Nobody could ever have predicted that the unlikely medley of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, James May and The Stig would become the quintessential presenting quartet - able to unite entire families around the box on a Sunday evening for what is, above all else, a show about cars.

But somehow, they’ve managed it, and there can scarcely be a TV viewer in the country who isn’t excited about the return of Top Gear for a brand new run.

Most importantly, what can viewers expect from the new addition to the line-up? That’s right, last season introduced the public to the show’s new stuntman, who looks set to take more abuse this time around. But who exactly is he? And will he last longer than the Top Gear dog?

Script editor Richard Porter explained: “The truth is that Top Gear Stuntman’s past is murky at best. We know he lives in a caravan and, when challenged on this, the subsequent explanation seemed to involve the words ‘messy divorce’.

”Closer inspection of his fully MOTed Ford Sierra estate and the sum total of his worldly belongings piled inside reveals a regimental beret which a source close to him attributed to ‘a period of active service in the early 1980s’. We seem to remember ‘Paras’, ‘Falklands’ and ‘shrapnel to the head’ were all mentioned.”

He certainly proved his worth last time out, with a series of death-defying stunts that seemed designed to cause maximum physical pain.

Richard continued: “All we really wanted from him was an impeccable pedigree in the movie world. Ronin, The Bourne Identity, Casino Royale - these are just some of the films he’s recently watched on DVD, and in many cases, he’s even met some of the people listed in the credits.

”On this basis - and the fact that he once drove a police car into a flower stall on an episode of Dempsey & Makepeace - we knew he had an eye for a dramatic stunt. Also, he was surprisingly cheap.”

There’s no doubt that Top Gear occupies a unique place in the national psyche, and surely it’s only a matter of time until there’s a diploma in the subject offered at some ambitious university.

This week, expect more rib-tickling tasks; assorted car reviews from king of the similes Clarkson, and a Star in a Reasonably Priced Car. Can anyone beat Gavin and Stacey’s Rob Brydon and James Corden’s times? Well, considering they were in the wet and half way down the leader board, the answer is: probably.

It certainly sounds as though the production team have still got plenty of daft and bright ideas.

In this opener, the trio buy second-hand lorries and set about discovering how easy it is to become an HGV driver.

The Porsche 911 and Lamborghini Gallardo are also tested, and Michael Parkinson, who has surely been busier than ever since he officially retired from our screens, gets behind the wheel.