The Grand Tour
Discussion
LuS1fer said:
Can't agree. Never pre-judge. Many a TG was appalling drivel and, after watching the first series of TGT, I thought it was all over, it was so bad. Even the second series had far more lows than highs but this series is brilliant, thus far and I wasn't expecting that, at all.
But you’re unlikely to come on and just say “it’s crap, I hate it, they’re all talentless, fat, rotting teeth, hair dyed duffers who are well past it and should be put out to pasture. Can’t wait to watch the rest of the series”That’s really my point, I don’t rate everything they do and have criticised bits of it, but thoroughly enjoyed this episode (and the improvements in season 2) and agree that the series have improved with each new one.
It’s just if someone despises them as much as they appear to from some of their comments I’m baffled as to why they’d carry on watching it.
Lord Marylebone said:
Whilst I agree with what you are saying, I think the issue is that most of us enjoy watching Clarkson, Hammon and May, but sometimes over this last couple of years, what we end up watching from them turns out to be complete crap.
I like them. I loved Top Gear. I really wanted to like The Grand Tour, and I’m quite tolerant to stuff that isn’t perfect as long as it fills an hour and is interesting and/or amusing.
But even a fan like me thought most of the first TGT season was just incredibly poor TV.
The second season was much better, but even I thought the season finale ‘Mozambique special’ was absolutely s
t. Totally unwatchable st with only a handful of good bits over the full hour.
So I think it’s fair game to tune into something you think will be good then discover it’s crap.
I enjoyed this first episode very much, and I’m looking forward to the next one.
ThisI like them. I loved Top Gear. I really wanted to like The Grand Tour, and I’m quite tolerant to stuff that isn’t perfect as long as it fills an hour and is interesting and/or amusing.
But even a fan like me thought most of the first TGT season was just incredibly poor TV.
The second season was much better, but even I thought the season finale ‘Mozambique special’ was absolutely s
t. Totally unwatchable st with only a handful of good bits over the full hour.So I think it’s fair game to tune into something you think will be good then discover it’s crap.
I enjoyed this first episode very much, and I’m looking forward to the next one.
The return to quality for me was the second season, where they also dropped what didn't work about the first season (travelling tent, the American, bizarre segments like the live die repeat one).
Anyhow great episode and looking forward to this season.
I enjoyed it, a welcome return. And I'm glad the "guests" section has gone...thank goodness for that.
However, I don't "get" the way Stigette Abbie does her lap. Clearly they can't have an anonymous "Stig" as it's too BBC, so they give you just enough in terms of a shot of her eyes, a quick "let's do this" (or words of similar effect from her) as she sets off, and that's it.
She's clearly an incredible driver...I'd love to hear either some feedback from her during the drive, or a 30 second rundown of the car in the studio as the time goes up. How does a real pro like her think one small British car company (McLaren) was able to comprehensively destroy another (Aston) on the lap times? There's opportunity for a bit of her taking the mick out of JC and perhaps telling him he was wrong about some stuff, or perhaps saying the the Vulcan is, I dunno, better at endurance racing or it's faster top end or something or with incredible turn in or whatever.
And, come on, let's face it, 30 seconds of looking at Abbie as an attractive female who could drive the arse off 99.999% of the teenage boys to middle aged men who are probably the show's main demographic audience, would make an welcome relief to looking at May's teeth, Hammon's "hair" and JC's gut for 30 seconds. And I'm not being sexist or anything, the fact that we'd all want to hear her feedback on the cars nullifies that immediately.
I really like when Harris gives feedback on cars during a hot lap...why can't Abbie?
However, I don't "get" the way Stigette Abbie does her lap. Clearly they can't have an anonymous "Stig" as it's too BBC, so they give you just enough in terms of a shot of her eyes, a quick "let's do this" (or words of similar effect from her) as she sets off, and that's it.
She's clearly an incredible driver...I'd love to hear either some feedback from her during the drive, or a 30 second rundown of the car in the studio as the time goes up. How does a real pro like her think one small British car company (McLaren) was able to comprehensively destroy another (Aston) on the lap times? There's opportunity for a bit of her taking the mick out of JC and perhaps telling him he was wrong about some stuff, or perhaps saying the the Vulcan is, I dunno, better at endurance racing or it's faster top end or something or with incredible turn in or whatever.
And, come on, let's face it, 30 seconds of looking at Abbie as an attractive female who could drive the arse off 99.999% of the teenage boys to middle aged men who are probably the show's main demographic audience, would make an welcome relief to looking at May's teeth, Hammon's "hair" and JC's gut for 30 seconds. And I'm not being sexist or anything, the fact that we'd all want to hear her feedback on the cars nullifies that immediately.
I really like when Harris gives feedback on cars during a hot lap...why can't Abbie?
Although the 'cast' are now looking VERY old & have put on considerable weight, I found this show very watchable & a good antidote to the PC rubbish all over normal TV, particularly the BBC.
I dread to think what their budget was for this series, but apparently the previous shows not only turned decent profit, they were also the most illegally downloaded/hacked. Amazon must be doing something right.
I dread to think what their budget was for this series, but apparently the previous shows not only turned decent profit, they were also the most illegally downloaded/hacked. Amazon must be doing something right.
PositronicRay said:
Lord Marylebone said:
macushla said:
Houses like this exist because land isn’t scarce in the US. They can simply abandon an area and leave it rot whilst developing a brand new million acres a few miles up the road. We can’t comprehend that because we can’t think in terms of their space. Nobody in the US bats an eyelid at a 50 mile each way daily commute
Indeed.We have no concept of long distance in this country, because the UK is tiny.
It boils my piss when you are trying to sell a nice car, and someone won’t come and look at it because it’s 3 hours drive away from them, and apparently “too far”.
I have family in the US, and the last time I was staying at their house, they asked if we would like to visit a proper hillbilly ‘County Fair’ with rodeo riding, monster trucks, corn dogs, and filled with people named Cletus.
Of course we said we would like to go, and my cousin told me it wasn’t far at all, just in the next town along the highway from where they lived.
It was at least a 2 hour drive at a constant 70mph or so.
Didn’t bother me at all, but many little Englanders would have their heads explode at the thought of a 4 hour round trip just to go to a local fair.
2 hours in the UK you can be in a different county, city, country, landscape. One of the benefits of our Isle.
Hard-Drive said:
I enjoyed it, a welcome return. And I'm glad the "guests" section has gone...thank goodness for that.
However, I don't "get" the way Stigette Abbie does her lap. Clearly they can't have an anonymous "Stig" as it's too BBC, so they give you just enough in terms of a shot of her eyes, a quick "let's do this" (or words of similar effect from her) as she sets off, and that's it.
She's clearly an incredible driver...I'd love to hear either some feedback from her during the drive, or a 30 second rundown of the car in the studio as the time goes up. How does a real pro like her think one small British car company (McLaren) was able to comprehensively destroy another (Aston) on the lap times? There's opportunity for a bit of her taking the mick out of JC and perhaps telling him he was wrong about some stuff, or perhaps saying the the Vulcan is, I dunno, better at endurance racing or it's faster top end or something or with incredible turn in or whatever.
And, come on, let's face it, 30 seconds of looking at Abbie as an attractive female who could drive the arse off 99.999% of the teenage boys to middle aged men who are probably the show's main demographic audience, would make an welcome relief to looking at May's teeth, Hammon's "hair" and JC's gut for 30 seconds. And I'm not being sexist or anything, the fact that we'd all want to hear her feedback on the cars nullifies that immediately.
I really like when Harris gives feedback on cars during a hot lap...why can't Abbie?
A somewhat hagiographic point of view, to say the least... However, I don't "get" the way Stigette Abbie does her lap. Clearly they can't have an anonymous "Stig" as it's too BBC, so they give you just enough in terms of a shot of her eyes, a quick "let's do this" (or words of similar effect from her) as she sets off, and that's it.
She's clearly an incredible driver...I'd love to hear either some feedback from her during the drive, or a 30 second rundown of the car in the studio as the time goes up. How does a real pro like her think one small British car company (McLaren) was able to comprehensively destroy another (Aston) on the lap times? There's opportunity for a bit of her taking the mick out of JC and perhaps telling him he was wrong about some stuff, or perhaps saying the the Vulcan is, I dunno, better at endurance racing or it's faster top end or something or with incredible turn in or whatever.
And, come on, let's face it, 30 seconds of looking at Abbie as an attractive female who could drive the arse off 99.999% of the teenage boys to middle aged men who are probably the show's main demographic audience, would make an welcome relief to looking at May's teeth, Hammon's "hair" and JC's gut for 30 seconds. And I'm not being sexist or anything, the fact that we'd all want to hear her feedback on the cars nullifies that immediately.
I really like when Harris gives feedback on cars during a hot lap...why can't Abbie?
I, for one, would have no interest in listening to a racing driver talk about driving a car, "taking the mick" out of somebody or offering her opinon on the relative merit of various British car manufacturers.
It sounds like you want to get rid of the guest section so that she can be the only guest on the guest section.
Biker 1 said:
I dread to think what their budget was for this series, but apparently the previous shows not only turned decent profit, they were also the most illegally downloaded/hacked. Amazon must be doing something right.
I thought that was a good show, back on form and certainly re-watchable. some proper laughs in there too. They're obviously listening to feedback too and ditching the guest slot was a good move. And aren't they ditching the tent totally next season and moving to what they do best - specials?As to the cost - I did notice that last night when I watched it (I've been away) - it looks like it cost a fortune just for the photography alone, it looked stunning.
As to Detroit, what a fascinating looking place, I'd love to visit. Back in it's heyday all those suburbs must have been beautiful, looks like it was a lovely place to live. Having said that with some work a lot of those places still look like they'd be nice. It'll be back.
Dog Star said:
As to the cost - I did notice that last night when I watched it (I've been away) - it looks like it cost a fortune just for the photography alone, it looked stunning.
Yes, it appears they've taken a step forward in that regard. They've now caught back up to where the BBC have been with the last two series of TG, in terms of videography.Clockwork Cupcake said:
I'm not really sure how you not liking it rains on the parade of those who did. 
"Oh noes! Someone has a different opinion to me! My parade is rained upon! I can no longer hold my opinion as The Arbiter has disagreed with it"
Had to go back a few pages but is "The Arbiter" going to be the next special edition Mustang perhaps?"Oh noes! Someone has a different opinion to me! My parade is rained upon! I can no longer hold my opinion as The Arbiter has disagreed with it"
One thing I noticed about this weeks episode, they VT's are completely and unashamedly using the same cinematography tricks they used on Top Gear.
Hardly surprising given that they took most of the production staff from TG to TGT, but I guess they've stopped worrying that the BBC is going to sue them.
I've seen a few things from the old TG sneaking back in, in a just slightly modified enough to please the lawyers kind of way.
Also, I'm probably the only one that kind of liked the guest segment. Sure there were bad ones, but others were quite good. It was the same with SIARPC though.
Hardly surprising given that they took most of the production staff from TG to TGT, but I guess they've stopped worrying that the BBC is going to sue them.
I've seen a few things from the old TG sneaking back in, in a just slightly modified enough to please the lawyers kind of way.
Also, I'm probably the only one that kind of liked the guest segment. Sure there were bad ones, but others were quite good. It was the same with SIARPC though.
captain_cynic said:
One thing I noticed about this weeks episode, they VT's are completely and unashamedly using the same cinematography tricks they used on Top Gear.
Hardly surprising given that they took most of the production staff from TG to TGT, but I guess they've stopped worrying that the BBC is going to sue them.
I've seen a few things from the old TG sneaking back in, in a just slightly modified enough to please the lawyers kind of way.
Also, I'm probably the only one that kind of liked the guest segment. Sure there were bad ones, but others were quite good. It was the same with SIARPC though.
All the best episodes of TGT is when it's felt like watching TG. Hardly surprising given that they took most of the production staff from TG to TGT, but I guess they've stopped worrying that the BBC is going to sue them.
I've seen a few things from the old TG sneaking back in, in a just slightly modified enough to please the lawyers kind of way.
Also, I'm probably the only one that kind of liked the guest segment. Sure there were bad ones, but others were quite good. It was the same with SIARPC though.
Just about everything new they've added to the show have been the parts that have detracted from it. At least they've been dropping their new ideas and reverting back to their old ways.
It was ok but they dragged a lot of the sequences out.Less varied content required. More money for the belly.
All 3 of them can offer cleverer insights and comments but due to the fact we are globalized and they have to sell the show around the world they make safe easy to understand comments.
The celeb on a sofa bits are dross really and probably the most tedious bit to do with all the scheduling and making sure the warbling/rich idiots dont kill themselves. Bye bye and good riddance to that.
The future looks good as the travelog style is the best thing about it. Wish they would actually interact with people
where they are. Just look like the usual panic stricken white folk clumping together in a party of fellow tubby tourists.
If the BBc were brave they could make a really good top gear show but they suffer from thier own self inflicted culture of celeb worship and pandering to the lowest denominator.
All 3 of them can offer cleverer insights and comments but due to the fact we are globalized and they have to sell the show around the world they make safe easy to understand comments.
The celeb on a sofa bits are dross really and probably the most tedious bit to do with all the scheduling and making sure the warbling/rich idiots dont kill themselves. Bye bye and good riddance to that.
The future looks good as the travelog style is the best thing about it. Wish they would actually interact with people
where they are. Just look like the usual panic stricken white folk clumping together in a party of fellow tubby tourists.
If the BBc were brave they could make a really good top gear show but they suffer from thier own self inflicted culture of celeb worship and pandering to the lowest denominator.
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