I’ll need to get some use out of my prime subscription so will continue to watch, looks great in full 4K too.
I watched TGT last night, more in hope than expectation...............was glad I did. Mostly back to the original TG format with some decent humourous banter, great road/trip car test. Strange there was little 'industry' news and the Star in a (decent) car was a bit crap and rather slow (and I had no idea who the Yorkshire bloke was!).
Good start, will watch again.
I’ll need to get some use out of my prime subscription so will continue to watch, looks great in full 4K too.
I thought it was alright. It's doing what it does best and there seems to be some great ones coming up.
I thought it was much better than the 1st series.
There were a few laughs throughout.
I would have preferred more info/review on the cars themselves, but I'll keep watching.
I thought it was very thin on actual content. There simply wasn’t very much in the show.
Given the immense budget, and the almost limitless resources at their disposal, it wasn’t impressive. The presenters look tired, old and bored.
I actually think Top Gear with Matt Le Blanc is far superior now.
So clever my foot fell off.
The number of internet forum column inches devoted to middle aged blokes discussing early evening car-based TV shows is incredible. We are back to the biannual TG vs TGT discussion cycle.
I’m of the opinion that pre-“fracas” TG was getting pretty stale and hackneyed, so both new series are trying to breathe new life into a dying format. Both do a reasonable job at providing mildly entertaining chewing gum TV, but nether are particularly great. The “banter” and jokiness in both series are weak and forced, but the locations and cinematography are still great (with TGT just having the edge imo). I’d happily watch both with the sound down.
(I’m another one who liked the old school Woollard era show, but clearly that’s not what people want anymore. I also liked Fifth Gear).
This might explain it
https://amp.theguardian.com/media/20...with-pneumonia
May's mystery illness must be related to his bloated appearance, as he doesn't look that bad in any of the location pieces.
I watched this and thought it was OK but really only for streaming. I think the poor competition from Top Gear helps but there are only so many programmes can watch with a few people joking around in expensive cars.
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Perhaps, I'm easily pleased, but I liked it and looking forward to the next one.
Fas est ab hoste doceri
^ I'm with you. I don't analyse it, I just enjoy it and I'm looking forward to the next episode.
A bit of good fun. The celebrity piece was dull, partly because of the guests I suppose.
I will continue to watch
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Just watched the second episode, better than the first in my opinion.
The only thing that bugged me about it was the face on the woman standing over Jeremy’s right shoulder. She looked like she was either standing directly in the zone of a really smelly fart or she was dying for a shit.
Top Gear were known for having "wranglers" who would round up the attractive women in the audience and position them in shot for the studio discussion sequences.
Perhaps The Grand Tour are doing the same, and she really didn't want to be there?
Anyway. I enjoyed Episode 2, and look forward to the rest of the series. If Top Gear continue their post-Evans improvement then we car enthusiasts will have two large-budget well produced shows to enjoy, in amongst all of the Strictly-Come-Dancing-Celebrity-Jungle-Baking-Antique-Auction tosh.
First episode seemed a bit stale and unnatural.
Just rewatched the Source of the Nile special from TG, and that had so much more life to it. They seemed genuinely happy to be there, unlike the TGT studio episodes. Hopefully they do more specials rather than studio episodes for TGT in the future.
Eds: Just watched episode 2. Much more like the old, excellent Top Gear. Though I'd prefer no celeb bits.
Last edited by hughtrimble; 16th December 2017 at 04:10.
Trailer looked great so hopefully some good pieces to come. No evidence of them in the first show though. Struggling to drive supercars around a narrow european city...?
Watched the first episode and enjoyed it.
Second episode watched and I've forgotten it already. At least CBC and the American has gone. It was impolite of the team not to mention Abbie Eaton by name. Clarkson's fear of creating another "name" he'll have to pay continuing from the Stig days.
A big thumbs up from me. Both episodes of season two have been great; agree with others that the omissions made are for the better too. Worth paying my Prime membership for this alone!
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Great episode. And for once I really enjoyed the celebrity bit, especially given this week they actually seemed to try driving fast and have a bit of fun. Last week's was like watching paint dry.
I'm now trying to imagine the conversation..... "Sir, we think that your girlfriend is quite hot, so we'd like to place her prominently just over Jeremy's right shoulder during "Conversation Street", but to be honest, we don't want an ugly bloke with an "Electric cars are for girls" tee shirt anywhere in shot, so if you could just go and stand over there.....bit further, if you could....that's right, behind the camera.....perfect.
Second episode was almost as boring, formulaic and pointless as episode one. I really don't know what to make of this show anymore, used to be fun seeing a group of mates messing about with cars etc. Now they all just look ill and I don't get the sense that they like each other anymore. Clearly just doing it for the massive Amazon pay check, just no heart or life left in it. Time to let it die in my opinion.....
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Interesting. I have not bothered to watch any grand tour at all. I got so fed up with three of them. I didn’t enjoy top gear with Evans but since he has gone it is settling in to a nice rythem. There is a good mix of prior information I want to hear from A technical perspective and challenges. Don’t miss the old lot one bit.
I've got little interest in modern European cars but have always been entertained by the presenters. Sure they all look older than they used to, but so do I and it doesn't stop me enjoying it.
Last edited by bonzo697; 16th December 2017 at 19:57.
Well the missus has not seen any of the new series, but has just seen the trio at olympia and her text to me was that May looks reallllly old. Maybe they are making these repeated alcohol jokes for such a reason.
The booze jokes are mainly directed at JC (“pneumonia”, “ambassador”)
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
But they've also been directed at May, and I've seen many an elder gent who enjoy a few too many change appearance in such ways. I'm purely speculating based on discussion with the missus, I.e the posters in this thread are probably right in that it's more than just a haircut
Just watched episode 2 and thought it was far better than 1, well worth watching imo.
May's face has filled out a bit since the last season.
Just watched Episode 2.
It was watchable, but again very thin on actual content, and completely devoid of any new ideas.
I'm not quite sure how it managed to run for an hour with so little in it, Top Gear packs a lot more in to an episode.
And now that the tent doesn't seem to move anymore, it has lost it's unique selling point (albeit one that was seriously underused in season one). So it's more like Top gear Lite, with a tent instead of a studio, and a track that's not as good as the original.
All a bit odd really.
So clever my foot fell off.
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
That is my issue with TG. He will always be Joey. I can't see him in any other way and it is a big distraction and almost a benchmark he must (but fails to) hit and it stops me from just enjoying the show for what it is.
I think that has also effected TGT. They decided to make it so similar to TG that it is not judged on its merits as a show, but in how it compares to old TG. Granted I enjoy it, but as others have said, it still isn't the Bolivia special etc.
Last edited by hafle; 17th December 2017 at 19:39.
The bit they did about sponsorship / product promotion was interesting. To me, this looks suspiciously like Clarkson in a poor disguise:
"The best Tennessee whiskey..........................in the world!"
So was the rolex real or fake? :p