A Cancelled Shoot In Kazakhstan Could Cost Top Gear £500k

Amid production staff leaving, a certain vomit-related incident with an Audi R8 and the recent Cenotaph controversy, the ambitious reboot of Top Gear doesn’t seem to be going all that smoothly. In a new setback, the programme had to cancel a big shoot in Kazakhstan, and at a potentially hefty cost.

According to tabloid reports, presenters Rory Reid, Sabine Schmitz and Eddie Jordan were due to film in the country, only to end up grounded in Moscow last Saturday thanks to a dispute between Kazakhstan and Aeroflot, Russia’s largest airline. The three presenters - joined by a 40-strong production team - were forced to return to the UK, having filmed nothing. Aeroflot flights to Kazakhstan have since been resumed.

It’s thought the unfortunate event will have cost the show around £500,000, however in a statement the BBC said that “through no fault of the Top Gear team, the airline carrying them was not permitted to fly from Moscow to Kazakhstan and so they returned to London,” and that the organisation “will be looking to recoup the cost of the flights.”

The first episode of the revamped show - which will be fronted by a whole new presenter line-up - will air early in May.