BBC Top Gear Thread 2021/2022

[Evercross]

Not surprising that the BBC's opinion-piece on the news is topped by a picture of C, H & M.

2 Decades of Cars and Controversy

To the majority of the viewing public around the world those three were, are and always will be Top Gear.

I am still predicting that at some point in the future the Clarkson/Hammond/Wilman/May production company W. CHuMp & Sons will make a successful lowball offer to the BBC for the rights to TG, if only to stick a framed copy of the agreement on their mantlepieces as a trophy.

I reckon that 1 year of their retainer to Amazon would probably cover it.

Edited by Evercross on Tuesday 21st November 15:06

[bobthemonkey]

Evercross said:

I am still predicting that at some point in the future the Clarkson/Hammond/Wilman/May production company W. CHuMp & Sons will make a successful lowball offer to the BBC for the rights to TG, if only to stick a framed copy of the agreement on their mantlepieces as a trophy.

Clarkson and Wilman weren’t idiots; wouldn’t surprise me if they had some kind of revision clause in the contract if the BBC officially cancel the format, hence the very specific language with words like ‘rest’.

Edited by bobthemonkey on Tuesday 21st November 15:23

[Old Man Peabody]

It's a shame, but it hasn't been unmissable for a long time.

Replacing C, H & M has proven to be a tough task and it shows, but added to that everything in life gets a bit boring after constant repetition, with only slight tweaks here and there to try and keep it fresh and even CH & M would have struggled with that. (See 'The Grand Tour' as proof)

Obviously, I'm hoping that there weren't any corners cut with the safety aspect of Freddie's accident (there are no excuses for that), but he's never possessed much self-preservation and just goes at things without much thought for the consequences. He was an accident waiting to happen and unfortunately it has in quite a spectacular way.

Sometimes you've just got to know when to play it a bit safe, but that ain't Freddie!

Inevitable really

[suffolk009]

I only watched it in the Flintoff years if they were reviewing a car that interested me. I'd FFWD through all the rest.

[Mercdriver]

The old runs on TG just now show how entertaining they were, but don’t think it would be the same even if they could return.

It was good in its time

[surveyor]

It's a shame. It was not always riveting TV, but it was a nice way to spend an hour watching blokes cocking about with cars, rather than whatever celebrity drivel that the wife would otherwise have been watching...

[Paul Dishman]

Terry Winks said:

Do we finally get to find out how much a knob Chris Evans might have been now?

That's in Chris Harris' book

[Red9zero]

Paul Dishman said:

Terry Winks said:

Do we finally get to find out how much a knob Chris Evans might have been now?

That's in Chris Harris' book

I`ve read it and I get the impression they didn't get on CH definitely seems to like MLB though.

[xeny]

Red9zero said:

I`ve read it and I get the impression they didn't get on CH definitely seems to like MLB though.

Isn't it mentioned in Richard Porter's book that MLB flew in from LA simply to do a lap in the new Kia? I think MLB really rather got/enjoyed doing TG.

[Megaflow]

UTH said:

Terry Winks said:

So as predicted Top Gear will be “rested” for the foreseeable future.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-67333907

The only surprise is it tool this long. I believe they have been looking to kill it for years, far to non woke for the BBC now.

[Megaflow]

Wills2 said:

Red9zero said:

Boleros said:

Do tell!

"Contaminated by faceless gobstes" was one comment, then another about the "real nastiness of a place like PH" where someone copied a video that he had deleted from his website and threatened to release it. In other comments he does say that the actual website (rather than the forum) is very good.

Well he's not wrong is he.

No he is not. I appreciate the irony of me posting here and agreeing with the above by the way.

My 'home' on the internet for years was the Westfield Sports Car Club boardroom, as it was back then, before they became know as forums. Then after I left that club, this became my new internet 'home'.

There is a large part of me that wants to move on for the reasons above, but I need to find a new internet home first.

[Dashnine]

Megaflow said:

UTH said:

Terry Winks said:

So as predicted Top Gear will be “rested” for the foreseeable future.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-67333907

The only surprise is it tool this long. I believe they have been looking to kill it for years, far to non woke for the BBC now.

Rubbish, it's far too much of a cash cow.

I think they will want to dust it off and reformat it however, which should have happened post CHM rasther than try to replace them.

[Motoring12345]

All good things must come to an end I guess. It was a big part of my childhood and teenage years but in the end, it became a caricature of itself. I never really bothered watching the new format.

A great man once said "You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain"

Edited by Motoring12345 on Wednesday 22 November 16:59

[thegreenhell]

Dashnine said:

Megaflow said:

UTH said:

Terry Winks said:

So as predicted Top Gear will be “rested” for the foreseeable future.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-67333907

The only surprise is it tool this long. I believe they have been looking to kill it for years, far to non woke for the BBC now.

Rubbish, it's far too much of a cash cow.

I think they will want to dust it off and reformat it however, which should have happened post CHM rasther than try to replace them.

Indeed. They were so keen to kill it that they hired two high profile presenters and moved it to a primetime BBC1 slot for its last iteration.

Personally, I think they should look back at the CHM prime era around 2005-2010, when they actually reviewed cars in every show and just did something silly once a series. It's gradually become increasing silliness with a once a series car review. Move it back onto BBC2 where it belongs, more informative than pure entertainment, and don't bother having headline presenters.

I don't see why a mix of the sort of stuff you get from Chris Harris On Cars and TG's own Youtube channel wouldn't work as a TV show. I don't think anyone would complain if their recent T50 review was shown on the TG TV show, for example. Ollie Marriage is a far better presenter than McGuinness or Flintoff as well, IMO.

[TTmonkey]

Top Gear is dead because they made a massive error…. Hiring in two people that just can’t drive well enough as fronts for the show.

Flintoff seemed to have no sense of when things were getting out of hand, no fear. He’s already and numerous accidents, and probably far more near misses than we’ve seen.

Motor sport is dangerous, as the saying goes, and many of the things they were doing was getting away from testing cars and more into using them for stunts and sporty driving.

[Timothy Bucktu]

We just have to consign TG to history from a distant time when the BBC made great TV. I would put them on the same shelf as The Fast Show, Black Adder, Fools and Horses, and the early Planet Earths. Shame but all good things come to an end.
YouTube is now the place for blokes to get their motoring kicks. There's a plethora of great channels who are as entertaining as TG was...maybe in slightly different ways, but still entertaining if not quite so endearing as the classic years.

[Wills2]

Timothy Bucktu said:

We just have to consign TG to history from a distant time when the BBC made great TV. I would put them on the same shelf as The Fast Show, Black Adder, Fools and Horses, and the early Planet Earths. Shame but all good things come to an end.
YouTube is now the place for blokes to get their motoring kicks. There's a plethora of great channels who are as entertaining as TG was...maybe in slightly different ways, but still entertaining if not quite so endearing as the classic years.

I do agree, however I'd say it's more that they don't make great shows for me rather than they don't make great shows period, as we age we get pushed out of the mainstream and I believe every generation has and will go through this, there is nothing for me on the BBC these days in terms of the current LE output, but I do use them for news/sport and films/old programs on the iplayer. Same with BBC radio I've moved to greatest hits where all the old BBC presenters are.

But it is what it is.

[lornemalvo]

Dashnine said:

Megaflow said:

UTH said:

Terry Winks said:

So as predicted Top Gear will be “rested” for the foreseeable future.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-67333907

The only surprise is it tool this long. I believe they have been looking to kill it for years, far to non woke for the BBC now.

Rubbish, it's far too much of a cash cow.

I think they will want to dust it off and reformat it however, which should have happened post CHM rasther than try to replace them.

Like that money was resting in Father Ted's account

[simonrockman]

Dr Who rested for nigh on a decade between Paul McGann and Christopher Eccleston

[Timothy Bucktu]

simonrockman said:

Dr Who rested for nigh on a decade between Paul McGann and Christopher Eccleston

That's another one that should be left to die with dignity.