Top Gear - New Series

[Bibs]

http://youtu.be/VPei3rNWqWk

[B1 RMA]

Great another comedy show with a bit of car interest thrown in

[Nelly]

They do at least have one of their races in this series - so one good reason to watch

[red vtec]

Used to enjoy it, but must admit I now find Hammond a bit of a tit.

 

It's not been a car show for years.

[Mike6]

Any advert for a series that shows cars playing football (?) just isnt worth watching by anyone with an interest in vehicles.

[Dave Freeman]

When Megan and I went to the Le mans 24 hour we heard that top gear had driven some form of 3 wheel Le mans car, ie similar to the Nissan, think it was 3 wheeled. Anyway not sure if this will form part of the new show. Breaking news is that the current production director is leaving as I have just seen an advert for post. So who wants to apply and what would you change. Dave

[lrg_machine]

Mike! football? it was rugby... the players have different shaped balls. oooeeerrr missssuss!

 

Anyway it's quite simple.

If you're like me and want to watch a bunch of idiots doing things with cars that you wished you could do when you were eight years old then watch Top Gear.

 

If you want a boring car show watch Fifth Gear or read a magazine.

 

If you don't like it switch off, no one cares, the program will still air and I'll still have a laugh when it does.

[internets]

What that man said ^

[Bazza 907]

Hammond is doing a "Driving the icons" piece about the Esprit in a future Top Gear magazine. Not sure when it's coming out but I guess in the next few months. 

 

Had an enjoyable day at Dunsfold with the Essex a few months back. He came accross as a good bloke off camera. The TG 'offices' are something else..

[Gasman GT3]

I see we are now down to 6 episodes this series, and I think the race is actually the Christmas episode airing late.  Trouble is after almost 10 years it must be hard coming up with fresh idea's, but I'm sure Hammond doing crap like Total Wipeout, and the other rubbish he does like that new hidden camera thing he does (now there is a fresh idea....not) on a Saturday night don't help with finding time to film the thing that made him famous.

Still love Top Gear for what it is, three mates having a laugh doing things I wish me and my mates could do.

[Vulcan Grey]

I enjoy Top Gear, even if the factual automobile content is dwindling.  Looking back at the 1st season is painful, and gradually more entertaining through each season.  I have all of the episodes of all of the seasons saved on my PS3.

 

I really enjoyed the Bolivia, Arctic, and Vietnam specials.

 

Definitely prefer TG to their American counterpart Motorweek (all dry facts).

http://youtu.be/7Am8Epp92S0

 

Haha!  I just realized that I posted this exact same thing on page 3 of this thread...  I'm not getting old!

[Nelly]

I see we are now down to 6 episodes this series

 

Seven according to my sky box when I series linked it yesterday.

 

I know what you mean though, we used to get two series a year of 12 episodes.  Maybe the fact it was running ideas and we only get one series of 6/7 a year is not such a bad thing.

 

Still my fave thing on TV though (not sure what that says about TG or the rest ot TV to be honest!)

[Kimbers]

Wonder if they will test the Evora S or Exige S?

[Gasman GT3]

I do hope so, would love to see what times they post

[Günter]

Travis -do you only have the 'modern' series  (as you mention Artic, Vietnam ..etc.)

 

-or do you have the old ones too  ?   (from the late 80th/early 90th, or when ever it started -don't know exactly)

 

Would like to see the really old ones in full  ..winter is long this year

[Vulcan Grey]

I only have the modern series, none of the really old ones.

[Günter]

have seen the youtube-version of Clarkson driving a F348 in town, with jeans outfit and looking like a 'bad level pimp' from 80th

 

 

 

..so I just wanted more of this, as even there in this short sequence, it was clearly to see that the comic part allways was a mayor thing in the show

[Guest surferphil]

The best thing was the features they did with a really good film crew. I haven't seen a well shot feature for a while.

 

Remember the Exige AH64 etc... Now there is more stupidity it's not so good and they always say something really stupid when genuinely trying to be factual.

Bring back the decent director.

[Bibs]

Dark, framed, quick shots are the order of the day. They show off someone's idea of creativity well but I'm not sure they add to the show.

[Guest surferphil]

I don't expect everyone to agree but the Pigani feature they did with Hammond didn't do it at all for me and I miss the good film work.

Doesn't have to be dark or quick just well shot. It's all gone a bit magazine special for me to think; 'wow that looks really good!' I just don't look forward to it like I used to.

I watched it for the cars not the capers or the celebrity, that to me is just general TV entertainment I watched it for the cars as I am sure millions of people do.

[Kimbers]

Challenges are good and never get old. "We were given XXXX and told to buy a saloon" etc etc. Some said they had done most but I think there are so many others they can do.

 

Would be nice to see some challenges like they do in the Magazine "Top 10 Sports cars" etc etc.

 

Anyone else notice this is the first Xmas in 3 years without a special? That Indian one killed those it was so crap.

[Guest surferphil]

The last episode in this series is really the Christmas special. I don't know why they didn't show it at Christmas but this series is really only 6 episodes long + the special. 

[Kimbers]

See, thats another issue! 6 episodes in a series? thats a month and a half. I really enjoy the show and, whilst I agree with many other comments that they have lost their way a bit, some of that for me is that I just get into the new series and they are gone again.

 

With their preference of testing the new Ferrari, Lambo, Aston etc at 1 per show, that doesn't leave a lot of time to test the new Hot hatches, Lotus's, Caterhams....bread and butter sports cars if you will. 

 

They need to get back to what they did best. Show us 3-4 affordable cars going at it head to head, show us a car we can all dream about and forget all the crap!

[Guest surferphil]

Yes, definitely agree with you there. I hope they do a good Exige one like the old 'little mosquito' feature. 

[alan]

I watch it for the  cars, but also as others have said the challenges etc.  The photography / production does not seem quite as slick now days - in the past you feel they shot 100s of hours of footage and boiled it down to just one episode.

 

The main problem however is that all the presenters are now so successful in their own rights.  All of them front several TV shows (& in Hammonds case about 50% of BBC output), they all do newspaper & magazine columns, release books & DVDs etc.  

 

It used to be three blokes having a laugh, now they are just too busy to do Top Gear properly :-(