How do I solve 1 across in Times Cryptic 29531?

Question

Accepted Answer

1 across reads "Top Gear delighted guys" (4,4 letters); the answer is GLADRAGS. It's a charade: the answer breaks into parts in clue order, each part clued by a word or short phrase. No indicators needed; watch for standard abbreviations (RA = artist, US = American, IN = at home) and short synonyms. The full step-by-step breakdown is on this page.

Top Gear delighted guys (4,4)

1A — Top Gear delighted guys (4,4) — GLADRAGS