5th Gear - Oh dear!

Author
Discussion

CupraR

Original Poster:

676 posts

242 months

Monday 28th November 2005
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Ok I know everyone slating 5th gear is getting old, but bloody hell it's awful! How can you have a drag race with no staging lights and they didn't even show the 1/4 mile times FFS. The Lexus looked quite nice and the Focus ST is ok in a chav-tastic way, but both reviews were boring. The best bit was probably Tiff plotting the GP course round London but it all seemed a bit pointless when they said at the end it's never going to happen. As for the roadblock - I thought they were going to show what really happens in that situation not rig up some cars and make a crappy "movie".

Anyone that thinks 5th Gear is even on the same planet as Top Gear quality wise needs to step away from the crack pipe.

>> Edited by CupraR on Monday 28th November 21:10

Balmoral Green

42,233 posts

261 months

Monday 28th November 2005
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If you dont like it, dont watch it.



I didnt, I lost interest

fidgits

17,202 posts

242 months

Monday 28th November 2005
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"The brakes are starting to fade, so i better go for a fast lap"

Yeah Tiff - good thinking there

And then saying big saloons are slow on a racetrack - yeah - take them to Silverstone instead of Angelsea go-kart track and compare them to a mini...

Idiots...

and i missed the lexus review... shame, something on that dull, dull program i might have been interested in...

cheeky

2,102 posts

277 months

Monday 28th November 2005
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I did what has become a regular habit and switched over to Shakespeare half way through!

Thought the ST review was OK though. Warming to Plato.

VBH is scarily annoying though.

And Tiff, much as I like him, could do with a small dose of brain application to realise that the only part of "central" London that could possibly stage a GP given safety and practicality issues is the Canary Wharf/Aspen Way/Limehouse Link area. Even then with difficulty and without the glamour that Tiff was no doubt after.

pwig

11,956 posts

283 months

Monday 28th November 2005
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'The Jag should have been designed to be driven round track'


Erm, no tiff, it should not.

chris watton

22,509 posts

273 months

Monday 28th November 2005
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Well, I practised what I preached, and didn't watch it, didn't even tape it - we watched Top Gear again instead!

shadytree

8,291 posts

262 months

Monday 28th November 2005
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Thought it was utter pants tonight. They are really struggling to be different from TopGear and it shows so badly.

Fifth Gear If you're reading this.

IT'S NOT WORKING !!! and you're a very poor and distant second behind TopGear.

and next Monday I won't be wasting my evening watching it!

>> Edited by shadytree on Monday 28th November 21:58

pies

13,116 posts

269 months

Monday 28th November 2005
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Plato seems to be getting better,but forget the rest

turbo tim

20,465 posts

244 months

Monday 28th November 2005
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Balmoral Green said:
If you dont like it, dont watch it.

I'm usually of this oppinion, and am bored of people criticising Fifth/Top Gear, but tonight's show was exceptionally bad. Serious lack of substance (and research) throughout. The XJ (X350) has been around for about 3 years now, and the XJR was available from launch (not only 1 year as Tiff stated)

A third of the show devoted to that whole stupid car crash sequence complete waste of time, not informative OR entertaining...

MUST TRY HARDER!!

Balmoral Green

42,233 posts

261 months

Monday 28th November 2005
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This must be so disheartening for the Fifth Gear team, they probably do read Pistonheads, and yet here is their target audience being pretty negative. Getting the formula right is proving very tough for them.

I liked Tom Ford reviewing the new Lexus, a proper car test that would be of real interest to prospective purchasers. Top Gear dont do this anymore so Fifth Gear should capitalise on this and do more proper real world car reviews.
I liked the Focus item too, I thought it was a better review of the car than the Top Gear version was, which was basically JC on a showboating bender (Tiff does it better, but isnt funny).

From the drag strip onwards I lost interest so I was channel hopping, got to the stunt driving thing with the Jag and then turned off completely.

With Top Gear, I will take in every second, like reading every word in your favourite magazine, then going through every article page by page to make sure you've not missed everything. But Fifth Gear for the most part is like the free paper that comes through the door, a quick scan, there might be something in it, but usually not, and it goes in the bin. It's a real shame, and it must be bloody tough for the presenters and the production team to work out why it doesnt quite hit the spot.

turbo tim

20,465 posts

244 months

Monday 28th November 2005
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Balmoral Green said:
I liked Tom Ford reviewing the new Lexus, a proper car test that would be of real interest to prospective purchasers.


Again BG,

He has been playing down the 'Big idiot' facade lately, and his features are all the better for it...


p.s. Any PHer won any of the competitions yet?

vixpy1

42,685 posts

277 months

Monday 28th November 2005
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I was in the Pub.

Kinky

39,867 posts

282 months

Monday 28th November 2005
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I've not watched it yet - I have the fortune of recording it each week and watching it later in the evening.

Last week I actually fell asleep watching it.

Tonight, judging by above, I'll just press the >> button on the Sky+ remote.

Perhaps that's the best way to watch it?

K

P.S. - can't stand TF and VBH - so so irritating. But I generally enjoy Tiff and Jas.

vixpy1

42,685 posts

277 months

Monday 28th November 2005
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Now..Tiff on Topgear.. Wonder why no one has thought of that

Trackside

1,777 posts

246 months

Monday 28th November 2005
quotequote all
Balmoral Green said:
This must be so disheartening for the Fifth Gear team, they probably do read Pistonheads, and yet here is their target audience being pretty negative. Getting the formula right is proving very tough for them.

With Top Gear, I will take in every second, like reading every word in your favourite magazine, then going through every article page by page to make sure you've not missed everything. But Fifth Gear for the most part is like the free paper that comes through the door, a quick scan, there might be something in it, but usually not, and it goes in the bin. It's a real shame, and it must be bloody tough for the presenters and the production team to work out why it doesnt quite hit the spot.

I think it's not helped by the blight of the advert break. Not much they can do about that I s'pose but it doesn't really give them much time to get stuck into a feature. Although the Focus feature was reasonably OK, it was only on for about 6 minutes. Makes the whole thing a bit rushed really which makes it all appear a tad amateurish IMO. Having said all that, tonight's episode was exceptionally poor; Mrs Trackside woke me up during the 'smash a Jag up' piece. She needn't have bothered really.

Balmoral Green

42,233 posts

261 months

Monday 28th November 2005
quotequote all
vixpy1 said:
Now..Tiff on Topgear.. Wonder why no one has thought of that
He was, in t'olden days. It was JC, Tiff, and VBH.

And Quentin of course, who did a review of my old MKVI many years ago.

>> Edited by Balmoral Green on Monday 28th November 22:27

2 Smokin Barrels

30,968 posts

248 months

Monday 28th November 2005
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Balmoral Green said:
vixpy1 said:
Now..Tiff on Topgear.. Wonder why no one has thought of that
He was, in t'olden days. It was JC, Tiff, and VBH.


Raymond Baxter & William Woolard...those were the olden days

TUS 373

4,893 posts

294 months

Monday 28th November 2005
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Poor, very poor.

I remember not so long ago, we were slagging off the content of "Driven" aka Drivel. Unfortunately, 5th Gear seems to be going the same way - more a general entertainment program rather than aimed at the motoring enthusiasts. To me, there seems to have been plenty of these stunt features in the past. Surely these should be reserved for programs about stunts rather than motoring - we have seen it all before, yawn, yawn. The program is so dull that I was simultaneoulsy reading a manual on implementation of ISO 9001:2000, which regretably faired better in holding my attention.

Why not do more features about becoming a master driver, a look at tyre or braking technology, or some more historically pieces about 50 years of this that and the other? Or classic cars, restoration, buying cars, starting in racing / rallying? There most be SO much that they could do instead of labouring over a computer typing in how fast it did a lap of a circuit in Angelsey. Its boring and I could feel my brain cells ceasing to divide.

Come on Tiff - I know you can do so much better than that!

vixpy1

42,685 posts

277 months

Monday 28th November 2005
quotequote all
Balmoral Green said:
vixpy1 said:
Now..Tiff on Topgear.. Wonder why no one has thought of that
He was, in t'olden days. It was JC, Tiff, and VBH.

And Quentin of course, who did a review of my old MKVI many years ago.

>> Edited by Balmoral Green on Monday 28th November 22:27


Yes.. I know that you bloody fool.. hence the

runt

314 posts

240 months

Monday 28th November 2005
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Woolard called the series 3 XJ6 "a real humdinger" !!
Made me go out and buy one..does humdinger mean'rusts quickly'?