[Closed] New Top Gear series...

Drac - Moderator

The cenotaph was never involved the press try to make it look that way.

Northwind - Member

It was actually made up bullshit- they drove past the cenotaph but the doughnut was a fair way down the road. Evans issued this wonderfully phrased apology:

Yep. I was aware that it was a case of using a long lens to foreshorten the scene & make it look like they were on top of the cenotaph, when actually they were down the road from it, but he still ended up having to 'apologise'.

There has definitely been en effort to discredit/smear the new TG show with constant tales of how the team aren't getting on, Chris Evans being a diva, the show being late etc....

Anyhoo - you can see from this pic how people might be lead into believing they were 'at the cenotaph'...

[img] [/img]

Agree with many of the points above. Having watched 20 mins of the first episode and thought 'oh dear', missed episode 2 altogether I managed to catch the latest and enjoyed it. Liked the new presenters and the fact they all got a section to present. I also like the fact it's leaning back to the car nerds after going too far the other way.

I used to enjoy watching old top gear with my boy (which is who it was aimed at), but new top gear is just dull, dumbed down TV without the funny bits.
No more for me until they replace Evans.

Yup they did apologise but there were no donuts around the cenotaph.

I enjoyed Sunday's. Ken Block feature needed more commentary on the car but it was fun.

I hated the first episode, the second one had me laughing a bit so looking forward to the third episode given the feedback I have heard so far but that won't be until I have finished watching Happy Valley.

And I've just watched the latest episode,

Clearly I'm no longer the demographic because I'm now using the Fast FWD on the Sky box.

Don't like Chris Harris, didn't like the race around London, mildly enjoyed the R8, hated the Star in a Rally Car and no interest in RS Fords (though thought the A45 was interesting)

That's pretty much it, I've watched about 10mins all in.

I like the fact that I'm no longer in the demographic that the programme is aimed at.

Anyhoo - you can see from this pic how people might be lead into believing they were 'at the cenotaph'...

[img] [/img]

^^^ Drac

Yup they did apologise but there were no donuts around the cenotaph.

Yes I know the lens foreshortens things but OMG !

That'll be what caused the marks on the road on that you can see on the previous photo. It's not donuts and not exactly on the cenotaph.

My mate works at Ford Dagenham, they filmed a bit where the car drove out of the hovering helicopter. Must not have made it into the edit for the show.

My mate works at Ford Dagenham, they filmed a bit where the car drove out of the hovering helicopter. Must not have made it into the edit for the show.

Some of that made it into the Extra Gear show on t'iPlayer.

Top Gear was a parody of itself. That was part of it's appeal. The problem with the new Top Gear is that there is a seriousness to it.

There was always a sense in the old Top Gear that the presenters took the piss out of the show and themselves. This is what made a group of millionairres driving cars that cost more than the houses the viewers lived in entertaining, as opposed to gauling.

The new Top Gear is extremely earnest. They have too much respect for the "format", an overblown format that only worked because the old presenters actively took the piss out of it.

When you have such an overblown show you need presenters to bring it back down to Earth. That's what the old team did so well. An over-exiciteable, over-the-top guy like Chris Evans just creates a rather, weird, manic atmosphere. Matt le Blanc is OK, his dead pan style actually works pretty well to bring things back to Earth. Evans on the other hand really needs to go soon if the show has a future beyond this series.

They have too much respect for the "format", an overblown format that only worked because the old presenters actively took the piss out of it.

In fairness to the BBC I don't think they had (have) any choice. You take away the three presenters and the format too you have a blank canvass or more likely nothing and that's too big a risk.

Chris Evans is a marmite character, where the BBC have failed is that there is IMO very little audience crossover between the other work he does and TG

In fairness to the BBC I don't think they had (have) any choice. You take away the three presenters and the format too you have a blank canvass or more likely nothing and that's too big a risk

Yeah I can understand this. I think it was always going to be trial and error. I think the show can work, but it needs rid of Evans. His presenting style jars with the show. They need someone a bit more down to earth, a bit less "showbizz". You don't need someone as manic as Evans to push it along. The cars, the locations and stunts do very well to keep it going, what you need ia presenters to glue it together and give it some sort of context. Evans doesn't give it a context.

That'll be what caused the marks on the road on that you can see on the previous photo. It's not donuts and not exactly on the cenotaph.

You wouldn't make a very good Detective, Drac!

Have another (closer) look!

What is with the echo in the studio? Did Clarkson's paunch absorb any stray reverberations in the old days?

You're going have to give me a clue Columbo.

The Star in a Car bit was dull, the Ken Block bit was utterly pointless and not remotely entertaining and the Audi / Ferrari bits were very average.

The only piece I enjoyed was the Focus RS section.

I'll keep persevering with it but I am not that impressed overall.

Getting better each episode .

Sundays went by in a flash , had to check my watch to check an hour had passed .

Enjoying to Extra show also .

Funny, the Ken Block bit is possibly one of my favourite top gear bits ever. That car, utterly bonkers.

PrinceJohn - Member

Funny, the Ken Block bit is possibly one of my favourite top gear bits ever.

Yep. Agreed.

"That car, utterly bonkers."

I thought it was some sort of mad souped up Ford Granada. Would have been nice to have had a bit about the car itself.

clodhopper - Member
"That car, utterly bonkers."

I thought it was some sort of mad souped up Ford Granada. Would have been nice to have had a bit about the car itself.

Would have been nice to have had a bit about the car itself.

The format of the piece seemed to be:

'Cool RAF drop in intro'

"Scream, screech, howl, growl, rah'

'Cool Apocalypse Now style outro'

No explanations (ie, I had no idea who Ken Block was), no plot (ie, the format was just 'let's race around', rather than 'we need to get to X to beat Y on his Z').

Ohh, and we have a red button.

Utterly weird as a piece of television.

Just watching Extra Gear from last week, and as per episode 1, it's better than TG (IMHO).

Fortunately each episode is better than the last... Still not a big fan of Chris Evans, but to be honest Jeremy Clarkson was getting a little tedious over the last few seasons anyway, so no worse off there. I do miss James May though!

I watched Fifth Gear on Quest last night. It was ace 😀

VBH/Plato/TIFF/Jony have a weird sublime chemistry when they are all together at once.

"Some say...... He thinks Brexit is a laxative"

I fell off my chair

Very good again this evening

I just want Brian Cox's Star Wars Tshirt!!!

Well I laughed 🙂

Most entertaining TBF

I just want Brian Cox's Star Wars Tshirt!!!

I've got that t-shirt.

Get yours here:

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The new format is in it's stride, really good TV I thought. Loved the harris Vulcan feature and I think they have improved the star in a car format a lot.

Gave episode 3 a go mainly due to favourable reviews on here.

It is awful, I dont like Evans but the rest of the presenters were so wooden.

It is just like they are all trying to be the other 3

Best yet, still not as funny as some of the old ones but getting better.

Star in a car is getting better, TBH i think some of why it didn't work the last few weeks is just unfamiliarity with the new track, hard to get excited if you can't see what's fast/slow. Still hate the bloody autocue.

TOO
MANY
GUESTS!

Otherwise, fun.

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I see what you have done there.

Well that was..

[img] [/img]

I watched American Werewolf in London instead. Sunday night is now film night.

Eddie Jordan needs to be dumped from the show ASAP, otherwise not bad, it's only telly

Mmmm Jenny Agutter in a shower.

Agreed re. Eddie Jordan and not keen on Sabine either.

Matt Le Blanc is doing pretty well though.

For me tonight's was better than last week. Just.

Vulcan is a GT race car so why not talk about its abilities as such rather than the usual whooping, gurning and drifting shots?
The Tesla article should have been good, but introducing it by comparing it to the Model T when it's a £90k car was silly.
The challenge was the usual hackneyed crock. Celebrity chefs FFS? Looking forward to next week's challenge where Mary Berry darns a pair of socks in the boot of a Morris Oxford.
The rest I fast forwarded through.
Shit.