The Grand Tour
Discussion
Driver101 said:
227bhp said:
i'm just glad I didn't pay for this.
I don't think many people are.I took on Amazon Prime just for this show really. Reading all the comments from all over the place the majority of people are watching for free.
On the TGT Facebook page even the super fans are all discussing where they are watching for free. I'm shocked to see that kind of chat allowed openly on their Facebook page.
It'll be interesting to see how many people are actually paying. The series started off with 1.95m viewers worldwide, but I can't help but feel they would have lost a lot. Lots of people saved their free trial just for TGT and haven't subscribed after that. Others have just given up.
I have noticed that the advertising campaign has faded off. It's not everywhere like it was in the build up and then for the first month.
It'd be good to see how well it is doing. I wonder if Amazon are happy or not how it's going.
I said i'd never pay (apart from my licence) for TV as I don't hold it in such high financial regard. My OH got me a stick for Christmas and has worked out how to hack into it for free, it took a few goes as Amazon have shut a few of the access doors, but we got in.
p1stonhead said:
Absolutely dire now. This is awful.
Basically they went on holiday and some cameras went with them. I don't understand how it got signed off.
It's really, honestly not that different to what Top Gear was and that was never dire. Some people seem to be turning this thread into a moaning contest. Basically they went on holiday and some cameras went with them. I don't understand how it got signed off.
I would have liked to see something a little more fresh and different to make this a new show rather than Top Gear under a different name. I would have liked there to be more about the countries they're in. I think it seems too scripted and acted because, as I tried to explain earlier with the American Dad's Army reference, the Americans are too controlling of how things are done to allow soul into it. They'd prefer a scripted, carefully rehearsed fake mistake done again and again until it was right by the script rather than leaving a real mistake and subsequent argument in because it was genuinely funny.
However, I certainly don't think it's so bad it can be dismissed as dire. There was a plot to it, more so than with flagship BBC programmes like Sherlock and Dr Who, and it was funny. It just needs to be allowed more free rein without having to follow a precise plan.
Blakewater said:
p1stonhead said:
Absolutely dire now. This is awful.
Basically they went on holiday and some cameras went with them. I don't understand how it got signed off.
It's really, honestly not that different to what Top Gear was and that was never dire. Some people seem to be turning this thread into a moaning contest. Basically they went on holiday and some cameras went with them. I don't understand how it got signed off.
I would have liked to see something a little more fresh and different to make this a new show rather than Top Gear under a different name. I would have liked there to be more about the countries they're in. I think it seems too scripted and acted because, as I tried to explain earlier with the American Dad's Army reference, the Americans are too controlling of how things are done to allow soul into it. They'd prefer a scripted, carefully rehearsed fake mistake done again and again until it was right by the script rather than leaving a real mistake and subsequent argument in because it was genuinely funny.
However, I certainly don't think it's so bad it can be dismissed as dire. There was a plot to it, more so than with flagship BBC programmes like Sherlock and Dr Who, and it was funny. It just needs to be allowed more free rein without having to follow a precise plan.
The Barbados bit had NOTHING to do with vehicles. Not really.
They were literally on holiday and vaguely tried to put a car into it somehow. It was half the episode. It was dreadful.
Top Gear admittedly had some poor episodes later in its life, but this has just started and.its often as bad as the worst of top gear. They should have had at least enough original ideas to do a killer first season. I don't know how they can stretch this to 36 episodes I truly don't.
Its not good. Now I fast forward through a lot of it. The Barbados diving stuff looked excruciating. Also, the characters of each of the player seem to be so tightly defined that they can't step out of their characters. James May, for instance comes across as quite a thoughtful guy on his Reassemble program, but here is a bumbling guy who can't work a crane properly. They sometimes consciously swear or make some mild risqué remarks ..childish stuff.
It also appears to be getting worse as against hitting its stride. Would far prefer to see a Chris Harris video test than most of this stuff.
It also appears to be getting worse as against hitting its stride. Would far prefer to see a Chris Harris video test than most of this stuff.
t individually.miniman said:
MarshPhantom said:
227bhp said:
What is the UK test track called and where is it?
It's called Dalton Barracks (Army Base), just off the A34 at Abingdon, just south of Oxford.It's basically an airfield that's also used as a track.
Watching because I had Prime anyway and my thoughts echo most here. First one was OK but hasn't been great since. Perhaps it's just me getting older but there's too much cocking about. I don't mind a bit but not over half of the show. The car review bits have been fine though. Celebrity Brain Crash is crap but it's too late to change it. They were never going to get this 100% right first time but for me it started at an 8/10 and is probably at a 4/10. After the last episode I felt frustrated I hadn't got my car fix so found the videos Chris Harris did on the McLaren P1. They were just superb and they are how it should be.
Since Evans left with Top Gear it's gone a bit quiet but I think that's a good thing. Harris seems to be putting out the odd 60 sec video on their FB page and the odd picture here or there. The drivers and presenters they have are good so the ingredients are there, just don't force anything. TGT seems a bit too try-hard at the moment, going out of their way to make an offensive joke. There's more swearing too and while we all do it, even this seems over the top and forced. I think they could make Top Gear a more geeky car program and it would be fantastic and would cater for 90% of us. TopGear would become more car based as it should be and TGT can be for humour and for those who like Clarkson, Hammond and May.
Think what most of us want is a show that brings out the kid in us who loved cars from a young age. It's the excitement that cars bring out and what they can do that's missing from TGT.
Since Evans left with Top Gear it's gone a bit quiet but I think that's a good thing. Harris seems to be putting out the odd 60 sec video on their FB page and the odd picture here or there. The drivers and presenters they have are good so the ingredients are there, just don't force anything. TGT seems a bit too try-hard at the moment, going out of their way to make an offensive joke. There's more swearing too and while we all do it, even this seems over the top and forced. I think they could make Top Gear a more geeky car program and it would be fantastic and would cater for 90% of us. TopGear would become more car based as it should be and TGT can be for humour and for those who like Clarkson, Hammond and May.
Think what most of us want is a show that brings out the kid in us who loved cars from a young age. It's the excitement that cars bring out and what they can do that's missing from TGT.
I am guessing that they are not allowed a studio base due to BBC restrictions but the format makes no sense to me.
Would it not be better to to tour the area they are visiting.
I am not impressed by it so far, they had run out of ideas on the BBC and it shows, not keen on the swearing but some parts have been great, James May's GT40 and the Alfa test were excellent but the rest has been dire.
I hope they listen and series 2 will be better.
Would it not be better to to tour the area they are visiting.
I am not impressed by it so far, they had run out of ideas on the BBC and it shows, not keen on the swearing but some parts have been great, James May's GT40 and the Alfa test were excellent but the rest has been dire.
I hope they listen and series 2 will be better.
Driver101 said:
I don't think many people are.
I took on Amazon Prime just for this show really. Reading all the comments from all over the place the majority of people are watching for free.
On the TGT Facebook page even the super fans are all discussing where they are watching for free. I'm shocked to see that kind of chat allowed openly on their Facebook page.
It'll be interesting to see how many people are actually paying. The series started off with 1.95m viewers worldwide, but I can't help but feel they would have lost a lot. Lots of people saved their free trial just for TGT and haven't subscribed after that. Others have just given up.
I have noticed that the advertising campaign has faded off. It's not everywhere like it was in the build up and then for the first month.
It'd be good to see how well it is doing. I wonder if Amazon are happy or not how it's going.
Depends, they must have known that stuck behind a paywall it'd have been collosally ripped off from the word go.I took on Amazon Prime just for this show really. Reading all the comments from all over the place the majority of people are watching for free.
On the TGT Facebook page even the super fans are all discussing where they are watching for free. I'm shocked to see that kind of chat allowed openly on their Facebook page.
It'll be interesting to see how many people are actually paying. The series started off with 1.95m viewers worldwide, but I can't help but feel they would have lost a lot. Lots of people saved their free trial just for TGT and haven't subscribed after that. Others have just given up.
I have noticed that the advertising campaign has faded off. It's not everywhere like it was in the build up and then for the first month.
It'd be good to see how well it is doing. I wonder if Amazon are happy or not how it's going.
So it depends on whether their ultimate business case was to make money directly from subs or just big up the "amazon" name in a world of multiple online content providers, ie exposure.
Zoobeef said:
People at my work aren't into cars, they love it.
Watched the latest last night with my parents and they laughed all the way though.
Just face it, you aren't the target anymore (and haven't been for a while).
Who is the target audience? Watched the latest last night with my parents and they laughed all the way though.
Just face it, you aren't the target anymore (and haven't been for a while).
It looks to me that their target audience is all the viewers from TG. They've tried to stay as close to the format as they could get away with.
Other than some of the smut humour and language, what have they actually changed to be aiming the show at a different audience? I'm not seeing what you are seeing.
I would be amazed if nearly all the TGT viewers weren't TG viewers.
ash73 said:
ClockworkCupcake said:
But, overall, it was one of the best episodes so far I thought.
It was dire. Easily the worst episode of the series. Apart from the Alfa review it was cringeworthy and totally unfunny.What frustrating is it would be easy to make it much better (for me).
Reasonable chat about old v new yank cars, debate on pick ups - cue a 10 minute slot comparing the top 3 best selling pick ups in the US? I have no interest in buying one but would have liked to know more about them.
Could have taken the 10 minutes off the boring and unfunny Barbados sketch.
Biggest laugh for me was when the audience said Alfas to porn stars/astronauts question, not CHM. Alfa bit was good
Reasonable chat about old v new yank cars, debate on pick ups - cue a 10 minute slot comparing the top 3 best selling pick ups in the US? I have no interest in buying one but would have liked to know more about them.
Could have taken the 10 minutes off the boring and unfunny Barbados sketch.
Biggest laugh for me was when the audience said Alfas to porn stars/astronauts question, not CHM. Alfa bit was good
popeyewhite said:
Driver101 said:
Who is the target audience?
Normal everyday folk with a passing interest in cars. The idea with a TV show is to appeal to the largest target audience possible, which they seem to be doing quite well.Amazon don't want to mention anything about viewing figures. They won't state how many are watching or how many they anticipated.
How do you form the opinion they are doing quite well? Without insider knowledge it doesn't read to me that they are doing very well.
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