One of the greatest shows on television, Top Gear, is, in the immortal words of Graham Chapman, has been tagged as “being too silly” and is being asked by the BBC to tone it down this year. This translates to the show cutting back on the comedy stunts and giving the series a more serious tone according to presenter James May, a.k.a. Captain Slow, in a recent Radio Times interview.

Viewer concern that the brilliant BBC Two program had sunk to “Last of the Summer Wine tomfoolery” led to repeated criticism followed by an internal review and then, ultimately, the decision to become more like TG from a number of years ago. The obvious appeal, from my standpoint, is the incredible chemistry between presenters, Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May, along with the perfect mix of being a series motoring program AND comedic bits.

Top Gear has the distinction of being one of the most illegally downloaded programs on the internet. I’m guessing the comedic moments play a very important part in that honor so, hopefully, they won’t tone it down too much. How can you argue with trying to crash land an airship, firing a Renault Twingo off the docks in Belfast or blowing up a caravan. You just can’t.

The Telegraph has put together the top 10 stunts from Top Gear history so you can watch again and again before the show becomes just another run-of-the-mill serious motoring show. Here are a couple to get you started….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owldlbRPyvg

Bugatti Veyron vs. Euro Fighter Typhoon, the all-time greatest stunt

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NZ9X9A2efA