The Top Gear effect

[McDoodle]

Tried to watch it on iPlayer, but ended up fast-forwarding through most of it. I thought the format/style had pretty much run its course when the Clarkson era came to an end, but it's more or less the same. Disappointing - a chance to re-energise the programme missed I thought.

I'll be watching all future episodes on iPlayer and making significant use of Fast Forward to miss out the sad/embarrassing/boring/same-y bits. On the positive side I did enjoy the actual car reviews - Viper, Nomad - and the presenters did a pretty good job given the (as I mentioned) 'past the sell-by date' format/style. Plus plenty of Mustang shots in the opening sequence .

The 'Top Gear Extra' thing was quite good ..... enjoyed Chris Harris.

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[Big_G]

Evans tried WAY too hard, and considering they wanted to try and make a clean break from what went before them they made way too many references. Evans was in TFI Friday shouty mode, Le Blanc was actually quite good other than acting rather than presenting. The Reliant Rialto section was utterly & completely pointless, it served zero purpose.

 

[SteveS]

How long before they're destroying caravans...

 

[Manders Mustang]

How long before they're destroying caravans...

They'll do it 'Offroad' with a jump.....Maybe drive it through some surface water. :frusty:

 

[goldengooner]

2 for the price of 1

Well decided to watch tonight with a few peeps, watched the Extra bit 1st, then the main programme
nice dig about catering
and now the news part is on the Extra bit, and they have made the "Star" in a car bit, a lot longer with 2 drivers. not sure why some US actor bloke was on it, I mean he was not really a petrolhead was he, mind you he did love the Lego Mustang
Like the new jazzed up track, Evans is in his element and Matt Leblanc has personality which also helps to keep Evans in his box.
I think slagging off the US cars will be no more, now you will get Matt Leblanc having smilie digs at the UK cars, as he is clearly the star
Sabine has crates of personality and can drive a fair bit, loved the bit where she made the Top Gun bloke feel sick, like the idea of the best driver on the show being a woman, what would JC say?
For me makes perfect sense not changing the format, why change something that works so well. Its Clarkson's show that will have to be very different,
Also think they are trying to get the audience more involved, than JC used to let them
the Old Top Gear was all about Clarkson being a total p@@@k and bossing the other 2 about as thanks to him, they earnt a bloody fortune, this new Top Gear is much more different, Evans is happy to suck up to Matt Leblanc and Matt Leblanc is happy being the star and the good guy
for me much better than I expected, original challenges and now you get 90mins, think it will be as big a success as the old one, people like the same things the music the Stig it's what makes Top Gear
and they have let the language get a bit more fruity, and this time they did not repair the car in 10 seconds, this was more real life
JC the challenge is laid down, go for it

 

[Actual]

Well decided to watch tonight with a few peeps, watched the Extra bit 1st, then the main programme
nice dig about catering
and now the news part is on the Extra bit, and they have made the "Star" in a car bit, a lot longer with 2 drivers. not sure why some US actor bloke was on it, I mean he was not really a petrolhead was he, mind you he did love the Lego Mustang
Like the new jazzed up track, Evans is in his element and Matt Leblanc has personality which also helps to keep Evans in his box.
I think slagging off the US cars will be no more, now you will get Matt Leblanc having smilie digs at the UK cars, as he is clearly the star
Sabine has crates of personality and can drive a fair bit, loved the bit where she made the Top Gun bloke feel sick, like the idea of the best driver on the show being a woman, what would JC say?
For me makes perfect sense not changing the format, why change something that works so well. Its Clarkson's show that will have to be very different,
Also think they are trying to get the audience more involved, than JC used to let them
the Old Top Gear was all about Clarkson being a total p@@@k and bossing the other 2 about as thanks to him, they earnt a bloody fortune, this new Top Gear is much more different, Evans is happy to suck up to Matt Leblanc and Matt Leblanc is happy being the star and the good guy
for me much better than I expected, original challenges and now you get 90mins, think it will be as big a success as the old one, people like the same things the music the Stig it's what makes Top Gear
and they have let the language get a bit more fruity, and this time they did not repair the car in 10 seconds, this was more real life
JC the challenge is laid down, go for it

I enjoyed Top Gear including Extra and I agree with all of the above but the problem is that many people have historical and/or preconceived opinions of JC and CE and it is fashionable in every review to knock the old show, the new show and the new new show even before they are aired. Neither new shows really stand a chance.

 

[Cati]

I think it is wrong to say people are slating the new because of the old

It was genuinely crap.... Over scripted no to little knowledge and under estimation of your core target viewer. It was a rehash a mustang 2 to the gen 1 if you will. The secret ingredients are not so difficult to find decent chemistry, decent cars, a bit of adding about and banter ... Job done

Fifth gear with Plato even has this now. I just think Evans has massively overstretched himself and ego

The facts thing on Twitter last night just reinforces the view of petulant child syndrome. Until he starts listening it will be more of the same ... Shame as I like the concept of the show

 

[v8hgt]

It's not going to be an easy job. They could have gone back to being a car show like the original top gear but one suspects that wouldn't have the broad market appeal, al la 5th gear. Alternatively they can attempt to replicate the clarkson/may/hamster chemistry which won't happen immediately. I'm going to give them time before making my judgement. If things don't pick up by the end of the series in out.

 

[Manders Mustang]

[MENTION=19911]Cati[/MENTION] (or better yet, Chris Evans) The viewing figures for the opening one were always going to be high, people wanted to see what it was about, see what was happening, viewer figures for the rest of the episode will really tell a bigger tale, right now it's just stat manipulation. The public feedback rinsed the show, and that's what matters - viewer retention.

 

[christianUK]

Boring boring boring. I want to laugh and feel like I'm in on a joke, not sit there and be shouted at for an hour. It showed me next to nothing interesting about cars or about places around the world. The "Four weddings and a funeral" trick of putting an American in to appeal to the American export audience seems to have backfired too.

Retire it for a few years and bring it back in a blaze of glory with a special on self driving hover Mustangs.

 

[avocet]

The thing is I don't like Evans, never have done, so no matter what the shows content I've still got to see and hear him :frusty:

 

[Nookie]

To quote the old adage... 'If it's not broken, don't try and fix it'.

There are people out there throwing support at the Beeb for firing Clarkson because he was perceived by, as usual, the few (who always had the option to just switch channel and watch something else) as politically incorrect, and ultimately because he chose to thump some guy (boo-hoo... not exactly an end of the world event)... but this was nothing other than them cutting their nose off to spite their face, bearing in mind this was one of their biggest worldwide exports.

No-one's gonna convince me that everyone who appears on the Beeb is some puritanical whiter than white saint that's never put a single toe wrong at sometime in their life. The BBC is, at the end of the day, supposed to be a business and not guide to the moral's of a currently very misguided world.

The reason so many liked TG in the Clarkson days was exactly because he was who he was and because the vast majority of people have now had a lifetimes fill of political correctness, and of course because of the chemistry and wit that existed with Clarkson, May and Hammond, which is not something that can be simply remanufactured as the Beeb seem to think is possible.

I'll stick with it until the hallowed review of the Mustang takes place, purely because it's going to be an article that's of interest to me, but will likely not bother beyond that point as I just don't think I can handle the threat of some little annoying ginger guy shouting out the TV at me.

Will it be good for the Mustang, yes I'm sure, but it won't be because of any witty rhetoric by the new TG cast, but because Ford have just nailed this one on the head (as far a their new market European customers are concerned).

Just my opinion and doubtless there will be those who disagree!

 

[SteveS]

Opinions are one thing but to suggest that someone who physically assaults a colleague should stay in their job is just plain wrong.

 

[slowhand99]

Opinions are one thing but to suggest that someone who physically assaults a colleague should stay in their job is just plain wrong.

I've assumed that was the bear talking

 

[christianUK]

No-one's gonna convince me that everyone who appears on the Beeb is some puritanical whiter than white saint that's never put a single toe wrong at sometime in their life. The BBC is, at the end of the day, supposed to be a business and not guide to the moral's of a currently very misguided world.

All fair enough, but no matter how much of a "character" someone is, you can't have them going around punching other employees within the workplace. That's unacceptable whoever you are and its not puritanical to sanction somebody who behaves in that way.

The BBC just happened on the worst possible solution to their acute Clarkson HR crisis.

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