Whatever happened to Top Gear
Discussion
Like everybody else I was shocked and saddened to hear about Richard's accident but it did make think about Top Gear; which is something I haven't done much of recently.
Time was I could set my natural body clock by Top Gear, I would naturally gravitate to the TV......
Those days are gone now, if I notice the time and am not doing anything else then I'll sit down and watch it. After the show I'll usually wonder why I did, it's become boring and mundane. Watching a staged caravan inferno is right up there with "Some mothers do 'ave em" or some other 70's comedy series.
Don't get me wrong... I want the show to go on (I signed the petition) but it might be an opportune moment to reflect on the format and content.
I'm not sure what's missing, the budget supercars breaking down, the head-on collision between two radio controlled cars all struck the motoring nerve but turning cars into boats and burning caravans just seemed a bit 'norwegian' to me.
Time was I could set my natural body clock by Top Gear, I would naturally gravitate to the TV......
Those days are gone now, if I notice the time and am not doing anything else then I'll sit down and watch it. After the show I'll usually wonder why I did, it's become boring and mundane. Watching a staged caravan inferno is right up there with "Some mothers do 'ave em" or some other 70's comedy series.
Don't get me wrong... I want the show to go on (I signed the petition) but it might be an opportune moment to reflect on the format and content.
I'm not sure what's missing, the budget supercars breaking down, the head-on collision between two radio controlled cars all struck the motoring nerve but turning cars into boats and burning caravans just seemed a bit 'norwegian' to me.
I agree..though some things are "funny" I rahter like to see them driving and talking about special cars
and when they don't have money for new cars then please look ad some older special cars(not to old) and take them in the show.
Do some more revieuws and tests...get some older cars on the Top Gear track just to see what yesterday can do against today
like older E30 M3 or M5 or older golf gti or..well a lot of yesterday fast cars and bring some back on show to fill up the gaps! that sort items are way better then making a boat or crash a car! stupid! do that in another show, Top Gear must be for cars...sporty cars please and car test and + and - about them or show the car factories and or some historie...do I need to tel you? 
GTRene
and when they don't have money for new cars then please look ad some older special cars(not to old) and take them in the show. Do some more revieuws and tests...get some older cars on the Top Gear track just to see what yesterday can do against today
like older E30 M3 or M5 or older golf gti or..well a lot of yesterday fast cars and bring some back on show to fill up the gaps! that sort items are way better then making a boat or crash a car! stupid! do that in another show, Top Gear must be for cars...sporty cars please and car test and + and - about them or show the car factories and or some historie...do I need to tel you? GTRene
klassiekerrally said:
They don't need to have just sportscars in the show: Jeremy complaining about the first Vectra is classic and very amusing.
Indeed
ofcorse those stories and some examples are welcome but not the crap stuff give that to another car programe...at least not to much crap... GTRene
My Dad now describes it as a "lads' mag on wheels". It's a shame that they are so focussed on lap times and sillies as the dynamic between the three presenters is spot on, the non-PC banter refreshing, and some very sweet metal sandwiched in there too.
Fully agree some more old vs new would be good. I'd also like to see more single range reviews; take a model, like the Golf, and compare three (of course) samples - the base, midrange, & aspirational variants. Plus comments on less than useful stuff that's creeping into cars these days; just how many cup-holders do you need? (All the ones in my Panda are in name only as they're so shallow even the slightest corner sends the 'held' item well & truly unheld.)
Have to say the recent trend of filtering the picture so the corners fade to black has become very stale - & Fifth Gear have started to do it now as well. Please use all the real-estate!
Fully agree some more old vs new would be good. I'd also like to see more single range reviews; take a model, like the Golf, and compare three (of course) samples - the base, midrange, & aspirational variants. Plus comments on less than useful stuff that's creeping into cars these days; just how many cup-holders do you need? (All the ones in my Panda are in name only as they're so shallow even the slightest corner sends the 'held' item well & truly unheld.)
Have to say the recent trend of filtering the picture so the corners fade to black has become very stale - & Fifth Gear have started to do it now as well. Please use all the real-estate!
Razo said:
I think with top gear, i's a case of the target audience evolving and broadening,
In other words, they've got to keep everyone happy by pretty much throwing in stuff to interest all age ranges,
I think it's cool.
In other words, they've got to keep everyone happy by pretty much throwing in stuff to interest all age ranges,
I think it's cool.
I do agree that they're trying to keep everyone happy with the evolving format... I guess for me it doesn't work to try and be all things to all people. My wife always thought it was boring... she still thinks it's boring and now sadly so do I.
There's never going to be a market for a Jonathon Ross Chat Show on Wheels... so why try?
I think the beauty of BBC2 is that they are able to use licence payers money to create the shows that wouldn't otherwise be viable... if all TV was based on viewer audience (commercial opportunity) then we would be condemned to a diet of Big Brother and the X-Factor; at that point you may as well just give up on life!
Top Gear is about much more than BBC2. It transmits to a massive market, where the cars are the dressing for the entertainment - not necessarily directly relevant to the watcher.
I entirely agree, the best content is the insightful studies, the histories and the (limited) technical discussion. My wife puts up with that content while I sit, entranced, and then we both laugh at the antics of the team. Sunday nights would be a much more fractured affair in the Cameron household if the content became more focused. She even cares about the cool wall, and lap times.
Believe me, that's a huge achievement!
I entirely agree, the best content is the insightful studies, the histories and the (limited) technical discussion. My wife puts up with that content while I sit, entranced, and then we both laugh at the antics of the team. Sunday nights would be a much more fractured affair in the Cameron household if the content became more focused. She even cares about the cool wall, and lap times.
Believe me, that's a huge achievement!
It's entertainment, and it's about the only thing on TV that makes me laugh out loud, ever. If you want a motoring show that helps you decide which family car to buy, watch 5th gear or pulling power or buy a copy of Which Car. IMO. At the moment we have choice - if Top Gear went back to being just like the other dull motoring shows, there would be less choice in the world. Which is a bad thing.
I'll tell you what happened..."Top Gear" became a vehicle for Jeremy Clarkson's ego. Insulting behaviour towards the audience and rudeness about various topics, is of limited entertainment value once the novelty's worn off.
Both the Jeremy Clarkson Show and "Fifth Gear" are degenerating into cringe TV.
Both the Jeremy Clarkson Show and "Fifth Gear" are degenerating into cringe TV.
Top Gear has got more girls into cars. Even my girlfriend loves it and now knows all sorts about cars - both from the show and now actually engaging in discussion with me, rather than listening to me harping on about cars all the time. She also even wound down her window to hear a Tuscan go past the other day! So Top Gear, I salute you!
bmcgran said:
I'm not sure what's missing, the budget supercars breaking down, the head-on collision between two radio controlled cars all struck the motoring nerve but turning cars into boats and burning caravans just seemed a bit 'norwegian' to me.
What do You mean by "norwegian"??
Hi, I'm new here today but I was glad to see bmcgran's comments on Top Gear.
I thought I was the only one to get very quickly bored with the current format!
I've watched the show since Desmond Wilcox and Ray Baxter presented it and I can say that my attention span for it has never been lower. That celebrity track thing is Ok and the idea of sitting on scrapyard upholstery is fun enough but once you've seen one supercar head to head you've seen 'em all and subjects are rarely done in enough detail to hold my interest. Generally it has become too laddish and immature.
Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't want to see it fold but perhaps they need a producer who can stand up to Clarkson's petulence. Entertainer though he is.
Over 50 I have to accept that I am probably not the sort of audience they are looking for but I'm with the days that Wilson was alongside Clarkson and we had all that 'hovercam' filming.
I thought I was the only one to get very quickly bored with the current format!
I've watched the show since Desmond Wilcox and Ray Baxter presented it and I can say that my attention span for it has never been lower. That celebrity track thing is Ok and the idea of sitting on scrapyard upholstery is fun enough but once you've seen one supercar head to head you've seen 'em all and subjects are rarely done in enough detail to hold my interest. Generally it has become too laddish and immature.
Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't want to see it fold but perhaps they need a producer who can stand up to Clarkson's petulence. Entertainer though he is.
Over 50 I have to accept that I am probably not the sort of audience they are looking for but I'm with the days that Wilson was alongside Clarkson and we had all that 'hovercam' filming.
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