AUSTRALIAN CRICKETER Shane Warne is reportedly gearing up to host six episodes of Top Gear Australia.
Reports this morning suggest that Channel Nine is in discussions with BBC Worldwide to snatch Top Gear Australia from current rights holder SBS, and Warne has been confirmed as Nine’s top choice to host the show.
Representatives for the Nine network have reportedly confirmed that talks with Warne are underway as part of the network’s bid to secure rights to the show’s next season.
An agreement is expected to be reached in the coming week.
Hosted by Steve Pizzati, Warren Brown and James Morrison - who succeeded Charlie Cox this year - the Australian version of the popular British television icon is the SBS network’s most popular local production, averaging around 600,000 viewers.
SBS is understood to have been negotiating a third season of Top Gear Australia with BBC Worldwide for some months, but an announcement has yet to be made.
A move to Nine would see the brand moved under the PBL Media banner, where both the international and local versions of the Top Gear magazine are managed.
An experienced presenter with his past roles as a cricket commentator, the Top Gear Australia gig would be Warne’s first dedicated on-screen role.
As a highly-paid sports star, Warne has owned a number of high-end cars, including a Ferrari 360, Mercedes-Benz four-wheel-drives, a pair of BMWs, and, not so high-end, but speaking to Warne’s ‘Aussie’ personality: a Holden VK Commodore.
Loading ...
Comments
Click here to jump to Add Comment box
How do you get a picture next to your name?
Get a Gravatar. Click here to find out more.
NOOOOO!
Isn’t it bad enough that 9 are getting the rights, along with all the ads that will be included?
Just because this clown owns a couple of exotic cars, it doesn’t make him an authority on the subject. Besides, how is he going to text anyone while driving?
We’ll also have to put up with Clarkson’s infernal smugness at having to come and teach the colonials how it’s done. Don’t get me wrong, I love TG UK but he is going to be insufferable in an Aussie version.
well it couldn’t get any worse…sux for SBS losing a high rated show, hopefully they don’t lose the popular UK version.
+1 Jamie.
They can’t be serious? Maybe I’m misreading my calendar and it’s April 1.
Plus if Channel Nein get the rights the show would probably turn into a big infomercial like those other “car shows” on commercial stations.
Not only have we had to endure the two previous seasons of TGA while they got organised - actually the last one was much improved but not quite there - now they’re going to completely change things again AND include more ghastly ads, I sure hope that SBS retains the rights to show TG UK, I think Nine might spoil it…………………..Warnie might have had a few sports cars but it does not make him a motoring enthusiast in the same mould as Clarkson,Hammond,May & even James Morrison !
U got to be kidding right, Grumps, I’m with you … Is it actually April 1st or what?????. If SBS only managed 600000 viewers than I bet Channel 9 wont even get 1/3 of it, with that pimp. Keep it on SBS, change the current hosts but leave James Morrison. Channel 9 Can;t do 1 thing right. Period
So they take a bad copy of a good show, make it into some of the most contrived and vacuous TV on air, then move it to the worst network in the country and give the presenting job to Shane Warne!! There must be a TV executive somewhere who really hates Top Gear because they appear to be doing everything in their power to kill the Australian version!!
The end of Top Gear Australia then - just when it was hitting its stride with series 2 being a vast improvement and evolving into something good in its own right….well done Nine!! And of course it will be pulled or shuffled around on the schedule without warning or reason, as per every other program of note Nine holds….
Thank F**K for that bring it on Warnie. TGA was the a abomanation of the top gear franchise i wanted to cut out my eye and squash them after every episode will be great with Warnie and Clarkson
Funny how everybody is now getting defensive about Top Gear Australia despite the fact that the SBS version was universally panned while it was on. There’s no point in SBS pushing more of the same approach at us. It simply wasn’t working. OK, series two was better than one, but after an initial spike, the ratings just kept going downhill and the show still came across as lame.
Maybe moving to Chanel Nine will the show can try a new approach? The thing that could make Shane Warne interesting is having two other new hosts around him that give him constant whacks with the stick he’s always deserved!
If this happens what happens to channel Nines current car show “Drive” Will we lose the talents of Glenn Ridge and all the others… Say it isn’t so, this was one of the best advertorials around they just can replace that Quality so easily
Warnie and Top Gear = Cultural Cringe on a epic scale. The man doesn’t even have charisma, the only saving grace will be Jeremy Clarkson, but I think we need a greater motoring authority than ‘Warnie’ to educate him on the finer points of Australian motoring culture and expectations.
We all love Warnie for his Cricketing abilities, and we all love TG & TGA, but for gods sake don’t even think about putting them together,anyway Clarkson hates Cricket.
SBS’s second series was an improvement, James, Warren & Steve deserve a crack at series III give them a chance.
Let Warnie play poker on 9 in the Poker Ashes its hopeless.
It ain’t broken & doesn’t need fixin.
I dont get it, where are all you guys reading that Clarkson will also be hosting Top Gear AUSTRALIA?? That article mentions no such thing.. wtf ? All I can see is that ultra-spaz texty-texty dirty-dirty Warnie is gonna have his fat mug on the show for a few episodes. Am I missing some info here or what?
A whole bunch of people, including those at the newspapers, seem to have misinterpreted the “rumour” and concluded Clarkson will actually be on the next Australian series with Warne. The BBC have already issued a press release stating it ain’t gonna happen. The Clarkson bit that is.
And JC is touring the world with Top Gear Live for the next few months, which means he wouldn’t be available anyway.
I’am more concerned for other road users
i mean how will Warney manage to put the moblie down long enough and stop texting to drive a car??
I’m more worried about the UK version showing on 9. Will they butcher the show right down so it fits into a 1 hour timeslot? That would mean cutting about 15 minutes from the show. I hope like hell it stays on SBS
Here’s an innovative idea: How about find a trio aussie journos that have established reputations that dont have to try to hard to be funny! we dont need UK clones. Just 3 appealing aussie people (male or female) that know what they’re talking about!
Please dont put on warney! please!!!! if you do ,you might as well throw in Eddie and Sam newman, and call it The Top Gear footy show!
Top Gear is a car show tease. To get enough people to watch they have to make the show more comedy than car show. The aussie version lacks the comedy too. Warne is “cool” but channel nine will make the show an ad for one of the big 3. Honest, unbiased comments, true motoring journalism and comedy are now on the net.
This should pretty much be THE END of TGA. this guy is a first class wanker !!
Warnie!!!!……is there nothing he can’t do?
Haha, oh dear…
Warne’s commentary makes cricket almost unbearable to watch.
Good news, TGA was rubbish anyway, so let the rubbish go the Nine, and let’s hope the very entertaining UK version stays at SBS
Good news ! When the rubbish TGA moves to Nine, the average broadcasting quality of SBS will rise, especially when SBS keeps the very entertaining UK version
Only thing humorous about TGA is the hosts … they’re a joke! Must be drowning if they have to screen alongside TGUK. Steve Pizzati is a legend in his own mind. Talk about desperate if they have to recruit Shane Warne to attract interest. Bad luck comes in 3’s so hopefully this one will be the series.
So it turns Out SBS could not keep any of it…. TG or TGA oh well A torrenting we shall go. A torrenting we shall go. Get TG before Nine. A torrenting we shall go