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Top Gear Australia will be returning for a second season and when it does, there’s going to be a new captain at the helm.
The new guy’s name is James Morrison and if you’d like to see what he normally does for a living, watch the video at the end of this post. Morrison is one of the most respected musicians on this planet. He’s an Aussie, and he’s well known down under as being a total car nut.
The man making way for Morrison is former lead banana, Charlie Cox. The official reason is that he has too many other commitments with his other companies at home and abroad. The smart money’s on the fact that he jumped before he was pushed.
Charlie tried hard and in all honesty, he did a pretty good job trying to fill some incredibly big shoes. But in the end he just didn’t get it done.
Morrison is media savvy, a great entertainer with or without the trumpet and a known car guy. He’s even had his own car show in the past, a program called Behind the Wheel that ran for a couple of seasons back in the 1990s. This should lift the tempo at TGA by a significant margin.
I’m really pleased to see they’ll be hanging around. I watched every episode in season 1 and whilst it wasn’t the UK show (not by any means), it was a good hour’s entertainment.
Here’s James in action.
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7 responses so far ↓
1 Mag-X
// Dec 20, 2008 at 12:50 am
I didn’t have any issues with Charlie, but I can’t say that I’ll be missing him either. Nothing personal, just the show hasn’t been on long enough to get used to the cast.
And before everyone starts throwing hate at TGA, I’d just like to say “lighten up.” TGA wasn’t as good as TGUK, but it was still a fairly good show, and a hell of a lot better than any car shows we have here in the US. …Motor Week is like wathing paint dry.
2 Richard
// Dec 20, 2008 at 1:59 am
I was also able to catch all the episodes thanks to some generous posters on usenet and found that TGA did have it’s moments (a particularly painful one when Wozzer backed over the Saab in the tractor…ouch), but that Charlie Cox seemed to be not quite there.
James Morrison did actually appear on the program somewhere about half way through as a star in the “bog” car (an Aussie can correct me on the slang there) and he actually took the spotlight away from Charlie for those few minutes. Perhaps a foreshadowing of things to come.
What I l really loved about TGA is seeing some of the brilliant countryside of Australia. The Kimberly was a highlight for me. Looking forward to series two!
@ Mag-X – You’re right…there really isn’t any other equivalent car show on TV anywhere. Other than perhaps Fifth Gear which is a little more straight-laced but brilliant as well. Thank god for usenet or I’d never see any of these!
3 Arnold
// Dec 20, 2008 at 10:39 am
In the end, what sets the UK version apart is the personalities. In particular, Jeremy Clarkson, the non politically correct, has an entertaining way of speaking. I do find some of the stunts childish and plain silly though.
The success of Australian version will depend more on character than format in my opinion. It needs someone with personality, to identify with.
4 sab
// Dec 20, 2008 at 7:04 pm
I reckon it should be Glen Ridge rather than James Morrison
In all seriousness that Cox guy was a real tosser and good to see him gone.
merry christmas!
sab
5 jim
// Dec 21, 2008 at 7:23 am
Sorry guys but I’m an Aussie, I work in the auto industry and found the show dull.
Love the UK version its a winner, but they should have let the Aussie guys be themselves, not try and mimmick their UK co hosts.
This news is fantastic, I have met James Morrison on more than one occasion in the past 20 years, and both he and his brother John are a bit like Leno ($ being the only difference) when it comes to cars I ‘ve heard as well.
He will make this show because he knows how to work an audience, I now cannot wait for next season it now has the potencial to be a winner.
6 Chuck M'Gutsup
// Dec 21, 2008 at 3:36 pm
Great news, not that I dislike Charkie, but the show is called “Top Gear Australia” Not “Top Gear with Expat POMS who can’t get a gig on TGUK”. I think an all local line up with a well known ace will work a lot better.
Actuallly I loved the SAAB getting run over
7 Ben W
// Dec 22, 2008 at 10:42 am
Well that’s good news… Cox was atrocious, and had this been China he would have been taken about the back, shot in the head and his family charged for the bullet. Sadly, we’ve gone soft as a country in recent years and he was allowed to complete 6 more episodes…
To be honest I feel TGA will always been the UK show’s half-wit, buck-toothed and slightly stupid cousin. Our show has hardly the budget and a car industry that doesn’t understand the term constructive criticism… and that’s before we get into the main issue, which is there will be only one Clarkson, Hammond and May, and without them it’s just a car show, no matter what you call it.