With the exception of the two-part special for the first series, each episode featured studio segments filmed within a makeshift tent lot hosted across various foreign locales - two of these sites were each used for two separate but consecutive episodes. Although the series featured celebrities, most appeared in a minor capacity while others were mentioned or involved a look-alike - these appearances mainly were for a running gag involving them heading to meet the presenters in their tent for an interview, only to "die" in a freak accident.

After the first series, the programme's studio segments were permanently filmed within the Cotswolds. In addition, celebrities were more fully involved in the programme than the minor appearance they had in the previous series, taking part for a special segment used in this only involving head-to-head timed laps between two guests in each episode, with the exception of the final episode which was a special.

The third series discontinued the involvement of celebrity guests, in order to provide more focus on films, and was the last series to involve studio segments, car reviews and timed laps. In acknowledgement of this drop in the format, the final episode's last scene featured a montage of studio scenes conducted by the presenters over the course of the career - both from this program, as well as from their time hosting Top Gear.

The fourth series eliminated the tent format and focuses only on feature-length specials.

The fifth series includes three feature-length specials: A Scandi Flick, Eurocrash, and Sand Job.