Top Gear Australia | |
---|---|
Genre | Reality television |
Presented by | Warren Brown Charlie Cox Steve Pizzati The Stig James Morrison Shane Jacobson Ewen Page Blair Joscelyne Beau Ryan Jonathan LaPaglia |
Opening theme | "Jessica" by the Allman Brothers Band |
Composer | Dickey Betts |
Country of origin | Australia |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 5 |
No. of episodes | 29 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Running time | 60 minutes (including commercials) |
Production companies | Freehand TV BBC Studios Australia |
Original release | |
Network | SBS |
Release | 29 September 2008 – 29 June 2009 |
Network | Nine Network |
Release | 28 October 2010 – 28 April 2012 |
Network | Paramount+ |
Release | 17 May 2024 – present |
Related | |
Top Gear worldwide |
Top Gear Australia is an Australian motoring reality television series, based on the British BBC series Top Gear . The programme first premiered on SBS One on 29 September 2008. [1] [2] A second season was ordered following the high ratings for the premiere episode and positive comments from advertisers, [3] and the second season began broadcasting from 11 May 2009. After acquiring the rights to broadcast the UK version in 2009, the Nine Network started airing their own version of Top Gear Australia in September 2010. [4] Top Gear Australia returned for a fourth season in 2011. [5] The show was cancelled on 28 April 2012 due to declining ratings. An eight part series returned in 2024 on Paramount+ with new hosts.
Top Gear Australia is also the name of a licensed version of the British Top Gear magazine. The Australian magazine is produced by ACP Magazines (Australian Consolidated Press). The magazine features articles from many writers including Steven Corby, Craig Jamieson, Bill Mckinnon, James Stanford, Ben Smithurst, Jason Barlow, Sam Phillip, Ollie Marriage, Dan Read and Paul Horrell.
In October 2023, it was announced that the series would be revived by BBC Studios Australia with hosts Blair "Moog" Joscelyne, Beau Ryan and Jonathan LaPaglia, as an eight part fifth series which premiered on 17 May 2024 on Paramount+. [6] [7] [8] It premiered on free-to-air television on Network 10 and 10Play on 17 October 2024. [9] [10]
Prior to filming SBS made an open casting call for presenters, resulting in over 4000 applications. [11] The original hosts chosen for Top Gear Australia were cartoonist and motoring columnist Warren Brown, MotoGP commentator Charlie Cox, and race driver / driving instructor Steve Pizzati.
Marketing prior to the first episode stated that the presenters would be joined by The Stig's "Australian cousin", [12] but in the first episode the driver was introduced as just "The Stig". Steve Pizzati suggested that The Stig have an "Australian" name, such as "Stiggo", but the other presenters refused. The season 2 opener clarified that Top Gear Australia's Stig is not intended to be the same Stig from the UK series.
On 19 December 2008, Charlie Cox announced he was leaving the program as he felt he was unable to offer enough time to the show. SBS subsequently announced that trumpeter James Morrison would be his replacement, joining Warren and Steve for season two. [13] Morrison had previously appeared as a guest in the sixth episode.
For the third season, early reports claimed that former Australian cricketer Shane Warne would take over the hosting of the show alongside original Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson, although the BBC ultimately ruled out Clarkson's involvement in the Australian version. [14] On 20 June 2010, it was announced that actor and comedian Shane Jacobson and Top Gear Australia magazine editor Ewen Page would join a returning Steve Pizzati to present the show for the Nine Network, [15] which premièred on 28 September 2010 with a 75-minute The Ashes special, in which the hosts faced off against their Top Gear UK counterparts in a series of motoring-related challenges. The UK presenters won after cheating in the final challenge by using a professional race driver instead of James May. [16] [17]
In October 2023 it was announced that Blair "Moog" Joscelyne, Beau Ryan and Jonathan LaPaglia would be hosts for the fifth season of Top Gear Australia, which premiered on 17 May 2024 on Paramount+. [6] [7] [8]
Mirroring the UK series, the studio segments were recorded at Bankstown Airport in Sydney. An exact copy of the UK studio at Dunsfold Park was constructed in a hangar (Hangar Building 581). The power laps and "Star in a Bog Standard Car" were recorded at Camden Airport with parts of the runways and taxiways used as a test track.
Top Gear Australia uses the same theme music as the UK series, a version of The Allman Brothers Band's "Jessica".
Series | Episodes | Originally aired | Average viewers (in millions) | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
First aired | Last aired | Network | ||||
1 | 8 | 29 September 2008 | 17 November 2008 | SBS | 0.64 | |
2 | 8 | 11 May 2009 | 29 June 2009 | 0.57 | ||
3 | 4 | 28 September 2010 | 2 November 2010 | Nine Network | 1.08 | |
4 | 6 | 30 August 2011 | 28 April 2012 | — | ||
5 | 8 | 17 May 2024 | TBA | Paramount+ | — |
Top Gear Australia features segments that mirror those seen on the BBC series, including build challenges and test drives. A significant difference is that all specifications are in metric units and prices are quoted in Australian dollars.
A test track around Camden Airport is used for power laps. The initial track used in the first two seasons consisted of nine corners running in an anti-clockwise direction. The first corner was The Question Mark followed by Clarkson Corner then The Crest and Turn 4 which was followed by the Main Straight before coming to a series of Chicanes then 06 Corner (named after the direction of the runway) then the Short Left Hander and the Bus Stop Entry and Exit followed by the finish line.
At the start of Season 3, Top Gear Australia revealed a new test track. Still situated at Camden Airport, the new course built upon the old one by adding a new section, thus looping into a figure of eight. It contains twelve corners, a total length of 2.3 km and moves the Start/Finish line from between the Bus Stop and The Question Mark to the end of the Back Straight, ahead of the Bus Stop. The direction of the course is now clockwise, turning the main runway into the first straight. The first corner leads into a Hammerhead-like corner called The Blowout, followed by another straight which crest a small hill into a couple of Left Handers, turns 3 and 4. Exiting turn 4 leads back to the main runway and turn 5, Brocky's Corner. The track then crosses over The Blowout into a right then left hander called The Flipper. The next turn is the Question Mark hairpin from the old track. Finally, after a short straight, the course reaches the signature Bus Stop which is then followed by two right hand corners (including the old 06 Corner) back into the Start/Finish.
New Track Lap Times
The Star in a Reasonably Priced Car segment is mirrored with the name "Star in a Bog Standard Car". It is identical in execution. The car used in the first two seasons on SBS was a Proton Satria Neo, the third season on Nine used a 2nd hand Ford XG Falcon ute, manufactured in 1995.
In the first season, the presenters discuss "stupid" ideas in motoring history and put pictures of them on a board. The board was later destroyed in the first episode of the second season when the shark cage Mini Moke was dropped on top of it.
Every episode in the second season of Top Gear Australia, an old car commercial was shown.
Imitating its BBC counterpart, the show includes features where the hosts undertake various stunts some of which may antagonise members of the public. In October 2008 it was reported that Pizzati and Brown caused a traffic jam in Toorak, Victoria when they drove a tractor through the Melbourne suburb – a reference to the colloquial expression "Toorak Tractor", Australian slang for luxury SUVs. [19] The stunt featured in episode 5 of series 1, which aired on 27 October 2008.
In series three, a new segment called V8 to the Rescue, was introduced. It saw the presenters attempt to solve the world's problems by fitting a V8 engine to an everyday item, including a see-saw and cricket bowler. The segment appeared in every episode of the fourth series at the end of the episode.
Michael Idato of The Sydney Morning Herald described the first episode as "unsteady on some of the corners" and "a little too tricked up for its own good", noting "a distinct lack of detail, presumably to position the show away from car geeks". [20] Stuart Martin, motoring writer for The Advertiser in Adelaide said a franchise was "always going to have a tough job living up to the UK original" but noted that Top Gear was not an overnight success and urged viewers to "give the locals a chance to find their niche". [21] In retrospect Philip King said that the first season "received lukewarm reviews and couldn't get close to the ratings success of the original". [22]
The first episode debuted with an audience of 933,000 viewers, [23] SBS's highest ever ratings for a locally produced television programme. Top Gear Australia came third in its time slot and beat an elimination episode of Australian Idol . [3] The figure was slightly higher than any season premiere of the BBC version aired on SBS, up until that date. [3] However, subsequent episodes failed to match this figure, and the first season averaged around 650,000 viewers an episode. In comparison, viewing figures for the previous three Top Gear UK episodes shown in the same timeslot averaged around 903,000 viewers, though during this period Top Gear Australia still remained the highest rating program on SBS. [24] Series one has since been repeated on SBS Two.
For the second series SBS attempted to address some of the criticism brought up against the first series. [25] The second series of the show debuted with 689,000 viewers, [26] averaging 576,500 viewers across the series against the high rating MasterChef Australia . [24] Ratings dropped throughout the second series, leading to speculation that SBS would not buy a third series.
Jeremy Clarkson has commented on the Australian version, saying "We're loving it, even though your funny accents make you hard to understand". [27]
The third series premiered on 28 September 2010 on the Nine Network, pulling in 1,538,000 viewers, making it the second most watched television programme that day. The 75-minute The Ashes special, which featured the Top Gear UK presenters facing against the Australian presenters in a series of challenges, also won its timeslot against competing programmes. [28] [29]
The Nine Network renewed the series for a 4th season in 2011 before being cancelled after three of the six recorded episodes aired due to declining ratings. [30] [31] The remaining unaired episodes were eventually burnt-off on Nine's subchannel Go! in April 2012. [32]
An Australian version of Top Gear magazine titled Top Gear Australia (published by Park Publishing, a partnership between ACP Magazines and the BBC) [33] was launched in June 2008 and features an amalgam of original Australian articles together with licensed content from the British and other international versions of the magazine.
The third series of Top Gear Australia was released on 3 March 2011, and contained the first three episodes from the series, as well as The Ashes Special. Series four was released on 1 March 2012, and also contained episode four from the third series.
The Nine Network had not shown the final episode of the third series, or the final three episodes from the fourth. The remaining episodes from series four began to be shown in April 2012 on Go!. [32] The episode from series three was going to be included in the first DVD release, but was removed at the last minute. Images from this episode appear on the case and discs, and the episode is included in the running time. All of the unaired episodes were included in the second DVD release.
Every episode of Top Gear Australia has been broadcast in New Zealand on Prime, [34] excluding the final series. It does not broadcast on BBC knowledge (like Top Gear UK)
Timothy Richard "Tiff" Needell is a British racing driver and television presenter. He is a presenter of Lovecars, and formerly served as co-presenter of Top Gear and Fifth Gear.
Richard Mark Hammond is an English journalist, television presenter, and author. He co-hosted the BBC Two motoring programme Top Gear from 2002 until 2015 with Jeremy Clarkson and James May. From 2016 to 2024, the trio presented Amazon Prime Video's The Grand Tour.
The Stig is a character from the British motoring television show Top Gear. Created by former Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson and producer Andy Wilman, the character is a play on the anonymity of racing drivers' full-face helmets, with the running joke that nobody knows who or what is inside the Stig's racing suit. The Stig's primary role is setting lap times for cars tested on the show. Previously, he would also instruct celebrity guests, off-camera, for the show's "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" segment.
Fifth Gear is a British motoring television magazine series which has been broadcast since 2002. Originally shown on Channel 5 from 2002 to 2011, it began as a continuation of the original version of the BBC show Top Gear, which ran from 1977 until being cancelled in 2001. It moved to the Discovery Channel in 2012, then in 2015 to History; since 2018 it has been broadcast on Quest. The show is currently presented by Vicki Butler-Henderson and Jason Plato, with Rory Reid, Grace Webb and Jimmy de Ville featuring in some episodes. Its former presenters include Quentin Willson, Adrian Simpson, Jonny Smith, former racing driver Tiff Needell and Car SOS host Tim Shaw.
Scott Cam is an Australian television presenter, a recipient of the Gold Logie appearing on several lifestyle programmes on the Nine Network. He is best known as the host of the hit reality TV renovation show The Block.
Benjamin Lievesley Immi Collins is a British racing driver from Bristol. He has competed in motor racing since 1994 in many categories, from Formula Three and Indy Lights to sportscars, GT racing and stock cars.
Thank God You're Here is an Australian television improvised comedy program created by Working Dog Productions, which premiered on 5 April 2006 on Network 10, where it aired for the first three and from the fifth season onwards; the fourth season aired on the Seven Network.
Charles Raymond Cox is a Senior Media Executive, as well as a former broadcaster and racing driver.
East West 101 is an Australian drama series airing on the SBS network. The series was produced and created by Steven Knapman and Kris Wyld, the team behind other drama series such as Wildside and White Collar Blue. It ran from 2007–2011, having three series.
Top Gear is an American motoring television series, based on the BBC series of the same name. The show's presenters were professional racing driver Tanner Foust, actor and comedian Adam Ferrara, and automotive and racing analyst Rutledge Wood. As with the original British version, the show has its own version of The Stig, an anonymous racing driver, and a celebrity guest is featured each week for the first two seasons. The show premiered on November 21, 2010, on History.
The first series of Top Gear Australia was aired during 2008 on SBS One and consisted of eight episodes, beginning on 29 September and concluding on 17 November. The presenting line-up consisted of cartoonist Warren Brown, racing drivers Charlie Cox and Steve Pizzati, as well as the Australian cousin of the Stig. Based on the original UK version, the show's segments included "Power Laps", "Star in a Bog Standard Car", "What Where They Thinking?", "Old car commercials", "Stunts" and "V8 to the Rescue". The studio recordings took place at Bankstown Airport in Sydney. The power laps and the celebrity segments were recorded at Camden Airport with parts of the runways and taxiways used as a test track.
Steve Pizzati is an Australian race driver, driving instructor, television presenter and free-lance motoring journalist. He was born in Melbourne to Italian parents and did not speak English until he was at school. He attended Cathedral College, East Melbourne and St Kevin's College, Toorak.
Food Safari is an Australian television food series presented by Maeve O'Meara and produced by Kismet Productions in association with SBS TV Australia, and explores the cuisines brought to Australia by its immigrants. From seasons 1 to 4, each episode covered a cuisine from a particular culture, including commonly used ingredients and where to obtain them in Australia, the preparation and consumption of 'popular favourites', basic dishes and desserts/sweets. Seasons five to seven, whilst still covering Australian cuisine, focused on the basic elements involved in food preparation, with Food Safari Fire consisting of barbecuing, grilling and smoking of meat and vegetables, Food Safari Earth consisting of vegetarian dishes and focusing on European fermentation and preservation of vegetables, and Food Safari Water which focused on seafood.
Top Gear Australia: Ashes Special is a special episode of the motoring series Top Gear Australia and Top Gear. It is part of the Channel Nine revamp of Top Gear Australia, which sees Australian hosts Ewen Page, Steve Pizzati and Shane Jacobson, take on the hosts of Top Gear, James May, Richard Hammond, and Jeremy Clarkson in a series of challenges involving the best and worst of British motoring, as well as a rally, and driving through a safari park. Other challenges include a drag race between a Holden VE Commodore ute and a standard looking Ford Transit van customised with a Jaguar XJ220 engine, and the double car race seen in Series 11 of Top Gear UK. An edited version of the Ashes Special was shown in the UK on 30 January 2011 as part of Series 16, Episode 2 of Top Gear UK.
The third series of Top Gear Australia began on 28 September 2010 with a 75-minute Ashes Special featuring the presenters of both the Australian and UK Top Gear's competing in a series of challenges. This special was used a promotional tool by the Nine Network, who, as of late 2009, had acquired the airing rights to both the UK and Australian shows from SBS One. The series proper began 3 weeks later on 19 October. The show airs on Tuesday nights at 7:30pm on Channel Nine.
Housos is an Australian comedy television series created by Paul Fenech for SBS, that screened on SBS One. The series is a satirical parody of low income Australian residents of fictional suburb Sunnyvale, New South Wales, who are living in Housing Commission public housing. In 2014, the series won the Logie Award for Most Outstanding Light Entertainment Program.
Top Gear is a British automotive magazine and currently inactive motoring-themed entertainment television programme. It is a revival devised by Jeremy Clarkson and Andy Wilman of the 1977–2001 show of the same name for the BBC, and premiered on 20 October 2002. The programme focuses on the examination and reviewing of motor vehicles, primarily cars, though this was expanded upon after the broadcast of its earlier series to incorporate films featuring motoring-based challenges, special races, timed laps of notable cars, and celebrity timed laps on a course specially-designed for the relaunched programme. The programme drew acclaim for its visual and presentation style since its launch, which focused on being generally entertaining to viewers, as well as criticism over the controversial nature of its content. The show was also praised for its occasionally controversial humour and lore existing in not just the automotive community but in the form of internet memes and jokes. The programme was aired on BBC Two until it was moved to BBC One for its twenty-ninth series in 2020.
Celebrity Letters and Numbers is an Australian comedy panel game show on SBS which premiered on 2 October 2021. It is a revived version of the game show Letters and Numbers, which aired on SBS from 2010 to 2012, with an altered format with celebrity contestants competing rather than members of the public. Co-hosts David Astle and Lily Serna returned from the original series, while comedian, journalist and actor Michael Hing replaced presenter Richard Morecroft as host.
Alone Australia is an Australian survival reality television competition series on SBS which premiered on 29 March 2023. It follows the self-documented daily struggles of 10 individuals as they survive alone in the wilderness for as long as possible using a limited amount of survival equipment. The participants are isolated from each other and all other humans, with the participants having to self-document and film their experiences themselves. They may "tap out" at any time or be removed due to failing a medical check-in. The contestant who remains the longest wins a grand prize of $250,000.