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Some 'trade mission' that was...
The Indian High Commission made it sound better than it actually was. I would have enjoyed some cheap jibes and tasteless humour. Instead it was simply staged and rather boring.
For goodness' sake!
It's becoming an international passtime to complain about Top Gear.
"I want to live in a democracy, but I don't want to be offended"
Idiots.
There is good reason to complain about TG, it is utter crap.
to be honest it was their worst Christmas special so far, and I am normally a defender of the Top gear. The credits at the end really did take the pee.
not as funny as the other top gear specials... i prefer the ones where the focus is on the adventure and the driving.
TG episodes have become a bit hit-and-miss regarding entertainment value, in my opinion anyway.
The Christmas special was a miss. Very little that was genuinely amusing or interesting. Mostly prety forgettable.
After almost a decade, is it reaching the end of it's natural life? ...
I usually quite like the silliness but this episode was weak and the lunch delivery race thing was more stupid than I could cope with....
I did s**** at the eat English Muffins thing though 🙂
Yep, got to add some agreement to this. This year's special was so very very poor even in its own right. If you compare it to some of the offer specials it was just a bit embarrassing to be frank. It's turning into Jackass and not in a good way.
This thread has already turned into a list of people ignoring the actual point of the thread completely, and saying saying they either
"don't like top gear"
Or
"normally like top gear but it's not as good as it used to be"
Should be good for a lunchtime laugh though.
After almost a decade, is it reaching the end of it's natural life? ...
Not a chance, not unless you want to stump up the money the program makes for the BBC!
"I want to live in a democracy, but I don't want to be offended"Idiots.
Can you expand on this? If you live in a democracy can you not think things are crap?
You all know its all a big act with Clarkson & that in real life, he is a charming politically correct, environmentalist & keen cyclist.
For me, the casual attitude they displayed towards people's food, in a nation where many are starving and live in utterly abject poverty, just showed how out of touch and ignorant the whole Top Gear production team is.
I watched it hoping to see a unique and original insight into India, and how the nation is developing and changing and that, as well as what a fascinating wonderful country it is, like they did with the Vietnam special (their best programme ever, imo).
Instead it was just Clarkson being a dick, Hammond being a dick, and May looking like he'd rather be somewhere else but needed the money.
A poor waste of BBC resources. Cooduv bin so much better.
I watched it hoping to see a unique and original insight into India, and how the nation is developing and changing and that, as well as what a fascinating wonderful country it is, like they did with the Vietnam special (their best programme ever, imo).
+1
I'm not surprised the Indians didn't like. Even ignoring the normal TG attitudes, the Xmas special was dreadful, particularly in the attitudes displayed towards the local population...
Even our 10 & 11 YO's picked up on the incipient racism
Not a chance, not unless you want to stump up the money the program makes for the BBC!
EastEnders, Celebrity Ice Dancing etc make money for the BBC. X-Factor makes money for ITV. McDonalds make huge profits....
I don't mind that Top Gear is 'light hearted entertainment'. Just that it's not as good as it could be, considering the resources so often wasted on it.
Elfinsafety - Member
I watched it hoping to see a unique and original insight into India, and how the nation is developing and changing and that, as well as what a fascinating wonderful country it is
It's a comedy/car show, not a documentary. I don't watch Rhod Gillbert and expect a cuturally sensitive insight into the valleys do I?
ignoring the actual point of the thread completely
There was a point to this?? 😯
It's a comedy/car show
it tries to be both of those things, but is neither.
it's a 'withering old donkey, that should have been sent to the glue factory 4 years ago' show.
"I want to live in a democracy, but I don't want to be offended"Idiots.
Can you expand on this? If you live in a democracy can you not think things are crap?
My point was, it's impossible not to be 'offended' by all sorts of stuff in a democratic society because a lot of 'being offended' is subjective.
I don't remember anyone complaining when the Top Gear Australia presenters were on - there were loads of things for people to vent their fake offence at in that show ...
Thinking something's crap is different to being 'offended' by it.
ignoring the actual point of the thread completely
There was a point to this??
It's the internet. There's no point to 99% if it. As I believe James May once said (something alond the lines of) "the internet is a giant ball of pornography wrapped in a thin layer of social networking"
A poor waste of BBC resources. Cooduv bin so much better.
Except that Top Gear makes them a ton of cash - so even a decidedly ropey effort like that is actually a boost to BBC resources by the time it has been resold to Dave and other channels.
Hence why it stumbles on.
It's a cash cow now but not long until it's a dog maybe.
Hence why it stumbles on
Bit like the Monarchy then? Bring in more than they cost the UK
😉
It's a comedy/car show, not a documentary. I don't watch Rhod Gillbert and expect a cuturally sensitive insight into the valleys do I?
Was there a reason you missed this bit out of your quotation?
like they did with the Vietnam special (their best programme ever, imo).
I think they should do an episode where they have to turn an Austin Allegro into a speedboat and then use it to jump over a shark...
So the program was show twice over a major holiday period, yet received ONLY 23 complaints? Goodness gracious me!
It's a comedy/car show, not a documentary
As Brakes has pointed out, it failed on both counts.
And when did it actually become a 'comedy' programme? I thought it was a show about cars and driving cars. And it duzent appear in the 'Comedy' section on iPlayer, but in the 'Factual' section...
Except that Top Gear makes them a ton of cash
Did you see this bit?
EastEnders, Celebrity Ice Dancing etc make money for the BBC. X-Factor makes money for ITV. McDonalds make huge profits....
In fairness, I really like top gear, especially the 'specials', but that episode was shit.joao3v16 - Member
For goodness' sake!It's becoming an international passtime to complain about Top Gear.
For me, the casual attitude they displayed towards people's food, in a nation where many are starving and live in utterly abject poverty, just showed how out of touch and ignorant the whole Top Gear production team is.I watched it hoping to see a unique and original insight into India, and how the nation is developing and changing and that, as well as what a fascinating wonderful country it is, like they did with the Vietnam special (their best programme ever, imo).
Instead it was just Clarkson being a dick, Hammond being a dick, and May looking like he'd rather be somewhere else but needed the money.
A poor waste of BBC resources. Cooduv bin so much better.
Cripes 2nd time in as many months i find myself in agreement with PaddedBra, where's my revolver?
GrahamS - Member
I think they should do an episode where they have to turn an Austin Allegro into a speedboat and then use it to jump over a shark...
nice cross-show referencing. 🙂
Goodness gracious me!
[i]Indian! [/i]
I watched it hoping to see a unique and original insight into India, and how the nation is developing and changing and that, as well as what a fascinating wonderful country it is
Oh come off it!
. I write this to convey our deep disappointment over the documentary for its content and the tone of the presentation.
And that's where they fell down. Clearly the high commission were under the impression that this was a documentary, as many here are.
It wasn't very funny, it was mildly amusing, I suspect if the same sort of cheap jokes were levelled against us by the French in a TV programme we'd probably really not give a damn and life would carry on as normal.
Remember, he was only joking, you know, it was a joke, it was funny.
Wasn't it?
I mean, given just how long they have been providing us with hillarious top class entertainment it's a wonder they haven't run out of ideas and started peddling pedestrian 2nd rate crap, isn't it?
I can't think of journalist to host such a show in France. Bigots, racists and xenophobes don't get air time on state TV, or on private TV for that matter.
The British press has however been scandalised by some fairly innocuous comments from our politicians. So innocuous I bet you'll have to Google to remind yourself of anything that's caused fuss.
If you don't like it, don't watch it
I actually enjoy some puerile nonsense now and again
I still don't get why slagging it off seems to have become a pastime. There are plenty of other shows to have a go at - see X Factor, Britains (not) got talent, Strictly, Kardashians, most itv 'dramas'
Just turn over if you don't like it
[img] http://www.tumblr.com/photo/1280/400547719/1/tumblr_kxz0unU3hy1qa4wz1 [/img]
I don't like him either!
...casual attitude they displayed towards people's food...
Of course, it wouldn't be staged, would it? That must have been some 6 year olds lunch while he was stitching Reeboks together; will no one think of the children?
Did you see the one were they set the caravan on fire? I saw some Pringles in the flames; such waste.
It's not real; it's not serious. Get a sense of perspective rather than sitting in front of the tv waiting for something to be offended about.
I think at least half of us [s]are[/s] were Top Gear fans bothered by the fact it was distinctly under-par.
Indians don't like Clarkson
So why is he on the tv constantly over here in India, can't get rid of it, they love Top Gear over here!!
And that Christmas special is on at the end of the month, they are really promoting it as something big...going to be interesting... 😀
If you don't like it, don't watch it
On that basis, broadcast whatever you like?
So the program was show twice over a major holiday period, yet received ONLY 23 complaints? Goodness gracious me!
180something on the BBC news site. Must have gone up after the daily wail told people to be outraged.
Oh come off it!
Come off what? The Vietnam special showed how it could be done. That was great telly. The India special was like a Tescos BSO compared to a 'proper bike'.
It wasn't very funny, it was mildly amusing,
It wazunt even that.
..casual attitude they displayed towards people's food...
Of course, it wouldn't be staged, would it? That must have been some 6 year olds lunch while he was stitching Reeboks together; will no one think of the children?It's not real; it's not serious. Get a sense of perspective rather than sitting in front of the tv waiting for something to be offended about.
Ever bin to somewhere like India? Seen real poverty? Emaciated people begging just to get a few scraps of food?
As for 'perspective'; having witnessed what I've just mentioned, I think the idea of casually wasting food in the context of a show about India, just to get a cheap laugh, is extremely ignorant and insensitive.
I suggest you go and witness real poverty for yourself, then you yourself might actually gain a sense of 'perspective'.
I don't like him either!
If I was Luke, I wooduv glassed the bloke; you don't know what might happen, no sense in waiting to find out, bosh! Pre-emptive strike.
just Clarkson being a dick
His ghost writer is a nice chap, though.