There hasn't been as much fuss made over the latest series of Top Gear (BBC Two, Sunday, 6 December, 8.30pm) as there normally has. Maybe it's because everyone is talking about The X Factor Results programme that's being shown on the other side (not to suggest that these programmes somehow share huge chunks of audience, but y'know, critics can only watch so much TV).

"It's emotional, and, I'm not ashamed to admit, not just for him." And so our Anna wrote after watching James May On The Moon, which aired on BBC Two the other week. Now, our Anna doesn't get emotional very easily. She once laughed during a screening of The Puppy Meets The Business End Of A Claw Hammer. This is why we Scoopers don't get invited to The Opening Of An Envelope. Anyway, James May On The Moon was indeed a cracking show and if you'd like to own it and can't be bothered working out how to illegally rip it and install a Div X player or whatever it's called, you'll be pleased to know you can exchange old fashioned cash for a DVD product of the show.

Related: Our James May On The Moon review | Top Gear

There's not many shows like Top Gear (BBC Two, Sunday, 21 June, 8pm) in terms of polarising opinion. In one corner, you've got people who just like the fun of it. Racing cars, taking the piss out of things... the whole feeling of listening in to a bunch of mates having a laugh down the pub. Elsewhere though, you've got those who hate the whole zoo format. The self-aware casual xenophobia and sexism and... all that junk. Both are generalisations and both can be equally true. Sometimes, Top Gear is the best thing on telly... sometimes it's worse than listening to Steve Wright In The Afternoon. Last night, it got it pretty wrong... and that's including the 'reveal' of The Stig.

Related: Our Top Gear section

The Stig is dead, long live The Stig. Remember all that? The Black Stig flew off the end of a ship in a car and died and then came new, Bold action White Stig. And that was the end of that. Well, not so, you see, there's a video showing Black Stig wading out of the sea, which has sparked rumours that the character may make a return to Top Gear. If you get yourself over the jump, you can see the footage for yourself!

Related: Stig Unmasked | Our Top Gear Section

Who is The Stig? It's Lewis Hamilton right? No, hang on, it can't be him because he quite obviously far too busy being the world's most famous F1 driver. Well... is it... uh... no, hang on... that guy who played The Fall Guy? Nah. Well, now we know just who The Stig is. Yep. The secret is, apparently, out. However, instead of proudly crowing about it... the news feels somewhat... dirty. It's a bit like letting on to a kid that Santa is fiction. So, if you really want to know who he is, click over...

Related: Our Top Gear Section

Normally, I'm suffer from Children in Need fatigue. Very little done by the show excites me. However, something has happened which has made my eyes pop out on stalks and giddily howl into the sky. You see, you can win the chance to have a lap with Top Gear's tame racing driver, The Stig, around the Top Gear track. You can yell as you tear round Gambon and the Hammerhead! So who do you win?

Related: Our Top Gear Section

Despite churning out such brilliant programmes such as Strictly, Spooks and last night's My Family At War (only the BBC could do shows like that), it seems the corporation might have to do some more firefighting, in a week that it has done more self-flagellation than I think I've seen administer before. Despite the outrageous backlash Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross suffered last week (a simple smack on the wrists and swift apology from all concerned would have sufficed), another one of the BBC's more outspoken personalities could be up against it. Although only 200 people complained after Jeremy Clarkson blustered something Jeremy Clarksonish in the opening episode of Top Gear on Sunday, I'm guessing that the figure could rise in the next few days.

For all our Top Gear news and reviews (including Mof's review of Sunday's episode), go here.

I have to be honest with you. Originally, I wasn't going to review Top Gear (BBC Two, Sunday, 2 November, 8pm) even though it was the first in a new series. Nope, originally I was going to review Britannia High (or whatever it's called) just to see how mangled my mainframe would be after watching. Ironically, Lewis Hamilton, a petrol head of the highest order, won some race or other, which meant Britannia High School Musical was delayed or quite possibly postponed, and I didn't hang around to wait, flipping between the channels until Top Gear came on... and what a wise move it was.

Related: Our Top Gear section

T'other day, who cares when... when doesn't matter... the presenters of Top Gear thundered across London's Tower Bridge aboard a bloody great tank to launch their new world tour. That's right. Some madman has seen it fit to let these glorious reprobates loose on the globe! Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May were driven in the stretched 434 Armoured Personnel Carrier to launch Top Gear Live with typical gung-ho pomp... but what are they doing? Is it some big holiday? Will it be like a car version of Jackass? Well, it's not far off as we'll all be able to watch the hosts take on mentalist challenges during each 75-minute live show. So where and when then? (This is when 'when' matters).

Pick up a stone. Any stone will do. Now, throw it into the air and I bet it'll land on something showing Top Gear. See, Top Gear isn't so much popular, but rather - omnipotent. I say this because the BBC have announced that; "if you're a Top Gear addict who needs a regular fix of Clarkson, Hammond and May then worry no more. From today you can get the best bits of the show any time of the day or night from a new Top Gear channel on YouTube!". Can't get your fix of Top Gear?! You must be living up a tree sunshine!

James May and Richard Hammond are to stay on Top Gear! Brilliant news! I was worried, BBC top spods weren't as worried... and now no-one needs worry at all.

I've heard of gargantuan waits for season tickets at football matches, but this really takes the Stig (see what I did there? I was going to say piss but I changed it to Stig because I'm writing about Top Gear). I've been catching bits of the new series of Top Gear and have been enjoying it, even though I hate men who take about cars. I've also often wondered how you get into the audience of one of the programmes, but now I read that there's a 21-year waiting list to become an audience member. 21 years?! That's crazy! I don't know how and why this story came out (read it here), but 21 years. That's a long time. In the meantime, content yourself with a bit of film showing what happened when Doctor Who met Top Gear.

In my attempts to appear professional, like those who write for noospapers (stop that sniggering), I've written a headline so thorough that it's almost made this article redundant. However, I'll cling to this rare professionalism and finish my article. So, Top Gear. We were all a bit scared that the team as we know it was about to disband in a flurry of 'I'm not getting paid enough' and contract talks breaking down. Well, Roly Keating, that's the controller of BBC Two, has said he is "extremely confident" that Richard Hammond and James May will sign new deals with the programme. To be honest, they have to. My sanity depends on it (I'm so fragile, I know).

Read that headline again and let it sink in. Just think of the hole that Hammond and May could leave if they ditched Top Gear. It's utterly depressing. Well, that fear is pretty real as the pair have have not yet signed new contracts despite their agreements expiring at the end of the month... in fact, they've not so much hit a stone in the road of contract negotiations, but rather, the pair "turned down flat" according to a spokesperson. In short, it seems that they want contracts that are more in line with the wageslip of co-host Jeremy Clarkson.

Like many, I spent the whole of yesterday huffing and puffing that the football coverage didn't start early enough. I wanted it to start at 8am and continue 'til midnight. I know that this would've irritated other people to angry, jaded salty tears, but I don't care. Watch a different channel. I suppose it doesn't really matter because the the coverage of the Euros didn't start 'til 6.55pm, so all that huffing just served to annoy anyone listening in on my thoughts (I wish they'd stop doing that).

So, as I couldn't really muster up the energy to invest in anything (or that advance copy of Dexter Series 2 that I got... lucky me) I stuck Dave on (the channel, not some mate) and sat down for nearly a full day of motoring programmes. In essence, this meant Top Gear and Fifth Gear. Now, for someone who doesn't like cars... or even drive... I've seen an awful lot of motoring shows. I've always watched 'em... even though I didn't like 'em until recently. So... what did I learn this weekend?

Top Gear (BBC Two, Sunday, 22 June, 9pm) really is ludicrously good. Within seconds of the show kicking off, Clarkson made a joke about "no, you're not watching Dave" before adding "and if this is a repeat, then let's have a look back at the summer of 2008 series". This incident is the only time I can remember a show starting a new series with a recap of stuff we haven't seen yet. It might not seem much, but it's this playful anarchy that makes Top Gear so brilliant to watch.

Of course, such gentle ribbing of us wasn't enough. Hell no. The opening segment of the show was dedicated to making a mockery of the BBC and the current fuel crisis. They sniggered as they 'proved' that a BMW M3 was more economical than... some supposed eco-trundler. However, the big news was a new member of the team...

I'm going soft on Richard Hammond. I don't know if he's changed or I have. He certainly doesn't seem as wacky and zany as he once was (two traits I loathe), but he's no stiff. Anyway, whatever, I've been on quite a inner-journey and never confessed this to anyone.

See, once upon a time, on these very pages, I wrote something about Richard Hammond that was so appalling that one of the people who runs Shiny Media took it off the page almost immediately (they're a shadowy, clandestine bunch like the Illuminati... I met one once and all I could see was a hand from behind a huge chair like Doctor Claw from Inspector Gadget). I really did hate Hammond with all my might... but something has clearly happened.