Stepping things up a Gear...

Aston Martin. I don’t want to give too much away but it centres around two guys poking fun at each other and having a good time. They are chasing each other, and then they are both chased.” The American actor-turnedpresenter believes the importance of humour in Top Gear’s appeal shouldn’t be underestimated. “You can talk about the technical differential, power shifting, timing, four valves, but people will start snoozing,” explains Matt, who says driving the Lamborghini Huracan was a highlight this series. “There is a balance in the show. We also talk about cars that are beautiful; the smoothness to them, the fluidity, and we use adjectives that are universal.” Chris, a racing driver and motoring journalist, who also appeared in the last series, agrees. “The internet exists for that (technical blurb). It is not what we are servicing,” states the 42-year-old. “I watched it again last night and it genuinely makes me laugh out loud at times.”

But ultimately, it is about the motors.

“It all starts with the car,” states Chris, who “had a full 11 out of 10, out of body of moment” when he drove the Ferrari FXX K at the Daytona circuit in Florida.

“If you look at the metal we are squeezing into this season, it is mouth-watering. I would say because of the amount we are including, it’s the strongest season of cars Top Gear has ever had – and I will happily stand by that statement.”

He credits the “incredible” team working tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure the seemingly impossible is achieved.

“For one film we made, we only had a day to shoot it. That’s not enough time, but it was one of those opportunities you would never get again. Only by the sheer excellence and maximum efficiency of the crew DARA O Briain and Angela Scanlon present the first group heat, with eight teams facing off through two group battles in the arena for a place in the grand final. A new twist sees random house robots sent to attack the competitors if they stray into the wrong part of the arena.

Jonathan Pearce is in the commentary box while Prof Noel Sharkey, Dr Lucy Rogers and Prof Sethu Vijayakumar judge the operators’ skills and select a victor in any close-run clashes. 4,000 miles of the Pacific Ocean from Tonga to Timor after being cast adrift from HMS Bounty by mutinying seamen and left for dead.

SAS: Who Dares Wins chief instructor Anthony Middleton is in charge of a crew of eight, attempting the journey in a replica 23ft open boat, with THE Queen famously referred to 1992 as an ‘annus horribilis’ and with good reason – not only was it the year when her family was rocked by scandals, mostly involving the marriages of her children, but it also saw Windsor Castle being damaged by fire.

The last of the series takes us up to the blaze, but it begins 20 years earlier in happier circumstances as the monarch celebrated her 25th wedding anniversary.

There were more big occasions to come, including the Queen’s silver jubilee and the fairytale