The New Grand Tour

lindsay

lindsay

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Has anyone watched it on Prime? I did, last night. What a disappointment.
Three likeable but bland young chaps rather devoid of personality. Three very fast and expensive cars, about which we learned very little (so not much of a car programme then). A rather tired format of these cars being driven on long American desert roads then a mini racetrack and finally racing against jet aircraft around an airport. Stuff we've seen before but done better in the past. The photography was nothing like as good as it used to be, no comedy or drama. I'm afraid it was a big fail for me. I had hoped they would try something new for a script and a more accessible location and set of ideas. Just Amazon trying to wring a bit more money out of what was done before, by the look of it.
 
I saw a trailer for it and I have no desire to go watch it.

Another attempt which misses the mark on what made the original great.

What is good is that when we get a cheeky Friday burger king the tradition in our house is to watch old top gear and the kids (8 & 10) love it. Last night we were watching series 1 and it's still better than any other attempt at the format that came after.
 
In the absence of anything better to do this afternoon, I watched the second episode - £5k sports cars road trip Singapore & Malaysia. The car part was mildly interesting, the presenters still not very impressive.
 
Thanks for the reminder. I'd forgotten about this and I will give it a watch.
 
That's a pity. I wonder if a shoestring budget and a need to do interesting things with not very much might have saved it, rather than just revisiting the formula?

It sometimes feels like the world has run out of ideas, or we're all so jaded with novelty that we can't enjoy ordinary things any more.
 
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yeah we watched the first 1.5 episodes, its absolute crap, the three folk are not to bad but its straight in with supercar wanking and that for me was the ultimate switch off.
 
I found the guys very wooden and forced. I watched for ten minutes and gave up.
 
Haven't seen the new one.
I think I'm probably the only person in the universe that never watched Top Gear, I just have no interest in cars. And for whatever reason (I can't remember), I watched one of those extended specials that they did where they do a bit of globe trotting, I was hooked and hunted them all out! I loved The Grand Tour too. I still have little interest in cars, I guess it was more about the presenters. I'm not watching this new one.
 
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Bletch said:
Haven't seen the new one.
I think I'm probably the only person in the universe that never watched Top Gear, I just have no interest in cars. And for whatever reason (I can't remember), I watched one of those extended specials that they did where they do a bit of globe trotting, I was hooked and hunted them all out! I loved The Grand Tour too. I still have little interest in cars, I guess it was more about the presenters. I'm not watching this new one.
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The cars are just a vehicle ( ;) ) for the presenters to work together and don't actually matter that much.
 
i just realised the word wanking gets past the swear filter, cool
 
That's more than enough about YOUR self abuse too, Marc!!! :P
 
It was Peggy's maiden name in "Married With Children".

The Greek for it is also a term of (almost!) endearment between close male friends.
 
W@nkers, the lot of 'em!!! (Some of my best friends are Greek.)
 
lindsay said:
Has anyone watched it on Prime? I did, last night. What a disappointment.
Three likeable but bland young chaps rather devoid of personality. Three very fast and expensive cars, about which we learned very little (so not much of a car programme then). A rather tired format of these cars being driven on long American desert roads then a mini racetrack and finally racing against jet aircraft around an airport. Stuff we've seen before but done better in the past. The photography was nothing like as good as it used to be, no comedy or drama. I'm afraid it was a big fail for me. I had hoped they would try something new for a script and a more accessible location and set of ideas. Just Amazon trying to wring a bit more money out of what was done before, by the look of it.
Click to expand...
This is my frustration as well...I did enjoy Top Gear for a while but the format grew stale and it was clear it was becoming increasingly staged so I wasn't that sorry when it finally ended. I also get irritated with other car channels and similar trying to replicate Top Gear as well rather than go their own direction, what ultimately made Top Gear work when it did was not so much the format but three guys who enjoyed doing car stuff together.
 
I'm going to be controversial here, because I liked it, the trick is to lower your expectations, I knew it wasn't going to be like the original trio, but that's the point, the new trio have to grow into their roles, its not going to great from the get go, but what they produced was watchable and I did find parts of it funny at times, looking forward to seeing it progress.
 
It really surprised me that the Beeb thought TG was watched because it was a car show. As Toni said earlier, the cars were just a vehicle for the rest.
I believe wokism prevents a lot of the humour it used from being commissioned today. Ditto for Grand Tour.
 
I've now watched 4 episodes and it is growing on me, and ironically I'm finding trainspotter Francis the most likeable and car-nerdy of the three new hosts. The shows are entertaining, if not very original, but if they can build a solid base of watchable stuff in the old format, they might then have the courage and freedom to move into new formats
 
Francis is definitely the exciting one, the Canadian guy is a dull version of Clarkson and the other guy seems a make-weight in episode 1. Not got further yet.
 
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