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Thread: New Top Gear

  1. #201
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    Like others have said in posts the Bugatti film was good
    What an incredible car!
    Is all a bit rubbish after that


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  2. #202
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    Quote Originally Posted by hafle View Post
    I agree, but I still prefer TGT and no different to new-new TG, TGT will slowly work out what it wants and needs to be doing (and can, without upsetting the legal folk)

    At the end of the day, we now have 2 lighthearted car shows instead of 1. Can't complain about that :)
    I agree with you, I do think or certainty hope that the next season of the grand tour will be far far better than the one they just did as at times it was painful to watch in fact I didn't bother to finish the series and that is so unlike me.

  3. #203
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    I could never watch TG without recording it first, I can then fast forward through all the inane chatter with the "guest".
    I liked the Bugatti sections but overall I'm not impressed.

  4. #204
    I thought episode 4 was the best so far.

    The Bugatti film was really good. LeBlanc was taking it pretty easy on the Ducati although I've never ridden with a film crew in close proximity but could imagine it's quite tricky and very off putting.
    Even the Twingo / PacMan film was OK - far less stupid than cars made of meat FFS!
    Andy

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  5. #205
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    Ive seen a few minutes of the last two episodes. I won't be making time to watch future ones but what I did see seemed a lot more natural and the relationships between the hosts seemed decent and genuine.

    It'll never hit the heights of years gone by but as its own version it'll do.

  6. #206
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    Quote Originally Posted by andy tims View Post
    Even the Twingo / PacMan film was OK - far less stupid than cars made of meat FFS!
    Indeed, and very much along the lines of past TG classics such as caravan darts and car football.

  7. #207
    I'm preferring this to the new grand tour.
    Out of all the presenters it's Matt Lb that i think is the most wooden, but on the whole much less silly than the amazon show.

  8. #208
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    Quote Originally Posted by andy tims View Post
    far less stupid than cars made of meat FFS!
    Yep, that was a particular low point among many other strong challengers for TGT.

    I remember thinking, "What on earth am I watching here?". And that was following the risible "Groundhog Day/Special Forces" crud.
    So clever my foot fell off.

  9. #209
    Have to say I wasn't that impressed with Sunday's episode. You sort of get the impression it's all been done before...

    Chiron was ok but let's face it if a car show mucks up a short film on the fastest production car ever in Dubai, there's no hope.

    The commentary round the laps is dreadfully dreary, sorry.

    I actually find MLB ok, I think he's putting more of his own character into it now.

  10. #210
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    I don't like LeBlanc in this role at all - square peg in a round hole. What struck me the most about Sunday's episode was that it seemed cold and lacking in character - the banter didn't work, the lines all sounded scripted and strained, the Twingo bit was just a waste of time and I'm afraid the Chiron feature was just too matter-of-fact for something that should have been the highlight of the series and a huge scoop over everyone else. Apart from Harris grinning there was zero excitement. LeBlanc actually looked happiest on the Ducati than in a car - maybe there's a hint there?
    AND.............. can they please stop all this drifting nonsense. It may look impressively "smokey" but it's been proved to be a slow way of going round a corner and the problem is that the Vauxhall Nova novices?BMW Barryboys think it is cool and will look good on the roundabout at Sainsburys.

  11. #211
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    I'm liking it. The characters are starting to emerge, it is bound to take time for them to become completely comfortable. I like Chris Harris, yes he's pretty dry, but he really can drive a car, unlike the previous crew. Matt does look a bit awkward at times, but I'd much rather him than Chris Evans. Who to be fair I thought would be excellent. Give them time, less of the football manager syndrome ok?

  12. #212
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    Quote Originally Posted by UKMike View Post
    AND.............. can they please stop all this drifting nonsense. It may look impressively "smokey" but it's been proved to be a slow way of going round a corner and the problem is that the Vauxhall Nova novices?BMW Barryboys think it is cool and will look good on the roundabout at Sainsburys.
    Because maybe drivers enjoy drifting? They better stop driving over 30mph as well just in case people watching try it themselves.

  13. #213
    Grand Master TheFlyingBanana's Avatar
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    Just had a chance to catch up on last Saturday's episode with the family.

    We all enjoyed it greatly. Great segments and content. Even the celeb was quite entertaining. The production values were as high as ever, and frankly it had much greater scale and looked a far more expensive production than TGT.

    And the presenters are coming along nicely...
    So clever my foot fell off.

  14. #214
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    That Ducati looked awesome, but I struggle to believe he was the one riding it.
    'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.

  15. #215
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    Quote Originally Posted by Saint-Just View Post
    That Ducati looked awesome, but I struggle to believe he was the one riding it.
    It could have been, I believe he's pretty decent on a bike.

    Awesome's not the word but at £75k it should be!

  16. #216
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    Enjoyed the last episode. Chris Harris is good, and Matt LeBlanc ok, but needs to lose some of the inane smiling and stop clapping at everything

  17. #217
    What I've seen so far has been pretty dull, nice cars but no entertainment. LeBlanc is OK, Harris is irritating and I've no idea who the other one is. I'd think I'd rather watch Fifth Gear.

  18. #218
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    This last episode was a vast improvement if you don't count Eddie Jordan... Cringe!

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  19. #219
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    Just watched it. Very good, but they should get rid of Sabina and get Chris Hoy, or other guest driver to do the challenges - especially as she is getting on my t"ts.

    Jordon should just bugger off.

    The Ford GT looked great and was blissfully unaware it was a V6 until today. The off road race was pretty epic to be honest.

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  20. #220
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    That was the best episode of Top Gear for five years. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I've not been a fan of the forced format but this episode had a slightly different approach to the humour and it worked well for me.

  21. #221
    Quote Originally Posted by Puntsdog View Post
    That was the best episode of Top Gear for five years. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I've not been a fan of the forced format but this episode had a slightly different approach to the humour and it worked well for me.
    Totally agree, by far the best episode and I think it shows that TG is really worth watching. I wasn't sure it first but now things have settled down.I love Sabine she's awesome and fearless (I think we all remember her blitzing Clarkson around the Nürburgring in a Transit van :) )

  22. #222
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    Yep - tonights was another step in the right direction - great segments, and the Hammer Racing was superb.

    MLB's "massage" comments were genuinely very funny.

    Anyone not watching now due to lingering doubts over the Chris Evans period etc is missing out.
    So clever my foot fell off.

  23. #223
    Jordan's the patsy, that's the funny bit. Sure, he knows it, and plays the part, but sometimes you need a stooge, especially to play off Harris.

    It was better certainly, I'm quite getting used to Harris's brusque persona as well.

    It's three distinct personalities again, different ones and I guess that's what we have had to get used to, but they're all working finally.

  24. #224
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    Ford GT film - very good
    Studio segments - the worst thing ever made in a studio ever
    Desert race - very good
    Rory - complete absence of ... everything really. Completely unnecessary

    I applaud them for their ambition and in Chris and Matt - in the recorded pieces - they have some winners.

  25. #225
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    I've enjoyed most of this series so far. Last nights episode was the best yet and I enjoyed it more than any single episode of TGT. I can see Matt and Chris's relationship growing as they are getting each others sense of humor more and more. Reid just doesn't seem a fit though. Its like watching 2 mates with a little brother in tow that they both just knock the pee out of.

  26. #226
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    Agree with the others, one of the best episodes yet. Rory just appears really bland to me, almost a fake niceness where as Chris and Matt are showing character now, I liked Chris from the start although many appeared not to.

    Welcome back Top Gear

  27. #227

    I find myself enjoying each episode a bit more than the last one.

    I couldn't believe just how awful it was with Chris Evans and he just had to fall on his sword - thank god sooner than later. I like Matt Le Blanc and think he's got a wicked sense of humour when it gets the chance to be shown....which is not always as it's heavily scripted for (and don't forget this compared to other/past presenters) someone that is a professional actor to deliver those lines.

    Chris Harris seems more at ease now and as with Matt his sense of humour is developing nicely too. Rory has his place but I do tend to fast forward his pieces about cars that don't interest me at all....

    Comparing it to "The Grand Tour" is easy. "Top Gear" is vastly superior IMO. I watched the first three episodes of The Grand Tour and just could be arsed to watch any more. That second episode with the stupid military watch/die/repeat sequence was just dire......and not watching the rest of the Amazon Prime series is a very, very common theme with friends of mine who are/were the target audience for The Grand Tour....but Clarkson and Co won't worry as they shovel the money into the bank of course.

    And the lack of public school wizzo japes is welcome in new Top Gear too.

  28. #228
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    Sunday's was not as good as the previous one. The Ford bit was okay; the guest was above a very low average, the rest was dull. I can see all the huge off-roading trucks I want on Diesel Brothers or YouTube. Quite like Sabine.
    They still haven't got the spark of Clarkson who is a professional writer. All a bit anodyne.

  29. #229
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    Quote Originally Posted by Glamdring View Post
    They still haven't got the spark of Clarkson
    That's good way of putting it. I'm enjoying the new series of TG (well, about two thirds of each episode) and it's slowly turning into a good bit of entertaining car-based viewing. It just doesn't have the 'thing' that Clarkson et al have. The extra bit. The 'x factor' (I hate that term).

    The new TG is getting better - but I think they will peak at an 8 out of 10 - competent, fun, watchable...but not special.

  30. #230
    Grand Master TheFlyingBanana's Avatar
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    I think Chris Harris is developing really, really well as a presenter - he's naturally quite amusing in a sort of intense car-nut kind of way, and I think the other presenters and the producers are sensing this.

    He's like the slightly "special" one, who doesn't quite get that the others find him amusing (but of course he does and is very smartly playing to it). It means he can be the butt of some gentle humour, but it isn't spiteful.

    I actually like the training laps he does with the celebs - this adds a lot to the sequence - whereas there was no reaction or personality with The Stig, Harris getting annoyed or exasperated is good fun.

    I think Rory is doing ok too - he is the foil to the other personalities, and that is needed in the show now. He is very innoffensive, but doesn't seem to be taking it all too seriously.

    I keep going back to what others have said here previously - it took quite a while for CMH to gel as a presenting team - in some ways this new bunch are coming together more quickly.

    Will they ever reach quite the heights that TG did at it's very best - possibly not, that was quite a unique television phenomenon, but then TG under CMH was only at it's very best for perhaps four or five years. After that it declined rapidly - Peugeot Ambulances anyone?
    So clever my foot fell off.

  31. #231
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    I'd really like to see more racing challenge type things and challenges where they all work together like endurance racing for example, and maybe even building some outrageous machines... It's vastly improved though

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  32. #232
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    Quote Originally Posted by TheFlyingBanana View Post
    I actually like the training laps he does with the celebs - this adds a lot to the sequence - whereas there was no reaction or personality with The Stig, Harris getting annoyed or exasperated is good fun.
    Generally agree with all that, except this point. He's reigned it in a bit, but, unlike you, it doesn't ADD anything for me, rather detracts.

    I'm not sure why they feel we need to see the celeb 'learning' - Actually, not sure why they think we need this section at all as it was only shoehorned in when the BBC sacked Ross and had no chat show for celebs plugging books/films to appear on.

    Now they have Graham Norton, the celeb spot is utterly redundant.

    They could have a review of a sub 20K car (new or used) each week in its spot - That'd be more interesting to me than seeing an actor driving around an airfield...

    M

  33. #233
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    I'd definitely like to see some more classic cars on TG, and features on particular Marques.

    There is a wealth of history in the automotive world that I think TG has never tapped, along with owners clubs for virtually every interesting car ever made.
    So clever my foot fell off.

  34. #234
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    Definitely getting better, but the Harris LeBlanc relationship still feels far too forced and scripted. I feel like I'm skipping half the show just to get past the awful interviews. Why they felt the need to drag it out even further with the training stuff is beyond me.

  35. #235
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    Quote Originally Posted by TheFlyingBanana View Post
    I'd definitely like to see some more classic cars on TG, and features on particular Marques.

    There is a wealth of history in the automotive world that I think TG has never tapped, along with owners clubs for virtually every interesting car ever made.
    I have to agree.

    It would be great to have a piece on people like Carl(o) Arbath.

    Failing that I would be happy to see a review of some of the best collections - Nick Mason, Ralph Lauren, to name a few.

    Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
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  36. #236
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    Quote Originally Posted by TheFlyingBanana View Post
    Iowners clubs for virtually every interesting car ever made.
    And most of the uninteresting ones too!

    M.

  37. #237
    + another for the improvements. Sabine is OK in moderation, Rory should be replaced with someone with at least some more charisma - I don't really see what he adds. MLB and Harris are developing well. As per others the Star thing is better but still too long and rather pointless.

  38. #238
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    Sabine was well used this last episode as it allows CH to get competitive. I think she will be a great addition if and when they race in some sort of motley crew when they decide to film Carry on Le Mans or Spa, Nurburgring or Silverstone for 6, 12 or 24 hours.
    'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.

  39. #239
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    That GT looks amazing!
    Cheers..
    Jase

  40. #240
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    I actually like Rory Reid. He seems like a nice bloke who's just been dropped in there. Like the audience substitute. And getting him to do the reviews of the cars people might actually be able to afford makes sense.

  41. #241
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    I hated the Chris Evans series and was very disappointed by the Grand Tour.
    Unexpectedly, I'm really enjoying the current series. I like Matt Le Blanc and Chris Harris seems to have improved many fold over his wooden appearance in the previous series. Scripted it may be, but I think they're really beginning to gel. Not sure about Rory, but he's inoffensive, unlike Sabine who sets my teeth on edge. Let her drive but make her mute like the Stig.
    It may not be as good as the best of the Clarkson era yet but it's improving and, in my opinion, already better than a lot of the later series.
    Last edited by Cynar; 5th April 2017 at 11:29.

  42. #242
    Grand Master snowman's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bogmanfan View Post
    I actually like Rory Reid. He seems like a nice bloke who's just been dropped in there. Like the audience substitute. And getting him to do the reviews of the cars people might actually be able to afford makes sense.
    That's REVIEW right?

    Just the Twingo or have I nodded off during a SIARPC segment and missed something?

    M

  43. #243
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    I have only seen Top Gear in passing over the past few years - flicking by. I've been so laid up with the flu over last couple of weeks, it came on and I couldn't be bothered to move on. I have always found the studio section such embarrassing TV, and this was the worst its ever been. Forced jokes, no chemistry and goons looking on. There is only one show that makes me cringe more and that is Sunday brunch. Jezzzz, the opening table getting to know you interview is the worst TV ever created! My sister had to go to the show (in the studio) for work recently and she said Lovejoy is utterly clueless and if it wasn't for Rimmer there would be no show.

    But, thats just my view on TG... I can understand why people like the features as they are well filmed.

    (by the way Rimmer's pub in Woolton - The Elephant - is well worth a visit. Lovely place)

  44. #244
    Quote Originally Posted by Bogmanfan View Post
    I actually like Rory Reid. He seems like a nice bloke who's just been dropped in there. Like the audience substitute. And getting him to do the reviews of the cars people might actually be able to afford makes sense.
    Seconded.
    Andy

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  45. #245
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    Yes, Rory has obviously been stuck in there to appeal to the younger audience, - representing progress and more affordable stuff.

    Like most jobs which involve speaking or performing in front of big audiences, - there is no substitute for experience. In time he'll relax more & his true/natural personality will start to shine through.

  46. #246
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    Rory's challenge is also that the 2 others have a strong personality / screen presence, and the confidence their respective CVs bring. Furthermore he is playing de facto third fiddle so he may never catch up with the others unless they wait for him and make space for him. Not a done deal I think.
    'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.

  47. #247
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    I agree that Rory is actually doing a pretty good job. They seem to be using him as the 'little brother' type - see the electric car segment in the last episode, where he wasn't allowed to drive. I think his car reviews were very enjoyable though. Overall, I think the show is definitely improving, although it could be more sparkling. I have to admit: the fact that with Clarkson & co, there was always the danger of some form of embarrassment, did make the show special.

  48. #248
    Quote Originally Posted by JackW View Post
    I agree that Rory is actually doing a pretty good job. They seem to be using him as the 'little brother' type - see the electric car segment in the last episode, where he wasn't allowed to drive. I think his car reviews were very enjoyable though. Overall, I think the show is definitely improving, although it could be more sparkling. I have to admit: the fact that with Clarkson & co, there was always the danger of some form of embarrassment, did make the show special.

    Your last point hits the nail squarely on the head. Having Clarkson front Top Gear made it watchable simply because, apart from being funny, he was a careless match thrown into a box of fireworks. Tantalisingly politically incorrect, willing and able to gallop straight through a whole flock of Britain's sacred cows, and some belonging to foreigners. There's no "edge" to the new presenting team. Matt LeBlanc isn't qualified to get into the British psyche, Harris is one-dimensional and Reid is trying too hard to be down wiv da kids.

    I find the obsession with "the chemistry between LeBlanc and Harris" a bit strange, almost as though some people want them to gaze into each others' eyes before engaging in a bout of tonsil hockey. Clarkson, Hammond and May became mates over a decade of presenting Top Gear because they shared so many often daft experiences, teaming up against each other, and against their rivals from the Australian and German spin-off shows. The whole production team went through the emotional agony of Richard Hammond's near-fatal jet car crash, and that sort of experience forms strong bonds. They were a bunch of mates making a daft tv programme, they often fell out with each other, but when Clarkson was sacked for punching a producer May and Hammond closed ranks and they all left together.

    Top Gear has to succeed. Failure will result in a massive loss of credibility and revenue for the BBC, so there's incredible pressure to get it right. The only measure of success which matters to the BBC is viewing figures, and whether the great unwashed will bother to watch what was once the most popular factual programme on British tv.

    I'm looking forward to the next series of The Grand Tour. The daft concept of "killing off a celebrity guest" seems a better alternative than having them come into the studio and ruin the show, Sir Chris Hoy being the only exception so far.

    Finally, apart from the dwindling viewing figures, two aspects of the "new" Top Gear seem significant. The "star guests" are, shall we say, rather less famous than the old show managed to attract, and the studio audience (and the studio itself) is smaller. The demand for tickets to the old incarnation of Top Gear was such that prospective parents would apply for tickets for their offspring before putting their name down for Eton. I wonder what the queue is like now?
    Last edited by Backward point; 6th April 2017 at 12:59.

  49. #249
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    Quote Originally Posted by Puntsdog View Post
    That was the best episode of Top Gear for five years. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I've not been a fan of the forced format but this episode had a slightly different approach to the humour and it worked well for me.
    I agree, let's hope they don't stoop to the ridiculous depths of turning a people carrier into a soft top and take to a car wash.

  50. #250
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    Watching the 6th episode and find myself spending more time on TZ than watching. Decent AMG GTR bit at the beginning but Cuba and Ross Noble were pretty dull

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