“It Ain’t Easy Being This Good!”
Top Gear is paying homage to one of history’s most prolific stuntmen with a high-octane stunt show – and the event was enough to blast everyone’s yawns into next Tuesday, with change to spare.
The report from DailyMail states that Eddie Kidd – a beloved stunt performer who worked on three James Bond films – was a childhood hero of Top Gear presenter Paddy McGuinness.
Kidd started his career with a bang at 14, the peak of his career seeing airtime with big wig celebrities like Harrison Ford, before an accident in 1996 rendered him paralyzed and unable to speak.
(fun fact: According to Top Gear, the legend went balls to the wall right from the get-go – he didn’t even have his motorcycle license until a year before the accident itself, at which point he had already touched the threats of two-wheeler lovers around the globe with his feats of derring-do).
“He was never frightened, Eddie did. He never showed fear, at all, ever,” says Marjorie Kidd, Eddie’s mother, in the video’s interview.
Kidd’s fantastic legacy has touched many, as have his benevolent charity donations (he’s done so much for his community that he’s currently an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for services to charity).
So naturally, given that McGuiness was in the right industry, the man decided to do something very special for the stunt icon.
The event involved a stunning high octane show, alongside pyrotechnics and a drive-by tribute by dozens of motorcyclists. The end result – one that had McGuinness swiping at invisible tears – is being lauded as “one of ‘the best short films ever produced by Top Gear.”
Take a look for yourself, and let us know what you think in the comments below – and while you’re at it, make sure to check out the bikes from Steve McQueen’s closet that have been aired at auctions.