If you watched new Top Gear was it any good, yes or no?

[MarshPhantom]

Jon39 said:

MrsFallon said:

So the viewing figures are apparently out.

It debuted last night on 4.3 million.

What does that figure mean though?

Judging by the comments that I have read, I was not alone in switching off part way through.

If there were 4.3 million viewers when the programme started, how many were still watching at the end?

Only quoted as Evans said something along the lines of "anything under 5m viewers would be seen as a failure"

[entropy]

Can't say I enjoyed it or disappointed by it - same st different faces.

[johnxjsc1985]

when you think of the "noise" around this re-launch and the controversy of how the old show ended 4million is pretty poor and next week it will be far less.
It been hammered pretty much everywhere and rightly so.

[e21Mark]

Watched both shows before work this morning and I guess they were OK'ish. Can't stand the ghetto hand shake business where they pull in for a forced hug kinda thing. The stuff with the 3 wheelers and the Corvette with guns on was all a bit old TG, but like a poor copy. I don't want to just give it a hard time but I do hope it'll improve. A lot.

[esv683]

It was rubbish ,turned it off. Poor imitation.

[LDM]

Needs a bit more work but overall a step in the right direction!

Edited by LDM on Monday 30th May 17:36

[r11co]

Jon39 said:

MrsFallon said:

So the viewing figures are apparently out.

It debuted last night on 4.3 million.

What does that figure mean though?

I think it means a lot of people who would previously have tuned in had already made the decision not to watch. One can speculate as to the reasons, but I suspect that the critics' responses will reinforce their decision.

[mybrainhurts]

LDM said:

Needs a bit more work but overall a step in the right direction!

Over the cliff, you mean..?

[AlecT]

I recorded this as the missus was not interested, but watched later after she had gone to bed, switched it off halfway through.

Very disappointed as I was expecting a new format, not some bloke pretending to be Clarkson, Top Gear was getting slightly tedious and in need of a new approach before so to reintroduce it as it was but worse is unforgivable what are the BBC up to?

I an looking forward to seeing the other 3 in the Grand Tour

[treetops]

Moonhawk said:

Bellini said:

The Grand Tour to start.

I only just twigged.......do you think "The Grand Tour" (or TGT for short) was chosen as it shared the same acronym as.........'Top Gear Two'

Yes it was. Winks.

[treetops]

normal bloke said:

I left a comment immediately after watching the show.
'Have had a night to think about it.
Still not impressed although I must admit I was hoping to hate it, so my opinions are slightly tainted.

However I think most men of a certain age and experience will agree with me when I liken the new show to a greedy ex-wife who got the house, kids, Porsche and all the box sets...after a particularly messy divorce, showing their new and old friends around the place now that the husband has been packed off to some bed-sit with an enormous solicitor's bill. Listening to Evans when he gloated about getting "custody" of the Stig, made me puke...well, nearly.

And other little things pissed me off too....for instance the new lap board had all the old TG childish scrawlings with the former cars' and times' replaced with sanitised-primary-schoolteacher-written lap times on them. Yuk.

I couldn't believe they had the gall to keep all the good stuff that JC and his gang invented and then wiped away any tangible evidence that they were ever there at all. wkers.

P.S. Chris Evans......that designer stubble that you (and I) used to sport in the 80s and 90s? Nowadays, it's less George Michael and more Alan Sugar. It makes you look like a dick.

Agreed.

Don't forget they will have put this out as their strongest episode - it being the first.

Its downhill from here...

[LDM]

treetops said:

Agreed.

Don't forget they will have put this out as their strongest episode - it being the first.

Its downhill from here...

Or possibly as the one that most closely follows the tried and tested, knowing people will moan what ever form the show takes doing a radical format change would probably a step too far - the old team format had become sooo boring yet many are pinning there hopes on the new show that the old 3 are putting on. Of the two shows GT is the one I hold less hope for but being a bit of a car fan am hoping it too is a success and grows it something more than a dumbed down crash fest that the 3 presenters gave us!

[MarshPhantom]

treetops said:

normal bloke said:

I left a comment immediately after watching the show.
'Have had a night to think about it.
Still not impressed although I must admit I was hoping to hate it, so my opinions are slightly tainted.

However I think most men of a certain age and experience will agree with me when I liken the new show to a greedy ex-wife who got the house, kids, Porsche and all the box sets...after a particularly messy divorce, showing their new and old friends around the place now that the husband has been packed off to some bed-sit with an enormous solicitor's bill. Listening to Evans when he gloated about getting "custody" of the Stig, made me puke...well, nearly.

And other little things pissed me off too....for instance the new lap board had all the old TG childish scrawlings with the former cars' and times' replaced with sanitised-primary-schoolteacher-written lap times on them. Yuk.

I couldn't believe they had the gall to keep all the good stuff that JC and his gang invented and then wiped away any tangible evidence that they were ever there at all. wkers.

P.S. Chris Evans......that designer stubble that you (and I) used to sport in the 80s and 90s? Nowadays, it's less George Michael and more Alan Sugar. It makes you look like a dick.

Agreed.

Don't forget they will have put this out as their strongest episode - it being the first.

Its downhill from here...

That's the scary thing. This should have been the episode where they get to show everyone what they've been doing for the last few months, silence the critics and have everyone saying what a great choice Chris was.

[LDM]

Maybe done a feature like the Peugeot one C,H&M did what fine TV that made and a perfect example of why I had lost interest. Surely one of the worst bits of TV ever - not just TG!

[mybrainhurts]

I'll only watch Flop Gear again if they put a trebuchet on the white cliffs of Dover and fire Evans at France...

In a Reliant Robin or on his own, don't much care.

[Weirdhead]

I actually rather enjoyed it, Evans has room to improve but Leblanc was good, I thought he would be from previous stuff I've seen him do with dirt bikes

Feels like so many people are slagging it off because it's the opinion to have, watch it and make up your own mind, don't be afraid to say you enjoyed it

[Neith]

It was less of a complete disaster than I thought it'd be but I still won't be watching the rest. LeBlanc wasn't too bad but Evans got on my nerves pretty quickly. Gordon Ramsay looked like he didn't want to be there and the crowd reactions felt even more scripted than usual. I felt like it was trying to be too similar to the previous series but with completely different presenters there wasn't as much chemistry on screen. I stuck it out until the end to give it a chance but won't be watching any more.

Edit: Watched Extra Gear and thought that was much better. Always liked Harris' Youtube videos and Reid was a pretty good host. Much more tolerable than the main show!

Edited by Neith on Monday 30th May 15:13

[Smollet]

The only plus point I can think for watching the next episode is the fact that Jenson Button is on it. Sadly I think all this will be negated by Eddie Jordan joining in the fray forcing Evans to up his game to maintain his status as top gibbering idiot.
I like Evans on the radio and that's where he should stay these days imgo

[grumpyscot]

Looked forward to the show and was sorely disappointed. Too much Chris Evans (2 minutes would be enough) and same old pranks regurgitated. Apart from a Rally course on the airfield, nothing else new.

Not sure if I'll watch again - just no magic in the show any more. Shame really.

[CAPP0]

MarshPhantom said:

Jon39 said:

MrsFallon said:

So the viewing figures are apparently out.

It debuted last night on 4.3 million.

What does that figure mean though?

Judging by the comments that I have read, I was not alone in switching off part way through.

If there were 4.3 million viewers when the programme started, how many were still watching at the end?

Only quoted as Evans said something along the lines of "anything under 5m viewers would be seen as a failure"

MrsC used to be the person who sent the previous day's viewing figures out to the wider TV business, so we know a little about this.

The 4.3 million will be based on "Reach" figures, which in practice means anyone from the reporting panel (members of the public who are monitored) who watched any 3-minute segment of the show. So, someone tunes in at 8pm, think's "this is dire" and tunes out again at 8.05pm, they're one of the 4.3 million. Which, judging by this thread, makes things a whole lot worse!

Lots and lots of other factors at play in measuring the viewing figures, but that's the gist of what the early-morning 4.3mil means.

What did the previous incarnation use to poll?