Top Gear

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Mon 19 Mar 2018 18:21
Top Gear - Leif
Saw Top Gear last night, with Leblanc, Chris and Rory and really enjoyed it. A few very funny moments, and I really liked the films. Chasing the U2 plane was clever, and Rory’s Korean reviews were very watchable. I even liked the 2CV film, although I’m sure James May did something very similar.

I watched the World a Tour too, but many times I got bored half way through, and turned it off, only to finish watching a week later. It seems to be struggling to find its mojo. A bit too childish, or puerile. Not enough humour.
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Mon 19 Mar 2018 18:55
Top Gear - nellyjak

I think Top Gear is watchable...but it just isn't the same....even though I confess there are some humerous moments.

I wish they had gone for a completely different format rather than trying to "copy" what had gone before.

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Mon 19 Mar 2018 19:07
Top Gear - Leif
You’re right it’s not the same, it’s more like TG before Clarkson (BC) with a bit of humour thrown in.
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Mon 19 Mar 2018 20:57
Top Gear - Finguz

I totally agree, it's not the same, and that's why I enjoy it now. Clarkson was the reason I didn't watch it before.

I'm not overly keen on Le Blanc either, but he's easier to ignore than the lanky bigot.

Edited by Finguz on 19/03/2018 at 20:57

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Mon 19 Mar 2018 21:14
Top Gear - daveyK_UK

I watched the new top gear for the first time and found it boring.

Le Blanc doesnt work and the other 2 presenters are awful

its so obvious they are trying to copy Clarkson, May and the other one but they are making a hash of it and its too forced and fake.

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Mon 19 Mar 2018 21:26
Top Gear - badbusdriver

I did enjoy the first part of the Dodge demon feature (0-60 in 2.3 seconds!), but the second part, with the plane, seemed a bit false. I'm sure it must have been pretty awesome following the plane down the runway that closely, but Matt didn't seem to be providing any useful info to the pilot.

Similar thing with the 2CV feature, i did enjoy the first part, but i didn't buy the 'race' at all. I watch touring car racing, and with the full success ballast (75kg) it does make a noticable difference to the performance, and that is with 350+bhp. So i don't believe for a minute that the Top Gear 'team' would have been anywhere other than last place without it being staged. The racing 2CV's had 50bhp, probably weighed less than 500kg, so adding in an extra body (say 90kg?), would have made an enormous difference to the cars performance, especially accelerating out of the corners.

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Mon 19 Mar 2018 22:01
Top Gear - Trilogy.

Top Gear is certainly better than the boring TGT.

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Mon 19 Mar 2018 22:46
Top Gear - Chris Miller

Other way round for me. There's zero chemistry between the new TG presenters.

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Mon 19 Mar 2018 22:43
Top Gear - SLO76
Didn’t think they’d manage it but they really do seem to have found three replacements who bounce well off each other. Different characters and all three total petrol heads in different ways. I’m enjoying it but sad to see Clarkson and co stoop to basic child like ‘humour’ in the TGT. It has its moments but they’re just not finding their mojo at all. Might be the need to appeal to the less sophisticated sense of humour of their new largest target audience, the USA.
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Mon 19 Mar 2018 23:31
Top Gear - veloceman
Totally agree about top gear, should have been reborn with a new format.
- watchable but s littke dull.
As for TGT. After losing some daft (even for me) celeb stuff from the first series the second is better.
Personally I think the studio based shows are too false with the guys appearing to try too hard.
Challenges away from the studio bring out the natural banter between the three of them.
Can go from cringe worthy to clever week on week.
Would prefer a bit more consistency.

My son loves both - thinks they are brilliant. - he’s 15.
Maybe that’s that explains everything!
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Tue 20 Mar 2018 12:35
Top Gear - Snakey

I'd agree the second series of TGT was far better, and had a lot of the chemistry of old TG.

New TG I just can't get away with. Why was it decided an american was the best choice for this, presumably so the BBC can milk the US market.

Edited by Snakey on 20/03/2018 at 12:35

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Tue 20 Mar 2018 12:44
Top Gear - Gibbo_Wirral

The show's executive team have built a rod for their own backs with the challenges. They were once end of season specials. Now they have to have them every week, and ideas are sadly running out.

At least BBCs are more enjoyable with new faces and their quirks, and I much prefer that than the tired, old forgettable ones with Clarkson and co. on The Grand Tour.

And I get the impression Reid, Harris and Le Blanc know far more about cars than Hammond (wasn't he a local DJ?)

Edited by Gibbo_Wirral on 20/03/2018 at 12:46

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Tue 20 Mar 2018 15:57
Top Gear - Steveieb
Really can't stand the new TG and in particular the presenters .
Why on earth did the BBC choose Chris Evans and Matt Le Blanc and pay them vast sums of money and give the show the kiss of death.

Channel 4 reinvented the Bake Off and pulled it off using the old format but with better presenters. But the BBC seem to have to compromise so not to upset the accepted balance. Pc rules again .

I'd like to see the TG team presenting Live in Germany and other overseas venues and see what reception they would have , especially in Germany, which TGT did magnificently.

The BBC totally mishandled the discaplinary case against Clarkson , IMHO he should have been given a six months suspension perhaps and then business as usual. Now we are all faced with a BBC with hundreds of millions less income from overseas countries and the corresponding downgrading of public service tv shows .
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Tue 20 Mar 2018 16:01
Top Gear - 72 dudes
Really can't stand the new TG and in particular the presenters . Why on earth did the BBC choose Chris Evans and Matt Le Blanc and pay them vast sums of money and give the show the kiss of death.

You know that Chris Evans was fired after the first series, right?

The current 3 presenters are OK and as it's one of the few shows on TV involving cars, I'll continue to watch it. For now.

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Tue 20 Mar 2018 16:12
Top Gear - Steveieb
Perhaps the BBC chose the wrong person to fire.

TG is a British show and IMHO do we need an American presenter?
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Tue 20 Mar 2018 16:45
Top Gear - corax

Bring back Chris Goffey and William Woolard I say....

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Tue 20 Mar 2018 17:49
Top Gear - Trilogy.

and Noel Edmonds, Quentin Wilson and VB-H.

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Tue 20 Mar 2018 18:52
Top Gear - Steveieb
Perhaps we are overlooking the fact that Top Gear have lost Andy Willman who developed the show with Clarkson.

He jumped ship with the other three to produce the Grand Tour.

Clarkson has said that Jeff Bezzos who owns Amazon doesn't interfere with the show , unlike the BBC and has given them a 4million dollar budget for each show , which covers hot meals in the evening.
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Tue 20 Mar 2018 18:37
Top Gear - bluezzr1100

William Woolard- the man who never finished a sentence. Some say he is still going even now without a full stop in sight!

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Tue 20 Mar 2018 18:38
Top Gear - Trilogy.
IMHO he should have been given a six months suspension perhaps and then business as usual. Now we are all faced with a BBC with hundreds of millions less income from overseas countries and the corresponding downgrading of public service tv shows .

6 months suspension from what? I believe he was on a final warning.

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Tue 20 Mar 2018 18:34
Top Gear - bluezzr1100

I agree

The old crew was good and the new one has taken a while to find its feet but they seem to have got there. I have watched a couple of Grand Tour shows but as you say it was boring to my mind anyway

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Tue 20 Mar 2018 19:11
Top Gear - nellyjak

I'm old enough to remember one of the very first car shows/series to be aired on BBC,...it was called .."Wheelbase"...IIRC a chap called Gordon something or other hosted it.

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Tue 20 Mar 2018 22:15
Top Gear - Terry W

The old BBC show relied upon the relationship and characters of Jezza, James and Richard. It was creative, somewhat opinionated and partly unscripted. The BBC have tried to recreate the old show but the presenters do not gel well.

Amazon have similarly tried to create a show with the original presenters but is sanitised to make it accepable to an international audience and over scripted.

Both new show are markedly poorer than the original having variously lost creative spirit in pursuit of political correctness, presenter relationship diminished, lack of genuinely new ideas, reliance on inadequately re-creating the original format. I get the impression that the financial package dominated the decision of Clarkson and co to go with Amazon.

Peronally as a piece of TV it has gone from a must watch to "can I be bothered to fire up the TV". Time has moved on - the petrol head "it needs 8 cylinders and a sub 6 sec 0-60" is becoming a vanishing breed. Even with the old team the show needed to evolve!

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Tue 20 Mar 2018 22:49
Top Gear - Trilogy.

Interesting to read Road and Track's summary of Top Gear.

www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/entertainment/a19.../

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Wed 21 Mar 2018 05:58
Top Gear - veloceman
Personally I think the producton on TGT is stunning.
Filming, locations and sound all in 5:1.
Admittedly the three are all looking tired now.

As for TG. I think we could better than Le Blanc.
But much better than being shouted at by Evans and his poor efforts at humour.

Its a shame 5th Gear is no more.
Far more relevant and about everyday car stuff.
Plato, Tiff and VBH.
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Wed 21 Mar 2018 07:57
Top Gear - Trilogy.

I used to forget 5th gear existed so never watched it.

Matt Le Blanc is only on TG because Chis Evans wanted him there. Wonder what'shappened to Sabine?

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Wed 21 Mar 2018 08:20
Top Gear - SLO76
I miss 5th gear, it was a genuine car show though latterly they were trying to introduce a bit too much Top Gear silliness. I liked both but for different reasons. Ditto earlier UK Wheeler Dealers. Also enjoyed Used Car Wars on Dave which reminded me of the idiotic antics we used to get up to inbetween punters. During the week especially you had loads of time to burn by harassing and playing tricks on the mechanics, valet shop staff and the admin team.
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Wed 21 Mar 2018 08:20
Top Gear - daveyjp

Matt Le Blanc is only on TG because Chis Evans wanted him there. Wonder what'shappened to Sabine?

Preview yesterday showed Sabine is back this week.

I don't think I have watched a full episode of this series - I lose interest after the first 15-20 minutes. The format is tired and the presenters aren't a unit. The obsession with the US is also tiresome.

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Wed 21 Mar 2018 08:34
Top Gear - Trilogy.

She seems under used.

Not bothered about US features. Think a Ginny Buckley or VB-H in the team would have been a good idea.

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Wed 21 Mar 2018 09:03
Top Gear - nellyjak

TG actually improved...once they had dispensed with the ginger fella...Evans and televison just don't mix IMO.

I am biased though...I've never quite understood his "popularity"...for me, just an overpaid, talentless, very lucky boy.

I certainly wouldn't mind seeing a better gender balance on TG tbh...being a petrol head or having a serious interest in cars/motoring certainly isn't restricted to the male gender these days.

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Wed 21 Mar 2018 13:35
Top Gear - Trilogy.

TG actually improved...once they had dispensed with the ginger fella...Evans and televison just don't mix IMO.

I am biased though...I've never quite understood his "popularity"...for me, just an overpaid, talentless, very lucky boy.

I can't stand Evans if I can see him, not too bad on the radio but does talk too much.

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Wed 21 Mar 2018 09:15
Top Gear - veloceman
I watch them all.
TG, TGT, Car SOS, Wheeler Dealers and 5th Gear reruns.

Never really been into Yank cars, but also watch Fast and Loud, Counts Kustoms, Misfit Garage
And Chasing Classic cars.
After which I can see the attraction. Massive they may be and no good for our roads but they have a kind of elegance.

Looking forward to my first trip to California with my lad in the summer.
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Wed 21 Mar 2018 11:08
Top Gear - corax

There was another one on Channel 4 called the Used Car Roadshow with Penny Mallory, Jason Dawes and Mike Brewer. Apart from Brewers habit of 'checking interior build quality' by elbowing the door trim, I enjoyed it.

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Wed 21 Mar 2018 12:20
Top Gear - Gibbo_Wirral

There was another one on Channel 4 called the Used Car Roadshow with Penny Mallory, Jason Dawes and Mike Brewer. Apart from Brewers habit of 'checking interior build quality' by elbowing the door trim, I enjoyed it.

Yep, "Driven". Great show. Brewer then took his segment where he bought a car and sold it for a profit into the successful Wheeler Dealers.

Interesting to see the presenter musical chairs going on too!

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Driven_(TV_series)

Edited by Gibbo_Wirral on 21/03/2018 at 12:23

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Wed 21 Mar 2018 12:56
Top Gear - Snakey

Like many fans of old TG and TGT I know its a bit forced and contrived, but its entertainment and thats what I'm after. I just can't be bothered with TG anymore.

I think the appeal of original TG started with 3 pretty average blokes, Ok they're all rather well off now but if TG had started with a bunch of millionaires would it have caught on?

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Wed 21 Mar 2018 19:18
Top Gear - Trilogy.

I think the appeal of original TG started with 3 pretty average blokes, Ok they're all rather well off now but if TG had started with a bunch of millionaires would it have caught on?

Rory and Chris are pretty average.

Unfortunately the interviewing standard of guest on new TG isn't a patch on Jeremy's ability.

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