The Gadget Show - Season 17 (2013)

Jon Bentley rejoins the team as does newcomer Rachel Riley. Noise-cancelling headphones are tested at Birmingham's Spaghetti Junction. Pollyanna is in Canada to take a look at the Maverick flying car. Jon is in Manchester to put three action cameras through their paces with the help of the British BMX team. Danny Dyer offers his views on movie-streaming services.

Rachel and Jason take a look at the latest 4K television technology with the help of Got To Dance champions Chris and Wes. Pollyanna takes a look at state-of- the-art watercraft in California, Jon gets some celebrity help to test the latest convertible laptops for the new Windows 8 operating system.

Rachel and Jason try out some backlit e-readers whilst Pollyanna gets behind the wheel of The Human Car. Jon tries some walking boots on a hike in the Lake District and comedian Al Murray learns more about soundbar technology.

Rachel and Jason are in the chair this week as they team up with top cosmetic dentist James Russell to put the latest electronic toothbrushes through their paces. Polly comes face-to-face with the Mantis, the biggest all-terrain hexapod robot in the world. Jon Bentley is in Amsterdam testing out the latest batch of Android smartphones.

With 2013 already shaping up to be the year of the gamer, the team hooks up with superstar gamers KSI and Ali-A in LA at the biggest gamers’ expo on the planet – E3 – to find out how good these next-generation consoles really are. Back on home soil, Rachel and Jason enlist the help of ex-con Michael Fraser as they rig the studio with the latest home security technology.

Rachel and Jason head to a Birmingham BMX track to test the best in RC Motorbikes before putting the winner through its paces on a home built 'Loop da Loop' but will their bike and craftsmanship be enough to get them another place in the record books? Polly is on the east coast of America visiting twin brothers Geoff and Michael Howe, who have set up a business building military-grade armoured vehicles. After becoming the youngest duo ever to receive a military contract, and making the world’s fastest tank, they have clearly impressed the US Army. Will their ‘Swat Bot’ and Amphibious ATV pass muster with Polly? Jon Bentley is on the hunt for a bargain telly, looking at the 1080p HDTVs that cost under £300. With entry-level sets now boasting high-end features like 3D and TV-on-demand, are the manufacturers cutting corners or can Jon really bag a bargain? Janet Street Porter goes on a jaunt around south London, asking whether we still need to shell out for a satnav.

Rachel and Jason are investigating the nation’s wi-fi woes. Why do so many of us have trouble connecting, and what can we do about it? With new routers being released by BT and Virgin, could our connection issues soon be a thing of the past? Triple-jump gold medallist and keen cyclist Jonathan Edwards dons lycra and gets on his bike to take a look at cycle computers – technology that is fast growing in popularity. Polly is in Hungary, checking out the Mammuth Rewarron, the world’s first one-third scale, radio controlled car. Will it be a mammoth enough ride to get to the top of Polly’s leader board of thrills? With tablets of all shapes and sizes released on what appears to be a weekly basis, there is more choice than ever.

Rachel and Jason take a look at camcorders and ask whether we really need them anymore, now that we all carry one around with us built into our mobile phones. Consumer champion Dom Littlewood makes a guest appearance to test the best ways of staying safe online and stopping your personal data being snooped upon. From the tracking of our likes and dislikes to the more malicious hackers who try to get inside our hard drives, Dom has all the info to help ward off unwelcome online attention. Polly heads to Greece, where she ploughs her way through the rugged landscape just outside Athens in an all-terrain super car – the Korres P4. Is it powerful enough to catapult its way to the top of her leader board of thrills? Jon Bentley is off to Hemel Hempstead and its famous magic roundabout to test lawnmowers. In recent years, lawnmower technology has sprung forward –with the days of two-stroke engines or electric cords trailing through the kitchen window now long gone.

Jon Bentley takes a look at the world of photo books – all in the aid of surprising Rachel to commemorate her first series on the show. But how will the books look good enough for Miss Riley to take home and put on her mantelpiece. Rachel and Jason build a gadget that we all want to own – a personal flying machine.