Top Gear

Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May attempt to prove that the hot hatchbacks of their youth were better than their modern equivalents by buying a 'classic' example of the breed each and thenundertaking a series of challenges.

After tackling a tricky hillclimb course and an unusual visit to the supermarket, the three arrive at an old army training ground in Wales where their ageing cars must evade the heavily armed and heavily moustachioed Top Gear Police Department.

Plus, Downton Abbey's Hugh Bonneville is the star in the Reasonably Priced Car.

The series continues with a jam-packed show featuring Italian sports cars, military manoeuvres and a trip to Belgium.

Richard Hammond is on the shores of Lake Como testing the exciting new Alfa Romeo 4C, a mid-engined machine from one of the world's most beloved sports car makers. Hammond's enjoyment of the super-lightweight, 237-horsepower beauty is brought to an abrupt halt by the arrival of Jeremy Clarkson on a quad bike, demanding a race to the far end of the vast lake. Unfortunately for Hammond, Clarkson's quad bike is not entirely as it first seems.

Elsewhere in the programme, Clarkson is in the genteel surroundings of Bruges, and at the rather less sedate Spa Grand Prix track in order to test a thrilling new breed of hybrid hypercar: the stunning 904-horsepower McLaren P1.

Meanwhile, James May is at the vast Camp Bastion in Afghanistan looking at the incredible efforts behind the army's largest vehicle redeployment since the Second World War.

Finally, actor Tom Hiddleston, star of Thor, The Avengers and War Horse, tries his hand out on the track as the Star in the Reasonably Priced Car.

Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May demonstrate their love for compact, small-engined cars with a trip to Ukraine.

With Clarkson in a Volkswagen Up, Hammond in a Ford Fiesta and May in a Dacia Sandero, the trio zoom around the Crimean peninsula absorbing some local history, visiting an old Soviet submarine pen and enjoying their manoeuvrable, economical cars to the full. Unfortunately, their carefree time is curtailed when they are challenged to a vast drive, heading north across one of the largest countries in Europe, and they must take any step necessary to fight the immense boredom of a long car journey.

Eventually, the three arrive in Kiev only to receive one final and truly fearsome challenge: to complete their journey they must drive into Chernobyl.

Also in this programme, Jeremy is on the track in a very fast and very orange supercar from Denmark, the 1086 horsepower Zenvo ST1.

Finally, the Reasonably Priced Car welcomes back singer James Blunt, who talks about his new album and attempting to beat his own lap time out on the track.

Jeremy Clarkson celebrates the return of the handcrafted, coach-built car with a trip to Italy to drive the achingly beautiful and incredibly rare Alfa Romeo-based Touring Disco Volante. Richard Hammond attacksthe dunes of Abu Dhabi in a remarkable six-wheeled Mercedes called the G63 6x6, while James May makes a rare trip to the test track to try out the intriguingly minimalist Caterham 160 and its insanely fast sister, the 620R. Also in the show, comedian Jack Whitehall tries his hand as the star in the Reasonably Priced Car.

Richard Hammond is in Abu Dhabi to drive a new hybrid sports car from Porsche. It is called the 918 and it combines a 4.6-litre V8 petrol engine with a pair of electric motors to create an 886 horsepower, four-wheel drive supercar sensation. Hammond takes a nocturnal trip to the famous Yas Marina Grand Prix to see if the 918 has what it takes to beat McLaren's hybrid hypercar, the P1. Although the two cars have yet to go head to head, there is much riding on the outcome since if the German machine proves to be faster around the Top Gear track than its British rival, Jeremy Clarkson has promised to change his name to Jennifer.

Also in this show, Clarkson and James May are tasked with shooting a public information film to promote safer cycling. Along the way, the pair create some hard-hitting imagery, take a 'fact-finding' ride around the streets of London, and present their film-making efforts to an expert panel featuring bigwigs from Westminster Council and Olympic gold medal-winning cycling legend Chris Boardman.

Elsewhere in the programme, Clarkson is also the judge for a hot hatchback showdown between the latest iteration of the legendary Volkswagen Golf GTI and a powerful, rear-wheel-drive pretender from BMW called the M135i.

Finally, there is an American in the Reasonably Priced Car as Aaron Paul, star of Breaking Bad and Need for Speed, tries his hand in the Astra out on the test track.

Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May are on a mission to build a bridge over the River Kwai in Thailand. However, in order to that they must first drive across a country that has been largely closedto westerners for over 40 years: Burma.

Futhermore, the trio must make this trip in three lorries that have been bought 'sight unseen' from the internet for a limited budget. Unsurprisingly, they are not quite as the trio might have hoped or expected.

What follows is an epic journey of beautiful scenery, regular adversity, ongoing malfunction and the constant bickering of three badly dressed buffoons.

Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May are battling across Burma in three ancient and barely functioning lorries.

Having forded rivers, climbed mountains and endured a Burmese trucker stop, they must now venture into the Shan state, an area rife with civil war and normally closed to western TV crews, as they head towards Thailand and their final challenge - to build a bridge over the River Kwai.