'Top Gear' Christmas Special December 27 Air Date Announced: Did Presenters Plan To 'Burn Cars For Drama' Before Fleeing Argentina?

Last month, we reported that Jeremy Clarkson announced that the "Top Gear" Season 22 release date was slated for December with a total of 13 episodes in the season. Now, BBC has finally announced the release date for the "Top Gear" Patagonia Christmas Special, which will include the infamous incident in Argentina that occurred earlier this year.

The three presenters intended to traverse through 1,600 miles of South America's gorgeous Route 40 Patagonian Highway in their latest Christmas Special. However, when the "Top Gear" crew arrived to a small town in Argentina, they were greeted with animosity caused by an unfortunate license plate on Jeremy Clarkson's Porsche 928. The plate read "H982 FKL," which allegedly referred to the awful Falkland Islands War of 1982.

The "H982 FKL" license plate incident escalated quickly and ultimate caused the "Top Gear" crew to bail and flee the country. In fact, according to World Car Fans, Argentine diplomats also claimed that "Top Gear" producers allegedly considered burning the three cars driven by the presenters for a stunt that would make their exit from Argentina even more dramatic.

Last month, "Top Gear" producer Andy Wilman had addressed the incidents in Argentina and said the "H982 FKL" license plate debacle was "most definitely" not a stunt, especially given the odds of retrieving that particular number plate is 13 million to one. As for the accusation from Argentine diplomats, Wilman simply said there was no need to set the cars on fire for drama as there was already more than enough dramatic material for the Christmas special. The crew intended to leave Argentina as soon as possible and leaving behind as little problems along the way.

According to BBC, the "Top Gear" Patagonia Christmas Special will involve Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May in a Porsche 928, Lotus Esprit, and Ford Mustang, through the swamps, beaches, forests, and ski slopes of South America. The description also says there will be "broken bones, mechanical calamities, and even some cows. Plus, a climax that wasn't really on the cards."

"Top Gear" Patagonia Christmas Special will air on BBC Two on December 27 starting at 8:30 p.m. and December 28 at 8 p.m.