Top Gear New Series

[Pagnell]

Yep, I'm surprised how seriously mad people have been over it (mainly on Twitter, admittedly). It was pretty much exactly the same, down to the structure of the scripts, just with different faces..

Yep. This is my main beef, if I had to list one. They had the opportunity to revamp or outright change a premise and format that became tired around 8 years ago. They've taken the easy route, namely take the same program and change the presenters. And once that novelty wears off, there is a distinct possibility it will end up in the same position as the last incarnation. A bit cowardly from the BBC that but somewhat understandable given how big Top Gear as a show is for them.

At the very least I hoped they would get rid of the Star(s) In The Reasonably Priced Car section. That was always a bag of shit which I skipped.

 

[MJA]

I tried to watch it and it just doesn't seem like it is for me.

I love driving but give pretty much 0 shits about cars and motoring. The things that got me so in love with the show was the banter, humour and wacky shit they did week in week out. I'd typically fast forward through the more serious review segments and the reasonably priced car and get straight to the race across countries or sheds on wheels. Liked the news segments as well as they were just a good laugh.

New show just doesn't have this fun feel. What made Top Gear so successful was that it appealed to wide audiences. It appealed to car people, it appealed to people coming for the humour, it appealed to those wanting to see cool shit, it appealed to those who wanted to see celebrities etc...

Pretty much how I feel about it as well. The specials they did were always the episodes I looked forward to most and can't really see the new presenters doing shit like what Clarkson/Hammond/May used to do

 

[Geosaddler]

This was always going to be a case of the whole country with their fingers on the trigger (keyboard) waiting to destroy the new Top Gear (even if it proved to be reasonable). Well we have got that and then some!!

The rapport built between Clarkson/May/Hammond and the the viewing public took years to build and will be badly missed by the Top Gear diehards. For me I love cars and the Top Gear concept in general. It is probably never going to match the heights of before but I'd rather have this than no Top Gear at all. Going against the grain I found it 'decent enough' and it didn't have me diving for the remote to turn over. People need to give it a few episodes before really judging it.

 

[Blitzballer]

I enjoyed the first feature on the McLaren, after that it was just another borefest

 

[Pagnell]

The most I've enjoyed a Top Gear episode for years. Still trying a bit too hard but it's understandable. I reckon it's going to improve week on week.

 

[Blitzballer]

The most I've enjoyed a Top Gear episode for years. Still trying a bit too hard but it's understandable. I reckon it's going to improve week on week.

agreed and I think that is the BBC's ultimate plan.
As you can probably guess from the op, not too keen on Evans, but thoroughly enjoyed the first part with the McLarens. It's just when he gets back into the studio he becomes annoying. Also helped to have a few decent guests on this week

 

[Destruction]

I really, really like MLB.

Shame they could have just swapped him in for Hammond.

 

[claret50]

I switched off after 40mins, just couldn't take any more of the idiot Evans, the studio audience looked slightly less plastic this week - maybe the beeb bunged them £50 each to appear interested! even the liquid spillage segment was a poor copy of the original, each to their own I suppose, but that's the final one for me.

 

[Blitzballer]

Enjoyed the hot hatch section, the rest absolute gash. Can't believe I watched this shit over the Euros.
One things for sure I wont be watching again

 

[Pagnell]

Decent episode. Still better than 90% of what we saw from the last incarnation over the last 5-6 years.

 

[T.A]

Enjoyed the hot hatch section, the rest absolute gash. Can't believe I watched this shit over the Euros.
One things for sure I wont be watching again

I'm not sure what you are after? It was a car show full of car content and not three mates trying to banter each other off.

I can understand you not liking certain presenters but the content so far seems to be getting better.

 

[Pagnell]

I'm not sure what you are after?

An Amazon Prime subscription.

 

[Destruction]

Not enough MLB in ep3.

 

[Blitzballer]

I actually enjoyed it this week, even though I said I wont be watching again, I caught up on iplayer.
Everything is cool apart from Evans.

 

[claret50]

I can understand you not liking certain presenters but the content so far seems to be getting better.

In the meantime the viewer ratings are dropping like flies.

"According to the overnight figures, the fourth episode in the motoring show’s current run drew an audience of just 2.34 million viewers; the lowest audience for any episode of Top Gear since 2002"

 

[Pagnell]

It was a very poor episode, it has to be said.

 

[Abertawe]

It would be at least watchable if it wasn't for Evans. The pleb just shouts and with the echo from the studio he just sounds even worse.

 

[Pagnell]

Did anyone bother with last nights episode? I had other things to do. It's on series link so I'll probably get around to it at some point this week. My enthusiasm for the new format took a hit with last week's frankly awful episode so I can't say I'm overcome with excitement. Stories in the news today that MLB has given the BBC an ultimatum that the next series is either him or Evans. Would be funny.

 

[shane]

Did anyone bother with last nights episode? I had other things to do. It's on series link so I'll probably get around to it at some point this week. My enthusiasm for the new format took a hit with last week's frankly awful episode so I can't say I'm overcome with excitement.

We all know you'll keep watching it Pags.

 

[Pagnell]

Still not seen it.

 

[Destruction]

Did anyone bother with last nights episode? I had other things to do. It's on series link so I'll probably get around to it at some point this week. My enthusiasm for the new format took a hit with last week's frankly awful episode so I can't say I'm overcome with excitement. Stories in the news today that MLB has given the BBC an ultimatum that the next series is either him or Evans. Would be funny.

Weakest episode so far IMO.

And no Sabine. Boooooo.

 

[SALTIRE]

Haven't seen an ep of this series at all and frankly don't want to.

 

[BigDaveCUFC]

to be honest which idiot at the BBC decided it was a great idea to put this huge change Top gear on in direct competition to Euro 2016?

for a series where viewership was vital that was a real moronic move.

 

[Blitzballer]

BREAKING: Chris Evans has resigned from presenting Top Gear.

Chris Evans, said: "I have never worked with a more committed and driven team than the team I have worked with over the last twelve months. I feel like my standing aside is the single best thing I can now do to help the cause. I remain a huge fan of the show, always have been, always will be. I will continue to focus on my radio show and the allied events that it encompasses.”

 

[QPR_Matt]

I thought he would go for another series. The rest of the team were okay without him. Would love for someone like Button to take over. Wont happen for at least another F1 season though.

 

[Pagnell]

I've not seen the last few weeks but it's not worked. I was willing to give it a go, but it's gradually gotten worse rather than better like I hoped. There were a few decent episodes (I really liked the one in Africa) but overall it's been poor. And part of the reason for that has been Evans. The question is whether MLB can step up and make a decent job of being the main man, or whether they bring in someone else.

I still believe the best thing they can do is completely revamp it, rather than imitate what it used to be with different presenters. No matter how much people think Clarkson, May and Hammond are tossers, they have a chemistry that won't be easy to replicate.

EDIT -- on a side note they need to bin Eddie Jordan. He's fucking terrible.

 

[Mustard]

Nigel Farage is free.

 

[SALTIRE]

Mike Brewer from Wheeler Dealers would be great but that won't happen. Fair play to Chris for admitting defeat on it, he's a huge fan of the show and wants it to succeed and realised he was the problem.

It'll be Claire Balding to replace him, she's in fucking everything else despite being so bland it's untrue.

 

[Pagnell]

It's not about him wanting the show to succeed. It's about him and his ego not being able to deal with failure. He'd rather simply walk away.

 

[shane]

It's not about him wanting the show to succeed. It's about him and his ego not being able to deal with failure. He'd rather simply walk away.

Surely he's dealt with his failure BY walking away?