Remember that Top Gear special where Jeremy Clarkson, James May, and Richard Hammond went to Burma? Well, given recent events in that part of the world (Thailand and Myanmar are fighting it out now), Clarkson shares some behind-the-scenes of what went down in the Shan state of Burma while they shot the special. Here’s a preview:
“When I was on Top Gear, we thought it would be a good idea to go there. Yes, we’d been told that no foreigners are allowed in, ever, but we had a swagger back then, so we asked and incredibly, the government said yes. But then all the factions said it wasn’t up to the government. They had to agree to our visit. It took a while but one by one they did. And then they decided to throw a party to welcome us.”
(As always, usual disclaimers apply, including a possible paywall encounter.)
Jeremy Clarkson closed out his column with this prediction for 2026, and I thought that it merited a separate comment:
“The next morning, as I drove away I do remember thinking that I’d spent the night in a tinderbox and that one day, it was all going to end in tears. Which is what’s been happening with increasing regularity all year. That’s me. The oracle. Just occasionally, I see the future. And what I see in 2026 is peacefulness and stability and growth. Enjoy it.”
Not to be THAT guy, Thailand is fighting with Cambodia not Myanmar. Myanmar is having elections today though. Edit to add: What Clarkson is talking about is the Civil War in Myanmar that has a tendency to "spill over" the border and Thailand is of course keeping an eye on it.
Fair enough, it appears that Clarkson got confused as he was making his recollections. But let’s not get bogged down with specifics! 😅
In all seriousness, though, here’s an article on where things currently stand in the Thailand-Cambodia conflict. And here’s another one tracking the current civil war in Myanmar.
Considering how drunk everyone was getting, that everyone was armed to the teeth and the fact that all the various factions fucking hated each other, is anyone else surprised that nothing kicked off?