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Following the decision by the BBC to cancel Top Gear  in 2001, Jeremy Clarkson and Andy Wilman pitched the idea of creating a new format for the show to the broadcasters. Their pitch included conducting power laps of notable cars that were featured such as supercars and high-performance roadsters, performing some of their car reviews at a fixed site as well as locations across Britain and abroad, the utilisation of a studio for discussions on cars and for other segments with a studio audience present, and the participation of a celebrity guest who would be interviewed on motoring matters and take part in a challenge of setting a lap time in a affordable car. As part of their changes, the show's running time was extended to one hour, the fixed site was located at Dunsfold Aerodrome, a airport and business park in  Waverley in Surrey, utilising one of its large aircraft  hangars for the studio, and using the runways and taxiways for car reviews. Lotus assisted in the design of the Top Gear test track at the site for use by the programme. While the celebrity segment was referred to as "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car," additional segments were added in, The Cool Wall and The News. The first series of the new Top Gear  format was broadcast in 2002, with Clarkson joined by Richard Hammond and  Jason Dawe, although only the former typically appeared in most segments along with Clarkson, along with the introduction of a test driver called  The Stig, a anonymous, helmeted racing driver who conducted the show's Power Laps. Following the first series, Dawe was replaced by  James May, who had previously worked on the old format, while the original Stig, portrayed by  Perry McCarthy, was replaced at the beginning of the third series by  Ben Collins. While the show operated in a similar manner to the previous format during the early series, with the inclusion of reading out letters from viewers and conducting interviews, it focused on humour and creating a unique presentation style for the programme, and the inclusion of races between cars or between a car and another form of transportation, challenges involving cheap, second-hand cars, unusual approaches to reviewing cars, and road trips. In most of the early series, the presenters regularly destroyed a caravan. In early 2006, the BBC made arrangements to move the programme's film site from Dunsfold to Enstone in Oxfordshire in preparation for the eighth series but were forced to change this because of West Oxfordshire Council rejecting their plans on the basis of noise and pollution concerns. As a direct result, the broadcaster ordered that filming continue at Dunsfold during May of that year despite having no permit to do so with the eighth series unveiling a revamped studio set. In addition, the "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" segment was modified with new rules along with a new car, while Hammond included one of his dogs for the series throughout its studio segments along with a number of films made for this series and the next. During production for the ninth series on 20th September, Hammond was seriously injured while driving a  Vampire drag racing car at up to 314 mph as part of a planned feature, leading the BBC to postpone the broadcast of Best of Top Gear  until a later date, and delaying production on the series until Hammond had recovered. Both the BBC and the  Health and Safety Executive<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> carried out inquiries into the accident, <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:11.2px;white-space:nowrap;">  <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">with filming later resuming on 5th October. <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> The opening episode of the ninth series aired on 28th January 2007 and included footage of Hammond's crash, but  <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">while it was not repeated like other episodes in the programme it attracted higher ratings than the finale of Celebrity Big Brother, and <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> provided one of the highest ratings for BBC Two for a decade alongside the series finale which attracted around 8 million viewers. On 25th July, the  BBC aired a special edition episode entitled Top Gear: Polar Special. It was one of the first episodes of the programme to be shown in high-definition, and the third special to be produced, focusing on a race to the North Magnetic Pole, at its recorded location in 1996, between a "polar modified" Toyota Hilux and a dog sled. Considerable planning and co-ordination for the filming of the episode was conducted by both Top Gear's production team and Toyota, with both Clarkson and May, driving the Hilux, being the first people to reach the recorded location of the North Magnetic Pole by car. It was one of a number of challenges in which the presenters had to be focused and serious despite the comedic scenes shown, with another being on 9th September, when the presenters and The Stig participated in the 2007 Britcar 24-hour race at Silverstone, using a race-prepared, second-hand diesel BMW 330d which was fuelled by biodiesel refined from crops that they had sown as part of a earlier feature. Popularity of the show rose to considerable levels and the waiting list to get a ticket for a recording was extensive which required a individual to wait for 21 years before securing a place. On 17th June 2008, Hammond and May revealed during a interview on BBC Radio 1's The Chris Moyles Show that the eleventh series would feature a new "host" in the line-up, who was later revealed as "Top Gear Stunt Man" on the programme w ho is a individual who made few, occasional appearances on the programme. From the twelfth series, feature-length specials were created for the show with each visiting a different part of the world for a road trip using second-hand cars with a number produced to be aired as a Christmas special. Despite growing popularity, a interview made with the Radio Times by Wilman revealed that future programmes would have less time devoted to big challenges, stating, "We've looked back at the last two or three runs and noticed that a programme can get swallowed up by one monster film which is a bit like one of those Yes albums from the 1970s where side one is just one track, so we're trying to calm down the prog-rock side. We'll inevitably still have big films because it's the only way you can enjoy the three of them cocking about together, but they'll be shorter overall, and alongside we'll be inserting two- or three-minute punk songs." The success of the programme soon led to a live-version format being created called Top Gear Live; produced by a former producer of the program, Rowland French, the touring show aimed to attempt to "bring the TV show format to life." The Live tour began on 30th October 2008 in Earls Court, moving on to Birmingham in November before being performed in at least 15 other countries worldwide. As the fourteenth series was broadcast in late 2009, it attracted criticism from some viewers who perceived that the programme was becoming predictable, with a over-reliance on stunts and forced humour at the expense of serious content. On a episode of the BBC's Points of View, broadcast 13th December 2009, Janice Hadlow, the controller of BBC Two, rejected such comments, observing that she was still pleased with Top Gear's ratings and audience appreciation figures. A week later, on 20th December, Andy Wilman admitted that the three presenters were now "playing to their TV cartoon characters a bit too much," adding, "It's fair to say that this incarnation of Top Gear is nearer the end than the beginning, and our job is to land this plane with its dignity still intact. But ironically, that does mean trying new things to the last, even if they screw up, because, well, it means you never stopped trying." Nevertheless, a one-off special of the 60 Minutes programme attracted 16 million viewers in October 2010 which was the highest audience for the series for that year and highlighted Top Gear's continuing popularity. <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">Following the emergence of a video of an unaired take for the nineteenth series <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> and a complaint of racism made following the Burma Special <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> in which Ofcom<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> ruled that the show had breached broadcasting rules, <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> the BBC issued a "final warning" against Clarkson over his behaviour in recent years on the show. Following the airing of the controversial  Patagonia Special<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> over the BBC's Christmas schedule for 2014, <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> the twenty-second series began airing from 25th January 2015 but while it was planned to have ten episodes it was abruptly put into hiatus after the BBC suspended Clarkson on 10th March because of a investigation into allegations that he had verbally and physically abused Top Gear producer Oisin Tymon in a hotel after filming a segment for the series. <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> Later that month, on 25th March,  Director-General of the BBC<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">  Tony Hall<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> announced that Clarkson's contract would not be renewed as a result of the incident and that they would look into putting out the remaining episodes of the current series at a later date. On 1st April it was announced that the Top Gear Live stage shows were to continue under the banner of Clarkson, Hammond and May Live following Clarkson's forced departure. On 23th April, James May announced that he would not be returning to the show without Clarkson. On the same day, the BBC confirmed that Andy Wilman had also left the show following Clarkson's dismissal. Shortly afterwards, Richard Hammond also confirmed that he would not be returning to the show. On 16th June, the BBC confirmed that the trio's final films would air as a compilation on 28th June which was anchored by Hammond and May. <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">Following the dismissal of Clarkson from the programme and the subsequent departure of May and Hammond, the BBC began searching for new hosts to replace them, retaining The Stig as part of the line-up. Chris Evans<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> was confirmed as one of the new hosts, <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> who later claimed that a new format could lead to him presenting the show alone <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> despite a previous announcement that the broadcaster was holding open auditions for his co-presenters, which <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> was later unfounded. Although former Formula One racing driver David Coulthard had been widely reported to be joining the programme as a host this was dismissed as speculation after he was revealed to be the host of Channel 4's coverage for the 2016 Formula One season on 11th January 2016. On 4th February, American actor Matt LeBlanc was revealed to be joining the show as Evans's co-host, with Evans revealing a week later on his BBC Radio 2 breakfast show that he, LeBlanc and The Stig would be joined by Eddie Jordan, motoring journalist Chris Harris, German motor racing driver Sabine Schmitz and Sky television presenter Rory Reid. <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">Filming of the new series included work to change the format with a small number of segments dropped, the studio receiving a new revamp, and the celebrity segment being redesigned to feature a rallycross-styled challenge. In addition, during a interview with BBC News on 22nd February, Evans revealed that only he and LeBlanc would front the show on each episode, whilst their other co-presenters would come and go as and when required. <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> On 27th April, BBC Three announced that it had commissioned a spin-off programme called Extra Gear <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> which would be released online and would bring fans exclusive new footage, interviews, specially recorded films and behind the scenes access to Top Gear <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> with both Reid and Harris hosting the spinoff, which would air after each episode of the show. Production delays and scheduling conflicts led to the series being aired on 29th May 2016 but with only six of the ten episodes that it promised to show. Both the new hosts and new format received mixed feedback from critics and viewers. All were generally negative towards Evans, who was panned for his presentation style and his lack of chemistry with LeBlanc, and disapproved of the show's sluggish pace and the lack of humour in the audience segments as well as the overly long "Star in a Rallycross Car" segment but generally praised the inclusion of LeBlanc and Harris and Reid to the show. Newspaper articles also highlighted that the show struggled with viewing figures, partly blaming the fact that most of it was aired opposite live broadcasts of the UEFA Euro 2016 championships. On 4th July, Evans announced that he would be leaving Top Gear after having hosted only six episodes. In a statement released via the BBC, he pointed out how he had done his best, adding, "I have never worked with a more committed and driven team than the team I have worked with over the last 12 months." On 26th September, it was announced by the BBC that following Evans's resignation, all five remaining presenters would stay with the show, with LeBlanc and Harris and Reid becoming the three main hosts for the next series. The show underwent a revamp of its studio, along with its logo and opening titles, while "Star in a Rally-Cross Car" was axed from the show and the previous format was revived for Series 24 but under a new name entitled Star in a Reasonably Fast Car. <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">For the first seven series the car driven for lap times was a  Suzuki Liana<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">. When first introduced, the car was worth £9,995. <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> The car used is stock except for a  roll cage<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> and racing seats added as safety measures. Each guest practises with The Stig before making several attempts to complete the test track in the fastest time. The guest does not learn their time until the interview. The two slowest laps on the Liana celebrity list are held by Terry Wogan and Richard Whiteley, both of whom were beaten by Billy Baxter, a Bosnian war veteran who is completely blind. He guided the Liana through the track under direction from Jeremy Clarkson in the passenger seat in a time of 2 minutes 2 seconds which was 1.4 seconds quicker than Wogan and 4 seconds faster than Whiteley. The fastest non-professional driver was Ellen MacArthur. Unlike most contenders, she made no comments to the camera during her lap. She completed the lap in 1 minute 46.7 seconds, beating Jimmy Carr by 0.2 seconds. The current fastest professional driver in the Liana is Daniel Ricciardo with 1 minute 42.2. <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">The Liana endured considerable abuse from the stars while undertaking their laps. In one incident, Michael Gambon<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> clipped the final corner, taking the car onto two wheels. It was done in such a spectacular fashion that the corner was named Gambon Corner. When  Lionel Richie<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> drove the Liana, one of the front wheels fell off, which invoked Clarkson to coin the term pulling a Lionel. Stephen Ladyman added further injury to the Liana by denting the boot when he lost control during practice and slid backwards into a tyre wall. David Soul destroyed the gearbox of two Lianas during his time on the show because of his rough driving style and Patrick Kielty broke the Liana's front suspension during series 4 when he drove on the grass. Christopher Eccleston was the only celebrity to use a Liana with a automatic transmission, because a hesitant Eccleston admitted that he was "only qualified to drive a automatic." Top Gear succeeded in borrowing a automatic Liana of which only 40 existed in the United Kingdom. As a reference to his role in Doctor Who, the automatic Liana was shown materialising onto the racing track, with a TARDIS materialisation sound effect played over it. <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">David Soul's Liana featured a red police light and a white stripe in reference to his Starsky and Hutch <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> role. Johnny Vegas  <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">was provided with  L-plates<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> as he had not passed his driving test at the time. When  Justin Hawkins<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> came on the show, the Liana that he drove had flame decals pasted on it while  Sanjeev Bhaskar<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> had a ornate tissue box placed in the back, which is a homage to Indian drivers. In 2005 Formula One racing driver Damon Hill appeared on the show for the first time as the star. This was kept a surprise to the audience and the viewing public, and when Nigel Mansell came on the show, it was covered up in magazines and on the internet that the Star in a Reasonably Priced Car would be Alan Titchmarsh. Since Mansell's appearance, the Liana has remained in use as a vehicle reserved for Formula One racing drivers. <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">For some of the laps more than one person has been present in the car. This was the case for Jeremy Clarkson's run when he had both Richard Hammond and  Jason Dawe<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> in the car. Trinny and Susannah<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> were both in the car for each other's runs. Denise Van Outen<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> was in the car when  Johnny Vaughan<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> did his lap; Van Outen never did a lap driving the car. Clarkson was also present as a navigator for Billy Baxter's laps. Starting with the eighth series the Liana was replaced by a Chevrolet Lacetti and a new blank scoreboard. The format was changed so that each star would have five practice laps, and then a final timed lap, with no allowance being given for mishaps. As a starter for the new car and format, a open day was held for any celebrity who wanted to take part. 7 stars recorded times that day with the first being James Hewitt, who was referred to as the 'Well Spoken Man' after Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond failed to recognise him, Alan Davies, Jimmy Carr, Rick Wakeman, Justin Hawkins, Les Ferdinand and Trevor Eve being the next 6, the latter topping the time at 1 minute 47. Jimmy Carr had held second place in the Liana behind Ellen MacArthur but spun off while doing his timed lap and got the slowest time ever around the track at 2 minutes 8.91 seconds. <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">Billie Piper <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">posted a time of 1 minute 48.3, but was deemed by The Stig to have failed to complete a lap properly because of her failing to negotiate some corners. The Stig suggested a penalty but after Clarkson consulted the audience it was decided that he let the time stand which David Tennant tried to overturn on 23rd December 2007 show at the end of the following series. Clarkson remarked that if Tennant had worn a see through top, he would have been faster than Simon Cowell. <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">In the 11 November 2007 episode  Cowell<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> retook his status as the holder of the fastest lap with a time of 1 minute 45.90. According to Clarkson, the cameramen said that they had never seen such consistency in the practice laps. <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:11.2px;white-space:nowrap;">  <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">Cowell was knocked off the top spot in Series 11 by  Jay Kay<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> who now holds the fastest time in the Lacetti, although Clarkson selected the fastest of Kay's times rather than the last run which was slower than Cowell's time because of a dislike of Cowell. Richard Hammond attended the demolition of the two 550 ft chimneys at Lafarge Cement's Northfleet Works o n 28th March 2010. It was shown that the Lacetti was partially crushed by placing it in the path of one of the falling chimneys o n the first episode of Series 15. <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">In the last episode of the  fourteenth series<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">, Clarkson revealed that they were thinking about getting a new Reasonably Priced Car for the next series. During the first episode of the  fifteenth series<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">, it was revealed to be the  Kia Cee'd,<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> and as with the Lacetti another open day was held to welcome the new car. Nick Robinson, Peter Jones, Al Murray, Bill Bailey, Peta Todd, Louie Spence and Amy Williams were among the initial drivers. Clarkson commonly refers to the Kia phonetically as the Cee-apostrophe-d. Sophie Raworth and Bill Turnbull and Fiona Bruce all did the Star in a Reasonably Priced Car for Children in Need. <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">In the first episode of series 20 Clarkson and Hammond revealed their new Reasonably Priced Car, a 1.6 Tech Line  Vauxhall Astra<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">. In similar fashion to earlier "new starts," a open day was held for multiple stars to drive the car. Following the abrupt end of Series 22 as a result of Clarkson's dismissal from the show, the Astra was returned to Vauxhall before being auctioned off for charity on 27th December 2015 for £17,000. <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">For series 23 "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" was renamed as a "Star in a Rally-Cross Car" segment, with the track expanded to include a " Rallycross<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">" route, which featured the addition of a jump and a water splash obstacle. <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> 2 celebrities were invited to partake in setting a fast lap time with the use of a  Mini<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> Rallycross Car. This segment was used only in this series, as following Chris Evans's resignation it was scrapped because of negative feedback. The format of "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" was revived following the axing of the rally-cross format starting from Series 24 although the name was changed to "Star in a Reasonably Fast Car" for its return. The car introduced for the segment was the Toyota GT86, with both The Stig and Chris Harris going out to instruct the celebrities on how to drive the new car. Footage of several celebrities who drove the car was aired on Extra Gear. <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">In May 2008, Dunsfold Park Limited applied to  Waverley Borough Council<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> for planning consent for the eco-settlement. It was opposed by Surrey County Council and<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> four borough councils <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">. It received <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">support from some environmentalists, including leading national authorities on sustainable living such as Professor  Roland Clift<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> and from  Friends of the Earth, for its innovative approach and contribution to sustainable development. Friends of the Earth also supported the development on the basis that redevelopment as a eco-settlement would remove the threat of aviation expansion at Dunsfold once and for all. The proposal was refused planning permission by Waverley Borough Council and rejected on appeal  <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">in 2009 <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">. In June 2011, Waverley Borough Council refused Dunsfold Park Ltd's application for a certificate of lawful use as a aerodrome. Dunsfold appealed but the appeal was rejected the following year. <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">When rejecting the appeal the inspector made reference to the old planning consent granted in 1951 by stating that it was now agreed by all parties that "it was and is a permanent permission," and that the use at Dunsfold will revert to the 1951 consent in 2018. In April 2014,  Lord Justice Sullivan <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">said that the 1951 permission for "flight testing" did not amount to consent for unrestricted flying. 5 years after Waverley Borough Council refused Dunsfold Park Limited's application for a certificate of lawful use as a aerodrome <span style="color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">, Reagan Farmer uploaded Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, Bromsgrove and Six Flags Over Texas on 6 November to get his career as a YouTuber going again. He also uploaded the Six Flags Over Georgia version of Goliath on 22nd December and 5 days later uploaded Saint Helena Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, <span style="font-size:14px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">which caused  Manchester City Football Club to change its name. As well as the future of the Bugatti Veyron to be decided after it was discontinued Reagan announced that he will be uploading Star Wars The Last Jedi on 15th December. This version is a upcoming American epic space opera film written and directed by Rian Johnson, and is the second film in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, following Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The film is produced by Lucasfilm and will be distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It stars Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong'o, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Gwendoline Christie and Andy Serkis in returning roles. New cast members include Benicio del Toro and Laura Dern in unconfirmed roles and Kelly Marie Tran as Rose. Fisher died in December 2016 which made The Last Jedi her final film role. <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">Other cast members include  Peter Mayhew<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> and  Joonas Suotamo with<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> both returning to portray  Chewbacca<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">, <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">  Mike Quinn<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> as  Nien Nunb<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">, <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">  Timothy M. Rose<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> as  Admiral Ackbar<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">, <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">  Billie Lourd<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> as Lieutenant Connix <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> and  Simon Pegg<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> as Unkar Plutt, all of whom are reprising their roles. <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">  Jimmy Vee<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> will play  R2-D2<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">. <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">  Tom Hardy<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> will make a  cameo appearance<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> as a  stormtrooper<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">. <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">  Gary Barlow<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> also has a cameo appearance. <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">  Gareth Edwards<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">, director of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">, has a cameo. Warwick Davis  <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">and  Noah Segan<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> have been cast in unspecified roles. Episode IX is scheduled for a 2019 release. It will be directed by Colin Trevorrow, with a story treatment by Johnson. On 10th February 2016, Disney chairman Bob Iger confirmed that pre-production of Episode IX had begun. <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">Variety <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> reported that Carrie Fisher had been expected to appear in Episode IX  <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">prior to her death in December <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">. <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> In January 2017, Lucasfilm stated that there were no plans to digitally generate Fisher's performance. 3 months later Kathleen Kennedy announced that Fisher will not appear. Principal photography for Star Wars Episode IX is set to begin in July 2017. Digital Spy, talking about the announcement, said, "It's sadly official: the late Carrie Fisher will not appear in the future Star Wars Episode IX.  Although Carrie tragically died last December her brother Todd recently made so many Star Wars fans across the galaxy happy by confirming that he had given Lucasfilm permission to use the Leia character in Episode IX. It doesn't seem as if Lucasfilm will ultimately go down that road as Kathleen Kennedy revealed at the Star Wars Celebration on Friday. Kennedy told ABC News that 'Carrie's brother  <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">was probably confused. We've finished everything in Episode VIII: The Last Jedi and Carrie is absolutely phenomenal in the movie. <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">We're so happy that we were able to complete shooting in the summer. Unfortunately, Carrie passed away by the time we were well underway with Episode IX in our thoughts. <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">We had not written the script yet, but we've regrouped and started over again in January. Sadly, Carrie will not be in Episode IX. We'll see a lot of her in Episode VIII.'" Note that Kennedy specifies that Carrie Fisher wouldn't be in Episode IX without actually mentioning the character of General Leia at all. Recasting a role as iconic as General Leia seems highly unlikely to say the very least, but it is at least possible that Lucasfilm could find a way to include the character even without new footage of Carrie Fisher. The younger Leia was already digitally recreated for a key scene in last year's blockbuster Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, although Lucasfilm has ruled out doing so again. 'We want to assure our fans that Lucasfilm has no plans to digitally recreate Carrie Fisher's performance as Princess or General Leia Organa,' the company said in a statement in January. 'Carrie Fisher was, is, and always will be a part of the Lucasfilm family. She was our princess, our general, and more importantly, our friend. We are still hurting from her loss. We cherish her memory and legacy as Princess Leia, and will always strive to honour everything she gave to Star Wars.' The actress was remembered as 'one in a billion' by Star Wars creator George Lucas during the franchise's 40th anniversary reunion panel on Thursday, where a beautiful new tribute was also shown for the very first time. Star Wars: The Last Jedi opens in United States and United Kingdom cinemas on 15th December." Unofficial reports claimed in November 2012 that Lawrence Kasdan and Simon Kinberg would divide writing responsibilities for Star Wars Episode IX, and both would co-produce all three films of the upcoming sequel trilogy, alongside Kennedy. Disney confirmed that Kasdan and Kinberg were working on standalone films rather than main episodes. <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">The following year  it was announced that Rian Johnson would write the treatment for Episode IX and Colin Trevorrow was officially announced as director. Johnson and Trevorrow are working closely to ensure continuity for Episode IX.  Trevorrow has said that he will shoot on 65 mm film and that he would like to capture some footage in actual outer space. Some sequences will also be filmed with IMAX cameras. With the passing of Carrie Fisher on 27th December 2016, it is not yet known how Fisher's passing will be handled in terms of what happens with the character of General Leia Organa in Episode IX or any future Star Wars films. Trevorrow reportedly met with Kennedy in January 2017 to discuss possible solutions. Lucasfilm has dispelled rumours that it would digitally recreate Fisher in future films. Fisher's brother Todd claimed that he and Billie Lourd had granted Lucasfilm rights to use recent footage of her, however Kennedy confirmed that Fisher will not appear. <span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-weight:normal;">John Williams  <span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;">said that he was hoping to get the chance to write the  score<span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> for Episode IX <span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;">  <span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;">during a concert with the Young Musician's Foundation Debut Orchestra on 9th February 2013. <span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> It was implied in Star Wars Insider 144  <span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;">that he would score the entire new Star Wars trilogy <span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> but Lucasfilm clarified that he has only been confirmed for Episode VII. <span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> Williams was later confirmed for Episode VIII, but has not yet been confirmed for Episode IX. At a Tanglewood concert in August 2016 Williams confirmed that he was scheduled to start scoring Episode VIII in the next few weeks. On 21st February 2017, it was confirmed that recording was underway with Williams conducting and that instead of having Williams compose over the final product like in most productions, Johnson would let him finish the music and then edit the film based on the score. <span style="font-size:14px;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;">Footage of The Last Jedi was shared with Disney shareholders in March 2017, including a look at the beginning of the film which happens immediately following the ending of The Force Awakens. Disney CEO Bob Iger referred to it as a "perfect chapter" in the saga, stating, "I can promise you, it's worth the wait." On 11th April, Mark Hamill and Daisy Ridley appeared on Good Morning America to promote the Force for Change charity. 1 of the three rewards will be a trip for two to the premiere of The Last Jedi with the cast and crew featuring in a Last Jedi panel at Celebration Orlando. At the end of the panel, Johnson debuted a teaser poster. A new adventure themed to Crait from the film will be added to Star Tours The Adventures Continue's adventure matrix. Orlando Sentinel, talking about the adventure, said, "While the full-blown Star Wars Land won’t be open at Disney until 2019, The Last Jedi will find its way to Star Tours before then. Scenes from the Star Wars film coming out this December will be incorporated into the ride that is at both Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disneyland, according to Tom Fitzgerald, a creative executive with Walt Disney Imagineering. Fitzgerald made the reveal at Star Wars Celebration in Orlando while talking at the 'Star Wars and Disney Parks: A Galaxy in the Making' panel. When discussing the ride’s history with Anthony Daniels, who plays C-3PO in both the Star Wars films and the ride itself, Fitzgerald said that scenes from the mineral planet Crait would be incorporated into the ride. 'I thought this was a secret!' a surprised Daniels said, followed by his best Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan Kenobi voice, 'You didn't hear Tom Fitzgerald!' But Fitzgerald let the crowd at the Orange County Convention Center know that Disney was in production with Industrial Light & Magic to produce scenes from the planet that fans got a glimpse of in the new trailer for the film that comes out on 15th December. 'I can tell you that it's going to be an amazingly fun sequence for the show so we're really excited,' Fitzgerald said. Daniels is slated to record new dialogue for the scene next month." Crait was a mineral planet located in a remote, uncharted section of the galaxy. Covered with white salt over its red-colored surface, the planet once hosted a Rebel Alliance outpost during their early rebellion against the Galactic Empire. Many years later, Crait was the location of a battle between the Resistance soldiers and several walkers. <span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;">Crait was a uncharted  planet<span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> in a remote corner of  the galaxy <span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;">which orbited at least one  star<span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;">. <span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> The planet was rich in  minerals<span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;">, such as the white dusting of  salt<span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> covering its surface and the red- colored<span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> mineral base underneath, and hosted  mines<span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> to extract these resources. During the early rebellion against the Empire, the Alliance to Restore the Republic had an outpost on Crait, until its abandonment prior to the Battle of Scarif in 0 BBY. Many years later, Crait was the site of a battle which involved several Resistance speeders against enemy walkers  <span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;">some time after the destruction of the First Order's Starkiller Base in 34 ABY. Crait was first mentioned in Star Wars: Rogue One: The Ultimate Visual Guide, a reference guide for the 2016 film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, written by Pablo Hidalgo and released on 16th December. First footage of Crait was revealed in the very first teaser trailer for the upcoming Star Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi which premiered during The Last Jedi panel at Celebration Orlando on 14th April 2017. According to the film's director Rian Johnson, Crait will 'play a key role in the movie.' The planet will also be included in Star Tours: The Adventures Continue, Disney's simulator ride theme park attraction. <span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-weight:normal;">Anthony Daniels  <span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;">will reprise his role as  C-3PO<span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> for the new sequence which is expected to start recording in early  May<span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> 2017. DisneyQuest first opened on 19th June 1998 as part of a major expansion of the Downtown Disney entertainment district at Downtown Disney West Side, and was intended as the first of a larger chain of similar facilities. The first DisneyQuest outside of a resort was opened in Chicago on 16th June 1999 with plans for more locations worldwide. On 9th December 1998, Disney Regional announced Philadelphia as new location as a tenant of the Pavilion at Market East project on the former location of a Gimbels Department Store. The Chicago location permanently closed on 4th September 2001 because of low attendance. <span style="font-size:14px;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;">The DisneyQuest project was officially brought to a end after the failure of DisneyQuest Chicago. Work and construction had begun on a DisneyQuest Philadelphia but it was scrapped. Disney announced a DisneyQuest Toronto to be built in Downtown Toronto but the project was cancelled. After the closure of DisneyQuest Chicago Disney Regional Entertainment turned over control of the remaining location to Walt Disney World operations. On 30th June 2015, Disney officials announced that the Walt Disney World location would close in 2016 as part of the continued redevelopment of Downtown Disney into Disney Springs. A spokesperson for the labor unions that represent Disney employees who work at DisneyQuest stated that displaced workers will be relocated. <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">The property was set to be redeveloped into a new  National Basketball Association<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> attraction after they left their previous location at  Universal CityWalk<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;">. <span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:14px;"> In November 2016, Disney officials announced that DisneyQuest would remain open for the remainder of the year and into the following year. They further stated that they had no update on the status of the NBA attraction other than it was still planned for the site. On 30th January 2017, Disney Parks announced that DisneyQuest would close after 3rd July so that work on the NBA Experience attraction could begin. Disney Parks, talking about the closure, said, "Our multi-year transformation of Disney Springs is continuing, and as you know, we’re bringing new experiences to the West Side Neighborhood, including The NBA Experience at Walt Disney World Resort. Today, we wanted to share a update that the West Side area will be undergoing changes to make way for this basketball-themed experience, beginning with the closure of DisneyQuest on 3rd July 2017. Until that day, DisneyQuest will continue to offer a great interactive experience for all guests. Disney fans of classic arcade game favorites and virtual worlds featured at the indoor theme park are invited to come out and enjoy the experiences. As we’ve previously shared, The NBA Experience at Walt Disney World Resort will be a one-of-a-kind basketball-themed experience featuring hands-on activities that put guests of all ages right in the middle of NBA game action. There will be immersive NBA video productions and numerous interactive experiences as well as a restaurant and a retail store. <span style="font-size:14px;color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:sans-serif;">Keep checking the Disney Parks Blog for more updates on The NBA Experience at Walt Disney World Resort and the transformation of Disney Springs." On that month, George Russell  went to Big Fun Town, and with the sound of heavy rock music and the voice of Dalek44 to help him along the way he created a 2 minute 58 second video that showed him playing Santa Rockstar Metal Xmas 2 and failing 3 times.  <span style="font-size:14px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Russell claimed that it was funny to see a hat-trick of Santas throwing a hat-trick of guitars because of him failing to complete Joy to the World.  The video had a explosive beginning when the song started playing after a man shouted "Are you ready?!" Russell wasn't sure about the keys that he had to press to prevent him from failing, so he turned to the keyboard to help him along the way. <span style="font-size:14px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">The screen showed him 5 keys required to complete the song. Russell failed to collect any dollars on his first attempt but managed to collect $41  on his second attempt. Russell was even more successful on his third attempt as he collected $91 which equalled the record of victories by former Formula One racing driver Michael Schumacher. The video saw Dalek44 say "No I'm not mad!" after the man shouted "Are you ready?!" and Russell failed to complete the rock version of Joy to the World 3 times in a row