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We’ve been promised a distinctively Australian version of Top Gear, so far though it resembles a distinctively franchised version of “regular” Top Gear.

As with the British version of the show, they’ve used the beginning of the first episode to tease us with what’s in the season ahead, which should give you a good idea of what kind of show we’re in for. As always, judge for yourself.

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As television readies itself to enter an alternate universe, where Kath and Kim is acted by Americans, and Top Gear is hosted by Australians, the folks at SBS are prepping for one of the biggest launches in their history.

Top Gear Australia will be the first international version of the show, and makes its premiere September 29th. The new series is being referred to as “very Australian” by anyone who’s caught a glimpse. And good or bad, it should be interesting to watch, if for no other reason then to say how it can never stand up to the original…

Just like everyone does with The Office.

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The genre defying antics of the Top Gear team return to BBC Two in just a few weeks on June 22nd. And while I’ve gushed over the series extensively, calling it everything from television nirvana to the most unique and engaging hour on television I couldn’t let this promo for the shows 11th season pass without a mention.

Also, the shows executive producer Andy Wilman recently posted on the Top Gear blog about the upcoming season (including the promise of another race), as well as discussing the various international versions of the show in development.

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If you thought mash ups were only good for combining The Killers with The Clash, think again! Top Gear has again collided head on with another show for charity. Last year it was Top Gear of the Pops for Red Nose Day, and now we have the comedic train wreck that is Top Ground Gear Force, all in the name of raising money for Sports Relief (over £19 million so far).

Top Gear again shows its amazing range and breadth in this comedy of errors, I can’t think of another show scripted or otherwise that so seamlessly switches one episode to another between comedy, drama, slapstick, visual beauty and adventure the way this show does.

I’ve said it before, but I love the one-off formats and genre transcending content that comes out of British television in the name of charity, its not always great, but at least its kinda fun and inventive (just like that Killers mash up).

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If there is one show that quite deservedly gets a lot of banging on about on this blog, it’s Top Gear, and here I go again.. Tonight at 7:30pm SBS is airing the special North Pole race that I first mentioned back in July when it went to air on BBC Two. While I’m not sure it quite topped the American special in February, from sheer adventure alone, no other episode comes close.

And you’ve still got a few weeks left if you want to apply to host the Australian version of the show, the local production is bound to receive a lot of scrutiny and criticism so lets hope the it’s a little more American Office and a little less Amanda’s.

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When Top Gear isn’t busy being the most beautifully shot show on television, or keeping us on the edge of our seats, its making us laugh, and this clip from last nights episode falls into that category. In the video, Jeremy takes the worlds smallest production car, the Peel P50 for a test drive through the corridors of the BBC Television Centre in London.

- Thanks for the video Craig.

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At the end of season nine of Top Gear, Jeremy Clarkson questioned the direction of the show, and with 8.6 million people watching the final episode earlier this year, its understandable that a show about cars, with as much drama and direction as Lost, might start wondering what kind of show its meant to be.

Top Gear’s Executive Producer Andy Wilman takes an honest look at series nine of the show, and reflects about the upcoming season in a blog post here. He considers the chase for higher ratings “a false dawn, a night with a hooker when you’re drunk”, and he’s right, ratings are bollocks.

The video is from the first episode of the new season, and shows a preview of some of the stuff you’ll see over the next ten weeks. Among others Wilman proudly touts;

The Botswana road movie, a one hour special, is as spectacular as anything we’ve ever done, Amphibious: The Sequel is better than I could have ever dreamed of, the 24 Hour Race is a proper soap opera.

There is nothing on television that comes close to Top Gear, it is the most unique and engaging hour on television, it transcends whatever genre its considered to exist in, and presents cinematography that rivals that of any movie, along with storylines vastly more compelling then most traditionally scripted stuff on television, its simply brilliant.

From Clarkson’s and Wilman’s comments you can see a self awareness about the future of the show, a future that is clearly being coursed by some incredibly talented hands.

Update: As noted in the comments (thanks Marc) the song used in the video is “No Cars Go” by Arcade Fire, the song in its entirety is simply amazing. Take a listen:

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Watch Richard Hammond on last Friday night’s Jonathan Ross above, or more importantly get counting down for the return of Top Gear in its 10th season on October 7th on BBC Two.

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Top Gear is back! A special race episode from Canada to the North Pole goes to air in the UK on Wednesday night. And while its probably going to take a lot to top the insanity of the American road trip episode I can’t wait to see what they get up to racing each other to the top of the world.

In other Top Gear news, another American version has been scrapped for now.

- Thanks for the video Graham.

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(The above videos are Jimmy Carr looking behind the scenes of the Emmy award winning Top Gear. It was originally part of a “best of” episode.)

This isn’t the first time I’ve gushed over Top Gear, and probably won’t be the last. But when Jeremy Clarkson asks the world what should become of the show I thought it was probably worth bringing up.

And although Jeremy questions the recent direction of the show, I’m sure he’s well aware his little car magazine is reaching a television nirvana, not just for motoring programs, but for any type of broadcast on the medium.

It puts us on level terms with Eastenders. It means we are, give or take, the most watched show on the BBC. And that’s just in Britain. Factor in the rest of the world, and TG is effing massive.

When a show can give you goosebumps, makes you pace with excitement, giddy with laughter, silent in awe, and turn little more then three journalists into something more akin to the cast of Seinfeld, it seems the Orwellian prediction of televisions future is a little less Big Brother, and a little bit more cocking around with your mates (albeit filmed better than most movies).

So let Jeremy know what you think, but the shows natural evolution has, and will, continue to serve it better than any focus group could.

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We’ve got Red Nose Day in Australia, and we even have some form of Comic Relief, but I’m absolutely struck with the intensity in which the whole campaign seems to over take the United Kingdom. This year alone they’ve raised over £40,000,000 and still taking your donations.

Among all the other TV specials they ran to motivate you to donate, the one that caught my eye was Top Gear of the Pops, which combined the now canned formats of Top of the Pops with everyones favourite car show Top Gear, all in the name of charity.. aww.

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Scripted, unscripted, magazine style show, reality show, drama, comedy… whatever category Top Gear falls into it is one of the most entertaining shows on television, and the latest episode is the clearest sign yet that if a show about three guys talking about cars was capable of getting a theatrical release, this would be it.

Update: Read more about the making of this episode from the executive producer Andy Wilman and get James May’s response to getting run out of town by rednecks.

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According to the BBC Richard Hammond is out of intensive care and is making “satisfactory progress”. He’s suffered signficant brain injury (which I can only hope is different to brain damage). The above video is from last nights BBC Ten O’Clock news about the accident.

Richard Hammond has been seriously hurt while filming a segment for the upcoming season of Top Gear. For more read this, and lets hope he recovers.

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I’m a relative new comer to Top Gear, I’ve only been watching it for about a year, but it has blown my mind, and my love for it has nothing to do with cars…

There are three major reasons I watch the show, and for each of the reasons I have a catalyst point. The first reason is the phenomenal style and production that the segments are shot in, my first introduction to this was when Clarkson drove a Land Rover Discovery up a mountain in Scotland. My second reason for watching the show is the drama of the races, the first one of these I saw in full, and probably the reason I started to religiously watch the show is airing next week on SBS, and its the race to Oslo, with Clarkson in a Mercedes, and May and Hammond in a boat, so don’t miss it.

(And the third reason? I’ll get to that soon.)

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I know some people don’t like Jeremy Clarkson (I believe there was some sort of pie throwing incident), but for the few years I’ve been watching Top Gear I’ve grown to really like him. So as odd as it was, it shouldn’t have come as any surprise when he decided to use this weeks “news” section of Top Gear to make his own little commentary on the state of modern news broadcasts.

This is what you do on the news today, haven’t you been watching news bulletins? They’ll walk around with a bit of paper and then they talk to a camera, and for no obvious reason switch to another… I’m going to do the next bit like Channel Five. Have you seen Kirsty Young? She’s always half way up a staircase.

I wonder how long it will be before we see Virginia Hausegger leaning against the news desk holding a bit of paper (or worse one of those tablet PC’s)… I’m sure the ABC wouldn’t do that.