Tesla Sues Top Gear

People should take the show for what it is, 'entertainment' if your were thinking about purchasing any vehicle that is featured on the show then I would think most people would do a little more research than listen to what 1 program has to say on it.
 
I thought the Lotus Elise race against the Tesla Roadster was less entertaining due to the faux break down rather than actually completing the race like both cars would have done if it was not for script 'interference'.

I really dont know what they gained by doing that :confused:

It’s just a shame that in the real world it doesn’t seem to work
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The company said it became aware of the staging of the scene when its UK director of sales and marketing saw two scripts before the car had even been driven.

One of the scripts concluded with virtually the same pay-off line used by Clarkson. ‘It’s just a shame that in the real world it absolutely doesn’t work,’ it read.

Tesla also challenged Top Gear ‘about another script which called for the Roadster to be filmed being pushing into the hangar having run out of charge’.
 
[TW]Fox;18787007 said:
Oh not this AGAIN.

Yes, Top Gear is scripted. Quite why some of you act with suprise and outrage at this fact continues to evade me. Of course its scripted - it's a recorded television show. Almost every recorded television show in the entire world - and many live ones as well - have a script. It's how you make television. Its how it works. Even the BBC News at 10 has a script.

Unscripted stuff doesnt work. It's ok for a one-off event and sometimes it works for stand up comedy but generally speaking you cant do the sort of things they do on TG, properly, without a script to follow.

Its just how it is.

The only thing thats tiresomely predictable about Top Gear are those who claim to hate the show yet curiously still watch every episode. I hate Eastenders. I cannot stand it. Therefore I just dont watch it. You should try it, its refreshing.
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I think this is fine for the road trips and stuff but picking a fault with a product simply for entertainment value is a bit off.

I worked alongside the ex Tesla Motors Ltd. General manager for 6 months after he finished at Tesla UK and he said that when he was there he did everything in his power to stop Top Gear getting their hands on the car for just this sort of reason. When the show came out he simply said "Now you can see why."

Top Gear is purely entertainment and I enjoy it no matter how "OMG scripted" it is but people do actually buy into it. When I finished uni a girl from my halls was looking at hot hatches and mentioned she was going to test drive a CTR. I said she should also try a Focus ST to see if she preferred a turbo to VTEC power delivery. Her response "an ASBO?! No thanks!" When I asked her what was wrong with it she simply said "I don't want to drive an ASBO!" She had nothing else to base that opinion on other than a throw away comment on Top Gear and didn't even test drive one.

Sure that is an isolated case from a slightly dizzy girl but people do take everything they hear as the truth.
 
My gripe with Top Gear is the lack of imagination/creativity and the rehashing of the same features time and time again. I also think that Top Gear is more mainstream now and it's less about the cars and more about popularity/comedy.

Top Gear used to be one of the must see shows on TV but it's slowly got the point where I will no longer go out of my way to watch it.
 
Seems entirely fair to me. Tesla have given the BBC ample chance to correct an error of fact - one harmful to Tesla's business and reputation - and they have not done so.

I wish them well.
 
The show in general, while better than the slump they had a series or two back, isn't as good as it used to be but lets face it... for my extortionate licence fee it is still one of the things that I find most entertaining to watch.
 
MrLOL said:
Who said anything about the old top gear with Tiff, Vicky and Quentin ?

New top gear from about series 3 to 10 was much better and relied less on scripted acting in the segments to provide entertainment.
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I did in the post above yours.

I am merely pointing out that whilst it might be scripted and a bit wooden nowadays it is a far cry from the crap we used to watch.
 
G|mp said:
I did in the post above yours.

I am merely pointing out that whilst it might be scripted and a bit wooden nowadays it is a far cry from the crap we used to watch.
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Amen brother.

If I want to be bored to death by how many litres of boot space and how many cup holders rep mobile A has compared to rep mobile B I'll get the brochures from the dealer.
 
[TW]Fox;18787007 said:
Yes, Top Gear is scripted. Quite why some of you act with suprise and outrage at this fact continues to evade me. Of course its scripted - it's a recorded television show. Almost every recorded television show in the entire world - and many live ones as well - have a script. It's how you make television. Its how it works. Even the BBC News at 10 has a script.
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Thanks for stating the obvious, but I don't think even the thickest poster on here thought otherwise - which is my main point - it's just horrendously blatant to the point they don't even try to hide it.

At least most other programs (including the news) have a credible format where at least if it is obvious it is scripted, they don't take the **** with it, and actually ride it with decent professionalism and content so that you either don't realise, or don't care that it is scripted.

Top Gear basically lives off the fact it is scripted and then some. It's totally lost its appeal to me as a result, it's like watching a pantomine.

Take the Formula 1 for instance, different format I know, especially as it's live, but obviously scripted and even advertised here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/jakehumphrey/2010/09/what_its_like_being_an_f1_pres.html

Still compelling to watch and the punditry and commentary isn't annoying in the slightest.

[TW]Fox;18787007 said:
The only thing thats tiresomely predictable about Top Gear are those who claim to hate the show yet curiously still watch every episode. I hate Eastenders. I cannot stand it. Therefore I just dont watch it. You should try it, its refreshing.
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I don't. Haven't for ages - the only time I watch it is when something special is on, like the Zonda R for instance.

Witor said:
Topgear's always been eminently watchable for myself. However more and more episodes had me cringing at certain points, to the point where I wasn't too concerned about missing it on a Sunday, i'd just iPlayer it later at some point. Still a good show and better than most of the stuff out there, but too predictable nowadays, in my view anyway.
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I've sort of teetered past this point. To me its consistently cringeworthy.

More on topic, Tesla might be spitting their dummy out a bit, but Top Gear needs to be held accountable to the fact that it is influential to the "gullable-sunday-evening-know-chuff-all-about-cars" watchers. The amount of times I've had to pick people up on the "Boxster is a poor mans 911" prattle that if Clarkson didn't invent, he's certainly perpetuated multiple times.
 
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Does it 'work' in the UK?

Not really, we don't have an EV charging infrastructure. They could have run it until it ran out and done it "truthfully" but why wait when you KNOW it's inevitable.
 
Its lost any sense of spontaneity which should be evident regardless of scripting. There should be some room for adlibbing but its seems to be stifled by the production.
 
Sin_Chase said:
Does it 'work' in the UK?

Not really, we don't have an EV charging infrastructure. They could have run it until it ran out and done it "truthfully" but why wait when you KNOW it's inevitable.
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Why race a Lotus Elise in a Telsa Roadster when you know he Tesla Roadster is going to breakdown.... oh wait. The breakdown was staged on a popular TV programme in the name of entertainment.
 
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[TW]Fox;18787007 said:
Oh not this AGAIN.

Yes, Top Gear is scripted. Quite why some of you act with suprise and outrage at this fact continues to evade me. Of course its scripted - it's a recorded television show. Almost every recorded television show in the entire world - and many live ones as well - have a script. It's how you make television. Its how it works. Even the BBC News at 10 has a script.

Unscripted stuff doesnt work. It's ok for a one-off event and sometimes it works for stand up comedy but generally speaking you cant do the sort of things they do on TG, properly, without a script to follow.

Its just how it is.

The only thing thats tiresomely predictable about Top Gear are those who claim to hate the show yet curiously still watch every episode. I hate Eastenders. I cannot stand it. Therefore I just dont watch it. You should try it, its refreshing.
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I agree with everything you've said but what annoys me is when they fabricate lies about cars for no reason at all, such as Clarkson saying you can only have the speedo OR the satnav in the Ferrari 458, which is absolute BS.
 
If they were going to kick up a fuss about it. They should have done it closer to the time.

The fact that its what, 2 years after the show aired, suggests that they really didn't mind at the time.
 
whilst the show is scripted , clearly there words do have an affect on the gen public.
Tesla have a right to be annoyed - they lied about a feature of the car and im sure they have lost sales over it.

would you by a tesla knowing what clarkson said even if you knew it was a lie? you would still have your doubts.....
 
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