Episode 1

Series 13 hits the road running with an extraordinary race as Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May set out to discover what Top Gear might have been like 60 years ago. To this end, James grabs himself a gorgeous old Jaguar XK120 sports car, while Richard chooses to torture himself on the brutal but rather fantastically named Vincent Black Shadow motorbike.

Meanwhile, in an almost unprecedented move, Jeremy decides to take the train. But not just any old train; he is on the footplate of the Tornado, a brand-new Peppercorn A1 Pacific Class steam locomotive built to the original blueprints used to create some of Britain’s finest locomotives back in the heyday of the railways. Jeremy has to feed the boiler with a constant supply of coal, without which the whole train will grind to a halt.

The challenge behind this race is simple – the first one to get from London to Edinburgh is the winner – but what happens along the way adds up to one of Top Gear’s most incredible and epic races to date.

Also in the programme, Formula One racing driver Michael Schumacher is interviewed by Jeremy. A surprise revelation emerges before Michael does a lap to power test the Ferrari FXX.

Episode 2

Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May attempt to find the perfect car for 17-year-olds, negotiating insurance companies, accident repairs and a very muddy music festival car park in the process. (Richard Hammond buys a Hyundai S Coupé, James May buys a Volkswagen Golf and Jeremy Clarkson buys a Volvo Estate.)

Plus, Richard goes to Abu Dhabi to test the new Lamborghini Murcielago SV and stages the world’s first-ever race between the 1000 horsepower Bugatti Veyron and the mighty McLaren F1.

Back in the studio, the Star in a Reasonably Priced Car is English actor, writer, comedian, author, presenter and director Stephen Fry.

Episode 3

Jeremy tests the mildly insane Mercedes SL Black on the track. Jeremy, Richard and James confront the credit crunch head-on as they attempt to find three sensibly priced small cars that will not make you miserable.

English stand-up comedian Michael McIntyre is the Star in a Reasonably Priced Car, and James travels to America to spend a day with stunt-driving legend Ken Block.

Episode 4

Jeremy Clarkson gets chased by the British Army in some of their latest and most deadly toys.

Meanwhile, Richard Hammond and James May compare the new Porsche Panamera against a small envelope, a 39p stamp and the logistical might of the Royal Mail in a race from one end of the British Isles to the other. Plus, Olympic Gold Medal-winning sprinter Usain Bolt is the Star in a Reasonably Priced Car.

Episode 5

Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May seek petrolhead heaven in three 1500-pound rear-wheel-drive coupés and somehow find themselves entered in a terrifying French ice race.

Jeremy attempts to completely reduce the amount of carbon dioxide coming from the exhaust of a Range Rover...by attaching a greenhouse to it!

Award-winning actress Sienna Miller, despite having passed her driving test only 5 days before the show, is the Star in a Reasonably Priced Car.

Episode 6

Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May immerse themselves in the world of classic cars to find out if they really are, as the anoraks claim, more fun than modern machinery. Setting out in pre-1982 cars they pick up at an auction, the trio are in Majorca to take part in one very big challenge – a seemingly unfathomable classic car rally.

Also in the show, Jeremy drives with dinosaurs in the new BMW Z4, and interviews rock god Brian Johnson (English singer/song writer and lead singer of rock band AC/DC) in the studio.

Episode 7

Jeremy Clarkson and James May unleash the fateful Top Gear mantra (“How hard can it be?”) on car advertisements as they are set the task of creating a memorable TV ad for Volkswagen. As James tries to fill every second of airtime with immensely complicated information about fuel economy, while Jeremy just wants everything to explode, the boys quickly fall out on set and their vow to work together to deliver a classic piece of advertising looks in doubt.

Out on the track, Richard Hammond looks for an alternative to boring Germanic sports saloons and discovers the HSV Maloo R8 is an interesting and practical motor for those of a rural persuasion, while Clarkson reviews the Aston Martin V12 Vantage.

Plus American chat show legend Jay Leno is the Star in a Reasonably Priced Car.