Television Top Gear

[cider_and_toast]

Managed to watch the last half hour tonight. The first chance I've had to watch it this series. I thought the bit on the new Tesla was interesting but as for the rest it was garbage. I couldn't stand Eddie Jordan on the GP programs but he was even more annoying here. Why mess around with the Top Gear track?

The problem as I see it is they had a chance to pair it back, stick a bit more motoring journalism in and let it grow again. Of course the BBC would never do that because as we all know it stopped being our little, funny car program about 7 or 8 years ago. It's now a gigantic cash cow for BBC worldwide. To that end we must keep up the international wackyness so that the money keeps rolling in. I have a feeling the rest of the world will hate the new version of the show as much as we do.

Bye bye top gear.

 

[The Artist.....]

Once again, the best bits of the show were Chris Harris and Rory Reid!- and on the presenting side, Chris Evans is virtually nowhere to be seen! - in fact, the only place that Evans looks comfortable is in the celebrity interviews!

There will be a new series of top gear, but I suspect that Chris Evans will be moved on. I'd also quite like them to get rid of Eddie Jordan and Sabine Schmitz... (Only because she is presenting in a language she is clearly not comfortable in).

Bring back... "the news"
Bring back... Proper challenges
Bring back... Presenters who love cars and have fun in cars!

If you look at the films - Chris Harris and Rory Reid are having so much fun- and I would bet that if they were challenged to choose a car to buy for, say, a cheap car challenge, they would know what they were doing!

Evans doesn't have that same love, and just isn't a motoring journalist!

 

[AlexM]

Chris Harris, Rory Reid and Matt LeBlanc could put a good show together, there's no need for the extra fluff.

 

[RasputinLives]

Bring back... Proper challenges

Evans doesn't have that same love, and just isn't a motoring journalist!

Come now. The challengers on Top Gear have been scripted and ridiculous for years now.

As for Evans not loving cars. He has one of the biggest collection of cars in the country and has personally backed and sponsored CarFest for years. His love of cars was the whole reason he was asked.

I'm not really sure what the big fuss is on the new Top Gear. The old Top Gear was presented by ****s and the new Top Gear is presented by ****s and Matt Le Blanc doing a fantastic charactterture of himself.

 

[The Artist.....]

RasputinLives

I agree about the challenges being increasingly scripted - the challenges up to about 2011/12 (maybe) were great, but they just got a bit samey..

With regards Chris Evans - he just doesn't come across as either being knowledgeable, or really loving the cars - I knew he had a massive car collection - I just don't feel the love! I suppose, this is my own, personal, view, rather than an objective view.

Certainly - if he was tasked with stripping down a car, I don't think he'd manage it! I may be completely wrong, - that's just the feel I get!

 

[RasputinLives]

I doubt Clarkson or Hammond would either though.

 

[The Artist.....]

Hammond rebuilds landrovers in his free time...

Clarkson, I tend to agree though

 

[Greenlantern101]

The presenters love of cars isn't my problem, the issue is they have 6 random people with zero in common, they clearly don't like each other. All reading autocues like robots. At least the terrible trio had a human, normal bloke quality. It's wooden and boring.

 

[RasputinLives]

Yeah but they didn't have that friendship when the series started. It built up through years of presenting the programme.

 

[cider_and_toast]

And that, from the little I've seen, hits the nail on the head. The cars should be the stars and yet there is too much of everyone else. Take the challenge for example, has there ever been a less inspiring three vehicles (because one of them on a car show wasn't even a car for crying out loud !!!) than an Audi, a Jag and a Goldwing? At least with the previous version they would have bought three 'hilariously' inappropriate cars and it would have been as much a laugh watching them fall apart.

 

[rufus_mcdufus]

Anyone who buys classic Ferraris for top dollar and then paints them white is a vandal.

 

[RasputinLives]

Vandal is better than xenophobe though right?

 

[FB]

I will admit to not having watched a single episode of the "new" Top Gear but I presume Matt le Blanc has.

Matt LeBlanc is 'planning to quit Top Gear if co-host Chris Evans does not go first'

 

[Titch]

Tonight's episode very deliberately mentioned Clip The Apex. Fame !!

 

[cider_and_toast]

Watched 45 minutes of last nights episode.

Did anyone else think that F-Type looked remarkably clean for a car that had just arrived in Geneva after a 13 hour drive and in the nick of time ??

Other than that, the problem is Chris Evans. He just isn't suitable for the role.

 

[The Artist.....]

cider_and_toast

I couldn't agree more about Chris Evans. I do wonder if this is supposed to be a transitional series; if you notice, Chris Harris and Rory Reid have been given the spinoff show, and are getting increasing prominence in each show. My only worry about Chris Harris is that he sometimes comes across as a cross between Tiff Needell and Quentin Wilson...

Actually, if the BBC were simply to go back to the original (2002 on) format with Chris Harris, Rory Reid and A.N. Other, then the show would probably be a massive success; Chris Harris and Rory Reid look like they're great friends already - certainly much more so than Chris Evans and Matt le Blanc!

 

[cider_and_toast]

I'd be fine with Chris, Rory, Matt and Sabine. With Chris and Rory anchoring the show, Matt concentrating on stuff going on State side and Sabine on stuff in Europe. All four of them could come together at various times for challenges, etc.

Return the star in a reasonably priced car section to 1 person at a time and get rid of the 'for the sake of it' rally cross gimmick.

It wouldn't be too far away from being half decent again.

 

[The Artist.....]

cider_and_toast

Couldn't agree with you more about the rally-cross car issue; yesterday was embarrassing, with Paul Hollywood (who races cars internationally) unable to do anything serious, as the course was flooded - the car just wouldn't move through the water - and if they'd gone in quickly, they'd have likely killed themselves as it aqua-planed!

 

[gethinceri]

if they'd gone in quickly, they'd have likely killed themselves as it aqua-planed!

?

 

[The Artist.....]

OK - the "rally cross" section was flooded. The celebs could have gone in flat out, but for such a long section, it is perfectly possible that they would have lost control, and rolled the car. Ok, so I'm exaggerating a little, but it does mean that it becomes a meaningless segment!