The Grand Tour

[Doofus]

Yipper said:

A rough guesstimate suggests GT cost Amazon about £30-40m in 2017 and generated an extra £300-800m of Prime subscriptions and delivery revenues and £10-50m of operating profit worldwide for the company. In viewer terms, GT is a flop (-95% lower than old TG). But in business terms, it seems to be doing okay (but not great).

Just stop it, FFS

[PhantomPH]

hairyben said:

Clockwork Cupcake said:

PhantomPH said:

Episodes like this are why I still give it a chance - they ARE capable of better stuff (as evidenced), it’s just a shame these episodes are so few and far between.

And this is where the whole black & white "if you don't like it then don't watch it" argument falls over, of course.

TBF, if you're sitting through several episodes of something you find tedious in the hope of the occasional good one you need a few ideas about things to do don't you?

Mate, you don’t know the half of it.

[Rich_W]

Yipper said:

A rough guesstimate suggests GT cost Amazon about £30-40m in 2017 and generated an extra £300-800m of Prime subscriptions and delivery revenues and £10-50m of operating profit worldwide for the company. In viewer terms, GT is a flop (-95% lower than old TG). But in business terms, it seems to be doing okay (but not great).

Err You reckon 3.75MILLION to 10MILLION people signed up Amazon Prime just for Grand Tour?

[anonymous-user]

king arthur said:

Rich_W said:

Today DaveTV are showing the TG episode with the Eurofighter race. An amazing idea filmed very well, scripting is good. The "WOOAAAH!" as the Fighter passes him is just goosebumps perfect!

Now you see, that's just the kind of thing I hope they do less of.

But racing a Bugatti against a Eurofighter? What relevance does that hold for me? I'm never going to pilot a Eurofighter or drive a Veyron so I just can't relate to it.

I'm sorry but you really do sound like the sort of chap who desperately pines for the days of 'old Top Gear' where a man with a beard and woolly jumper would tell you about the fuel economy and luggage space in the new Peugeot 405.

[r11co]

Rich_W said:

Err You reckon 3.75MILLION to 10MILLION people signed up Amazon Prime just for Grand Tour?

That is not an unrealistic worldwide figure. I have access to European domestic broadcast TV via satellite and watch many hours of Italian output and I can tell you that The Grand Tour is being used to promote Amazon Prime in Italy, France, Germany and Spain through TV ads.

[suffolk009]

Clockwork Cupcake said:

p1stonhead said:

abzmike said:

Jeff Bezos is just about the richest man in the world.

No where close to ‘just about’ anymore I don’t think.

He only passed Bill Gates in July of last year to take the top spot, though. And Gates is a philanthropist who gives a lot of his money away.

And, verily, the geek shall inherit the earth. R'amen.

From what I read, Bezos is now the richest, but not yet as rich as Gates was (around 2007, from memory). However none of the current richest guys are anything like as rich (inflation and all that) as Rockerfeller, Getty, or Henry Ford.

The other thing that suprises me is that everyone always talks about the value of their shares - that's clearly not liquid wealth, actual cash in the bank

[king arthur]

Lord Marylebone said:

I'm sorry but you really do sound like the sort of chap who desperately pines for the days of 'old Top Gear' where a man with a beard and woolly jumper would tell you about the fuel economy and luggage space in the new Peugeot 405.

I don't at all, you've misunderstood my point. I'm enjoying TGT so far and I enjoyed Top Gear right up until Clarkson left. I just wish they'd stop doing those silly contrived races, like when May raced the Kia against a couple of guys on skateboards for example. Why would anyone want to know the outcome of that?

[anonymous-user]

I enjoy the races, and they are longboards not skateboards.

[IforB]

The Spruce goose said:

I enjoy the races, and they are longboards not skateboards.

Would sir like to retrieve his bobblehat from the cloak room? It is on the peg next to your anorak...

[marksx]

king arthur said:

Ari said:

The fastest car in the world versus a Typhoon going vertical, and you 'can't relate to it'?

Wow.

Seeing the fastest car in the world being driven, yes. Watching the Typhoon flying, yes. But racing one against the other, what's the point?

That was a rigged race too. To make it look like the car had anywhere near a hope of catching the typhoon.

[PhantomPH]

marksx said:

king arthur said:

Ari said:

The fastest car in the world versus a Typhoon going vertical, and you 'can't relate to it'?

Wow.

Seeing the fastest car in the world being driven, yes. Watching the Typhoon flying, yes. But racing one against the other, what's the point?

That was a rigged race too. To make it look like the car had anywhere near a hope of catching the typhoon.

Every single 'race' they ever do, is rigged. Producers spend a long time researching how long flights/boat trips/routes take and then assign an appropriate route or combination of transportation in order to create a 'nail biting' finale. Even the Ferrari 612 race was not supposed to be as close as it ended up being (something they pretty much admit to when being so keen to stress that JC really did pass them on the high street)

I think to most viewers, it's the journey and not the results that matters to their entertainment.

I remember Tiff doing the Atom vs the Superbike (I think it was) race and then tweeting afterwards that both were timed independently and it was the Atom that won so when they filmed the 'race' they knew how it was supposed to end.

[anonymous-user]

PhantomPH said:

marksx said:

king arthur said:

Ari said:

The fastest car in the world versus a Typhoon going vertical, and you 'can't relate to it'?

Wow.

Seeing the fastest car in the world being driven, yes. Watching the Typhoon flying, yes. But racing one against the other, what's the point?

That was a rigged race too. To make it look like the car had anywhere near a hope of catching the typhoon.

Every single 'race' they ever do, is rigged. Producers spend a long time researching how long flights/boat trips/routes take and then assign an appropriate route or combination of transportation in order to create a 'nail biting' finale. Even the Ferrari 612 race was not supposed to be as close as it ended up being (something they pretty much admit to when being so keen to stress that JC really did pass them on the high street)

I think to most viewers, it's the journey and not the results that matters to their entertainment.

I remember Tiff doing the Atom vs the Superbike (I think it was) race and then tweeting afterwards that both were timed independently and it was the Atom that won so when they filmed the 'race' they knew how it was supposed to end.

Can you imagine if the races weren’t rigged?

99% of them would have one person winning by miles.

[PhantomPH]

El stovey said:

PhantomPH said:

marksx said:

king arthur said:

Ari said:

The fastest car in the world versus a Typhoon going vertical, and you 'can't relate to it'?

Wow.

Seeing the fastest car in the world being driven, yes. Watching the Typhoon flying, yes. But racing one against the other, what's the point?

That was a rigged race too. To make it look like the car had anywhere near a hope of catching the typhoon.

Every single 'race' they ever do, is rigged. Producers spend a long time researching how long flights/boat trips/routes take and then assign an appropriate route or combination of transportation in order to create a 'nail biting' finale. Even the Ferrari 612 race was not supposed to be as close as it ended up being (something they pretty much admit to when being so keen to stress that JC really did pass them on the high street)

I think to most viewers, it's the journey and not the results that matters to their entertainment.

I remember Tiff doing the Atom vs the Superbike (I think it was) race and then tweeting afterwards that both were timed independently and it was the Atom that won so when they filmed the 'race' they knew how it was supposed to end.

Can you imagine if the races weren’t rigged?

99% of them would have one person winning by miles.

Zactly!

[FiF]

PhantomPH said:

El stovey said:

PhantomPH said:

marksx said:

king arthur said:

Ari said:

The fastest car in the world versus a Typhoon going vertical, and you 'can't relate to it'?

Wow.

Seeing the fastest car in the world being driven, yes. Watching the Typhoon flying, yes. But racing one against the other, what's the point?

That was a rigged race too. To make it look like the car had anywhere near a hope of catching the typhoon.

Every single 'race' they ever do, is rigged. Producers spend a long time researching how long flights/boat trips/routes take and then assign an appropriate route or combination of transportation in order to create a 'nail biting' finale. Even the Ferrari 612 race was not supposed to be as close as it ended up being (something they pretty much admit to when being so keen to stress that JC really did pass them on the high street)

I think to most viewers, it's the journey and not the results that matters to their entertainment.

I remember Tiff doing the Atom vs the Superbike (I think it was) race and then tweeting afterwards that both were timed independently and it was the Atom that won so when they filmed the 'race' they knew how it was supposed to end.

Can you imagine if the races weren’t rigged?

99% of them would have one person winning by miles.

Zactly!

I reckon some viewers really think they are genuine races, presumably ranting at the telly during the 'Clarky in Veyron vs May piloting an aeroplane' race at the unfairness of having to fly round the Alps instead of over, and then being slowly refuelled "by a Communist" and then having to land because not qualified at night. It's the journey and all the banter which makes it.

[TurboHatchback]

I'm slightly disappointed by the series so far, it's enjoyable to watch but not as good as I know they could make it. I've never been interested in supercar reviews or celebrities but I enjoy the used car challenges, races, 'real world' car reviews and general japery.

I was looking forward to the Jaguars and it was indisputably excellent cinematography but I didn't feel they really bonded with the cars or that there was any real competition, it felt staged from start to finish in a way that the older used car challenges didn't (British Leyland, £1500 RWD cars, Cheap Alfas etc). There was an awful lot of playing on the jag stereotype and not much on the actual cars themselves.

As for the races I think they're quite good, obviously they have to be pre-planned to be close or it would be a rubbish race with no suspense. My understanding is that the races are genuine and the in-car and public transport footage is genuine but all the external car footage is done before/after which makes perfect sense. I've been considering staging something similar myself just for fun in fact.

The specials have always been excellent and I enjoyed the beach buggy one even though it wasn't the best ever, hopefully the upcoming one with the Nissan pickup, mercedes estate and Hammond on a motorcycle will be good.

[turbomoped]

im beginning to warm to the lads again after ep5 although clarkson doing his ken block went on way too long.
And I guess the celeb bit is a success or fail depending on who is on. Bill Bailey rescued that bit.
Funny enought the overrated black books was only any good when he was in a scene and utter ste otherwise.

[Rich_W]

El stovey said:

Can you imagine if the races weren’t rigged?

99% of them would have one person winning by miles.

the epic races (no the racing parkour guy/bike/skateboard/jetski type cheap ones) I'd prefer if they were given a route and then left to chance a bit more. But such is life. I wouldn't care if they did arrive 3 hours before the other.

The Tube vs Boat vs etc was quite good I thought. Looked more genuine than most as the car came VERY last. I appreciate "its TV" but sometimes there's no need to be so tightly scripted

[RoverP6B]

Must admit the military stuff is what I've missed most about TGT. Clarkson getting blown up in a Range Rover Sport by a Challenger 2 tank. Clarkson taking part in a Royal Marines amphibious assault with a Ford Fiesta. The shenanigans involving that drug dealer's Evo. The Boxster and SLK in Norfolk vs the Irish Guards. The Exige on track at Dunsfold vs the AH-64 Apache.

That said, I think the last time I laughed myself silly at CH&M was the home-made ambulances challenge... Mrs P6B found it equally hilarious even though she was about to go into hospital for an op!

[TheGuru]

RoverP6B said:

Must admit the military stuff is what I've missed most about TGT.

I had more than enough of the military stuff during that 1st season episode in the Jordan special forces training facility

[thelawnet1]

The Spruce goose said:

The old top gear used to cost 0.5 million an episode, these are about 5 million an episode. I really can't see where the 4.5 million has gone..

About £4 million or so to Messrs. Clarkson, May & Hammond, and another £0.5 million on various things.