The Australian counterpart of the UK hit motoring show Top Gear finally aired last September 29, 2008 on SBS. It basically has the same format as the original. The set is identical, the race track is also made in an airport runway except it´s not abandoned, and it´s also hosted by three blokes.
The shows hosts (from left to right) are
, Warren Brown, cartoonist and motoring columnist for
The Daily Telegraph, Steve Pizzati, advanced driving instructor, race driver and freelance motoring journalist, and lastly
Charlie Cox,
MotoGP commentator for the
BBC, and a former radio presenter and ex-racing driver. The three make up the show. As I see it, Brown has similarities with Capt. Slow, Pizzati with Hammond and Cox to Clarkson as being the leader of the pack. They have their own local jokes (which i´m still trying to understand) and crazy antics done with an Australian twist (e.g. meals on wheels).
The segments are also based on the UK show, with power laps, news, segments, and they even have their own version of the Star in a reasonably priced car dubbed Star in a bog standard car and the first star was Vince Colosimo (whom i´ve never seen before) and the white Stig was there, apparently his Australian cousin wasn´t found yet or something.
Since this is just the pilot episode, i have high hopes that there will be more cars, more challenges, and more accidents!! This will be fun.
The boys down under are back -- minus Charlie Cox (he left the show saying he felt he could not offer enough time for the show). To step up to the plate, he was replaced by trumpeteer James Morrison. He was last seasons fastest celebrity in a bog standard car. For me he's a welcome addition since this is a show presented by average blokes (except for Steve, since he's a race driver) for average blokes.
