Top Gear - New Series

[Guest Mutley00]

I'm with you Molemot. That comment when he was driving the Racing Bentley of 'It gives you a reet warm feeling in your nadgers' was priceless. AC/DC are past their best now, so why not?

[Bibs]

[Bibs]

8pm tonight

[Barrykearley]

Loving the elephant in the room!!

[Advantage]

End of an era.

[steve930]

That was weird ! 

[DeltaLotus]

Yeah loved the "elephant in the room" but the 2 events were quite good too. It must of been just after that 4x4 special the punching happened

[Bibs]

Aaaaaand gone...

[mdavies]

I'm surprised that May and Hammond agreed to cooperate on that, certainly under the flag of it being an episode of Top Gear.  Something at 45 minutes, extracting the better sections from the two films, with a "stood aside" commentary, being “sensible”, about "what we did for fun", and away from the TG setting, might have been understandable.

 

Unarguably it was not Top Gear. And, putting aside all history, as a standalone piece of tv, overall it was very poor, clownish, verging on rubbish. (With good things - the elephant, the concept of addressing environmentalists, the faces of that audience, perhaps 50% of the car stuff.) 

 

But that was just what the higher echelons of the BBC wanted as they encouraged the production team along the route to what we saw; even granting an extra 15 minutes!  It will be crap, they thought, then we throw heavy money, every resource, star names, into the first couple of episodes under the new bloke - what's his name, Evans? - advertise it hugely. Result..................obvious.

 

Except under the BBC's politics, Hammond’s speech at the end could have been allowed to be a substantial valedictory. Covered in mud but bravely defiant, putting the environmental position of the car into the context of what dogs and football match attendances, for instance, do to the environment. He could have mentioned key moments from the programme such as the assembly of cars from every British manufacturer on that street in London, with the Guards marching. For the millions watching around the world.

 

But from the BBC?..................nothing I can say, fit for print.

[Bibs]

Jeremy Clarkson @JeremyClarkson 

 

Many many thanks for all your support and encouragement over the years. So sad and sorry it's ended like this

[auRouge]

I'm glad they had the final word, even my wife was laughing...

[Guest hosscartwri]

Very poor - didn't warrant the billing of "Top Gear" - Scrap Heap Challenge - maybe. As a piece of comedy it worked in places but as anything else it was - - - - (rhymes with 'scrap')

The Sunday Times "Driving" section yesterday had an article by Andy Wilman, the Executive Producer of Top

Gear, on how/why this last episode was put together - the article was rather better than the programme.

[Advantage]

They were contractually obligated to complete that edition and obviously did so after the fan/poo - steak/slap incident, so it's hardly surprising that the studio links were lacklustre and that the location filming was edited to suit its purpose.

I think they managed to make the best of what material they had to hand.

[TBD]

Even without Clarkson in the studio he was still the dominant player in the videos. In other words, No Clarkson, no TopGear.

 

On the other hand, something new is the best that can happen to Clarkson/Hammond/May, because  the last episode also proved once again the decay in quality over the last years. The "cheap cars in ridiculous challenges" idea just worn out.

[Advantage]

But you must have watched it to form that opinion. Thereby proving their assertion that the formula draws in the viewers. 

[Nelly]

As many people seem to be moaning about how tired TG had become as those who are grieving that its over.

 

I reckon that the three of them moving on to fresh pastures, plus an Evans re-boot of TG going head to head iwith them is a good thing for me.

[Bravo73]

I reckon that the three of them moving on to fresh pastures, plus an Evans re-boot of TG going head to head iwith them is a good thing for me.

And me (FWIW).

[mdavies]

The lead story on the Telegraph/motoring site currently is by Ben Collins back in the "Stig" role with the three guys at Thruxton doing a traditional type comparative test. Interesting comments re computerised interference with serious driving. (Only thing shared re my laps there in a VRX8 was the tightening of the stomach muscles.)

[auRouge]

And me (FWIW).

And me.

Two car programs

[Advantage]

Interestingly, the BBC are about to cut 1000 jobs partly due to a £150m shortfall in income. Guardian clicky

 

£150m. Remind me how much Top Gear brought in with its worldwide sales.

[Barrykearley]

It's due to falling " license fee revenues " or as i prefer to view it " no choice monopoly payments "

The bbc is more out of date than ever...... Full of repeats ( yes not as many as dave!!! ) and subsidised by tax payers who have no choice. I always though democracy was about choice.......

If bbc turned off tomorrow - I'd not miss it in any way.

Nice to see that the loophole folks are using to wiggle out of the licence fee is the lack of live watching........ Online streaming seems to get that one nicely. Time to go and rip off the aerial, ditch the sat dish and just watch over the interweb

[Mark Blanchard]

Chris Evans gets on my tits, but if Jenson Button joins Top Gear, it may get some racing credentials.  I may even watch it.

[pete]

no wonder they went to amazon 250m dollars

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d56a21ac-36a7-11e5-bdbb-35e55cbae175.html#axzz3ha38sy75

[CaptainSlow]

Can't really blaim them. Although I would have taken on the job for less than that :-D

[Bravo73]

no wonder they went to amazon 250m dollars

FYI, the $250m is to make 3 series worth of episodes, not just their salaries!