BBC Top Gear 2017 Thread
Discussion
AndrewEH1 said:
.. plus a little meta BBC humour too.
Having the BBC as the 'stern overseer/schoolmaster/establishment type figure' is a bonus for the TG team, and they can use the dynamic of their relationship with head-office to push the boundaries in a way, and create situations that the TGT team couldn't. I'm looking forward to it!AndrewEH1 said:
Perhaps we should wait until the first episode or so and see who is the most right?
Where's the fun in that?! The first page of this thread has reminded my why I can't stand the TG / GT threads so I'm afraid I'll continue to avoid them in the future. I'll watch the show, there will be bits I like, bits I don't but I'll leave it at that and not get too upset if it isn't 100% to my liking every week
PH XKR said:
As for Chris Evans, I thought he did a great job but like a bunch of spoilt school kids he got bullied by the "fans"
Ironic that you mention schoolkids because Evan's brought the same worn-out sleb-fest formula to Top Gear that he had been using since TV Mayhem - a morning show for schoolkids!
BTW did you know he had Charlene Spiteri on his radio show as a guest last week. I don't know why he doesn't just put her on his payroll.
Going back on-topic, I genuinely thought that they'd ditched Jordan and Schmitz because there was nothing of them in the preview clips. Hopefully their appearances will be brief. I've nothing against them but they add nothing to the show that it doesn't already have with the other three plus the Stig. Sabine is just Stig with a face, which is kind of misses the point IMO, and Eddie works better in a live setting when you don't know what he's going to come out with.
Edited by r11co on Sunday 12th February 07:59
rory and chris harris - both of them have a style that just works with me, i enjoy pretty much everything i've seen either of them in. Matt is ok - I can see more focus on decent reviews sprinkled around some scripted 'adventures' - i am happy with that.
As for what is better - who cares? we now have two car shows which are good for their own reasons. Happy days
As for what is better - who cares? we now have two car shows which are good for their own reasons. Happy days
Escort3500 said:
So, the inevitable criticism that the format looks to be the same as the old TG. So what do we think it should include? Serious question - what would make it better?
The fact that the 'format' has been repeated in several other countries with their own three presenters pretty much defines that Top Gear is that format, so I wouldn't be hurrying to change too much of it in one go.With hindsight (apart from him being an annoying cock to many people) one of the main problems when Evans was in charge is that he tinkered too much with established parts of the show using his usual 'more is better' approach - more presenters, more celebrities, more off-roading in the SIARPC segment (because the old guys used to love showing clips of people taking the car across the grass, yeah!?), more cheering, more clapping etc. etc.
Three engaging people talking passionately about cars, with some genuine chemistry between them and an affinity with the audience is what made Top Gear the world-wide phenomenon it was. Time to get back to that with some 'new' faces.
r11co said:
Escort3500 said:
So, the inevitable criticism that the format looks to be the same as the old TG. So what do we think it should include? Serious question - what would make it better?
The fact that the 'format' has been repeated in several other countries with their own three presenters pretty much defines that Top Gear is that format, so I wouldn't be hurrying to change too much of it in one go.With hindsight (apart from him being an annoying cock to many people) one of the main problems when Evans was in charge is that he tinkered too much with established parts of the show using his usual 'more is better' approach - more presenters, more celebrities, more off-roading in the SIARPC segment (because the old guys used to love showing clips of people taking the car across the grass, yeah!?), more cheering, more clapping etc. etc.
Three engaging people talking passionately about cars, with some genuine chemistry between them and an affinity with the audience is what made Top Gear the world-wide phenomenon it was. Time to get back to that with some 'new' faces.
I suspect this season is make or break for the show.
98elise said:
The problem is the overseas versions have never really taken off like UK top gear.
I suspect this season is make or break for the show.
I've been watching US TG, and though they had the budget and the ideas it just doesn't have the appeal of the British version; it's entertaining enough I suppose, but something is missing.I suspect this season is make or break for the show.
I think British TG worked because of the overall combination of chemistry between the presenters, the music, the subtlety, the goofs and the irony sprinkled throughout.
With the right producer I think the new team can do well.
If they don't this time, then yes, I can see it disappearing.
98elise said:
The problem is the overseas versions have never really taken off like UK top gear. I'm not sure why 3 new blokes in the UK version will be a sales sucess overseas. That will mean a loss of revenue, and either the bugets will be cut, or the show binned.
Fair point, but that's why it has to start with the premise that it is presenters who can talk passionately about cars in an engaging way. So what if the budget is cut - what a lot of people forget is that Top Gear Mk2 established itself without the road-trips and international specials. They came later as the budget was ramped up as a 'reward' for earlier success with the aim to grow bigger - it was never the premise of the show.Going back to Evan's tenure for a minute that's another one of the big mistakes he made - he thought that road-trips and tomfoolery and expensive camerawork were the mark of the show rather than the icing on the cake. His opening show road-trip-to-Blackpool-in Reliant-3-Wheelers-America-versus-UK-thing still makes no sense now when you look back on it, except as a totally misjudged attempt to throw every Top Gear cliche into the basket at the first attempt, with bells on.
The joking-around is a big part of the mass appeal for sure, but the glue that holds it together is the presenters' genuine, sincere shared interest in cars and car culture, and the thing the last series was most guilty of was seriously diluting that.
You've only got to take a look at a show like Jay Leno's garage to realise that he's not faking his passion and knowledge, nor his relationships with the guests who are there because of their love of cars or bikes - not to plug their latest film or stroke his ego. It doesn't have to be windscreen wipers and boot capacity either - just fun, interesting stuff that kind of revolves around cars.
Edited by r11co on Sunday 12th February 12:48
Wobbegong said:
I didn't think Evans was that bad in fairness. The new group just needed time to gel and I feel they'd have worked much better in the second series.
Glad to have the option of The Grand Tour and Top Gear. Can't have too many car shows
Maybe you didn't mind Evan's presenting, as the new producer he was responsible for the ruining the format. Too many presenters, crap guests, not funny, new SIARPC etc.Glad to have the option of The Grand Tour and Top Gear. Can't have too many car shows
Escort3500 said:
So, the inevitable criticism that the format looks to be the same as the old TG. So what do we think it should include? Serious question - what would make it better?
To me that IS Top Gear.The fault Grand Tour had was they could have done literally anything. But then, in the main, made a bad version of their old show. Over scripting, unfunny comedy you get the gist.
Hopefully GT S02 will address that
r11co said:
98elise said:
The problem is the overseas versions have never really taken off like UK top gear. I'm not sure why 3 new blokes in the UK version will be a sales sucess overseas. That will mean a loss of revenue, and either the bugets will be cut, or the show binned.
Fair point, but that's why it has to start with the premise that it is presenters who can talk passionately about cars in an engaging way. So what if the budget is cut - what a lot of people forget is that Top Gear Mk2 established itself without the road-trips and international specials. They came later as the budget was ramped up as a 'reward' for earlier success with the aim to grow bigger - it was never the premise of the show.Going back to Evan's tenure for a minute that's another one of the big mistakes he made - he thought that road-trips and tomfoolery and expensive camerawork were the mark of the show rather than the icing on the cake. His opening show road-trip-to-Blackpool-in Reliant-3-Wheelers-America-versus-UK-thing still makes no sense now when you look back on it, except as a totally misjudged attempt to throw every Top Gear cliche into the basket at the first attempt, with bells on.
The joking-around is a big part of the mass appeal for sure, but the glue that holds it together is the presenters' genuine, sincere shared interest in cars and car culture, and the thing the last series was most guilty of was seriously diluting that.
You've only got to take a look at a show like Jay Leno's garage to realise that he's not faking his passion and knowledge, nor his relationships with the guests who are there because of their love of cars or bikes - not to plug their latest film or stroke his ego. It doesn't have to be windscreen wipers and boot capacity either - just fun, interesting stuff that kind of revolves around cars.
Edited by r11co on Sunday 12th February 12:48
Unfortunately I don't think the latest line up will be entertaining, no matter how good Chris Harris is behind the wheel, i find watching somone drive a car competently to be quite dull. Worse still i didn't enjoy Grand Tour enough to warrant another subscription, so I gave up on that too.
On the upside Jay Lenos garage has been excelent and is now my car program of choice
98elise said:
The problem with budget cuts is you end up with Fifth Gear.
It's not as simple as that, as your closing point proves...98elise said:
On the upside Jay Lenos garage has been excelent and is now my car program of choice
Jay Leno's Garage is made on a shoestring budget. You've pretty much proved my point that it is the character of the presenter that makes the show.Fifth Gear's problem was that it started as a committee's attempt to update old Top Gear, and then when old new Top Gear took off it was forever playing catchup. Too many presnters and too much diversification in format and features meant it never really established itself.
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