Top Gear Australia new TV hosts

By Brett Davis | June 22nd, 2010

The next season of Top Gear Australia has just started production and with it comes two new hosts.

Although speculation circulated over the possibility of Shane Warne hosting the next series, the official lineup has be uncovered on the Top Gear website and there’s no spin-bowler in sight.

Shane Jacobson, also known as Kenny, from his popular TV show, Kenny’s World will be one of the new hosts. He’s an avid car nut to the finest detail, obtaining various licenses which enables him to drive pretty much anything. He also has a huge collection of Australian classic cars.

The other addition to the team is Ewen Page. As editor-in-chief of Top Gear Australia magazine, Page has been a respected motoring journalist for over 20 years and has test driven a massive range of cars over the years, including concept cars and prototypes not available to the public. Although he has no formal TV hosting skills under his belt like the others, we are pretty sure he’ll be the ‘encyclopaedia’ of the trio with his extended library of in-head car knowledge. Like all new hosts though, it will be interesting to see if he can pull it off as a witty personality to the show.

Completing the trio is one of the original cast members, Steve Pizzati. Pizzati is a Porsche driving instructor and racing driver. He’s also a freelance motoring journalist and stunt driver, so he’s likely to remain the driving skill of the team.

No word as to when the series will air yet, but we will keep you updated.

http://www.facebook.com/sammo.8191 Sam Moss

Pizzati was my least favourite of the original trio, I just find him irritating and honestly don’t know what’s so great about him as a presenter. I really liked James Morrison and the other dude and I think Nine have screwed up with the new casting, I can’t see them having much of a chemistry, but I hope I’m wrong.

I don’t know if this series will be more successful than the 2 SBS seasons, but lets hope that the producers can inject a unique Australian flavour into the show, and can come up with some unique and ‘original’ challenges..

jojo

Agree with most of the comments here…If they want the show to be a success they have to grow some balls and critise the cars as they see fit and not tippy toe around the usual local makes so they dont offend their audience.

And more actual car/technical content icstead of just thrashing cars around a circuit.

http://www.facebook.com/millionsofmyles Myles Harris

They would, but here’s the thing.

If they criticise the cars, then the Australian manufacturers have a cry and don’t give them the cars anymore.

This is a completely different situation from the BBC UK production with a massive budget where they can buy say, a Dodge SRT-8 if Dodge won’t lend them one.

roadtard

Channel 9 somehow managed to blunt Top Gear UK, so how bad is the local version going to be!?
Dave

I look forward to this season, see how it goes. Looks like a great group.
Fenno

Just wish the season was longer than 3 or 4 episodes. If only the Neighbours season was so short.
Shak

Wait so who owns the broadcast rights to the Australian Version? Channel 9 or SBS. Either way. the new hosts cant be any worse than the old guys.
MK

There it goes…
davie

Good luck to them, Its a hard business to host a franchise of one of the worlds most popular shows. You are inevitably compared to the original.

However, I never did mind Warren Brown or James Morrison.

I’m more concerned about how CH9 will probably stuff it up with its usual annoying sugar coating and over production. They will be too scared to give an honest opinion of cars for fear of offending a station advertiser/sponsor like Ford, Toyota or Holden.

No doubt Ray Martin will be the guest “star” followed by Kerry Anne kennerley, Eddi McGuire and then Don Burke.

Will

Agreed Davo.

Gerry Harvey was onto something: Selling white goods in big window stores located in depressed areas on commission. One could alternatively view the phenomenon through the prism of the average Supercar fan, where credit and blunted intelligence play a dominant role. The Oz interpretation of TG – compromised production standards and smoke and mirrors bias. Where is Eddie Everywhere??

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1435885244 Yani Hendriawan

pazzati was my fav. the other 2 were just meh. but everyone should look up mightycarmods on youtube. people say they’re better then australian top gear. and well i they’re pretty cool
Tom22

That is absolutely terrible, they got rid off the only two hosts i could mildly stand.

The hosts wern’t the sole problem with Top Gear it was the absolutely lack of information in any of the reviews, they were just like press shot films.
Andronicus

The first time out for the AU version was horrible. Really an afront to the good name that the UK series had worked hard to develop.

Why are they doing this again?
Leon

Channel 9 would do better making a remake of Fifth Gear rather than Top Gear. Top Gear is all about the presenters whereas Fifth Gear is about the cars.

http://www.facebook.com/sammo.8191 Sam Moss

Agreed, I love Fifth Gear! Do they still produce that show?

Alex

Yep, new season just started

http://www.facebook.com/sammo.8191 Sam Moss

Do they still play episodes on Channel 72?

Steve-Poyza

Channel 72? What? I like Fifth Gear but I’ve never really known when its on. I just happen to come across it a lot.
http://www.facebook.com/sammo.8191 Sam Moss

Yeah Stevo! It’s called Seven Two, it’s channel 7′s other digital station that plays tv shows that aren’t good enough for the main 7 channel

maybe one day Fifth Gear will become popular enough that it gets promoted to the main channel..

MB

It could have been worse we could have got Glenn Ridge.

IMO Dieter Kashnitz from the C word would have been a better choice.
Robin Graves

Cant be any worse than before surely?
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=785485557 Gazz Martin

Bring Back James Morrison he was the only decent host there .
As for that Steve Pizatti with his bloody stupid GROUSE comment every 20 seconds he should be shot
but as 9 also have Top Gear Britain which they have screwed up what more could we expect?

http://www.facebook.com/sammo.8191 Sam Moss

If he says “HOW GOOD WAS THAT??!!” one more time I’ll kill myself.

greenmatt

Like most porsche drivers Steve Pizzati was a cocky little man. I attended one of the early filmings in the audience and he was by far my least favourite presenter. At least James Morrison had a natural flair for presenting and was relatable.
delux

Pizatti is just to enthusiastic for my liking. Been reading Ewen Page since I was a kid so I am looking forward to seeing him on TV.

Baddass

Yes it should be good to have an actual motoring journo on the show, I get a feeling that the current presenters rather cheap laughs than genuine car stories.

Russell

If Pizatti is on Im turning off.
bangle

Yep 5th gear for me , this load of garbage on 9 with repeat after repeat of the pommy junk is rubbish , and the OZ version is even worse .

An absolute insult to ones intelligence .
Save it for the track

Fifth gear on seven two are are fair way behind. Mor up to date episodes are on one of the foxtel or austar channels. Very entertaining to see Tiff & Plato going around a track, and it’s not bad watching Vicki Butler-Henderson have a go either. Fifth gear usually contains more reviews per episode, and do have occasional ‘stunts’. As a matter of fact it was on Fifth Gear that they had the VW TOUREG tow a jumbo jet, a few years ago.
Save it for the track

Oh and yes, Pizati is extremely annoying IMO.
http://car-removal.com.au Car Removal

Wonder how many “poo” jokes Shane will let off.
The Realist

Will the hosts still be annoying closet bogans?
Simonsez

Have to agree that Steve Pizzati is an extremely irritating man.Why they’d leave him and turf out the others is incomprehensible.Just because he’s little and smiles a lot doesn’t automatically make him likable.It’s probably unrealistic to expect the show to have any practical value when the Pommie version is just purely” entertainment” in any case.
Anthraxx66

I just hope they stop trying to be like the UK dudes and concentrate on making a good car show… more car stuff and less stupid jokes, and don’t get me started on “what were they thinking?”
http://www.caradvice.com.au Jim Goose senior

Shane Jacobson is a great choice for this type of show. I could really envision seeing him in a pub talking cars with anyone who wants to listen. I can’t say that about the three clowns doing Top Gear UK. They spend so much time trying to be funny that they sometimes forget to present any real facts. Remember when they did Vietnam? Buying eachother silly gifts to haul around on their motorbikes and including humour inappropriately? They were like three 14 year olds. Shane will be a good departure from that lot. If only PG Oz seasons ran longer.
feedup

Give up channel 9 you have bleed this show dry. It’s now just confusing to watch the UK show. As the OZ version SBS could not makes this lemon work and they at least have some respect for their views. So this once Top Gear addict has been cured ,, thanks 9
http://none Al Turner

I am going to be in Australia from 6th Aug to 6th Sept. to formulate plans for the 40th Anniversary of the GTHO. I would like to meet with the principals of your show and discuss the plans that we have formulated to see if we can jointly work on this together.

sincerely
Al Turner
k

This is going to be terrible. What a waste of money.
I have much more respect for SBS than Channel 9 but the SBS version was awful. The ads alone wanted to make me throw up. There is only one Top Gear and it is the UK version. Anything else is just going to be pathetic.
k

Oh and I just remembered that Shannon Noll was the ‘celebrity’ on what the first episode of Aust Top Gear SBS. Need we say more.
P E

Been to the filming of the first episode, Shanes a very funny guy crack up between takes. you guys are not gunna believe the car they use for the stars. Im not sure this is gunna work but good luck to them. And yes Shane Warne manages to get his mug in the show. Unbelievable.
http://www.facebook.com/ace.and.sharon Peter Long

just been watching top gear australia, the ashes.. this is a total embarrasment to australia these three blokes are inane they have absolutly no idea what entertainment is. they think that if they copy the uk version it will be a hit !! well let me say that the sooner this crap is off air the better
Hung Low

You bunch of whiners! To me it is about the cars and I am happy just to watch any new production on commercial TV that involves motoring…….instead of complaining and moaning just switch channels you skirts!
build01

That wasn’t An “Ash’s Test” of cars. It was a blatant BBC chest thump. That’s the reason “Top Gear ” Australia won’t work.Car for Car, Test for Test, I would have kept watching.
Not any more!!!!!!!
http://facebook michelel

Yes totally agree! Get some people that can actually drive like Perkins and Johnson! They would be fantastic and give us a good accurate measure of what these cars would do and I think they would naturally be funnier.
dave

Jacobson was funny in Kenny however his humour just doesnt fit this show. Aussie top gear needs to evolve its own individualism not be pommy try hards.
Michael

Can these guys behave like adults and stop giggling like naughty schoolboys at very predictable unfunny scenarios. Please, just show us the cars and how hard they go.
thomo

I think Topgear Australia is crap they try and sound like the UK Topgear and Steve trys to sound like Richard Hammond.The program is a waste of time BORING.
p bolton

How stupid do you think the aust motoring public is. You put a segment on covering 4×4 and caravans that cover more than a decade and expect us to try to gain credibility for the presenters and the programe. WHAT A JOKE!!! Yes there are times these guys are funny and heaos better than anything in the past, but there is a line we ,as the veiwing public, can be take as idiots. Surely in all of the motor racing talent we have in this country and OS you can have a programe that is not only informative but entertaining. You don’t see this crap coming out of the UK even if it is a couple of years old.
David Mitchell

I have tried to watch this series, but am struggling. Steve Pizza continues to be an annoying little git. Ewen who ? He so boring and as for Shane (kenny the poo man), bloody hell, he is not even remotely funny. What is it with his mate this mate that, and bloody pretzel comments. They try to be so bogan Aussie, it is embarrassing. As for the stupid Chook ute, the crap test track etc etc. I didn’t even bother watching last night.
Jason Childs

Sorry but the Aus top gear is appalling. Do you think that Australia is populated by brain dead morons who drive utes? because thats where the show seems to be targeted. Very poor production and not even close to the original. I managed to watch 5 minutes the other night but no more.
mickey d.

Im really sorry but I though that channel 9 could make a version of TOP GEAR that would be in the same ballpark as the English version, how wrong was I. The first series was an abortion and the latest one is an embarrassment to all Aussies.
I feel sorry for the 3 presenters because they are about as funny as a wet monday and just as boring as a seniors bingo hall after they have all gone home, I would rather watch the wiggles with my kids.
There is no real info about the cars they use and it seems that they would rather just trash cars and caravans than do a proper challenges getting the best and worst out of the vehicles. They are trying to hard to be funny and the worst is that they all have the same personality,, are they really clones of each other that just look different?? must be. The reasonably priced car should be an Astra or something that the average person can buy or want not some yobos ute, I reckon myself and couple of mates could do a better top gear than that and given the chance we would, something about real people and real cars, real challenges and pros and cons info with comedy.
Darren

I’m with Mickey D, on this one.
Whenever you are ready to make the TGA real Channel Nine,
give me a call.
James

Im a pommie, in the UK and like most guys here I love uk top gear. problem is like some of you guys have mentioned they try too hard to be funny. I’ve seen the aussie show online and its not funny at all and lacks total originality, but at least the guys know what there talking about
http://www.cartvs.org/ Car TVs

Very great post indeed. It’s really nice watching advertisements about cars. Very entertaining.
R strathie

Hi just watched the new top gear good to see aussies instead of poms, with the report on the landcruiser if ya want to help australian buyers maybe you shoud have mentioned that they only come out in auto and don’t come out in diesel another thing yous might look into for us is why with the aussie dollar the same as the american dollar toyota want 48,000 from us and the yanks get the same car for 25,000