'Top Gear' season 22 premiere set for January 2015: Show carries on with filming

'Top Gear' Season 22[Photo credit: Top Gear Box]

Season 22 of "Top Gear" is expected to premiere soon, and the cast and crew have been spotted filming in various locations for its upcoming season.  

Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May were reportedly shooting in Argentina for a Christmas special, but they went through some troubles while filming in the said country.  It is said that they used a license plate number (H982 FKL) that the locals associated with the Falklands War.

The show's crew was filming a portion of the special episode along the Patagonian highway, also known as Route 40, when the trouble allegedly started. Members of the crew were asked to leave the cars along the road and head over to the airport with an escort.

"Top Gear" executive producer Andy Wilman explained through a blog post that such plate number had not been intentionally chosen and had "most definitely" not been used as a stunt.  Clarkson took to Twitter and shared their experience of being thrown out, and his sentiments about the manner with which the authorities handled the incident.

"They threw us out for the political capital. Thousands chased crew to border. Someone could have been killed," Clarkson shared. "This was not a jolly jape that went awry. For once, we did nothing wrong. We had planned a good ending for the show. But thanks to the government's foolishness, it's now even better."

The production seems to have fared better in other locations.  According to Clarkson, their very first location for season 22 filming had been in Morocco. Also, as reported by Top Gear Box, Clarkson and Hammond were seen filming in Europe. They were spotted in Venice where the two, along with crew members, were spotted boarding a speedboat.  

Clarkson also tweeted about their driving route from Siena to Rome using an Alfa Romeo 4C and a C7 Stingray, and mentioned about Hammond's unfortunate crash.

Additionally, "Top Gear" had also been reportedly filming a race segment in Russia, particularly in St. Petersburg. According to onlookers, May was driving an electric Renault while Hammond was riding a bicycle and Clarkson was using a boat.

Top Gear Box has dropped hints that "Top Gear" season 22 may premiere early in 2015, possibly on Sunday, Jan. 25, and it is expected to have 13 episodes.