Top Gear 2016 Official TV show thread *contains spoilers*

[Blib]

Wasn't it May who missed the first series? Anyhow, it might be that the BBC is still looking for one more presenter? After all, Paul Hollywood recently said that he turned down an offer to present TG .

[craigjm]

It could have been worse. Apparently they offered a lead role to Paul Hollywood to stop he moving to channel 4 with the bake off. I will watch the next series. Matt, Chris and Rory might make a good team.

[Europa1]

Blib said:

Wasn't it May who missed the first series? Anyhow, it might be that the BBC is still looking for one more presenter? After all, Paul Hollywood recently said that he turned down an offer to present TG .

Ah, yes, I think you may be right.

[Civpilot]

Europa1 said:

They were the best 3 from the last series, but that's still faint praise. I think they do have potential, though, and let's not forget that it took a while for the chemistry between Clarkson, Hammond and May to develop (Hammond not even being in the first series). I thought Rory Reid was quite engaging and his enthusiasm came across; Chris Harris was a bit wooden and dry, but clearly knowledgeable. That said, a couple of his pieces were fantastic demonstrations of the cinematography Top Gear is capable of: the Aston Martin Vulcan and the Ferrari F12tdf. However, his piece in the BMW M2 where he was trying to be "whacky" was excruciating. Matt LeBlanc's location pieces were generally pretty good and his studio style got less wooden as the series went on. I shall be interested to see if they keep the Star in a Reasonably Priced Car segment. I didn't mind it too much in "old new Top Gear", but in the Chris Evans manifestation it went on far too long and far too many of the guests were of the "I'm a fantastically rich mate of Chris'" variety - it really came across as filler because there wasn't enough decent car content.

I am giving them the benefit that the first season they didn't get a fair stab at the limelight. Some of the studio stuff between Evans and LeBlanc was very stilted and cold. If the rumours of the personality clash are true then maybe now one ego has left the room everyone else will actually get a say.

I got the impression that there was a very "this is your box... do not try and climb out of it and join me on my shelf or else" atmosphere. May be completely wrong, but as a viewer it was painful to watch. I lasted one full episode, half of the second, then dipped back in a few times. Nothing with Evan's, Sabine or Jordan worked. At all. (for me)

The others were watchable but very much "in their place"

[r11co]

ukaskew said:

LeBlanc, Reid and Harris confirmed for the new series

Good news IMO. I reckon MLB's new sitcom must have tanked in preview screenings though......

ukaskew said:

with Eddie and Sabine dropping in from time to time

Not so good. Wholly unnecessary IMO. Sabine is just German Stig with boobs and Eddie adds nothing.

[FiF]

Johnnytheboy said:

VictoriaYorks said:

I'll definitely give it another go based on this, I liked all of these three

Yep, happy with this.

Agreed, definitely has potential for the future and in a different direction to the Last of the Summer Wine.

[LuS1fer]

Harris did seem to suffer bouts of subservience to LeBlanc's Hollywood persona and needs to get over that.

Get rid of the German and the Irishman, neither of whom contributed anything to the last series....unless you count spoons.

[Mr GrimNasty]

Leblanc is more boring than the proverbial paint drying, none of the others have any real charisma, but more importantly - none of them have any on air chemistry whatsoever.

It's a painful tedious death of a tired format, inextricably tied to its former stars.

[Blib]

Mr GrimNasty said:

Leblanc is more boring than the proverbial paint drying, none of the others have any real charisma, but more importantly - none of them have any on air chemistry whatsoever.

It's a painful tedious death of a tired format, inextricably tied to its former stars.

I could not agree more.

[eldar]

FiF said:

Agreed, definitely has potential for the future and in a different direction to the Last of the Summer Wine.

Dad's Army?

[jbudgie]

Johnnytheboy said:

VictoriaYorks said:

I'll definitely give it another go based on this, I liked all of these three

Yep, happy with this.

Yes, another here, now that Evans has gone.

[Sparky137]

jbudgie said:

Johnnytheboy said:

VictoriaYorks said:

I'll definitely give it another go based on this, I liked all of these three

Yep, happy with this.

Yes, another here, now that Evans has gone.

And another here too. Looking forward to seeing how this develops.

[Rich_W]

Mr GrimNasty said:

Leblanc is more boring than the proverbial paint drying, none of the others have any real charisma, but more importantly - none of them have any on air chemistry whatsoever.

It's a painful tedious death of a tired format, inextricably tied to its former stars.

Here's part fo the very first episode from 2002 (yesw not old '70s TG)

WOW Look how amazing it wasn't..


I'm cautiously optimistic for the new series (start date?) MLB, RR and CH cold work very well.

[ambuletz]

I'm rather glad Evans is gone, never liked his presenting, even as a kid I didn't like him on Ch4's 'The Big Breakfast'. Sure 'new' TG is in the early stages, but at least they are making changes to try and create something good. Early 00's TG had many people from programmes like Men & motors, driven, Wheeler Dealers. Some went onto staying on fifth gear, some made new programmes or car websites/youtube, some disappeared.

In the end I'm sure they will find the right presenters/angle or gimmick based on the current times.

[RobDickinson]

Evans was cringworthy, screeching at the camera like some 5 year old on a sugar rush. Had to mute him when I could. Totally not in the spirit of Top Gear. Its OK to get excited on occasion but not to level 11 every second.

[98elise]

They have kept the best 3, but its no better then one of the oversea's TG. I suspect audiences will continue to fall, and once the oversea's money starts to dry up it will be killed off.

[Europa1]

Rich_W said:

Here's part fo the very first episode from 2002 (yesw not old '70s TG)

WOW Look how amazing it wasn't..


I'm cautiously optimistic for the new series (start date?) MLB, RR and CH cold work very well.

Where?

[suffolk009]

98elise said:

They have kept the best 3, but its no better then one of the oversea's TG. I suspect audiences will continue to fall, and once the oversea's money starts to dry up it will be killed off.

I think you're spot on.

[simonrockman]

the thing which disappoints me most about the announcement is that they've only just secured the team. That means the next programme will be many, many months away.

What we need is a regular, weekly, motoring programme, not one that pops up for a few weeks and then disappears for a year.

Simon

[Blib]

If you want a "proper", weekly car show, then Auto Mondial on Motors TV fits the bill. Entertainment at TG level takes a lot of time and huge resources. I doubt that it would be possible to create a weekly TG show without an army of presenters, producers, cameramen, etc. etc.