BBC Top Gear 2017 Thread
Discussion
Thing is though, when Chris Harris is in the studio discussing car geezers and giving technical insight into something, he is getting better and better, the knowledge and passion really comes across. Rory comes across as being as passionate but not having the breadth of experience, yet. It will come. Matt is clearly an enthusiastic, again possibly without the breadth of experience that proper car journalists have, but it's good to have a bit of polish around the place, competence in front of camera and someone who isn't wearing an old woolly cardigan stretched across a pot belly.
As before Sabine needs to tone down the screeching, Jordan, well we'll see, but if he plays the bloody spoons again...
As before Sabine needs to tone down the screeching, Jordan, well we'll see, but if he plays the bloody spoons again...
LuS1fer said:
Gary C said:
Humm.
Harris is developing as a presenter, but mc blank is still as wooden as Pinocchio.
I'd say the opposite.Harris is developing as a presenter, but mc blank is still as wooden as Pinocchio.
MLB is very good at the presenting lark but we have to remember that he is an actor and presumably he's very good at taking direction. If he's asked to be serious, daft or surreal he can. If Chris or Rory are asked they can only do their best. They are learning. Chris Harris said he's learned a great deal from MLB and they all seem to be getting on well. TG is definitely improving (if you discount much of the last episode).
cologne2792 said:
LuS1fer said:
Gary C said:
Humm.
Harris is developing as a presenter, but mc blank is still as wooden as Pinocchio.
I'd say the opposite.Harris is developing as a presenter, but mc blank is still as wooden as Pinocchio.
MLB is very good at the presenting lark but we have to remember that he is an actor and presumably he's very good at taking direction. If he's asked to be serious, daft or surreal he can. If Chris or Rory are asked they can only do their best. They are learning. Chris Harris said he's learned a great deal from MLB and they all seem to be getting on well. TG is definitely improving (if you discount much of the last episode).
In the studio he is stilted and slow and doesn't seem to know where to look. It comes across as obviously scripted and teleprompted.
That said, they may, just, build some chemistry. Wonder if they will do a big trip.
Finally got round to watching it in my lunch hour.
Another thumbs up from me. OK, there haven't been any truly great episodes yet, but there haven't been any dire ones either. It's been consistent, if nothing else. I like MLB as a presenter, and CH was more natural in this episode than he has been recently. Just needs to tone it down a bit in the studio, but I should imagine it's bloody hard and well out of his comfort zone. He's great at the in-car stuff.
Enjoying it so far. The only worry is that I have no urge to rewatch any of them, whereas I could watch old Top Gear on Dave over and over with some of the episodes they made.
Still better than The Grand Tour though. You realise just how s
t that was, watching these new episodes.
Another thumbs up from me. OK, there haven't been any truly great episodes yet, but there haven't been any dire ones either. It's been consistent, if nothing else. I like MLB as a presenter, and CH was more natural in this episode than he has been recently. Just needs to tone it down a bit in the studio, but I should imagine it's bloody hard and well out of his comfort zone. He's great at the in-car stuff.
Enjoying it so far. The only worry is that I have no urge to rewatch any of them, whereas I could watch old Top Gear on Dave over and over with some of the episodes they made.
Still better than The Grand Tour though. You realise just how s
t that was, watching these new episodes.I wish they'd stop trying to get non-actors (or even actors) to act! Especially stop trying to demonise CMH, just let him be himself. I skipped the celeb bit this week and thought it the rest was a pretty decent effort. Okay so the items went on a bit too long - the Pacman thing seemed like it was never going to end and the race was too artificial- but in general I thought the individual bits were much more TG quality than anything on TGT. The chemistry is (slowly) getting there, I don't fear for TG's future like I did last series. They finally seem to have something they can at least build on.
Earlier on someone mentioned about doing a "slow TV" video now and then when they get special cars. Excellent idea, videos like that must cost peanuts to make, and bunging them on BBC4 or iPlayer will please us nerds, and effectively push down the pounds-per-hour cost of the show. Lets face it, Monkey made his online name doing exactly that, making extended videos talking about stuff. They could even have guest drivers in. I would say Harry Metcalfe driving his Testarossa and Countach, but he has effectively done those videos already.
Earlier on someone mentioned about doing a "slow TV" video now and then when they get special cars. Excellent idea, videos like that must cost peanuts to make, and bunging them on BBC4 or iPlayer will please us nerds, and effectively push down the pounds-per-hour cost of the show. Lets face it, Monkey made his online name doing exactly that, making extended videos talking about stuff. They could even have guest drivers in. I would say Harry Metcalfe driving his Testarossa and Countach, but he has effectively done those videos already.
Zad said:
Especially stop trying to demonise CMH, just let him be himself.
Have CMH (Clarkson, May, and Hammond) merged into one gestalt entity now? 
http://reddwarf.wikia.com/wiki/Gestalt_Entity
Really really enjoying this series, just binge watched all 4 and much prefer it to the first series with the ginger one.
Might even go as far as to say I prefer it to the first series of The Grand Tour! Chris Harris is getting a lot more natural and they seem to be getting some sort of chemistry which was non existent in the first series. So far so good
ETA: I also really liked having a bike featured and talked about, I hope there is more of this in the future!
Might even go as far as to say I prefer it to the first series of The Grand Tour! Chris Harris is getting a lot more natural and they seem to be getting some sort of chemistry which was non existent in the first series. So far so good
ETA: I also really liked having a bike featured and talked about, I hope there is more of this in the future!
Edited by LiamB on Saturday 1st April 02:18
FourWheelDrift said:
Colin Furze has finished the mental motorised dodgem for the Stig - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGr0oifJMEI
Loved how they had to put a roll bar in for insurance purposes but are cool with a rod perhaps coming through the block and castrating the stig 
boxedin said:
If you want an hour long dry review, with the added 'benefit' of calling out the use of leather in cars, Tomas is yer man:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG0__4AhnoCWRH7TP...
Dull. Soooooooo very dull. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG0__4AhnoCWRH7TP...
cologne2792 said:
I'd agree.
MLB is very good at the presenting lark but we have to remember that he is an actor and presumably he's very good at taking direction. If he's asked to be serious, daft or surreal he can. If Chris or Rory are asked they can only do their best. They are learning. Chris Harris said he's learned a great deal from MLB and they all seem to be getting on well. TG is definitely improving (if you discount much of the last episode).
If MLB is poor/unfunny/stilted/wooden on this show it will most likely be because the script is sMLB is very good at the presenting lark but we have to remember that he is an actor and presumably he's very good at taking direction. If he's asked to be serious, daft or surreal he can. If Chris or Rory are asked they can only do their best. They are learning. Chris Harris said he's learned a great deal from MLB and they all seem to be getting on well. TG is definitely improving (if you discount much of the last episode).
t. Then the direction. Then finally his own shortcomings as an actor. But since we're not talking Oscar winning performances of The Tempest levels of acting - I think he can probably cope with the professional demands of this job.I've said it before, but they really do need to hire a roomful of writers. Same goes for GT.
To me top gear has always been childish. At least clarkson was actually funny but the new lot aren't funny in themselves, only if they get it scripted, which plainly doesn't work. The whole thing is cringy.
They're (BBC) too scared to strike out in their own & have kept to the model that proved successful in the past. How weak. Why keep the stig? That was funny originally because it was, original. Now it's just sad. As someone pointed out, the gurning Sabrine would have been better off becoming the new track person. That way it would be different from old tired idea, but still have the ability to set consistent fastest laps.
Trying to do pathetic contrived race 'challenges' has always been awful, they should have tried a different take on the idea of getting out and about. Keeping the same warehouse style chat, (always painful), - had its day. But too scared to kill it off.
Overall, it just shows weak leadership.
They're (BBC) too scared to strike out in their own & have kept to the model that proved successful in the past. How weak. Why keep the stig? That was funny originally because it was, original. Now it's just sad. As someone pointed out, the gurning Sabrine would have been better off becoming the new track person. That way it would be different from old tired idea, but still have the ability to set consistent fastest laps.
Trying to do pathetic contrived race 'challenges' has always been awful, they should have tried a different take on the idea of getting out and about. Keeping the same warehouse style chat, (always painful), - had its day. But too scared to kill it off.
Overall, it just shows weak leadership.
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