This Week's Show  
Hammond's back. Really, he is. The Hamster returns to your screen at 8pm this Sunday in the most explosive episode of Top Gear ever - and the action will continue on TopGear.com as soon as the credits roll.  
 
Richard will be blogging right here at 9pm - read about this, and our exclusive computer-generated reconstruction of the accident in our news story.  
 
Having spent the day with Richard as he made his emotional return to the TG studio, TopGear.com can happily report that he's healthy, happy and just a little bit embarrassed to have caused so much trouble.  
 
For a full preview of Series Nine, check out our gallery. Here's what to look out for this week:  
 
Men at work  
Why do roadworks take so long? It's a question that's vexed every one of us as we sit stationary, gazing glazen-eyed at a builder armed with a stop-go sign and massive arse cleavage. Surely there must be a better way?  
 
With the aid of just 32 of Warwickshire's finest road workers, a quarryful of tarmac and an incredibly irritating megaphone, the boys try to complete a week's worth of road repairs in just 24 hours. How hard can it be?  
 
Fast food  
This week's studio guest Jamie Oliver was on a mission to prove he could set a tasty lap time rather than make a dog's dinner of our Reasonably Priced Car.  
 
After nearly flattening us at Gambon - twice - and demonstrating a couple of the most spectacular fishtail slides we've ever seen on our icy test track, Jamie eventually got to grips with the non-stick circuit (see what we did there?) and even managed to fry the Lacetti's radiator. Smoking stuff.  
 
Jaguar XKR v Aston Martin V8 Vantage  
What better way to celebrate the return of the best show in Britain (hell, the world) than thrash a couple of the finest sports cars in Britain (hell, the world) around our test track? We've never seen Jeremy more torn - will he plump for the gorgeous Vantage or the Jag's supercharged XKR, with an engine note like "Tom Jones gargling a NASCAR"? Oh, how we've missed those metaphors...  
 
Hammond's shunt  
It's the big one. Like a scary film, you know what's coming. You want to shut your eyes, but somehow you can't look away. Whatever you've read about Hammond's jet car accident, you won't be quite prepared for it. It even shut JC up. Don't miss it.  
 
Watch more  
So that's what's on the show, but the TG coverage doesn't end at 9pm on Sunday. Oh no. The techies at TopGear.com have been beavering away to create an awesome 3D reconstruction of Hammond's crash, using detailed telemetry from the Vampire's black box.  
 
The animation gives you an amazing insight into the G-forces and impact of the high-speed crash. It goes live as the show ends.  
 
And that's not all. As soon as you've seen the video and watched the reconstruction, we want to know what you think. Richard will be posting a blog on the site at 9pm, and we'll be giving you the chance to respond.  
 
See you right here after the show on Sunday.