Poll: Is Top Gear Australia season two any better?

By Derek Fung on 12 May 2009

commentary With Charlie Cox replaced by James Morrison, we thought we'd give Top Gear Australia's second season a chance. And while it is much improved, it still lacks that certain spark that will transform it from a pool of amino acid into a bubbling cauldron of life.

Is the second season of Top Gear Australia any better than the first?

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I'm the first to admit that I persevered with the first season of Top Gear Australia until the very end. Not because it was brilliant, must-see television, but because a lot of curiosity, a very Australian strain of tall poppy syndrome, a dash of hope and liberal servings of schadenfreude proved to be an irresistible mix.

Judging by the first episode of the second season, some of our reasons for watching might need to go and have a shower, maybe help clean up the study or, at most, remain on standby. For one, the new boy James Morrison is a far better host than the now departed Charlie "I've got scheduling conflicts" Cox. The rather neat flow on effect from this is that the interview section, now hosted by Warren Brown, is now streets ahead of Rove's interrogations.

Although a lot of the banter still feels forced, Cox's departure coupled with the lack of a focal host has improved the dynamics considerably, with the three no longer seemingly jamming themselves tightly into jars labelled Clarkson-, Hammond- and May-wannabe. Best of all, the copycat Stig introductions, which were more cringeworthy than a thousand nails running down a thousand blackboards, are now a thing of the past.

Still, though, there are plenty of improvements to be made. The Top Gear Australia test track, although now fully explained, appears on camera more like Susan Boyle than Kate Beckinsale. Ignoring the small matter of the show's hot lap times, they really should decamp to Oran Park, which is not only a real track but also offers far greater scope for eye-catching filming. And it's the track where most of their head-to-head tests are done anyway.

If by season three, they've given Steve Pizzati the flick, or at the very least enrolled him in intensive speech therapy to make him sound a little less like an awkward combination of Ian Healy and Mark Taylor, Top Gear Australia might actually become a show we laugh with, not at.

What do you think? Vote in our poll to the right and leave your comments below.

Topics: top gear australia, top gear, season 2, sbs, cache, cms, gear, lib, season, home

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Comments (72)

  • Wilko commented on 27/10/2009 11:29 Report abuse

    Its a tough set of shoes to fill... TGA will always be compared to TG U.K and if you look back at the early episode of TG U.K they were a bit forced and false too.... what the show needs is time to settle into their own groove, and some appreciation for the fantastic cinematography that TGA provided.
    And finally it the show needs a dose of ME :) I have been trying to get a look in since the first rumours that they were coming down under, I was one of the first to send in an audition CD... And to be able to do what they do... I am willing to do that for FREE !

  • Mozie commented on 26/10/2009 12:13 Report abuse

    only thing humorous about tga is that the hosts think they're funny. steve pizzati is a legend in his own mind. desperate when you resort to the likes of warnie to attract an audience. bad luck comes in 3's so hopefully this will be the last series

  • nein commented on 23/10/2009 23:11 Report abuse

    When I watched this show, I honestly felt embarrassed that something so awful was made in the same country.

    The presenters are a terrible choice, and none of them are particularly interesting or entertaining, and overall the content is equally as bland.

    I did tough it out, get a barf-bag, and tolerated the first series and watched the first episode of series two in order to see if they had addressed any feedback. I was sadly disappointed and gave up on this show from that point onwards.

  • mcphuk commented on 14/10/2009 15:21 Report abuse

    I love the idea of an Aussie Top Gear but Im affraid that one of the current host ruins what is already what a pretty weak attempt. Warren and and them bloody cartoons should never have been given a second of airtime, not on TGA anyway! The other thing is that the average Australian Motoring enthusiast is a bogan at heart and just cant relate to the limpwristed manner in which the hosts approach most things. This lot seem to more more worried about breaking a nail when they should be concerned only with driving the absolute balls of whatever it is they were lucky enough to score a drive in.

    Stop trying to impress us and just make me jealous that I cant drive all those wicked fast cars.

  • DK commented on 24/08/2009 20:04 Report abuse

    I think SBS went off with the fairies when they selected the presenters. Steve needs a lot more credibility, while that Warren is lacking a personality, and although I like James Morrison, he is a better trumpeter than he is a Motoring Show presenter.
    If you compare it to the UK version, Clarkson was already a respected motoring journo, where as Hammond was already a very popular TV personality who had a love for cars, and James, well it just works cause they can bounce all the crap off him!
    The UK format does not work for the Aussie presenters, simply because they are not poms. The UK version works, because they ARE poms.

  • Big Fan UK commented on 24/08/2009 15:50 Report abuse

    Firstly i HATE Top Gear austraila!!! I have watched TopGear since iwas a little boy in belfast,i now live in Austraila and have for the past 12year's.Stop copying the real Topgear!

  • steve commented on 06/07/2009 20:20 Report abuse

    Its absolutely hopeless, the hosts are the worst possible choices, the writing it just woeful, its totally embarrassing that Australia cant do better than this, its low budget crap.

  • lrat commented on 06/07/2009 12:49 Report abuse

    I have never seen such a load of rubbish before. I tried to watch it for one full episode and it made me feel nauseous. What a load of CRAP!
    SBS, cut this deadful imitation immedeatly and spend your dollars on purchasing quality programs from the UK instead.

  • apete42 commented on 01/07/2009 13:34 Report abuse

    CRAP ABSOLUTE CLASS 1 CRAP

  • Mrs E Nesmith commented on 27/06/2009 22:25 Report abuse

    Heavens!, that spelling is very poor indeed young man. Its "because" not cause, "Porsche", not porches, and "heard" not herd; it changes the meaning of your sentence dear, so its worth getting right. As for the so called Top Gear Australia, I look forward to the return of the UK show. Save the dollars SBS and invest it into a genuine "Australian" production that is not so contractually obligated to match the UK format. I do believe your programming executives have missed the point entirely about Top Gear; its a comedy show, reliant on the charm, intelligence and chemistry of the hosts, that just happens to be about cars. Messrs Clarkson, Hammond and May could present a show about gardening and it would equally entertaining.

    If you must have a local program about vehicles, then be brave and create a unique format. That Warren fellow draws very well, and James Morrison knows how to blow his horn, but I'm not convinced they know any more about automobiles than my Harold (may he, and Top Gear Australia rest in peace).

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