6/6
This has surely been the series that's finally put paid to the preposterous notion that Top Gear is purely for petrolheads. Watching Motormouth Clarkson, Captain Slow and the Hamster being hotly pursued by ******** as they drove through Alabama in beat-up heaps daubed with provocative slogans was terrific TV, but unlikely to persuade you to hire a Camaro rather than a Cadillac. Seeing them launch a Reliant Robin "into space" was hysterical, but patently won't boost sales of the three-wheeler. As for the Star in a Reasonably Priced Car, the only thing you learn there is who swears the most. But so what? It's been one of the most ludicrously entertaining (and occasionally controversial) shows on TV for months. Tonight, sadly, Top Gear pulls into the lay-by, parks neatly and turns off the ignition. But not before the hosts each attempt to build a stretched limo and Billie Piper takes a turn on the track.