Top Gear filming the 2010 Christmas Special - In search of 'The Baby Jesus'
The BBC has confirmed that Top Gear’s Middle East Excursion last month was for the Top Gear Christmas Special tracing the route of the Three Wise men – in open-topped cars.
Last month we caught up with Top Gear’s Messrs Clarkson, Hammond and May as they played games in the Middle East for what we had assumed was another episode of the next series of Top Gear. Turns out this little expedition across the Middle East was all in the name of festive celebrations.
This year’s Top Gear Christmas Special will see the boys turn in to the Magi and trace the route of the three wise men in their quest to find ‘The Baby Jesus’. But what’s the route?
The bible doesn’t tell us what route the wise men took (and nor do we know if there were three – but three fits), simply that they came from the East. Logically that would probably mean Persia, although we can’t really see the boys being warmly welcomed in modern-day Iran.
They could of course have a crack at Iraq. Iraq is the ‘Cradle of Civilisation’ (hard to believe these days) and the boys could follow the Euphrates up in to Syria and then down in to Jordan before heading for Israel in their quest for Bethlehem and ‘The Baby Jesus’.
Whatever route they take there will be plenty of opportunity for trouble in such a sensitive region. There will also be plenty of opportunity for car trouble with the boys driving cars from the ‘old banger’ end of the sports car spectrum – a BMW Z3, Fiat Barchetta and a Mazda MX-5.
And when is the Top Gear Christmas Special on the box? You can catch the Three Wise Men Christmas Special on BBC2 on Boxing Day at 8pm (GMT).
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