Top Gear 2016 Official TV show thread *contains spoilers*

[Mr2Mike]

strummerville said:

Very well put, sir! I can't believe we are up page 60 something with the TG whining. Still, we could always increase the feminisation of TV and have a knitting bee/bake off/middle England antique show instead of something about cars?

I can also hardly believe that a thread entitled "Top Gear 2016 Official TV show thread" is full of peoples opinions of the new Top Gear. Very odd.

On the subject I just wish people would stop posting pictures of their bloody garages on the "Who has the best Garage on Pistonheads?" thread, and pictures of shoes on the "Show us your new shoes" thread. Why would people do this? Anyone would think they were contributing to some kind of public forum.

[Mr2Mike]

Japveesix said:

It was supposed to be Ramsey and Brad Pitt apparently but Pitt pulled out fairly last minute due to other commitments and Jesse (who was in the country anyway for Comicon amongst other things) stepped in. I thought he funny (in a super geeky, brain working at 200mph way) but shame he wasn't a car man.

I agree he did handle it pretty well and a few of his comments made me smile, but that just made Ramsey and the G.T. look even worse. It felt awkward just watching Ramsey gleefully announcing he'd just ordered his second La Ferrari and unboxing the (ugly) key, so I can imagine it was even worse in the studio.

[Smollet]

Mr2Mike said:

I agree he did handle it pretty well and a few of his comments made me smile, but that just made Ramsey and the G.T. look even worse. It felt awkward just watching Ramsey gleefully announcing he'd just ordered his second La Ferrari and unboxing the (ugly) key, so I can imagine it was even worse in the studio.

I wonder how happy Ferrari were with that unveiling

[PhillipM]

Smollet said:

I wonder how happy Ferrari were with that unveiling

Depends how much it cost them.

[threespires]

A view from NZ
http://www.driven.co.nz/news/lifestyle/thursday-fi...

[ajprice]

threespires said:

A view from NZ
http://www.driven.co.nz/news/lifestyle/thursday-fi...

"...facts are still facts"

Or as Mr Evans would say
"FACTS are still FACTS!"

[suffolk009]

Gandahar said:

... Rather than a Reliant Rialto to Istanbul on the left with a parrot as as passenger who mimics Tom Tom instructions...

You know, that idea would have made it onto screen.

[MarshPhantom]

ajprice said:

threespires said:

A view from NZ
http://www.driven.co.nz/news/lifestyle/thursday-fi...

"...facts are still facts"

Or as Mr Evans would say
"FACTS are still FACTS!"

I think this version of TG is FUCT!

[fatboy18]

Evans.....Enough Said

[nickwilcock]

StevieBee said:

And lastly - and I think this is the crux - most of the media commentary following the show has been about how the BBC has cottoned on to the large number of children who watch the show, some suggesting even that previously, this was the primary intent. This is wrong. It was - and should be - an adult focused show that kids just happen to enjoy watching as well. Part of the attraction to kids is that they are watching a 'grown-up' show and the minute it becomes overtly 'kids-focused' they'll stop watching.

The reverse of this was Tiswas and OTT. For those of less senior years, Tiswas was a Saturday morning kids show that attracting more adults than kids. So, they launched OTT, and adults version of the same show, aired after 9.00pm. It completely bombed for the reason that the it was the kids show that the adults liked. The danger here is that the reverse could play out with new Top Gear.

'Adults' only watched Tiswas for one reason - Sally James.... In skimpy clothes which these days would give the BBC fag-hag PC-luvvies heart attacks. But a Saturday morning with a thumping hangover, large bacon butty and mug of coffee whilst watching Sally was certainly the way to start many a weekend some 40 years ago!

Back to Top Gear, the wretched Evans isn't on BBC Radio 2 today, it's some woman with an impenetrable accent. So that probably means that the oik is filming more rubbish at Dunsfold?

I found this interesting story elsewhere on the Internet - control freak or what?:

Top Gear: Chris Evans bans newspapers from 'glitzy' press launch

26 May

After enduring what he called a "perfect storm" of criticism since taking over Top Gear, Chris Evans took the unusual step of blacklisting several national newspapers from the show's press launch yesterday.

The "glitzy launch" of the BBC's rebooted motoring programme was attended by a select group of "handpicked journalists", the Daily Telegraph says.

"Newspapers that had printed articles deemed hostile to the new series, including The Telegraph, were blacklisted from the event, at which media from across the world saw a preview of the new show," it adds.

Evans has faced a barrage of hostile media reports ahead of this Sunday's launch of the show, including one newspaper's claim that he was "out of control".

Asked about the reports by The Guardian, the presenter said: "I thought it was ultimately funny. Some of, almost all of, the observations from certain aspects of the press have been so nonsensical and so facile and fictitious… All the people they were talking about in lots of the stories know the truth."

As for whether the press hostility was about him, the BBC or the fact that he was attempting to fill the void left by the departure of Jeremy Clarkson, he said it was a combination of all: "I think it's the perfect storm. If that's your business to write these stories, this has got to be juicy. I think they had to go for it; in a way, that's their job. Do I respect them for it? Do I like them for it? That's sort of not an issue."

Edited by nickwilcock on Thursday 2nd June 08:29

[Tuna]

nickwilcock said:

I found this interesting story elsewhere on the Internet - control freak or what?:

...

After enduring what he called a "perfect storm" of criticism since taking over Top Gear, Chris Evans took the unusual step of blacklisting several national newspapers from the show's press launch yesterday.

That might explain some of the outright hostility to the show in some of the reviews. You ban newspapers, they punish you. Don't get me wrong, the new show isn't perfect, but it's not the total disaster that some irritable people are suggesting. Some of the vitriol on here would be indistinguishable from the angry comments made about the old show - it turns out some people don't like Top Gear, regardless. Who knew?

[Morningside]

I have said it before but this reminds me of Evans.
https://youtu.be/dJFyz73MRcg?t=13s
Just shut up for a second please.

What was with the bloody poor studio audio setup?

It all reminds me of a joke that is told and then repeated a few times until it loses its initial humour and that is how it comes across to me.

As for Matt Leblanc I liked him. He I think maybe the saviour of the show IF they ditch Evans.

[C70R]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

You realise how stupid it sounds to knock this show for its potential to be successful, while comparing it to the success of the old show - driven largely by the same people.

Slippydiff said:

Which is all well and good, but as others have said, a massive percentage of those watching last Sunday will have watched out of curiosity. If they're expecting change/an improvement/confirmation of how bad it really was, they'll get the latter as unless there's going to be some hastily edited/re-shot stuff, nowt will change for this Sunday's show.
On the basis nothing will have changed, I'd be surprised if the viewing figures increase. Though saying that, if plenty have returned to work yesterday morning telling their workmates ( who didn't watch it) how dire it was, there's a chance plenty will tune in to see/judge for themselves.
Either way one can't help but feel Mr Evans is being a bit premature tweeting his "success" at this early stage in the proceedings.

So how do you explain viewing figures increasing during Sunday's show? The majority of people watching clearly didn't switch off before it ended, on that basis.

To be clear, I'm no Evans fan. His style grates on me a little.
However, some of the crap written here by people trying hard to be edgy/funny needs a small dose of realism.

[MarshPhantom]

Tuna said:

nickwilcock said:

I found this interesting story elsewhere on the Internet - control freak or what?:

...

After enduring what he called a "perfect storm" of criticism since taking over Top Gear, Chris Evans took the unusual step of blacklisting several national newspapers from the show's press launch yesterday.

That might explain some of the outright hostility to the show in some of the reviews. You ban newspapers, they punish you. Don't get me wrong, the new show isn't perfect, but it's not the total disaster that some irritable people are suggesting. Some of the vitriol on here would be indistinguishable from the angry comments made about the old show - it turns out some people don't like Top Gear, regardless. Who knew?

I loved the old show, just can't stand Evans and have always thought he was the wrong choice for the show.

The ginger whinger only has himself to blame if he did ban some of the press. It would appear some of the stories (can't drive and talk to camera for one) are true.

[johnxjsc1985]

watched the Bugatti Veron race from Italy with Hammond and May in a "kite". Obviously edited for dramatic effect but some really funny moments and a good deal of info about the Car oh and Truffels.
I just cant see how they can get anywhere close to that and when Amazon GT goes live we will also have a good direct comparison.

[LDM]

I'm hoping the new Amazon show is as good as we are hoping, given that the hosts are universally loved, great chemistry and an enormous budget it could/should be the best thing to happen to motoring TV.

Would anyone on here dare complain I wonder.

As for the TG "debate" I thought the bit from the NZ website was pretty fare, but then who cares about being fare!

[r11co]

Tuna said:

That might explain some of the outright hostility to the show in some of the reviews. You ban newspapers, they punish you.

Yeah, it might, but it is also another cast-iron example of Chris Evans' poor judgement. He's been in the business (with less success than many people credit him with BTW) for nearly 3 decades so you would think he would be more media-savvy.

[Wills2]

johnxjsc1985 said:

watched the Bugatti Veron race from Italy with Hammond and May in a "kite". Obviously edited for dramatic effect but some really funny moments and a good deal of info about the Car oh and Truffels.
I just cant see how they can get anywhere close to that and when Amazon GT goes live we will also have a good direct comparison.

That was one the classics.

[K12beano]

fatboy18 said:

Evans.....Enough Said

Thanks! Now the Muppets are spoilt for me too

[George111]

LDM said:

Would anyone on here dare complain I wonder.

I would if they screw it up - they have the chemistry, the experience, the knowledge, the backgrounds, the money and the free hand to do whatever they like and they also have key members of the production/creative team. If they get it wrong then they deserve a kicking even Evans has escaped !