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REVIEW: Top Gear Australia

IT is the show you love, but with different voices.

It has all the fast cars, banter and challenges of the original ... but there was something missing.

I'm talking about the local version of Top Gear (SBS, Monday 7.30pm).

From what I could tell is that the producers were trying everything they could to make sure the Aussie version was as similar to the British counterpart as possible.

There's the music, the set, the celebrity laps (Vince Colosimo was an ideal choice first up), even The Stig. Substitute Jeremy Clarkson for Charlie Cox, Richard Hammond for Steve Pizzati and James ``Captain Slow'' May for Warren Brown.

Cox does have elements of Clarkson's hosting style (remembering he has spent many years commentating motorsport on the BBC), but as hard has he tried, he's just not the same.

Saying that, the show isn't bad.

It's about time we had a decent motoring show on TV. Apart from attempts buried on Sunday afternoons, there hasn't been one for years.

The debut show had the obligatory challenge, testing out four-wheel-drive, it was fun to see the hosts drive the life out of the vehicles in the sand dunes and on the icy roads.

Brown also showed off his drawing skills before the shark bait challenge (he is a newspaper cartoonist).

The version is a good imitation of the originial, but more work needs to be done to give it a unique Aussie touch.

That should start next week when the team puts Fords and Holdens head-to-head.

What did you think of Top Gear Australia?

Posted By: David Braithwaite on 30/09/2008 10:33:04 AM | Comments (28)

comments

Date: Newest first | Oldest first

I liked the show. Sure, there are a few glitches, but honestly, I think most of the criticisms seem the forget one "detail" - two of these three guys have no previous TV experience at all, and comparing them against the original trio who have been doing the same thing for years simply makes no sense, period. In fact, in my opinion, for a debut they did remarkably well. I'm looking forward to see how Australian a direction is TGA going to take. Becoming a conform clone of the original, except for a smaller budget, is the trap to avoid.

Posted by trabant, 30/09/2008 5:12:47 PM

Definatly needs more aussie input. far too similar to the British version. Given time lets hope they break away from the english format or it'll be the same show with different accents.

Posted by Qd, 30/09/2008 9:25:31 PM

Were you guys watching the same show. IMHO it was really really bad. Problem 1: presenters were just phoney (guy with the 'stash has hope the others are a joke) Problem 2: copies look sad and no-one likes sad - we can't match the UK production values so we shouldn't try too. Problem 3: No respect for our richer than the UK car culture. Problem 4: IMHO Australians are not dumber than the brits - why use dumb presenters/writers

Posted by mappa, 1/10/2008 4:30:56 AM

The show was a real let down. If the intention was to make an 'Aussie' car show, then why mirror Top Gear UK so closely and so badly. The show was trying so hard to be Aussie, which is a good thing but that was made impossible when the set, the presenters, and the ideas were all inferior copies of what is already on offer from the UK. It shouldn't be called Top Gear Australia, it should be called 'wanna be Top Gear UK with Aussie accents' Sorry, but it needs to improve soon, and i fear that the old Ford v Holden scripts are not going to do it.

Posted by sando, 1/10/2008 10:29:37 AM

Kinda crap and a little dull. We all know why SBS was showing old eps of the UK version - they knew the aust version was going to look cheap (remember survivor australia) against the UK 2007/2008 top gear and suffer in comparison. How stupid so they think we are? Honestly the best they can come up with for the first ep was mincing round on sand dunes and getting stuck in the snow - UK vers is good cause there is that danger element to it? That segment in the shark cage was utterly pointless and dull. The "track" - if you can call it that - was a complete joke and the best they can come up with is some C grade actor (who next, lemme guess..toni pearen, shannon knowles, tom williams,some tosser from sunrise, any total Z grade celeb can apply lol). It was a bit bogan and yob as well - seriously, "grouse" - i didnt know it was 1987. The whole point of the UK vesr is that it INST a bunch of yobs. Cringe - Next week - ford vs holden - again, it keep forgetting its 1987. How bout audi vs renault and bring it into the 21st century.

Posted by beeb, 1/10/2008 2:19:48 PM

I thoroughly enjoyed it. Steve needs to tone it down a bit though he is trying to hard. Overall the guys were pretty good. Charlie is an amazing driver, much better than any of the UK hosts. We have to remember to give these guys a go. If anyone has seen the original UK Top Gear it was terrible, the hosts were very boring. Also Top Gear is a franchise so wherever it is sold to the show must retain some of its feature characteristics ie: Set, Theme Music, The Stig (couldn't have a Top Gear without The Stig) but I am keen to see some more Aussie input.

Posted by scotty, 1/10/2008 2:56:52 PM

i think it was pretty impressive for the first ever episode. the thing that is missing is in the delivery of the show they speak but no emotion or change in tone it is very monotone and lacks the enthusiasm that top gear has. i think the australian identiy will come out soon enough for all the ockas. but they might have taken the approach of a globalised and culutrised australia. but i do agree we need more elements of our identity. one thing i find annoying is that every car show and magazine in australia is all holden versus ford and it drives me insane i do not support either. there is a great culutre here for car lovers. so we should embrace all the other car compaines and encourage them to enter in the v8 super cars so there is more competition and ultimatley more enjoyment. so if top gear australia cna find a balance of taking the best aspects of the british version and blend it with some australian identity it will be great. that being said at least watch the first series before digging in to the show too deep, and instead of critisicing alone, critiscise an then add suggestions about how to make the show better and maybe it will surpass the british top gear.

Posted by all speed no limit , 1/10/2008 6:26:27 PM

It looks like sbs has employed some throw outs from defence aquisitions to develop programs. It cost millions of dollars and is a flop and will be cancelled.

Posted by chris, 1/10/2008 10:05:23 PM

Very disappointing. Having bought the Aussie rights what choice but to repeat the UK version. Plenty of other shows do it successfully. But in this case, using ocker presenters who appeared not to have a brain between them with lousy scripts - and they could not stop talking - was just asking for trouble. The reason that the UK version is so popular is that it treats everyone as intelligent, the presenters, the public... do they think that dumbing this down will make it MORE popular here? I would rather watch repeats of repeats of Jeremy anytime. Drop this show, it's embarrassingly too far from the mark. I hope Jeremy wasn't watching :(

Posted by Ed, 1/10/2008 10:18:02 PM

It was absolute Garbage I watched about 10 minutes of it and that was enough never again.Waiting for the UK version to return

Posted by cleav, 2/10/2008 1:52:06 PM

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