Mr Wilman’s Motoring Adventure

Top Gear, Grand Tour and Twenty Years of Magic and Mayhem

By: Andy Wilman

Narrated by: Andy Wilman

Brought to you by Penguin.

Top Gear turned gloomy Sunday nights into celebratory Friday nights. It made household names of presenters Clarkson, Hammond and May, their unique chemistry and buddy movie antics proving irresistible to a vast global audience. With these three at the helm, Top Gear earned a place in the Guinness Book of Records as the most popular factual TV show on the planet.

Then, a short while later, it was all gone.

How did a thoroughly sensible little consumer advice programme on cars turn into a global phenomenon in the first place, though? How did it all go wrong? And how did they rise from the ashes as The Grand Tour, and go on to scale even greater heights?

One man has all the answers.

There from the beginning, Top Gear and The Grand Tour co-creator, and Jeremy’s oldest friend, Andy Wilman, opens the bonnet on over twenty years of motoring mayhem. In Mr Wilman’s Motoring Adventure, the mysterious man in the shadows tells the inside story of your favourite TV shows for the first time.

Irreverent, joyful and as laugh-out-loud funny as the shows themselves, it’s the best book about Top Gear and The Grand Tour . . . in the world.

© Andy Wilman 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

Thank you, Mr. Wilman.

I don’t want to write an emotional review on my phone, but this was incredible. I just finished it, and in absence of a novel of appreciation, I just want to say: thank you, Mr. Wilman.

TG and GT Fan Must

Fantastic book that takes you behind the scenes of one of the best shows ever created. A must listen for any Top Gear or Grand Tour fan! Thank you Mr. Wilman for making this book.

So good!

Must listen to forgetting for avid Top Gear/grand tour fans. So good do we live the joy of watching the shows here’s some background stories. Hope you enjoy as much as I did thank you, Mr. Willman!!!!

Smile, laugh, cry

This book encompasses everything that is great about TG & GT . Learning about all the back stories and behind the scenes is fantastic. The memories of all these wonderful shows and moments throughout the years. When I say smile, laugh and cry, I mean that wholeheartedly, I laughed out loud and had tears of joy and sadness rolling down my face.. the boys and Mr. Wilman will forever have had an impact on my life.

Mr. Wilman is REAL?!?

This book is the best book....in the wooorld! It really is fantastic! If you loved Top Gear and The Grand Tour, you won't be disappointed.

The narration is also great, and I'm glad Mr. Wilman read it himself; quite the story teller indeed! I found myself laughing so hard at the stories I would back the audio up and listen to a story again. I basically listened to this thing twice...it is THAT good.

Listening to this book was like going back and watching old home movies. The pain of the loss might be gone, but you still miss them and you're happy to relive the memories.

I absolutely loved Top Gear. Being American, I don't often follow British television until later, and I didn't discover Top Gear until 2013 or so. I was very sad to see it go, and was quite excited for The Grand Tour. Honestly, I don't watch credits, so I never saw Mr. Wilman's name in there. Even going into S1 of The Grand Tour, I thought he might be made up. I even went back and watched every series/season I was able to through streaming and never saw his name. I'm now watching Top Gear on Pluto TV from Series 2 again. Then I actually paid attention to the credits and didn't see his name...until the VERY last slide. Huh, silly me.