Top Gear Australia - Hosts announced!

[tone76]

http://www.news.com.au/entertainment...-10229,00.html

Looks like it's Warren Brown, Charlie Cox and Steve Pizzati!

Warren Brown was mentioned in another TGA thread, I'm looking forward to seeing him in action (Peking To Paris rocked).

[evan_a]

Motorsport commentator Charlie Cox, cartoonist Warren Brown and driving instructor Steve Pizzati have won the highly sought-after job to host Australian Top Gear.

After months of interviews, the three were revealed Wednesday night as the hosts of the Australian version of the hit BBC TV program at a function in Sydney.

Cox, Brown and Pizzati beat more than 4,000 others for the chance to front the program, which will premiere on SBS after the Olympics this year.

The first version outside the UK, the show features three enthusiasts test driving and brutally appraising the world's most popular cars and performing stunts.

SBS director of content Matt Campbell said it was a difficult task to pick the final three but was confident they had found a winning combination.

"We have chosen three totally different and entertaining personalities who have a natural chemistry that works," Campbell said.

All the hosts have a deep passion for motoring.

Currently a motorsport commentator for the BBC, Cox, 47, is known for his classic one-liners.

He worked in radio in Sydney in the 1980s before moving to the UK where he won several motor racing titles in the 1990s and was involved in a near life-ending crash in 1995.

Brown, in his mid-40s, is best known for his work as a cartoonist and motoring columnist for The Daily Telegraph, but also has a passion for historic cars.

The third host, Steve Pizzati, is the youngest of the bunch, in his mid 30s.

He is an advanced driving instructor, freelance motoring journalist and a race driver for Porsche Australia.

Sydney Morning Herald motoring editor Josh Dowling will act as the motor industry consultant.

The Australian Top Gear will have a distinctly "Australian feel" while still being based on the format made popular in the UK where it is led by Jeremy Clarkson.

Top Gear managing director Adam Waddell praised Aussie presenters.

"A show like Top Gear doesn't resonate with a huge global audience just because people love cars," he said. "The world's most entertaining car show's popularity owes much to the relationship between its three presenters.

"In Charlie, Warren and Steve, Top Gear Australia now has its own team - three guys who possess the spirit of Top Gear whilst having their own distinct personalities."

SBS was bombarded with entries for the job, picking from 4,000 DVD entrants followed by months of interviews and screen tests.

Among those hoping to score the job are believed to be former beauty queen and motorbike enthusiast Laura Csortan and former Escape With ET reporter Michelle Walsh.

Thank Christ they didn't pick Michelle Walsh. I think these guys getting picked shows that SBS is taking this version of the show seriously.

[tone76]

SNAP!

http://forums.finalgear.com/top-gear...nounced-27540/

[fbc]

Heh, two threads created at exactly the same time...

I don't really know much about these guys - Motor Mag uses Pizzati sometimes for track testing. Never heard of Brown. I find the choice of Charlie Cox a bit odd - I figured we'd see three Aussies fronting the show.

Originally Posted by tone76

Warren Brown was mentioned in another TGA thread, I'm looking forward to seeing him in action (Peking To Paris rocked).

What I saw of that show I really enjoyed - should bode well.

[Viper007Bond]

Originally Posted by tone76

SNAP!

http://forums.finalgear.com/top-gear...nounced-27540/

Threads merged. His was was better post, but you beat him by 13 seconds.

[evan_a]

[tone76]

Originally Posted by Viper007Bond

Threads merged. His was was better post, but you beat him by 13 seconds.

Heh. I suspect the extra 13 seconds was spent constructing a better post.

As for the hosts ... sounds very promising. I'm really looking forward to TGA now, apparently it debuts just after the Beijing Olympics (early September?).

[Northy]

who cares, when is it going to air is all i want to know.

[Polly]

Interesting, how TGA seems to progress stable while Gear is all talk so far.

[Viper007Bond]

Originally Posted by Northy

who cares, when is it going to air is all i want to know.

Read the article or the post above you -- after the Olympics.

[whitehornmatt]

This makes me more confident in SBS's ability to pull this off, those hosts seem like a good choice. There seem to be some slight parallels between the Aussie and UK hosts, and their radio and journalism backgrounds, but they are certainly unique.

I'm looking forward to it starting even more now, and if 'after the Olympics' means early September it isn't that much of a wait.

[Gman333-X-ferrari]

Great news! Looks like TGA are taking this thing seriously and from what I can see these blokes sound pretty good. Looking forward to seeing the motorsport commentator, cartoonist and driving instructor in action!

[Hidden_Hunter]

At least it looks like it won't be a carbon copy of normal top gear, I rate it more given theat it shouldn't just be a copy of clarkson and co

[gti138]

Sounds promising - I remember seeing Charlie Cox's crash in the BTCC (from memory) Was a huge one. Having racers as the hosts kinda gives TGA a bit of credibility - and I'm hugely pleased that the usual suspects (Glenn Ridge, Michael Stahll etc) didn't get a gig.

As long as the format doesn't try to copy TG and goes out on it's own it will have a much better chance of succeeding. Looking forward to it already

[Red_Bull]

I know of Charlie Cox having watched some of the BTCC races in the late 90s and he's a very entertaining commentator so should provide some humourous quotes. Unsure on the other two. It should be good though, looking forward to this!

It might take time for the line up to gel onscreen with each other, but then Top Gear UK wasn't an instant success either. It took at least two or three seasons (of the new series) before it started coming together.

Pity, I was half hoping Cox would score the job as the F1 commentator for the BBC next year...

[Necx0]

Have met Pizzati, good bloke, very good wheeler. Think all 3 are excellent choices. Glad two of them at least have a very very good driving pedigree. Looking forward to the show a lot more now.

Shows what a publicity stunt the public tapes were though haha.

[fbc]

Originally Posted by Necx0

Looking forward to the show a lot more now.

I've come 180 degrees on the show, from dreading how awful it might be, to now really looking forward to seeing how it turns out.

[stiggie]

On 11th March-

Originally Posted by stiggie

An Australian motorsport presenter from the BBC, a cartoonist and a driver trainer.

[Quadrax]

*slow clap*

[watto]

Cool, sounds promising.

Peking to Paris was very entertaining and Warren Brown loves his classic cars.

Can't say I've heard of the other two but it seems to be a good mix