<Li> Top Gear Motorsport </Li> <Li> The Car's The Star </Li> <P> Top Gear is a show that started in April 1977, as a half hour motoring programme on the BBC in the United Kingdom . The original format ran for 24 years up to December 2001 . A revamped format of the show began nearly one year later, in October 2002 . </P> <P> The original Top Gear started as a monthly television series produced by BBC Midlands, based at the Pebble Mill Studios, Birmingham and ran in its original format until the end of 2001 . The 30 minute programmes had a magazine format, and were transmitted at first to viewers in the Midlands region only . Top Gear and its title were conceived by executive producer Derek Smith . The programme covered motoring related issues, such as new car road tests, fuel economy, safety, the police, speeding, insurance, second hand cars and holiday touring . </P>

When was the first episode of top gear aired