The Grand Tour

[ClockworkCupcake]

ash73 said:

AdeTuono said:

Viewing figures, and the fact that Amazon were happy to plough so much into TGT, would indicate that this is no delusion.

What are they, out of interest.

Yes, please do tell. Because I'd heard that Amazon are not required to publish viewing figures (as they are not a broadcaster) and have therefore refused to.

Edited to add sources:
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/nov/...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/38061282/the...
http://metro.co.uk/2016/11/22/amazon-prime-says-th...

Although they have said it is their most successful show ever, surpassing even The Man in the High Castle.

Edited by ClockworkCupcake on Monday 5th December 16:45

[Shaw Tarse]

Please get rid of Hammond.
Or at least tone him down.

[silobass]

ClockworkCupcake said:

Although they have said it is their most successful show ever, surpassing even The Man in the High Castle.

Will be interesting to see if they are still saying that into S2.

[Driver101]

ash73 said:

AdeTuono said:

Viewing figures, and the fact that Amazon were happy to plough so much into TGT, would indicate that this is no delusion.

What are they, out of interest.

Amazon have been very quiet about numbers. There was a source claiming 1.95m viewers over the first 4 days.

It's much higher than their previous record. Subscription TV usually has small viewing numbers.

There will be as many people watching on Youtube and Torrents as there will be officially on Amazon. Lots of people also activated the free trial to see The Grand Tour.

Edited by Driver101 on Monday 5th December 17:20

Edited by Driver101 on Monday 5th December 18:06

[essayer]

I felt sorry for the house

[ClockworkCupcake]

essayer said:

I felt sorry for the house

In what way? Because you thought it was a nice house?

(In case you didn't see previous posts on the subject, it was being demolished as a result of Planning Permission having been granted for a new build on the plot)

[kowalski655]

Ive enjoyd it so far,easy TV watching.Liked the Italy tour,didnt mind the Noisy Hamster running gag too much(TBF I would make that car loud in every possible tunnel if I had 1!)
Didnt even notice the absent fat yank-shows how much he adds to the show!

[zeDuffMan]

Finally got round to watching ep3. Hammond is supposedly quite shy IRL - I wish they would reflect this in the programme. The yobbo act was grating rather than entertaining tbh.

[Zad]

essayer said:

I felt sorry for the house

My heart fell when I saw the crane crash through the stone wall too. I'm clearly weird and deeply hate to see stuff being trashed, whether it is houses or cars. And yes, I know he is building another.

[simonrockman]

Ste1987 said:

ash73 said:

Why was the tent in Whitby (FTFY) for the Italian tour?

Why was the tent in Johannesburg when the Edge of Tomorrow skit was in Jordan?

Quite, with 36 episodes by the time they have shot it in one country and had a piece from another they will have done more than a third of the countries in the world. I guess they will go back to some, but I also assume they won't be doing Argentina.

It would make more sense to have the filmed piece done in the same place as the tent.

That said I really enjoyed 1 and 3, skipped the Jordan bit in 2 but the rest of the programme was good. Ragging the DB11 around the track was excellent. I disagree about the DB11 interior but I've only sat in one, not driven it.

The photography is wonderful. Wish I could get it in 4K but my TV doesn't have an Amazon app. I'll get the new Virgin 4K box when it's available.

But then I enjoyed Evans TG.

Simon

[Kitchski]

Zad said:

My heart fell when I saw the crane crash through the stone wall too. I'm clearly weird and deeply hate to see stuff being trashed, whether it is houses or cars. And yes, I know he is building another.

That's the thing though, it was 200yrs old. I was sad to see it go down, along with the wall. I like stuff that's been in places for years, it's history. Seemed a shame to destroy it.

[FidoGoRetroGo]

I've just watched Ep3 - Absolutely ruined by Hammond.

[essayer]

ClockworkCupcake said:

In what way? Because you thought it was a nice house?

(In case you didn't see previous posts on the subject, it was being demolished as a result of Planning Permission having been granted for a new build on the plot)

I know he's clearing it for a new build, there's just something sad about the demolition of a 200-year old house (and wall), lots of history and seemingly in good structural condition; I'm sure it could have just been extended, upgraded etc, keeping a bit of history alive. I'm sentimental like that you see..

..although it was an impressive explosion.

[ClockworkCupcake]

essayer said:

I know he's clearing it for a new build, there's just something sad about the demolition of a 200-year old house (and wall), lots of history and seemingly in good structural condition; I'm sure it could have just been extended, upgraded etc, keeping a bit of history alive. I'm sentimental like that you see..

That's entirely understandable. I agree with you.

[El Guapo]

I have found it disappointing so far. They had creative freedom & plenty of money and they are just doing Top Gear Light. It all feels half-arsed. I was hoping for some fresh ideas, something new & different to what they have already done over and over again.
I'll keep watching, frustrated by the knowledge that it could be so much better.

[AdeTuono]

ClockworkCupcake said:

ash73 said:

AdeTuono said:

Viewing figures, and the fact that Amazon were happy to plough so much into TGT, would indicate that this is no delusion.

What are they, out of interest.

Yes, please do tell. Because I'd heard that Amazon are not required to publish viewing figures (as they are not a broadcaster) and have therefore refused to.

Edited to add sources:
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/nov/...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/38061282/the...
http://metro.co.uk/2016/11/22/amazon-prime-says-th...

Although they have said it is their most successful show ever, surpassing even The Man in the High Castle.

Edited by ClockworkCupcake on Monday 5th December 16:45

I'm really sorry, but I don't have exact figures. Possibly 300 billion? Just going by what's been widely reported in the press. You've even put a link up to one report from the BBC.

Or maybe Amazon made that up to save face.

[FiF]

essayer said:

ClockworkCupcake said:

In what way? Because you thought it was a nice house?

(In case you didn't see previous posts on the subject, it was being demolished as a result of Planning Permission having been granted for a new build on the plot)

I know he's clearing it for a new build, there's just something sad about the demolition of a 200-year old house (and wall), lots of history and seemingly in good structural condition; I'm sure it could have just been extended, upgraded etc, keeping a bit of history alive. I'm sentimental like that you see..

..although it was an impressive explosion.

It sort of reminded me of a piece by Bill Bryson from one of his books. He was making a comparison between Britain and the USA, and I cba to go and look up the quote or even research if the 'fact' he was espousing is indeed correct, but essentially he stated that there were more surviving buildings built before a particular date in the bit of England where he lived, somewhere in North Yorkshire iirc, than in the whole of the USA.

Basically blasting a 200 year old building in order to build something new but in the style of the old seems a bit sad. OK operating and fitting a modern life and kit into an old building can get testing but life is full of checks and balances. Clattering the wall down serves what purpose?

[Halmyre]

FiF said:

essayer said:

ClockworkCupcake said:

In what way? Because you thought it was a nice house?

(In case you didn't see previous posts on the subject, it was being demolished as a result of Planning Permission having been granted for a new build on the plot)

I know he's clearing it for a new build, there's just something sad about the demolition of a 200-year old house (and wall), lots of history and seemingly in good structural condition; I'm sure it could have just been extended, upgraded etc, keeping a bit of history alive. I'm sentimental like that you see..

..although it was an impressive explosion.

It sort of reminded me of a piece by Bill Bryson from one of his books. He was making a comparison between Britain and the USA, and I cba to go and look up the quote or even research if the 'fact' he was espousing is indeed correct, but essentially he stated that there were more surviving buildings built before a particular date in the bit of England where he lived, somewhere in North Yorkshire iirc, than in the whole of the USA.

Basically blasting a 200 year old building in order to build something new but in the style of the old seems a bit sad. OK operating and fitting a modern life and kit into an old building can get testing but life is full of checks and balances. Clattering the wall down serves what purpose?

I don't know if Hamster's house had any history, but if it's just an old house of no particular distinction, then bang away; there'll be another one round the next corner anyway. There's far worse crimes against architecture being committed on a daily basis, as anyone who reads Piloti's column in Private Eye will know.

Besides, rather that than some of those horrors you sometimes see on 'Grand Designs' where they tack a steel and glass box on to an old building and end up with something comparable to the Duchess of Kent sporting a vajazzle.

[suffolk009]

Internet tells me that Hammond lives in a moated castle.

Maybe Clarksons house being blown up was just CGI special effects. Like the tent being a studio and the view back projected.

[E65Ross]

Clarkson's house was already going to be destroyed anyway.....not just due to TGT....