BBC Top Gear 2017 Thread

[Johnspex]

First let me say I think MLB is great. But 2 things bother me about him being on TG. First, in any race type events (not the road type, more the quarry type from the first episode) he's up against a racing driver which makes the race either one-sided or fixed.
Second it' the fact that he's not British and therefore doesn't have any history with ordinary British cars, so for instance, jokes about Marinas are a bit wasted. Not that there have been any so far but you get my drift.

[Truckosaurus]

Although having a foreign host allows them to avoid such parochial jokes and make the show more appealing for international syndication.

In related news, Tom Ford has been announced as a host of the re-booted 'Top Gear America' so you've got an American presenting British TG and a Brit presenting American TG.

(No idea why they've dropped the original 3 hosts from US TG, did they all miss out on a Steak Dinner?)

[FiF]

Just watched Extra Gear, and it does reveal that they can't please everyone, poster(s) above saying it made them walk away from TG, yet it was perfectly ok to my eyes and ears. Who couldn't be amused by that Bentley hooking round Dunsfold.


As for chat about it will never be as good as CHM TG at its peak. Well it has already surpassed CHM TG when it was at dire levels, and it's definitely on par with average CHM versions. Let's be realistic nothing will surpass the episode with the race between Flying Scotsman, Jaguar XK120, and a Vincent Black Shadow. Ever. And on that bombshell...

[Europa1]

FiF said:

Just watched Extra Gear, and it does reveal that they can't please everyone, poster(s) above saying it made them walk away from TG, yet it was perfectly ok to my eyes and ears. Who couldn't be amused by that Bentley hooking round Dunsfold.


As for chat about it will never be as good as CHM TG at its peak. Well it has already surpassed CHM TG when it was at dire levels, and it's definitely on par with average CHM versions. Let's be realistic nothing will surpass the episode with the race between Flying Scotsman, Jaguar XK120, and a Vincent Black Shadow. Ever. And on that bombshell...

The bombshell being it wasn't Flying Scotsman, it was Tornado. PH: pedantry matters

[E65Ross]

Crossflow Kid said:

E65Ross said:

Crossflow Kid said:

Can someone explain all the comments about it "not being funny"?
Does it have to be? Ok, so it's not Panorama, but does every episode have to be laugh-out-loud Laurel & Hardy hilarious?
Maybe, just maybe, there's a deliberate move to make it a little more......refined?
Perhaps the BBC feel that for those who need penis jokes to complet their weekend there's always Amazon ;-)

The large majority of TG viewers don't want a serious car programme. They're interested in cars and want a little humour.

This is why fifth gear failed, and "old" top gear.

So for it to be "not serious", the viewers have to be crying with laughter every week?
They can't win. Penis jokes a la Clarkson and everyone says they're being childish, less humour such as MLB's machinery fetish and they're being boring.
I prefer the new toned-down version. If I want mindless jokes about genitalia I'll watch Mock the Week.

Sorry, you maybe misinterpreted what I said (or, more likely, I wasn't clear enough)....I didn't mean the show should be laugh-out-loud funny, but it should have some entertainment factor....it is, after all, an entertainment show.

I wasn't too impressed this week, I didn't mind the Chiron race though. I'll continue watching, and I'm not moaning it's bad, if it was horrendous, I'd stop watching it. I'm glad it's on, and it's my choice whether I watch it or not. I'm warming to MLB quite a lot, but not to CH or RR. You win some you lose some

[FiF]

Europa1 said:

The bombshell being it wasn't Flying Scotsman, it was Tornado. PH: pedantry matters

Correct, apologies, got carried away with it being a KX to Waverley run.

[anonymous-user]

Johnspex said:

jokes about Marinas are a bit wasted

.....and not really genuinely funny anyway.

[qube_TA]

Crossflow Kid said:

Johnspex said:

jokes about Marinas are a bit wasted

.....and not really genuinely funny anyway.

Plenty of duff US cars to make the equivalent joke about, the Pontiac Aztec will appear at some point I'm sure.

[Shakermaker]

generationx said:

And at one point in the Bugatti piece CH mentioned he´d been involved in the development of the Chiron: true? I wonder what?

I think that was in relation to the fact that also during that segment they had mentioned that the Chiron "isn't finished yet" (hence why they couldn't put the special top-power key in) and it was a tongue-in-cheek comment that given Harris had just driven it, he was "involved in the development" but not to the level that he had actually been to the factory and sat down with the engineers and designers.

[Emeye]

Johnspex said:

First let me say I think MLB is great. But 2 things bother me about him being on TG. First, in any race type events (not the road type, more the quarry type from the first episode) he's up against a racing driver which makes the race either one-sided or fixed.
Second it' the fact that he's not British and therefore doesn't have any history with ordinary British cars, so for instance, jokes about Marinas are a bit wasted. Not that there have been any so far but you get my drift.

He beat Harris in the "roll down the hill" race by about a minute did he not?

[98elise]

AndrewEH1 said:

98elise said:

Viewing figures down another 100k

http://www.tellymix.co.uk/ratings/305974-ratings-t...

Viweing figures have rocketed says CH

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-43525...

Edited to add....

Countryfile 6.3 million
Antiques Roadshow 5.1 million.
Top Gear 2.3 million.

Edited by 98elise on Monday 27th March 13:59

Maybe learn to read? CH said that ratings had "skyrocketed"...

Ratings are related to viewers are they not? For the ratings to be higher with fewer actual viewers there would need to be significantly less overall viewers. Can you point me to the ratings source?

I can understand an increase in the Audience Appreciation figures though, they were dire last season, and from the bits I've seen this season is a significant improvement.

[cerb4.5lee]

ash73 said:

What a contrast to last week's brilliant episode

I thought the same and I really enjoyed the last two episodes and they made me look forward to watching it, but Sunday nights episode I just didn't enjoy, hopefully next week's is more my cup of tea again.

[anonymous-user]

qube_TA said:

Plenty of duff US cars to make the equivalent joke about, the Pontiac Aztec will appear at some point I'm sure.

Aztek.


Because

Europa1 said:

PH: pedantry matters

[ClockworkCupcake]

housen said:

that was tragic on amazon ...hence I deleted my sub ...rubbish

Really? You cancelled your entire Amazon Prime subscription just because you don't like one programme they make? If you don't like Top Gear are you going to cancel your TV licence, and if you go on holiday and don't like the hotel are you going to destroy your passport?

[schmunk]

ClockworkCupcake said:

housen said:

that was tragic on amazon ...hence I deleted my sub ...rubbish

Really? You cancelled your entire Amazon Prime subscription just because you don't like one programme they make? If you don't like Top Gear are you going to cancel your TV licence, and if you go on holiday and don't like the hotel are you going to destroy your passport?

Perhaps, just perhaps, he took out the subscription in order to be able to watch the giant steak-fuelled turd that was The Grand Tour.

[housen]

schmunk said:

ClockworkCupcake said:

housen said:

that was tragic on amazon ...hence I deleted my sub ...rubbish

Really? You cancelled your entire Amazon Prime subscription just because you don't like one programme they make? If you don't like Top Gear are you going to cancel your TV licence, and if you go on holiday and don't like the hotel are you going to destroy your passport?

Perhaps, just perhaps, he took out the subscription in order to be able to watch the giant steak-fuelled turd that was The Grand Tour.

correct

but also I live in Switzerland and amazon prime here is like going back in time to 1994 and going to you local newsagent on a Friday night and perusing their latest video options haha

so there was no other value on there for me

[E65Ross]

housen said:

schmunk said:

ClockworkCupcake said:

housen said:

that was tragic on amazon ...hence I deleted my sub ...rubbish

Really? You cancelled your entire Amazon Prime subscription just because you don't like one programme they make? If you don't like Top Gear are you going to cancel your TV licence, and if you go on holiday and don't like the hotel are you going to destroy your passport?

Perhaps, just perhaps, he took out the subscription in order to be able to watch the giant steak-fuelled turd that was The Grand Tour.

correct

but also I live in Switzerland and amazon prime here is like going back in time to 1994 and going to you local newsagent on a Friday night and perusing their latest video options haha

so there was no other value on there for me

Bosch is a pretty good series and worth a watch IMO. Goliath is a great series too.

[nickwilcock]

Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to watch 'The Grand Tour' on a friend's Amazon Prime. Much of it was pretty dire (particularly the 'annoying little git' persona with which Hammond has been saddled) - although I did enjoy Clarkson ripping into the pathetic Oxford roundabout saga! The following day I watched Top Gear on iPlayer; some was excellent, but that 'star' was unknown to me, although he seemed quite a pleasant chap. Hardly in the league of some of the stars of the Clarkson era though - Slash playing out the show with his improv'd version of Jessica was a classic.

Extra Gear was a waste of time though.

Perhaps the BBC should reformat Top Gear / Extra Gear by shortening the 'star in a car' segment - particularly Harris' woeful instructional manner - and ending puerile nonsense like that 'pacman' segment.

Then I saw an old edition of Top Gear on Turbo Dave or whatever it's called. Brilliant, entertaining and informative.

The BBC has a long way to go before the programme is as good as it was before Steakgate!

Edited by nickwilcock on Tuesday 28th March 15:46

[Lucas Ayde]

nickwilcock said:

Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to watch 'The Grand Tour' on a friend's Amazon Prime. Much of it was pretty dire (particularly the 'annoying little git' persona with which Hammond has been saddled) - although I did enjoy Clarkson ripping into the pathetic Oxford roundabout saga! The following day I watched Top Gear on iPlayer; some was excellent, but that 'star' was unknown to me, although he seemed quite a pleasant chap. Hardly in the league of some of the stars of the Clarkson era though - Slash playing out the show with his improv'd version of Jessica was a classic.

Extra Gear was a waste of time though.

Perhaps the BBC should reformat Top Gear / Extra Gear by shortening the 'star in a car' segment - particularly Harris' woeful instructional manner - and ending puerile nonsense like that 'pacman' segment.

Then I saw an old edition of Top Gear on Turbo Dave or whatever it's called. Brilliant, entertaining and informative.

The BBC has a long way to go before the programme is as good as it was before Steakgate!

Edited by nickwilcock on Tuesday 28th March 15:46

There was a period of 1 or 2 seasons when the old CHM Top Gear was in its Golden Age - consistently funny and interesting, probably one of the best things on TV. Unfortunately, it went slowly downhill after that over a period of years and finally got to the point where there was far more dross than good stuff.

IMO what we've got from this series is consistently better than the last few years of CHM TG and also better than most of TGT (despite having a smaller budget).

[strummerville]

Look on the bright side - you could be forced to watch The Nightly Show. Just when you think it can't get any worse...
https://www.google.co.uk/amp/www.telegraph.co.uk/t...