The New Top Gear

I watched the first episode - but no more.

I think the BBC have failed to understand that Top Gear was really about Clarkson, Hamster and James May, with the cars being almost incidental. A new Top Gear series without them is pretty much guaranteed to fail.

My guess is that this is the last series ever.
 
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IMHO last nights was better than the first with MLB providing a solid influence

Evans is still the wrong man to be leading the show, his voice is terrible and he worsens the situation by shouting most of the time
 
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Last night's was a lot better than the first but that isn't saying much. The studio guest bit is still boring. The new track is boring. CE is still annoying. The pace of all the films seems to be slower. I think they have decided to have fewer films and stretched them into the hour and it really shows. If they'd put the extra gear best bits in the main show then it wouldn't feel as anywhere long and drawn out. I think with re-editing it could be a lot less boring. The old TG the hour rarely dragged. The films didn't drag. Even when the track day person was a dullard they had the sense to shorten it down a bit. The new TG seems to keep that bit the same length even if the content just isn't up to it. It just drags itself along.

It just feels like they're trying to stretch out insufficient material to cobble a show together. The old one always felt like they had crammed everything in and had to leave stuff out.
 
Ricardodaforce said:
Who cares what he tweets. If you don't like it don't watch it. If you're interested how it develops then stick with it. In my opinion you missed a good episode last night. If I was you I'd stick with Netflix on a Sunday night to stop you worrying about what Chris Evans tweets.
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Sorry, my mistake. I didn't realise this was a top gear fan boi thread.
 
I watched last nights episode. I thought it was better, maybe some of the first night nerves had gone.

CE still needs to tone it down, to find his own style rather than being Clarkson on Speed.
MLB seemed more relaxed and I quite like his slower delivery as it contrasts well with CE.
Kill off SIARPC.
EJ is always good value, liked him on the BBC F1 shows.

Studio sections are still awkward, but thats the problem when you have replaced three mates with people who have yet to form that type of relationship.
 
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I passed on last nights episido and played a few hours of my new pc game, pillars of destiny :)
 
Viewing figures are even lower for this week's episode. It will be interesting to see how the consolidated figures go.
 
srichards said:
Viewing figures are even lower for this week's episode. It will be interesting to see how the consolidated figures go.
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Yes, only 2.8 million from the live viewing figures. If that carries on they can't justify commissioning another series given its huge budget.
 
They can. They'll just sack Evans and give it to someone else. He's the problem. All the criticism is consistent. Evans is awful. MLB is 50/50. So they'd get rid of Evans first. Then MLB after a second series if ratings don't pick up. Then if it still fails I'd imagine the three stooges will return to carry on where they left off.
 
I can never understand why people come on to say how they didn't watch it. That doesn't really add anything to the conversation.
 
I to think from my one episode that Matt LeBlanc is really quite good.
But Top Gear needs some one more northern at the helm.
 
It was awkward telling EJ he couldn't drive... I felt a bit sorry for him, if it was meant to be funny I missed it. Also, the bombshell comment, that was the first laugh for me
 
I like MLB as well. I think he has promise. CE is just awful and was always going to be awful. From what I remember the BBC wanted Guy Martin but he said no. I think quite a few good people have turned it down as they obviously didn't want to be stepping into this particular landmine or they didn't want to work with Evans. I'd think someone else better will appear after CE is gone when they realise they only have to follow a crap series!
 
just from last night's episode I can see MLB taking more of a lead role ..... and if he does, and changes the concept little by little it could move forward .......... CE unfortunately is liked or extremely disliked ........ and this situation will get worse on a programme like Top Gear

The prog had good parts, Jensen, Eddie and Tinie Tempah were good, Seasick Steve was just laid ....... and MLB and Tinie produced a sensible and interesting balance when working together

I found it entertaining if you blank out CE
 
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connersz said:
I can never understand why people come on to say how they didn't watch it. That doesn't really add anything to the conversation.
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It does if they didn't watch it as a result of he first one, like me!
 
BillN_33 said:
just from last night's episode I can see MLB taking more of a lead role ..... and if he does, and changes the concept little by little it could move forward .......... CE unfortunately is liked or extremely disliked ........ and this situation will get worse on a programme like Top Gear

The prog had good parts, Jensen, Eddie and Tinie Tempah were good, Seasick Steve was just laid ....... and MLB and Tinie produced a sensible and interesting balance when working together

I found it entertaining if you blank out CE
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Well summed up, I didn't feel like I had wasted an hour at 9pm last night. Let's hope it carries on improving.
 
I think people look back on the old TG with rose-c*nted specs (to use one of J.Inverdale's expressions) and forget that a) It took quite a long time for Clarkson et al to get the format right and for the show to become as popular as it eventually did, b) It was quite often a bit 'crap' and c) the format of the 'new' show was quite possibly pinched from Evans' shows like 'Don't forget your toothbrush' and TFI Friday.

I would agree that C.E. isn't the best choice to replace J.C. though.
 
Cartus said:
I think people look back on the old TG with rose-c*nted specs (to use one of J.Inverdale's expressions) and forget that a) It took quite a long time for Clarkson et al to get the format right and for the show to become as popular as it eventually did, b) It was quite often a bit 'crap' and c) the format of the 'new' show was quite possibly pinched from Evans' shows like 'Don't forget your toothbrush' and TFI Friday.

I would agree that C.E. isn't the best choice to replace J.C. though.
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No, the new one is terrible, and Chris Evans is awful - that's the issue.

As far as rose tinted specs go, that's simply not the case - watching it on Dave is as good now as it ever was. It is so much better than the Evans version and that's a fact that really you'll need a head exam to dispute sensibly. The overall opinion from fans around the world also reflects that. The poor quality of last weeks show is exactly why it's lost a third of its audience in just one week.

I watched last nights on iPlayer as a few people stayed it was better than last week, and while it was more interesting it's still a shadow of its former self and the humour, which TG was superb at, is non existent.
 
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I wasn't impressed with the first show, but actually enjoyed most of the second.
I'm going to stick with it and see how things pan out.
 
I watched it, I thought that the road trip element missed the point of the 'old series' tests, the vehicles where not picked for a reason by each driver as they just had 3 new SUVs, there was no opining of what they liked about the cars or the characters of them, it just seemed a bit...flat.
 
Matt said:
I watched it, I thought that the road trip element missed the point of the 'old series' tests, the vehicles where not picked for a reason by each driver as they just had 3 new SUVs, there was no opining of what they liked about the cars or the characters of them, it just seemed a bit...flat.
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Indeed and where were the pranks, the sabotage? I thought it was a lot better than last week's and a few funny moments but no real belly laughs like the previous series.

And WTF is that 1st car/best car b*****ks before the Star in a Rally Car? Completely pointless IMO, a lame attempt at trying to do something "different".

It may get better, it may even become a big hit but it's on a very long journey and it's only just pulled out of the drive!
 
Well, I thought it was a massive improvement on the first week.

Sure they still need to gel more and inject a little more humour and camaraderie but it's coming along. The star in a car thing was always crap and still is imo.
 
Well I voted with my feet and did not tune in to the second episode, will not watch it on the iPlayer either... That said I caught the last 30 seconds or so, with them bickering like children over the bombshell. Chris is so grating as a presenter and I for one did not like his pokes at old TG. Someone aptly described him as "and ADHD child who has eaten a bag of sweets" ha.

I watched the first episode (well I recorded it) got to the SIARPC (echo the comments to scrap it) and skipped past it, then lost interest and turned it off. I thought the Top Gun bit seemed even more staged than old TG challenges. Made me chuckle Chris loosing control of the better of the two cars. Sabine should have mullered him but there we go... Especially liked him driving past her sat in the hangar slowly - did her missiles jam or what? No Chris has to win I think.

The Robin section was pointless, would have been funny to see them mod the cars themselves a la old TG challenges but hey ho.

I hope viewer numbers continue to tank, something might be done about it.
 
Just watched the second episode. Much better than the first, worked for me. Warming up nicely IMO.

Chris is a bit of a Marmite character, I like him. Nice dig about being shouty at the start, good for him. No more annoying than Clarkson for me. What no pranks, and repeatedly driving into May, again, and again, and again, and again, and....

I liked the old trio but it was getting tired. For me this is the start of the freshen up it needed.
 
Hazza said:
Well I voted with my feet and did not tune in to the second episode, will not watch it on the iPlayer either... That said I caught the last 30 seconds or so, with them bickering like children over the bombshell. Chris is so grating as a presenter and I for one did not like his pokes at old TG. Someone aptly described him as "and ADHD child who has eaten a bag of sweets" ha.

I watched the first episode (well I recorded it) got to the SIARPC (echo the comments to scrap it) and skipped past it, then lost interest and turned it off. I thought the Top Gun bit seemed even more staged than old TG challenges. Made me chuckle Chris loosing control of the better of the two cars. Sabine should have mullered him but there we go... Especially liked him driving past her sat in the hangar slowly - did her missiles jam or what? No Chris has to win I think.

The Robin section was pointless, would have been funny to see them mod the cars themselves a la old TG challenges but hey ho.

I hope viewer numbers continue to tank, something might be done about it.
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Won't somebody call a waaaaaaaaaaambulance! Not often I read something as funny as this. Talk about throwing your toys out of the pram. You didn't give time for the series to develop. As you have read here, general consensus is that the second episode was much better than the first. The McLaren/Button/Evans feature was easily as good as anything Clarkson did.
Your loss.
 
connersz said:
I can never understand why people come on to say how they didn't watch it. That doesn't really add anything to the conversation.
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Because viewing figures are down and feedback is good. How do you fix things if you don't know whats wrong.

Quite like the rally idea of the star in a mini, but they never show enough of the driving. It's only a short lap, show it all, in car, out of car, cut more of the chat before.
Not really a SUV comparison, at least the least three used to swap around cars, and they would actually have slept in those tents.

It's got possibilities but it needs to find it's own way. I think the BBC are to scared of losing the franchise money by making too many changes.
 
Ricardodaforce said:
Won't somebody call a waaaaaaaaaaambulance! Not often I read something as funny as this. Talk about throwing your toys out of the pram. You didn't give time for the series to develop. As you have read here, general consensus is that the second episode was much better than the first. The McLaren/Button/Evans feature was easily as good as anything Clarkson did.
Your loss.
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To be fair, the McLaren film was only good because of a) the car and b) Jensen Button.

If he kicked Evans out of the passenger seat and put someone else in there it would have been better, without a doubt!

They need presenters with charisma and the only one that has it is MLB (though I was surprised Eddie Jordan didn't annoy me as he did when he was presenting BBCs F1, I actually thought he was ok). Sort out his wooden studio segments and he's there. While the films were better this time around(though still falling easy short of the Clarkson films) the studio segments were still diabolical. They really need to have a different presenter fronting this, Evans is terrible and I cringed at the start, pulling him out on a bed, it was more panto than TG.

...and the humours gone, the second reason I loved the old guard, it was funnier than most comedy shows on TV.

My view after watching EP2 - better, but still poor, ruined by a very annoying frontman who won't listen to criticism. In fact he's arrogant enough to laugh at it, that'll be his downfall with TG and might be why another series bites the dust (only 2.8 million watched live on Sunday, pretty poor).
 
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I think the drop in viewing figures was down to a bad first episode, I nearly didn't bother watching it myself but glad I persevered. I think now the word is out that the second was actually rather good it will pick up slowly. And I also think this will not be CE downfall with TG, the chap is not stupid at all, on the contrary it does take someone like him to follow this. A delicate wall flower would not have worked. I hope the studio engineers can get the sound sorted for his voice...
 
dejongj said:
I think the drop in viewing figures was down to a bad first episode, I nearly didn't bother watching it myself but glad I persevered. I think now the word is out that the second was actually rather good it will pick up slowly. And I also think this will not be CE downfall with TG, the chap is not stupid at all, on the contrary it does take someone like him to follow this. A delicate wall flower would not have worked. I hope the studio engineers can get the sound sorted for his voice...
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There's more to not like than just his voice. Such as presenting style, lack of humour, arrogance, awkwardness etc. From a personal point of view I even find the way he looks and carries himself off putting.

Add to that his tyrant attitude in the studio (audience members walked out last week too) he's got a lot to change and I don't think it'll happen, he's way to up his own arse.

He really is wrong for this.
 
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fabs said:
And WTF is that 1st car/best car b*****ks before the Star in a Rally Car? Completely pointless IMO, a lame attempt at trying to do something "different".
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Too true.. I like to hear about the stars first car but the whole "cheer if you like this one" thing is cringe-worthy.

I do agree with the general consensus that the second show was better than the first but it's got a long way to go yet.. Who know's, we could be here the other side of summer raving about it ;)
 
odd jim said:
There's more to not like than just his voice. Such as presenting style, lack of humour, arrogance, awkwardness etc. From a personal point of view I even find the way he looks and carries himself off putting.

Add to that his tyrant attitude in the studio (audience members walked out last week too) he's got a lot to change and I don't think it'll happen, he's way to up his own arse.
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But most of this is about your personal dislike of Chris and while quite a few people share that view many people also don't. As for no humour I found found it pretty amusing, my wife laughed more at the last episode than I've seen her laugh for ages.

As for people walking out, once I got past the sensational headline the article I read just suggested some people started walking out when filming of the first episode over ran. They probably had somewhere to be. Hardly a surprise that there were delays filming the first episode is it?

When you've been responsible, or partially responsible, for shows like TFI, Radio 2 breakfast, Car Fest, etc. is it arrogance or is it just justified confidence because he actually knows what he's doing.
 
MFlip said:
But most of this is about your personal dislike of Chris and while quite a few people share that view many people also don't. As for no humour I found found it pretty amusing, my wife laughed more at the last episode than I've seen her laugh for ages.

As for people walking out, once I got past the sensational headline the article I read just suggested some people started walking out when filming of the first episode over ran. They probably had somewhere to be. Hardly a surprise that there were delays filming the first episode is it?

When you've been responsible, or partially responsible, for shows like TFI, Radio 2 breakfast, Car Fest, etc. is it arrogance or is it just justified confidence because he actually knows what he's doing.
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I have no personal dislike of him as such, I just don't like what I see and hear from him.

I don't know why they walked out last week. But the reason week one overran by hours was because of his tyrannical attitude - he was demanding things reshot over and over again, was moving audience members around as he didn't like certain people in the shot (due to the way they looked!) and various other silly things. The reason for people leaving wasn't just the time it took to shoot, it was that, plus what was happening during the shoot.

They also weren't laughing at the "funny" bits which then required canned laughter to be added.

What also needs to be realised is that everyone there applied for tickets for the Clarkson / Hammond and May show, and might not have liked what they saw, hense being disappointed, then add all the above...
 
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Byker28i said:
Because viewing figures are down and feedback is good. How do you fix things if you don't know whats wrong.

Quite like the rally idea of the star in a mini, but they never show enough of the driving. It's only a short lap, show it all, in car, out of car, cut more of the chat before.
Not really a SUV comparison, at least the least three used to swap around cars, and they would actually have slept in those tents.

It's got possibilities but it needs to find it's own way. I think the BBC are to scared of losing the franchise money by making too many changes.
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It's not feedback if you only came here to say you didn't watch it. How can you provide feedback if you didn't see it?
 
MFlip said:
Ever notice how there was normally a line of young, attractive but slightly uncomfortable looking women at the front of the audience most of the time when JC was filming?
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Sometimes, but Evans Was a little more picky. Whereas before a pretty face and boobs would do it, Evans got picky with what shoes people were wearing...
 
MFlip said:
Ever notice how there was normally a line of young, attractive but slightly uncomfortable looking women at the front of the audience most of the time when JC was filming?
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Yep..... But that's probably because Clarkson knew that the vast majority of TG's target audience we men and that's what would be more appealing.
 
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