Chris Harris must modernise and up his game
Discussion
Grey Ghost said:
CorvetteConvert said:
As long as Chris never becomes as irritating as that numpty Clarkson, he is fine by me.
According to The Sun you may get the opportunity to put that view to the test 
This is my point, I always suspected CH was angling for a TV spot so in that context, the longer, high quality vids make sense. Short vids might work OK for amateur bloggers but I definitely got the sense CH was always after bigger fish. Well done if it's true, that's quite some line up. I might actually start watching TG again.
DonkeyApple said:
If that story is true then I'm pleased for CH as he has invested a lot of time and opportunity cost carving a name for himself in a modern media that isn't where his skills truly lie. If all his work has landed him the more secure revenue of a TV career then good for him. I thought his last video was a rather excellent pitch for full time TV work.
+1. I hope Chris Evans doesn't try and copy the old TG format and goes for something more car and less slapstick orientated.I always think 5th Gear missed a trick when they tried to copy TG especially when they had those 2 bearded arses presenting it. If they had had it on for an hour and done some really good car tests with Tiff and Jason Playdoh it would have done really well.
Digga said:
DonkeyApple said:
I thought his last video was a rather excellent pitch for full time TV work.
That and the contrast with his 2CV piece which proved, beyond doubt, that unlike others, he does not need expensive or exotic machinery to prop-up his comment and presenting style.But I've generally considered him to be an unemployed TV person creating continual work pitches than one of the new wave chaps blasting out 20th century style cheap content to computer gamers.
Was great to see the classic racing and the stuff he did with the Jaguar heritage fleet, like the Mille Miglia. It is quite rare to get someone who can not only race, but also do a very convincing job of being a TV presenter too. Previous encumbents of this select group - Tiff Needel and Vicky B-H have tended more toward the racer than presenter IMHO in terms of ability if not intent. In F1, Brundle and Coultard make a pretty decent fist of their particular jobs, but wouldn't be suited to the TG style format.
My problem with Shmee and his cronies is that (IMO) they portray the wrong image of petrolheads. They glorify Arabs revving their chromed Lambos at a standstill in Knightsbridge, and are only interested in the latest shiney shiney piece. Petrolicious and CH convey a much better message, and are far more enjoyable to watch.
breakfan said:
My problem with Shmee and his cronies is that (IMO) they portray the wrong image of petrolheads. They glorify Arabs revving their chromed Lambos at a standstill in Knightsbridge, and are only interested in the latest shiney shiney piece. Petrolicious and CH convey a much better message, and are far more enjoyable to watch.
This.I'v only watched a couple of his vids and whilst I commend his work ethic etc, the obsession with values, investment potential and colour of keys just grates on me. I'm sure he's a decent enough chap but it's aimed at a younger instagram demographic I guess?
Truckosaurus said:
Digga said:
...the stuff he did with the Jaguar heritage fleet, like the Mille Miglia....
Still one of his lowest viewed videos to date. (Although I agree that it was one of his best.)As mentioned in the post above, Schmee has been hugely successful because his content is exactly what is required to secure the millions of eyeballs needed to generate any form of revenue and obviously the production costs are negligible.
The likes of CH and Metcalfe produce expensive content that will only ever be watched by a few people. It can never be commercially viable in modern online media. Even if they had a dancing cat, a pornstar and blinged up they wouldn't be able to deliver their verbiage in a sufficiently banal manner so as to appeal to the penniless fruit and veg that litter YouTube et al creating the ad revenue.
breakfan said:
My problem with Shmee and his cronies is that (IMO) they portray the wrong image of petrolheads. They glorify Arabs revving their chromed Lambos at a standstill in Knightsbridge, and are only interested in the latest shiney shiney piece. Petrolicious and CH convey a much better message, and are far more enjoyable to watch.
I couldn't agree more.Shmee and all those guys aren't on the same level as CH. Their content appeals to 13 year olds who'll struggle to afford to insure a 1.0 Corsa however for some bizarre reason, seem fascinated by watching almost stationary supercars drive around congested cities.
There's a guy (called Sam) who seems to hail from the same group of people as Shmee who operates a YouTube channel called SeenThroughGlass. Some of his content was previously quite good and he came across as slightly better informed than other similar YouTubers however in one of his recent videos, covered the Goodwood SS on his channel. What's unfortunate is that throughout the video, he proceeds to complain about the event not having enough supercar content, despite the fact there were some properly special cars at the event. I think this epitomises the knowledge and attitude of this group of people i.e. they have no appreciation of what true car culture is about and are purely interested in the number of views they can capture from a section of society who have only just been allowed a phone by their parents.
For that reason, I hope CH absolutely doesn't change his content and continues as one of the last vestiges of true motoring enthusiast content on social media.
The YT clip mentioned is below for those interested.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VK5ADL57j7Y
Digga said:
DonkeyApple said:
I thought his last video was a rather excellent pitch for full time TV work.
That and the contrast with his 2CV piece which proved, beyond doubt, that unlike others, he does not need expensive or exotic machinery to prop-up his comment and presenting style.TTmonkey said:
Daily Mail says CH and Sabine are the two co-presenters on the new Top Gear, just that nobody has heard of them.... really DM?
Anyway, good, nobody had heard of James and Richard before TG brought them in either. (well, most people hadn't).
Journalists really are bellends stuffed up bumholes aren't they?Anyway, good, nobody had heard of James and Richard before TG brought them in either. (well, most people hadn't).
Sabine has already appeared on TG and CH's following only needed a quick goggle to establish.
DonkeyApple said:
Grey Ghost said:
CorvetteConvert said:
As long as Chris never becomes as irritating as that numpty Clarkson, he is fine by me.
According to The Sun you may get the opportunity to put that view to the test I did see a few little snippets on 5th Gear a while back in the same vane but don't know if they made it a regular feature.
Digga said:
Journalists really are bellends stuffed up bumholes aren't they?
Sabine has already appeared on TG and CH's following only needed a quick goggle to establish.
While I agree that the DM's journalistic standards are abysmal, because they are under the same pressure as youtubers to produce high-volume low content material, I don't see why you would argue that Sabine Schmitz and Chris Harris are anything other than complete unknowns. Even many people who are quite interested in cars won't have heard of them.Sabine has already appeared on TG and CH's following only needed a quick goggle to establish.
They also won't save TG from being cancelled after a season or two, because I think they are highly unlikely to create content that the average (new) TG viewer will find entertaining. However, as others have commented, this increases the chances that I will give the new series a try.
What I'm saying is, we should acknowledge that the interests and preferences of those of us who post on here are niche but, more by luck than judgment, it looks like the BBC may throw a chunk of money at producing something we will all enjoy. It won't get the BBC the ratings its probably looking to achieve for the 8pm Sunday slot, but hopefully we'll enjoy it while it lasts.
Whilst I can't stand Top Gear (and even more so given Chris Evans involvement), were I to choose a presenter for a motoring programme CH would be No.1 in a list of 1.
Why?
Simple, unlike 99.9999999999999% of motoring journos Chris can drive a car. Properly.
It's a very rare thing to find someone who can genuinely pedal (ad can therefore make accurate evaluations and observations in terms of dynamics etc.) and who is a likeable presenter. It's the one thing that could persuade me to watch the new TG.
I just hope that Mr Evans' ego doesn't overshadow all - which it's highly likely to do.
Why?
Simple, unlike 99.9999999999999% of motoring journos Chris can drive a car. Properly.
It's a very rare thing to find someone who can genuinely pedal (ad can therefore make accurate evaluations and observations in terms of dynamics etc.) and who is a likeable presenter. It's the one thing that could persuade me to watch the new TG.
I just hope that Mr Evans' ego doesn't overshadow all - which it's highly likely to do.
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