[Closed] has topgear ran it's course?

Didn't bother with the last series to be honest.

Getting very dull and predictable.

Can I be the first to say contrived.

I like it, it has gone down hill a wee bit though. I just wish the challenges were less "scripted" and far fetched. That thing they did with the snow plough was embarrassing. Going back a few years the "american road trip" episode was absolute class.

TBO i don't even know anymore when it is a new series or a repeat, they all just seem to blur into one

Have 'Has Top Gear ran its course?' threads run their course?

I guess it'll be down to viewing figures/worldwide revenue.

Without a doubt. Verging on the cringeworthy to watch nowadays. Am I the only one who would quite like a programme that doesn't just review cars that only 0.5% of the population can ever hope to afford?

Is JC a ****?

Is JC a ****?

No need to bring religion into this is there? 🙂

Are the Kennedys gun-shy?

No need to bring religion into this is there?

Very sharp.! 😀

i would watch a program which reviewed normal cars,

Am I the only one who would quite like a programme that doesn't just review cars that only 0.5% of the population can ever hope to afford?

5th Gear?

i would watch a program which reviewed normal cars,

All shows have their hay days, and then the inevitable decline . . . .

like the gadget show, we've now got 5 presenters, who keep falling over themselves and lame tasks like who can make the chuckle brothers laugh, by acting like a dick on stage!! Where's the gadget in that? 👿

What's 'Top Gear?'

I think the snow plough nonsense was their jumping the shark moment.

(or maybe just their latest jumping the shark moment)

I think the Hamster has had his day and needs to be replaced.

JC & JM offer enough differing views to entertain, while, Hamster just seems to be there to giggle at them both, he does not seem to bring as much to the party, as the other two imho.

Then again, who would be a good replacment might be a tricky one 😉

has topgear ran it's course? (sic)

Has it been fun living in that cave?

I don't know why they don't apply their 'wit' and general messing about-ness to doing some semi-serious car testing of stuff that people might want to buy.

The Skoda Yeti test was quite good, as was the Fiesta compared to Corvette and the super-mini test they did with their mums.

I watch it, but for the last couple of series it hasn't been too funny.

I don't know why they don't apply their 'wit' and general messing about-ness to doing some semi-serious car testing of stuff that people might want to buy

5thElefant - Member
I don't know why they don't apply their 'wit' and general messing about-ness to doing some semi-serious car testing of stuff that people might want to buy

Because that would be like the original top gear, which was cancelled because a show like that appeals to almost nobody in the UK, and is certainly of no interest to the rest of the world.

No - the original Top Gear was serious, boring car testing.

I don't remember them delivering marines onto a beach from an amphibious landing craft using the New Fiesta while the Marines fired from the car, followed by a race around an indoor shopping centre against a Corvette.
Didn't they land a helicopter on the roof of the Skoda Yeti? Pretty sure they never used to do anything like that in the original.....

There may be changes afoot.

*taps side of nose*

A former colleague is talking to them at the mo. They're very, very good, and would probably inject a lot more life into it...

No - the original Top Gear was serious, boring car testing.

I don't remember them delivering marines onto a beach from an amphibious landing craft using the New Fiesta while the Marines fired from the car, followed by a race around an indoor shopping centre against a Corvette.
Didn't they land a helicopter on the roof of the Skoda Yeti? Pretty sure they never used to do anything like that in the original....

Personally I'd like all car reviews removed. In fact just blow the budget on two epics every year. The North Pole/Vietnam Scooter things...

Hmmmm, perhaps semi-serious car reviews is taking it a smidge too far, granted! 😀

But that kind of thing would appeal to me more than looning around in another completely out of reach supercar.

I find the way they mess about more annoying now for some reason. I think it's because they used to come across as actually trying to do stuff, but making a bit of a mess of it, whereas now they just seem to play at overgrown schoolboys who know they are gonna mess things up so stand about tittering at each other and exclaiming 'oh look, you just set that alight' or 'James you idiot, you just crashed into that car' - aren't we useless?

Yeah - blowing the budget on a couple of epics would be a good idea.

It jumped the shark around the time Hamster had his accident IMO.

It's never been right since William Woolard left!

Let's face it, cars are really very boring.

I like the fact that there's a programme that doesn't even try to make French People Carriers interesting. Top Gear is a piece of theatre with overblown characters, nothing more and nothing less.

It's gotten a little stale of late, but it's far better than either watching two hours of snooker or yet another dramatisation of a Bronte novel.

yes

It'll be like Neighbours. They'll never cancel it so long as it has such a massive export market and as long as it's cheap to make.

Could be Clarkson is about to have an Angus Deayton moment, something to do with a blond who isn't married to him.

Orange Crush - Member
It's never been right since William Woolard left!

and the fella with the beard, whose son was in Supergrass

Sandwich - Member
Could be Clarkson is about to have an Angus Deayton moment, something to do with a blond who isn't married to him.
POSTED 14 MINUTES AGO # REPORT-POST

Champagne, Cocaine and hookers?.....…

Top Gear has been a great success for the BBC. It is sold all around the world and has been a success because of the innane stupidity of the show. This strikes a chord with a wide cross section of society, but cleverly satirizes petrolheads as well as appealing to them at the same time. This widens the show's appeal, so non-car enthusiasts and whole families sit down to enjoy the show. I predict the programme continuing it's popularity because the show's makers have recognised that dumbing down any TV show boosts viewing numbers.

If you don't like it, don't watch it. End of.

If you don't like it consider this; Top Gear is the BBC's most profitable TV programme and is self funding as well as effectively providing a subsidy to lots of other programmes (which you may like...)

To answer the OP - Yes it's formulaic, contrived, unrealistic and frankly not and good as it used to be, but it's still a welcome inclusion in the TV listings (IMHO)

Champagne, Cocaine and hookers?.....…

Whiskers on kittens and soft woollen mittens, brown paper packages tied up with string, these are a few of my favourite things...

the "specials" where the whole show is them on a mission in some foreign country tend to get watched here, but there's no effort made in recording or putting time aside to watch the rest of the series anymore.

Have all those who dislike TG not got an OFF button on their telly? I don't like Coronation Street so I don't watch it, most here will know every single episode by heart and proceed to whinge about how poor it is.
BTW A couple of years ago I went to the Berkshire County Show where, amongst the cows, horses and wellies, there was a guy showing off his KTM car. Expensive, impractical, moronic. Everybody loved it, especially those who were given a ride. Enjoyable doesn't need to mean proper.

stumpy01 - Member
I find the way they mess about more annoying now for some reason. I think it's because they used to come across as actually trying to do stuff, but making a bit of a mess of it, whereas now they just seem to play at overgrown schoolboys who know they are gonna mess things up so stand about tittering at each other and exclaiming 'oh look, you just set that alight' or 'James you idiot, you just crashed into that car' - aren't we useless?

Yes, exactly!

I was on 5th gear once doing a review of an ordinary car, i was awesome!

😀

Plus i have better hair than anyone on Topgear!

Top Gear is the BBC's most profitable TV programme

Not sure that's true, I seem to remember reading it was one of the wildlife docs - Planet Earth, Blue Planet?. They get licensed by BBC Worldwide to pretty much every country that broadcasts or has a VOD service. BBC sell the TG format to a number of countries, Australia etc and probably make a decent wedge from the merchandise eg: Stig bubble bath FFS! TG also cost's a lot to produce and of course it needs to pay for Jeremy's Car and prog rock collection.

Happy to be proved wrong though.

Has TG run it's course? Of course it has, but so as Corrie, Eastenders, Ant & Dec, X Factor, Strictly the list is endless, but there's so much choice luckily I don't watch any of them. Thank god for BBC Four.

Happy to be proved wrong though.

Not sure if the NOTW counts as proof but there you go Rewski

TG is on BBC USA more than the nature docs.