Revving up ... the local version of Top Gear is set to veer on to our screens tonight.
For the first time in years, the success of this immensely popular motoring show is less than certain. Under the familiar Top Gear logo the word "Australia" gives the game away, The Australian reported.
This is the first of eight programs that attempt to extend the formula with a local version. The BBC hit will soon launch a spin-off in the US too as it cashes in on a program that attracts audiences in 120 countries and is easily SBS`s top-rating show, sometimes exceeding one million viewers.
The Aussie presenters were winnowed from thousands of applications and post-production work continued to the last minute, with only a rough copy available for review.
When the title music ends tonight, viewers are greeted with a familiar scene: the UK Top Gear set, down to the last detail, has been reproduced and the audience seems equally enthusiastic.
Our host is Sydney native Charlie Cox, motorsport commentator and former racing driver, a media-savvy blond larrikin who must step into Clarkson`s shoes. His co-hosts are Warren Brown, a broadcaster and cartoonist on The Daily Telegraph, and Steve Pizzati, a professional driver.
There`s the same light-hearted tone and banter between the presenters and the filming and editing style have been faithfully mimicked.
Brown is a natural in front of the camera with Pizzati and Cox not far behind. The trio look as though they will mature into a version of the easy-going repartee of the UK three, heavily scripted or not.
On the basis of the first episode, SBS can breathe easy.
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