAE-registered Hummer H2, and a Bahraini-plated Lamborghini LM002.
The Top Gear Middle Eastern Special is not a car review. It is a testament to the absurdity of friendship. You don't do this trip to prove a car is good. You do it to prove that, no matter how hot it gets, no matter how many times the BMW breaks down, there is nothing better than driving into the unknown with your two best idiots. top gear middle eastern special
As they head south, the cars begin to fall apart. The air conditioning units fail, and the leather seats burn the presenters. The episode begins with the hosts arriving in
It worked. Sort of. After 45 minutes of pushing, sweating, and Clarkson threatening to sue the entire Arabian Peninsula, the cars popped free. The BMW had a cracked sump. The Golf had no reverse gear. The Fiat smelled of burnt clutch and regret. It is a testament to the absurdity of friendship
The special was conceived after the BBC, the show's broadcaster, pulled the plug on the show's 15th season due to a controversy surrounding Jeremy Clarkson's remarks about one of the show's producers. The show's hosts were given a budget to create a special episode, and they decided to embark on a journey across the Middle East.
The trio starts in Eastern Turkey, just miles from the Iraqi border. Immediately, the tension is high. They drive through the mountains of Northern Iraq (Kurdistan), providing some of the most stunning cinematography in the show's history—contrasting the snowy mountain passes with the scorching deserts below. They encounter military checkpoints and American convoys, leading to Clarkson’s famous line: "We are in a Mazda, I think we’re safe."
This special is widely considered one of the funniest and most visually spectacular episodes of the Clarkson, Hammond, and May era.