Television Top Gear

[cider_and_toast]

There is a saying out there in TV land that is used to describe a programme that goes too far in an attempt to do something new and fresh. The saying is called "Jump the Shark" and comes from an episode of Happy Days when the Fonz ends up water skiing and literally jumps a big rubber shark. I think Top Gear is getting very close to "Jumping the Shark" itself.

Firstly, I am not going to complain about the lack of real cars etc. If you want a review of the latest Mondeo then watch Fith Gear and if you can stomach the annoying squeek that is Vicky Butler Henderson and the smugness of Tiff (no DNQ's don't make you an F1 driver) Nedell then you are a better person than I.

The problem I see with top gear is that it's all become a little samey. I thought the Schumey/Stig thing was actually a bit of an insult to the inteligence of the viewers. Most of the challenges are a repeat of what's gone before. It would be hard to top the "Italian sports car for under 10k" challenge any way.

There are so many cars on the power lap chart that it dosn't take a genious to figure out where the car came on it's run you just look for the gap on the chart. The same goes for the star in a reasonably priced car.

The biggest problem I have however, is the "staged" incidents such as when they visited the US with this supposed "entertainment" clause and then got pulled by a copper. It was toe curlingly false.

There is still plenty of things to laugh about on the programme and Sunday nights episode pulled 7.2 million viewers which in terms of audiance share is TG's best ever result. With that in mind I must soound like the odd one out here.

I just think it needs to avoid the now every week formula of Challenge Part 1, Review Fast Car, Stig Lap, News, Review Bonkers Car, Star in a reasonalby priced Car, Challenge, Bombshell, The end.

Let's see if this review generates some feedback........

 

[Brogan]

I have been going off Top gear for a few series now.

The features are so obviously staged that they are pointless and the more "serious" items are ruined by their inane desire to criticise everything within an inch of its life.

The biggest problem I have though is Jeremy Clarkson.
He has turned into some kind of parody the way he insults everyone and everything.

It wouldn't be so bad if there was just 1 of him but over the last few series, Richard Hammond and now James May have morphed into clones of him. It's excruciatingly embarrassing to watch the way they copy his phrases, mannerisms and behaviour.

It's no surprise though considering Top Gear has and always will be the "Jeremy Clarkson Show" in all but name.

I still watch it though

 

[Speshal]

Spot on! I've been feeling this series is all a bit same-y but as Bro said, I'll still watch it.

*edit have a comedy video

 

[McZiderRed]

I completely agree that the programme has gone down hill. Just like most TV programmes, why think up new material, when they can pump out rubbish based on repeats of a popular theme?

I've been hoping that the "Marina's Owners Club" will catch up with the nauseous three & drop a piano on THEM!

 

[Speshal]

Bahhhhhhh 20 minutes of VW "advert" making and 3 minutes on the AM V12

 

[cider_and_toast]

Yeah and what was that really down beat ending all about. I was in chat telling Bro that this weeks episode wasn't as bad as last weeks and then it goes down hill again.

There were some funny bits in the VW ad thing but were 20 minutes really needed to achieve sod all. They keep telling us that it's entertainment but it's stopped entertaining now. C'mon top gear, I hope you get your MOJO back in time for the next series.

 

[FB]

Love it it hate it, Top Gear is back this Sunday people and this time in HD! My kids (15 &10) are V Excited, does this show the level it is pitched at?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/topgear/show/next_episode.shtml

 

[cider_and_toast]

Well I for one thought that the new series of TG got off to a pretty good start. They turned the dial down from 12 to a more reasonable 10 and as a result it was far funnier than most episodes from the last series.

If I could have picked it would have been 1) Aston 2) Lambo and 3) Ferrari.

Looking forward to the rest of the series now.

 

[FB]

Just watched this week edition of TG, anyone else think it's become more like Last of the Summer Wine where three old geezers hatch a hair brained plan and then it all goes wrong? Very funny but not really a "Topical" car show.

 

[Brogan]

I'm with you FB.

It's so scripted for a show which is supposed to be "live" and it's more about the ego of Clarkson than anything else.

I rarely watch it these days.

 

[FB]

Top Gear should be worth a watch this Sunday as Jenson Button will be driving the Suzuki Liana round the TG test track. Apparently the weather conditions are very similar to when Hamilton had a go and, if you recall, he got within 0.3 secs of the Stig's best lap on a dry track.

Will this be a good indication of how things will go at McLaren next year? Probably not...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/8421278.stm

 

[FB]

Rubens sets a new lap record

 

[cider_and_toast]

Not only that but did you hear his comments about the Austrian GP where he was forced to give the race to Schuey. Can you imagine getting to the point where the team you race for has to check it's legal position and then threaten you with the sack if you didn't turn the race over to Schumacher. How much would you pay to hear those radio conversations? I wonder if they are on file somewhere in Maranello or Paris?

 

[FB]

The comments about Austria were quite astonishing, describing the Ferrari team manager sitting on one side and their lawyers sitting on the other bullying him into giving the win to Schumie. You have to question why he hung about for so long afterwards though...

 

[Matthew Little]

I wonder if they are on file somewhere in Maranello or Paris?

Probably................right next to some large magnet that's erased whatever evidence was on them.

 

[Chad Stewarthill]

Guys, I agree with much of what has been said here about the decline of TG; rather sad for someone like me who has been a fan of the programme from the start.

BUT, to mark the year in which the late, great Ayrton Senna would have been 50, Clarkson is doing a film about him and why he is considered by many to be the best F1 driver of his generation. In it, Lewis Hamilton drives Ayrton's Mclaren MP4/4.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/topgear/show/next_episode.shtml

The magazine states that it will be aired on August 1st 2010, but the website suggests that it will be July 25th.

That's TONIGHT!

 

[Brogan]

Many thanks for the heads up Chad

 

[cider_and_toast]

When he's not chuffing about, Jeremy Clarkson hosts some extremely interesting and well informed documentaries that TV can produce.

If you ever get a chance to see his documentary on the Victoria Cross it is not only extremely well made and informative but when Clarkson investigates the VC won by his father in law it is incredibly moving as well.

 

[Speshal]

When he's not chuffing about, Jeremy Clarkson hosts some extremely interesting and well informed documentaries that TV can produce.

If you ever get a chance to see his documentary on the Victoria Cross it is not only extremely well made and informative but when Clarkson investigates the VC won by his father in law it is incredibly moving as well.

As the grandson of a VC winner I thought that documentary was great.

Tonight's top gear tho (if you ignore the puff with the Hollywood stars) showed the fastest production road car and a simply stunning mini doc on Senna - for all the people who casually watch F1 but watch top gear it will have been a wonderful education - Lewis driving his hero's car!! - Some bits of that pretty much made me well up.

 

[slickskid]

Got to agree with you there Spesh about tonights TG it was quite a good show and whilst i knew about Cruise & Diaz being on there as i'd seen a report on MSN about it the Senna tribute took me slightly by suprise. Even though i got a sense of de javu having seen so many of those clips more times than i can count it is weird that it is one of those events thats remains so prominent in the mind and i can remember exactly what i was doing at the time.

Looking forward to movie coming out on Senna.