Top Gear

Top Gear returns with a crash, a bang and an overwhelming smell of burning. Jeremy, Richard and James decide to buy second-hand lorries, despite knowing almost nothing about the world of trucks, and then set about discovering how easy it is to be an HGV (heavy goods vehicle) driver -- which turns out to be a lot harder than they thought. Also in this episode, Jeremy is on the test track with a scary Porsche 911, a tame Lamborghini Gallardo and a surprisingly talented Labrador, and chat-show legend Michael Parkinson is the Star in a Reasonably Priced Car.

Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May travel to the USA to take three new generation muscle cars on an epic road trip from San Francisco to the heart of Utah. And after the excitement of their last American road trip, this time they do their best to avoid letting a mob of angry locals pelt them with rocks. Meanwhile, back in the UK, Jeremy scampers around the test track in the feisty new Fiat 500 Abarth and pop idol Will Young is the Star In A Reasonably Priced Car.

Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May take on the challenge of making an ordinary second-hand car lap the test track as fast as a brand-new, purpose-built sports saloon. Also in the show, James travels to the frozen North and enlists the help of F1 world champion Mika Hakkinen in a quest to discover why the Finns are such good racing drivers. Meanwhile, Richard hammers around the track in the outlandish Veritas sports car, and Mark Wahlberg is the Hollywood Star In A Reasonably Priced Car.

Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May are challenged to drive from the heart of Switzerland to the North Western coast of England on just one tank of fuel. And as an incentive, the first one to arrive gets to turn on the Blackpool Illuminations. Back at the track, James tackles his first-ever power test in the amazing Pagani Zonda F Roadster and, after years of waiting, The Stig finally gets to set a lap time in the remarkable Bugatti Veyron.

The Nissan GT-R is given a thorough work out around Japan's legendary Fuji circuit. Richard Hammond celebrates the 40th birthday of the iconic Ferrari Daytona by taking one back the Riviera before attempting to beat James May and a multi-million-pound power boat in a race from Portofino to St Tropez. Meanwhile, back in the UK Jeremy Clarkson is out on the test track testing the new BMW M3 saloon against a young pretender from Japan, the Lexus IS-F. Top Gear also tackles a political hot potato as Richard attempts to find the best sort of bus for British city streets. Grand Designs property guru Kevin McCloud is the Star In A Reasonably Priced Car.

Jeremy Clarkson and James May invade Greenham Common airbase to ask the question, did the Communists ever make a good car? Meanwhile, out on the test track, Richard Hammond goes crazy in the Veritas, a surprisingly insane sports car from Germany, and Jeremy conducts an almost ridiculously thorough road test of the new Ford Fiesta. Plus, mop-haired London mayor Boris Johnson is the Star In A Reasonably Priced Car.

James May travels to California to take a look at what is being hailed as the future of motoring -- the hydrogen-powered Honda Clarity. Meanwhile, out on the test track, Jeremy Clarkson has a high-voltage encounter with the Tesla, a battery powered super-car, and Richard Hammond takes an affectionate look back at 50 years of Touring Car racing. The Star In A Reasonably Priced Car. is none other than living legend Tom Jones and, because it's almost Christmas, there'll be some festive fun and games in the studio to boot.

Top Gear ends the current series in epic style as Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May travel to Vietnam. Their aim is to travel the entire length of the country in just eight days, thereby achieving what the American military failed to do in 10 years. However, first they must each buy some suitable transport for the trip and, despite having several million Dong in their pockets, this proves to be of rather less value than they originally thought, especially in one of the most expensive car markets in the world. Nonetheless, the boys are resourceful and, with their wheels finally sorted, they set off on one of the most spectacular and incredible Top Gear road trips ever attempted.