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Though he was never seen, Andy Wilman was an inextricable part of the success of Top Gear. 

He’s the co-creator and executive producer of the show, which has been seen by over 350 million people around the world.  

And when Top Gear came to a close, he was in charge of The Grand Tour, the show that picked up right where its predecessor left off, and now Wilman is running Amazon’s record-breaking show Clarkson’s Farm.  

More than two decades later, he’s written a book about how it all came to be, looking behind the scenes in ‘Mr Wilman’s Motoring Adventure’. 

While it may have started out as an ordinary TV show, Top Gear quickly became a phenomenon, and Wilman told Mike Hosking there were dozens of tiny moments that made them realise it. 

“Richard [Hammond’s] crash, obviously, we were, I think we were already big by then, but Richard’s crash stunned us at how we were part of the nation’s TV watching fabric.” 

“I think the, the things, the elements that were inevitable were because we were making things up as we went along, because we had no plan,” he explained. 

“So you surprise yourself ... those moments in turn generate new material, which keeps you fresh.”  

But as the viewership grew, so did the pressure, and the combination of a smaller crew size, ideological differences within the BBC, and the team getting “too big for their boots” started to cause problems. 

“Those three elements were the perfect storm that led to our demise.” 

A little further down the line is Clarkson’s Farm, which despite being a smaller production, Wilman says is more rewarding. 

“[It’s] a far more challenging and rewarding show to make, simply because they shoot all the time.” 

Since Clarkson is at work from the moment he steps out his front door, the filming has to cover everything. 

“We just shoot and shoot and shoot and then we’ll see what sticks to the wall.” 

And a large part of the show’s appeal is its supporting cast, which Wilman says was like catching lightning in a bottle for the second time.  

“A bit like Jeremy, Richard, and James – you couldn’t plan that.” 

“Magic happened.” 

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