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Top Gear Australia

Top Gear Australia

Overview


Top Gear Australia is a motoring
Driving
Driving is the controlled operation of a land vehicle, such as a car, truck or bus. Although direct operation of a bicycle, a mounted animal or a motorcycle is commonly called riding, such operators are usually legally considered to be drivers and are required to obey...

 television series on SBS TV
SBS TV
SBS One is a national public television channel in Australia. Launched on 24 October 1980, it is the responsibility of SBS's television division, and is available nationally. As of 2007, SBS One has a 5.5% audience share.-Origins:...

 based on the BBC series
Top Gear (current format)
Top Gear is a BBC television series about motor vehicles, primarily cars. It began in 1977 as a conventional motoring magazine show. Over time, and especially since a relaunch in 2002, it has developed a quirky, humorous style. The show is currently presented by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond...

. It premiered on 29 September 2008 at 7:30pm AEST
Time in Australia
Standard time is used throughout Australia, it was introduced in the 1890s when all colonies adopted it. Before the switch to standard times, each local municipality was free to determine its own local time, called local mean time....

, with its first series consisting of 8 episodes. A second series was announced following the release of ratings figures for the premiere and favourable comments from advertisers, and began airing from 11 May 2009.

Top Gear Australia is also the name of a licensed version of the British Top Gear magazine
Top Gear (magazine)
Top Gear is an automobile magazine published by BBC Worldwide, and named after the BBC's Top Gear television show. It was first published in October 1993 and is published monthly at a price of £3.95. The major presenters of the television series - Richard Hammond, James May and Jeremy Clarkson -...

.

SBS made an open casting call for presenters, resulting in over 4000 applications.
The original hosts chosen for Top Gear Australia were:
  • Warren Brown
    Warren Brown (cartoonist)
    Warren Brown is an Australian cartoonist and television presenter.He has been an editorial newspaper cartoonist since 1986. He is currently cartoonist for the Sydney's Daily Telegraph, for which he also writes a weekly motoring column....

    , cartoonist and motoring columnist for The Daily Telegraph
    The Daily Telegraph (Australia)
    The Daily Telegraph is an Australian tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales and country NSW, by Nationwide News, part of News Corporation...

  • Charlie Cox
    Charlie Cox (racing)
    Charlie Cox , is a motorcycling commentator. was brought up in the Sydney suburb of Gymea.-Racing career:His background is based on 4 wheels rather than 2. He raced in the National Saloon Car Cup in Britain in 1993 and 1994, winning several races. He also won the Willhire 24 Hour at Snetterton in...

    , MotoGP
    Grand Prix motorcycle racing
    style="float:right"|-|Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix is the premier championship of motorcycle road racing currently divided into three distinct classes: 125cc, 250cc , and MotoGP...

     commentator for the BBC
    BBC
    The British Broadcasting Corporation, usually referred to by its abbreviation as the "BBC", is the longest established and largest broadcaster in the world...

    , and a former radio presenter and ex-racing driver
  • Steve Pizzati
    Steve Pizzati
    Steve Pizzati is an Australian race driver, driving instructor, television presenter and free-lance motoring journalist.He was born in Melbourne to Italian parents, he did not learn to speak English until he was four years old....

    , advanced driving instructor, race driver and freelance motoring journalist


Marketing prior to the first episode stated that the presenters would be joined by The Stig
The Stig
The Stig is the name given to the racing driver on the BBC show Top Gear. In the show he is cast as a mysterious "tame racing driver". He is credited as a presenter alongside Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May....

's "Australian cousin", but in the first episode the driver was introduced as just "The Stig".
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Encyclopedia


Top Gear Australia is a motoring
Driving
Driving is the controlled operation of a land vehicle, such as a car, truck or bus. Although direct operation of a bicycle, a mounted animal or a motorcycle is commonly called riding, such operators are usually legally considered to be drivers and are required to obey...

 television series on SBS TV
SBS TV
SBS One is a national public television channel in Australia. Launched on 24 October 1980, it is the responsibility of SBS's television division, and is available nationally. As of 2007, SBS One has a 5.5% audience share.-Origins:...

 based on the BBC series
Top Gear (current format)
Top Gear is a BBC television series about motor vehicles, primarily cars. It began in 1977 as a conventional motoring magazine show. Over time, and especially since a relaunch in 2002, it has developed a quirky, humorous style. The show is currently presented by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond...

. It premiered on 29 September 2008 at 7:30pm AEST
Time in Australia
Standard time is used throughout Australia, it was introduced in the 1890s when all colonies adopted it. Before the switch to standard times, each local municipality was free to determine its own local time, called local mean time....

, with its first series consisting of 8 episodes. A second series was announced following the release of ratings figures for the premiere and favourable comments from advertisers, and began airing from 11 May 2009.

Top Gear Australia is also the name of a licensed version of the British Top Gear magazine
Top Gear (magazine)
Top Gear is an automobile magazine published by BBC Worldwide, and named after the BBC's Top Gear television show. It was first published in October 1993 and is published monthly at a price of £3.95. The major presenters of the television series - Richard Hammond, James May and Jeremy Clarkson -...

.

Presenters


SBS made an open casting call for presenters, resulting in over 4000 applications.
The original hosts chosen for Top Gear Australia were:
  • Warren Brown
    Warren Brown (cartoonist)
    Warren Brown is an Australian cartoonist and television presenter.He has been an editorial newspaper cartoonist since 1986. He is currently cartoonist for the Sydney's Daily Telegraph, for which he also writes a weekly motoring column....

    , cartoonist and motoring columnist for The Daily Telegraph
    The Daily Telegraph (Australia)
    The Daily Telegraph is an Australian tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales and country NSW, by Nationwide News, part of News Corporation...

  • Charlie Cox
    Charlie Cox (racing)
    Charlie Cox , is a motorcycling commentator. was brought up in the Sydney suburb of Gymea.-Racing career:His background is based on 4 wheels rather than 2. He raced in the National Saloon Car Cup in Britain in 1993 and 1994, winning several races. He also won the Willhire 24 Hour at Snetterton in...

    , MotoGP
    Grand Prix motorcycle racing
    style="float:right"|-|Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix is the premier championship of motorcycle road racing currently divided into three distinct classes: 125cc, 250cc , and MotoGP...

     commentator for the BBC
    BBC
    The British Broadcasting Corporation, usually referred to by its abbreviation as the "BBC", is the longest established and largest broadcaster in the world...

    , and a former radio presenter and ex-racing driver
  • Steve Pizzati
    Steve Pizzati
    Steve Pizzati is an Australian race driver, driving instructor, television presenter and free-lance motoring journalist.He was born in Melbourne to Italian parents, he did not learn to speak English until he was four years old....

    , advanced driving instructor, race driver and freelance motoring journalist


Marketing prior to the first episode stated that the presenters would be joined by The Stig
The Stig
The Stig is the name given to the racing driver on the BBC show Top Gear. In the show he is cast as a mysterious "tame racing driver". He is credited as a presenter alongside Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May....

's "Australian cousin", 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 series 2 opener clarified that Top Gear Australias Stig is not intended to be the same Stig from the UK series.

On 19 December 2008, Charlie Cox announced he was leaving the programme as he felt he was unable to offer enough time to the show. SBS subsequently announced that trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is a musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BC...

er James Morrison
James Morrison (musician)
James Morrison AM is an Australian jazz musician who plays numerous instruments, but is best known for his trumpet playing. He is a multi-instrumentalist, having performed on the clarinet, soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone, flugelhorn, bass flugelhorn,...

 would be his replacement, joining Warren and Steve for series two. Morrison had previously appeared as a guest in the sixth episode.

Production


Mirroring the UK series, the studio segments were recorded at Bankstown Airport
Bankstown Airport
Bankstown Airport is a general aviation airport and business park located in the City of Bankstown, from the central business district of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...

 in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the largest city in Australia, and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney has a metropolitan area population of approximately 4.34 million and an area of approximately 12,000 square kilometres. Its inhabitants are called Sydneysiders, and Sydney is often called "the Harbour City"...

. An exact copy of the UK studio at Dunsfold Park was constructed in a hangar. The power laps and "Star in a Bog Standard Car" were recorded at Camden Airport
Camden Airport
Camden Airport is an airport located 5 km from Camden, New South Wales, Australia. It is located approximately 60 km from the Sydney Central business district. Camden is used as an overflow airport for Bankstown Airport for flying training, charter and maintenance, and provides facilities for...

 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 The Allman Brothers Band
The Allman Brothers Band
The Allman Brothers Band is a Southern rock band once based in Macon, Georgia, United States. The band was formed in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1969 by brothers Duane Allman and Gregg Allman...

's "Jessica".

Segments



Top Gear Australia features segments that mirror those seen on the BBC series, including build challenges and test drives. A significant difference is that speeds and power are quoted in metric units
International System of Units
The International System of Units is the modern form of the metric system and is generally a system devised around the convenience of the number ten. It is the world's most widely used system of measurement, both in everyday commerce and in science.The older metric system included several groups...

 and prices are quoted in Australian dollar
Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...

s.

Power Lap


A test track around Camden Airport
Camden Airport
Camden Airport is an airport located 5 km from Camden, New South Wales, Australia. It is located approximately 60 km from the Sydney Central business district. Camden is used as an overflow airport for Bankstown Airport for flying training, charter and maintenance, and provides facilities for...

 is used for power laps. The track includes nine corners lined up in an anti-clockwise direction, the first corner is The Question Mark followed by Clarkson
Jeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson is an English broadcaster and journalist who specialises in motoring. He is best known for his role on the BBC TV show Top Gear along with co-presenters Richard Hammond and James May...

 Corner then The Crest and Turn 4 which is 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.

Star In A Bog Standard Car


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 is a Proton Satria Neo.

What Were They Thinking?


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.

Old car commercials


Every episode since series 2, Top Gear Australia shows an old car commercial.

Stunts


Aping 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
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales to the north, South Australia to the west, and Tasmania to the south, across the Bass Strait. Victoria is the most densely populated state, with over 70% of...

 when they drove a tractor
Tractor
A tractor is a vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery used in agriculture or construction...

 through the Melbourne suburb — a reference to the colloquial expression Toorak Tractor, a pejorative
Pejorative
Pejoratives are terms which have a negative connotation. Sometimes a term may begin as a pejorative word and eventually be adopted in a non-pejorative sense...

 label in Australia for luxury SUV
Sport utility vehicle
A sport utility vehicle is a generic marketing term for a vehicle similar to a station wagon, but built on a light-truck chassis. Usually equipped with four-wheel drive for on- or off-road ability, and with some pretension or ability to be used as an off-road vehicle, some SUVs include the towing...

s. The stunt featured in episode 5 of series 1, which aired on 27 October 2008.

Reception


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". Stuart Martin, motoring writer for the Adelaide Advertiser said a franchise was "always going to have a tough job living up to the UK original" but noted that Top Gear
Top Gear (current format)
Top Gear is a BBC television series about motor vehicles, primarily cars. It began in 1977 as a conventional motoring magazine show. Over time, and especially since a relaunch in 2002, it has developed a quirky, humorous style. The show is currently presented by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond...

 was not an overnight success and urged viewers to "give the locals a chance to find their niche". In retrospect Philip King said that the first series "received lukewarm reviews and couldn't get close to the ratings success of the original".

The first episode debuted with an audience of 933,000 viewers, 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
Australian Idol
Australian Idol is a Logie Award-winning Australian singing competition, which began its first season on 27 July 2003. Part of the Idol franchise, it originated from the reality program Pop Idol created by British entertainment executive Simon Fuller...

. The figure was slightly higher than any season premiere of the BBC version aired on SBS, up until that date. However, subsequent episodes have failed to match this figure, and the first season has 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.

For the second series SBS attempted to address some of the criticism brought up against the first series. The second series of the show debuted with 689,000 viewers, averaging 576,500 viewers across the series against the high rating MasterChef Australia
Masterchef Australia
MasterChef Australia is an Australian competitive cooking game show based on the original British version of MasterChef. It is produced by FremantleMedia Australia and screens on Network Ten. Food critic Matt Preston, chef George Calombaris, and restaurateur and chef Gary Mehigan serve as the...

.. Ratings dropped throughout the second series, leading to speculation that SBS will not buy a third series .

Jeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson is an English broadcaster and journalist who specialises in motoring. He is best known for his role on the BBC TV show Top Gear along with co-presenters Richard Hammond and James May...

 has commented on the Australian version, saying "We're loving it, even though your funny accents make you hard to understand".

List of Top Gear Australia episodes



Series # Episode # Title Reviews Challenge Guest Original airdate


Series # Episode # Title Reviews Challenge Guest Original airdate

Magazine


An Australian version of Top Gear magazine
Top Gear (magazine)
Top Gear is an automobile magazine published by BBC Worldwide, and named after the BBC's Top Gear television show. It was first published in October 1993 and is published monthly at a price of £3.95. The major presenters of the television series - Richard Hammond, James May and Jeremy Clarkson -...

 titled Top Gear Australia (published by Park Publishing, a partnership between ACP Magazines and the BBC) 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.

External links