No Top Gear DVDs
February 22, 2007 by upyourego
One of the things I’ve wanted to be able to buy for a while is whole series of Top Gear on DVD - I have whole series of things like Yes, Minister, Fawlty Towers, Doctor Who and other favourite shows - so why not Top Gear.
Well I’ve always assumed the reason they haven’t been released was because of clearing the music the show uses during TV episodes - turns out I was right.
I sent an e-mail to the person at 2|Entertain responsible for commissioning BBC series on DVD including Top Gear and the Jeremy Clarkson DVDs and I just got a response.
Basically he said it was because of the music rights and that as a company they didn’t think fans of the show would appreciate alternative music being used on DVDs so didn’t think it was worth releasing them.
I think he’s wrong - I think fans of the show would live with/understand the need to change the music as long as it was done properly.
The email response I recieved from the 2|Entertain Managing Director DVD & Video, Stuart Snaith is below:
Thanks for your interest and enquiry - we are planning a variety of Top Gear and Clarkson release but not the whole series. Historically it’s proved impossible to clear the music for DVD release.
This means that we’d have to replace with ‘alternative’ clearable music. Our view has been that if this occured on all the episodes it would undermine peoples enjoyment of the brand. Perhaps we’re wrong!
So do you disagree as well? Are they wrong? I think so - if you agree then get in touch with 2|Entertain and tell them you WANT Top Gear in full series Box Sets on DVD regardless of the music used.
You can e-mail info@2entertain.co.uk or visit the video site at 2entertainvideo.co.uk.
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I’m not a Top Gear viewer (nothing wrong with it, just not my type of program) so its hard to comment on the music used, but I’m guessing theres plenty of rock and maybe a few dance tracks thrown in. Maybe a middle-ground can be found, using library tracks for most music and using a few select tracks on the rest of the release? I can certainly appreciate how music adds to a program like this, but as you point out, true “hardcore” fans, especially those that will go out and buy a whole series, will not be too bothered by a generic guitar track as opposed to the latest Kieser Chiefs release. Maybe a warning on the box would be warranted?!?
Hell, NO. I want my Top Gear DVD episodes to come to my doorstep just as they aired. They obtained the rights to use the soundtracks for TV, ***WHY FOR THE LOVE OF GOD*** would that not also apply to any other distribution channel like DVDs, or internet?
Barring that, they need to find or create music that will not be so inhibited.
If this is the reason why we can’t get full season episodes, well, that’s a sad joke.
Brian - the reason they can’t the music as it airs on TV is because of the way the BBC licences music.
Basically it’s licenced across the board for all BBC Radio & TV networks so anything can be used by anyone, it’s then reported and paid for centrally.
This means that when it comes to the DVDs (a commercial use outside of the BBC licencing deal) the music rights would have to be negotiated (something not needed for TV rights) on a song by song basis.
Some musicians might be turning them down, others asking more money than is cost effective - either way the BBC doesn’t seem to have been able to negotiate the rights to use the same music.
A similar thing happened in episodes of Doctor Who released on DVD where the music was different on the DVD to the TV episode.
As for saying - why don’t the Top Gear team think about this while making the show - they’re not allowed.
Because of the way the BBC is funded a show can’t be made with any commercial release in mind - it has to be made to the best possible standard for the BBC TV airing - nothing else should matter.
Surely the cheque to the music labels to clear the music for DVD release would be a fraction of what they could make from selling the DVDs themselves?
You’d be surprised just how expensive music rights are - with the amount of music the TG team uses it could account for half the cost of producing the DVD which would me an they would have to be prohibitively expensive - it’s also possibly some musicians could refuse to let their music be used on the DVD.
That’s a right they don’t have on TV but could excersize on a commercial release.
ahh so there are others like me, i’ve lookin everywhere i guess now i have closure, thats a shame cause this is a great show and iw ould luv to buy the series dvd, i didn’t realize it was cause they were being cheap. Im sure they would make lots of money from the dvds, just gotta cough up some money for the music rights
Look Top gear is class yes you might want to watch the episodes again but isn’t that’s what freeview channel DAVE is for or alternatively nice and easy a dvd recorder JOB DONE!!
Plus I find that I would much prefer the challenges and all the stupid Clarkson comments “And look what this button does” on DVD.
Snow mini’s, Toybota’s bring it on those should be content of the dvd’s all episodes is overkill and waste of money for them.
Get yourself a DVD recorder and stop moaning. There only about 100 notes if that!