Touring Car tribute
On this week's festive edition of Top Gear, Richard Hammond straps himself in for an affectionate look back at fifty years of Touring Car racing. For half a century, this excellent racing formula has brought us some of the coolest cars, closest racing and biggest crashes of all time. Hammond will be getting behind the wheel of some of the most iconic cars from throughout Touring Car history, including the Sierra RS500 and Jaguar Mk II.

Also, James will be jetting off to California to check out the hydrogen-powered Honda Clarity, which is being hailed by some as the bright new future of motoring. But will Mr May be convinced?

Meanwhile, Jeremy will be conducting a curiously quiet power test of the new and much-hyped all-electric supercar, the Tesla.

Back in the studio, Jeremy will be joined by Welsh singing legend Tom Jones and the presenters will be gathering around the Christmas tree for some Yuletide fun and games.

The next episode of Top Gear is on Sunday 14 December, 9pm on BBC Two

Yes, Top Gear is back. Back! BACK! It may only feel like three minutes since the world's favourite car programme was on your telly - and if you've been watching Dave that will be quite literally true - but on Sunday 2 November a brand new series will accelerate, skid, momentarily lose control, career onto the grass and then explode onto the television for your viewing pleasure.

Jeremy, Richard and James have been frantically filming like TV presenting lunatics all summer to bring you a cavalcade of delights that will take you up until Christmas (sudden outbreak of Sunday night snooker permitting).

They've bought lorries in order to find out how hard it is to be an HGV driver, they've flown to America to test a new generation of muscle cars (and almost bankrupted James May in the process), they've attempted to discover if Communism ever made a good car, and they've been in Vietnam attempting to do what the American military never could - by travelling the entire length of the country in just eight days.

There's sound financial advice as they attempt to make a normal second hand car lap the track as fast as a purpose built sports saloon, and a race to turn on the Blackpool illuminations in the most economical way possible.

There's also a festival of exciting cars including the Lamborghini Gallardo LP-560, the Porsche 911 GT2, the classic Ferrari Daytona, the Pagani Zonda F Roadster and the, erm, new Ford Fiesta.

All in all, if you're not glued to the television at 8 o'clock on a Sunday night you might be a mentalist. Unless you really have glued yourself to a TV. Then you really are mad.

Top Gear returns Sunday 2 November, 8pm on BBC Two.

It’s a busy one this week for the telly boys - aside from that gong last night, there’s tonight’s Top Gear Live opener and, of course, Sunday’s first-in-the-new-series show.


Yep, we’re back on Sunday at 8pm on BBC Two - giving you just enough time to cook some tea after the big F1 finale in Brazil.

So that’ll be after Alonso punts Lewis into the grass and Massa gets wiped out duelling with Kimi.

Or something like that.


Anyway, back to the main event.

The new series kicks off with Jeremy power testing a scary Porsche 911, along with a tame Lamborghini Gallardo and a surprisingly talented Labrador.


Then the boys wonder how hard it is to be a truck driver - and the ponder this for long enough to buy three lorries and take on a series of challenges.
Oh, and the star in our reasonably priced car is chat show legend Michael Parkinson. Think he’s got a book out or something.
So that’s Sunday, 8pm on BBC Two.