Top Gear heads to TV3

Top Gear hosts (from left) Richard Hammond, Jeremy Clarkson and James May.

Top Gear is changing lanes in New Zealand.

The long-running BBC motoring show starring Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May will now screen on TV3 after MediaWorks and BBC Worldwide ANZ signed a long-term commitment.

A new ten-part series, starting with the controversial two-part Patagonia special, will start screening on TV3 next month.

The show had been a mainstay of Prime TV's schedule since 2003 and has been on British screens in various forms since 1977.

The new deal also includes forthcoming Top Gear specials and the Top Gear US series.

Top Gear remains reportedly the world's most widely watched factual television programme, with a global audience estimated at over 350 million in 214 countries.