Top Gear 2016 Official TV show thread *contains spoilers*
Discussion
I told myself I'd give it a few episodes before really forming an opinion on Evans or the show in general. I think it'll be fine but, loathe as I am to join the pile-on, Evans is clearly the weak link.
Tonight provided stark evidence of why Evans isn't delivering but Le Blanc is.
Put simply, I know a significant amount more about the Roller than I do about the Zenos.
What I now know about the RR:
Doors open wrong way
A sense of how it feels to drive (like steering a yacht)
It's super quiet with the roof up
The engine is very capable but makes little fuss
It's comically massive
The doors can be closed with a button
The nose trinket can be tucked away
The tale of the cows the leather came from
The satnav predicted gear changes
How to exit the rear seats
What I now know about the Zenos:
It's panels are flimsy and can be replaced.
It was made by ex-Caterham / Lotus people.
I guess you could argue that a simpler car has less to talk about but is that really true? There must be some tales to tell, some little details to speak of. Clarkson's review of the Ariel Atom wasn't just a skim over the surface. It got into the essence of the car.
And on top of that, the Rolls piece had jokes. Which were funny.
Another thing I've noticed is Evans is never counter-steering on the onboard shots, despite how it cuts in from the external ones. I suspect he's a bit ham-fisted behind the wheel somebody else does that stuff.
Tonight provided stark evidence of why Evans isn't delivering but Le Blanc is.
Put simply, I know a significant amount more about the Roller than I do about the Zenos.
What I now know about the RR:
Doors open wrong way
A sense of how it feels to drive (like steering a yacht)
It's super quiet with the roof up
The engine is very capable but makes little fuss
It's comically massive
The doors can be closed with a button
The nose trinket can be tucked away
The tale of the cows the leather came from
The satnav predicted gear changes
How to exit the rear seats
What I now know about the Zenos:
It's panels are flimsy and can be replaced.
It was made by ex-Caterham / Lotus people.
I guess you could argue that a simpler car has less to talk about but is that really true? There must be some tales to tell, some little details to speak of. Clarkson's review of the Ariel Atom wasn't just a skim over the surface. It got into the essence of the car.
And on top of that, the Rolls piece had jokes. Which were funny.
Another thing I've noticed is Evans is never counter-steering on the onboard shots, despite how it cuts in from the external ones. I suspect he's a bit ham-fisted behind the wheel somebody else does that stuff.
EricE said:
Matt LeBlanc is 'planning to quit Top Gear if co-host Chris Evans does not go first'
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/06/26/matt-le...
A few sections of the media have been making rubbish up about TG since Clarkson left so I wouldn't take that too seriously. It seems somebody there has it in for Evans.http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/06/26/matt-le...
Apart from the obvious, it was a fairly solid episode tonight.
MLB's style suits it very well. A refreshingly laid back yet subtle approach in presenting (and also humour) that no other current presenter has and, from memory, what James May was like in his first few series on Old New TG. He's made me laugh quite a few times.
The script writers seem to be stuck trying to emulate the last lot which is hurting Chris Harris mostly. His style was always much better when doing his internet stuff. Hopefully they'll find a nice script style for him that is natural. He was acting a little OTT in this one.
Jag bit. As someone mentioned, Rory seems to say a lot without getting much information across. Not a particular fan myself but better than most. Nice sounding SVR though.
Still lacks context in places where it should have it, and they could at least stop pretending every car has no foibles. From memory, the only bad things they have said about any of the cars was the body panels on the Zenos and the Civic Type R for being FWD.
MLB's style suits it very well. A refreshingly laid back yet subtle approach in presenting (and also humour) that no other current presenter has and, from memory, what James May was like in his first few series on Old New TG. He's made me laugh quite a few times.
The script writers seem to be stuck trying to emulate the last lot which is hurting Chris Harris mostly. His style was always much better when doing his internet stuff. Hopefully they'll find a nice script style for him that is natural. He was acting a little OTT in this one.
Jag bit. As someone mentioned, Rory seems to say a lot without getting much information across. Not a particular fan myself but better than most. Nice sounding SVR though.
Still lacks context in places where it should have it, and they could at least stop pretending every car has no foibles. From memory, the only bad things they have said about any of the cars was the body panels on the Zenos and the Civic Type R for being FWD.
Reasonable show tonight. Can't help thinking it's ironic though, that the BBC sacked Clarkson from a show, the format of which had become tired and needed changing, and have employed a bunch of other people who have no real chemistry to continue flogging the dead horse. Meanwhile the three protagonists will, later this year, launch a new show with a new format and all their original chemistry, and it will be what Top Gear would have had to become to have a future.
Not bothered to read the usual 500 posts of anal handwringing about how they're never going to watch again. And again and again and again so if in between all the whining someone's already posted this then apologies.
But I thought it a great show. Funny but I didn't warm to any of the cars even remotely except for the Jag but it really does seem to me that the show gets better with each episode - even Evans is (marginally) less of a nob than he was at first. His slagging of the Rolls - so what, we used to get the same tiresome rubbish from Clarkson each week - it's just a tuned Beetle every time a Porsche wax reviewed got boring the second time let alone the ten thousandth time - was hardly a deal breaker.
For the first time I FFed the SIARPC as I can't stand that fat idiot Hollywood so doubt I missed much from their pedestrian laps but other than that I'd happily watch that one again and already am looking forward to next week's episode. I didn't think I'd be saying that after Ep1.
But I thought it a great show. Funny but I didn't warm to any of the cars even remotely except for the Jag but it really does seem to me that the show gets better with each episode - even Evans is (marginally) less of a nob than he was at first. His slagging of the Rolls - so what, we used to get the same tiresome rubbish from Clarkson each week - it's just a tuned Beetle every time a Porsche wax reviewed got boring the second time let alone the ten thousandth time - was hardly a deal breaker.
For the first time I FFed the SIARPC as I can't stand that fat idiot Hollywood so doubt I missed much from their pedestrian laps but other than that I'd happily watch that one again and already am looking forward to next week's episode. I didn't think I'd be saying that after Ep1.
The show this evening was okay.
I like Rory Reid and I think they should have given Top Gear to some new talent, not Chris Evans and Matt Le Blanc who appear to have just rehashed the old show.
The 'Top Gear' name was / is enough to attract an audience so they should have taken a risk and done something different.
I like Rory Reid and I think they should have given Top Gear to some new talent, not Chris Evans and Matt Le Blanc who appear to have just rehashed the old show.
The 'Top Gear' name was / is enough to attract an audience so they should have taken a risk and done something different.
Another 3/10 show.
The Jag piece was dull, the Zenos was worse than that - Evans talking to camera whilst driving is so bad they could save the budget and stick him in a car in front of a green screen and drop the background in afterwards. I quite liked Matt's Rolls piece, then Evans ruined the second half of that film. SIA... just bin it.
The photography was great as always.
And, I know it's close to treason around here, but that was easily the worst, most stupid, badly acted piece by Chris Harris that I have ever seen him produce. I notice that he has hardly been mentioned in the comment here so far.
The Jag piece was dull, the Zenos was worse than that - Evans talking to camera whilst driving is so bad they could save the budget and stick him in a car in front of a green screen and drop the background in afterwards. I quite liked Matt's Rolls piece, then Evans ruined the second half of that film. SIA... just bin it.
The photography was great as always.
And, I know it's close to treason around here, but that was easily the worst, most stupid, badly acted piece by Chris Harris that I have ever seen him produce. I notice that he has hardly been mentioned in the comment here so far.
boxst said:
I like Rory Reid and I think they should have given Top Gear to some new talent, not Chris Evans and Matt Le Blanc who appear to have just rehashed the old show.
Such an ill informed comment.Do you believe Evans and MLB are responsible for the format of the show? Don't be ridiculous. Or to put it another way, your way, do you think the BBC would entrust the format of Top Gear to some unknown 'new talent?'.
No.
The BBC own the rights to the name and the format. A format that has been making millions for years. Anyone who expected something completely new was deluding themselves.
Turquoise said:
Such an ill informed comment.
Do you believe Evans and MLB are responsible for the format of the show? Don't be ridiculous. Or to put it another way, your way, do you think the BBC would entrust the format of Top Gear to some unknown 'new talent?'.
No.
Can't be no worse than giving the top slot to Evans, MLB is going to carry clout in the USA so I see the reasoning behind that appointment but with Evans it was a spectacular fail.Do you believe Evans and MLB are responsible for the format of the show? Don't be ridiculous. Or to put it another way, your way, do you think the BBC would entrust the format of Top Gear to some unknown 'new talent?'.
No.
suffolk009 said:
And, I know it's close to treason around here, but that was easily the worst, most stupid, badly acted piece by Chris Harris that I have ever seen him produce. I notice that he has hardly been mentioned in the comment here so far.
That felt awkwardly like Evans had been directing him.I thought the Jag piece was ok. They've really cocked the whole thing up though.
Missed most of Harris (sadly) and the entire SSIARCC bit (happily)
Ill need to see if i can find the Harris bit again as it started promissing, Mat in the Dawn was nice, the rest was very very meh.. The jag bit was contrived, and anything involving Evans is just tripe, it just doesnt work.
I say give us Harris, Reid and Leblanc with occasional eddie for comic relief, can the rest.
Ill need to see if i can find the Harris bit again as it started promissing, Mat in the Dawn was nice, the rest was very very meh.. The jag bit was contrived, and anything involving Evans is just tripe, it just doesnt work.
I say give us Harris, Reid and Leblanc with occasional eddie for comic relief, can the rest.
Raygun said:
Turquoise said:
Such an ill informed comment.
Do you believe Evans and MLB are responsible for the format of the show? Don't be ridiculous. Or to put it another way, your way, do you think the BBC would entrust the format of Top Gear to some unknown 'new talent?'.
No.
Can't be no worse than giving the top slot to Evans, MLB is going to carry clout in the USA so I see the reasoning behind that appointment but with Evans it was a spectacular fail.Do you believe Evans and MLB are responsible for the format of the show? Don't be ridiculous. Or to put it another way, your way, do you think the BBC would entrust the format of Top Gear to some unknown 'new talent?'.
No.
I can't believe there was a planning meeting, a period of filming and some time in the edit suite where the "Harris in a swimming cap with wires coming out of it" segment was not dismissed as ridiculous.
Spoiled the whole piece.
What 'New New Top Gear' needs is a Christmas Special that allows their natural characters to come out (sadly I feel that Evans would come out poorly).
Spoiled the whole piece.
What 'New New Top Gear' needs is a Christmas Special that allows their natural characters to come out (sadly I feel that Evans would come out poorly).
Gassing Station | TV, Film, Video Streaming & Radio | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff