BBC Top Gear - Series 23 discussion thread

[estebanrey]

Google 'BBC Diversity Charter'

There isn't one.

Keith Vaz (a Labour politician and not an employee of the BBC) said he thought that diversity should be in the BBC's charter back in November. The the Equal Opportunities Commission (again not the BBC) echoed this in April.

But even so, a diversity charter in no way is a ban of all-white male presenting line-ups anyway.

You're missing the point completely, it was the FACT Clarkson, Hammond and May were NOT diverse or politically correct enough for the BBC.

Hammond and May are perfect BBC material and I've never considered either of them "non-PC" at all. The fact both have presented other BBC shows on their own kind of shows the claim the BBC think they are two edgy is horse****.

Clarkson is the 'oh look at me I said something a bit non-PC aren't I a bad boy' one.

You are also quite ignorant on how jobs in TV work. Clarkson wasn't some troublesome BBC employee they wanted to get rid of and just needed an excuse. He was effectively a contractor and they has numerous times over the years to not renew his contract with no legal recourse but they kept re-signing him....until he punched a producer in the face.

The only conclusion is the BBC have no problem and welcome non-PC presenters, they just don't want ones who'll beat up their staff.

It was however a formula which actually worked, or are you going to say I'm making it up how popular Clarkson, Hammond and May were too?

It was a format that took years to hone and perfect. Go and watch the first couple of season with that Jason Dawe bloke and May's first series. It's not quite awful but it certainly isn't the version you're mourning either.

You can't compare a team that had 20 series to perfect its craft with the first episode of a new team.

Also don't call me a Racist

I didn't

 

[doofer]

There isn't one.

From the first link when you Google 'BBC Diversity Charter'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/diversity/strategy/diversity-and-inclusion2016

They want all their programmes/output to feature x% of Women, x% Disabled, x% Ethnic Minorities, x% LGBT and probably x% Apache Attack helicopters.

Don't bother reading it though because you'll only see what you want to see as I just made the stuff you don't like up.

 

[Bickaxe]

Finally got round to watching it.

The UK vs USA bit: I'm sure they said it was a race. Can't remember now. It lacked the banter and scripted competition we are used to. Could have been so much better.

Dodge vs Corvette: A bit better, couldn't see the point in the chase thing though.

Star in a Rally-X Car: Interesting idea, think they missed the point of the reasonably priced car though. The lap board needs filling out which could have had a segment to itself for the first show.

Ariel Nomad: Actually not bad. MLB needs to find his presenting feet and I think he'll be alright.


Too much forced humour and bad jokes. Still got Eddie Jordan to look forward to (meh) and hopefully more from Sabine.
Will hold out longer as it might get better.

 

[Madeddie]

Watched this earlier on BBC I-player - contributing towards Evans bragged record ratings.
what a pile of crap in comparison to the old TG, hugely disappointing.

 

[SoliD]

As much as I didn't think wow Top Gear, it won't stop me watching it as an entertainment show. I suspect that feeling is echoed massively in this thread, you'll watch it because it has nice cars and you can laugh at the stupid staged jokes.

 

[estebanrey]

From the first link when you Google 'BBC Diversity Charter'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/diversity/strategy/diversity-and-inclusion2016

You do know the BBC Charter and whatever strategies they come up are different things right? That has got nothing to do with the BBC Charter at all.

They want all their programmes/output to feature x% of Women, x% Disabled, x% Ethnic Minorities, x% LGBT and probably x% Apache Attack helicopters.

No. They want the total sum of their talent and workforce to represent the make-up of Britain. No where in that report does it say that has to apply at programme by programme basis and further more they are targets, not diktats.

Nothing in that strategy prevents the old Top Gear team or show from being on the BBC and this continued attempt to obfuscate the fact Clarkson got sacked for physically attacking another employee in favour of some myth it was because he was a victim of left-wing hippies at the beeb is becoming rather pathetic.

Don't bother reading it though because you'll only see what you want to see as I just made the stuff you don't like up.

I would suggest you do actually read it.

 

[NooBish AbbZ]

Can anyone clear up the catering joke for me? I have no idea what it's on about..i understand it's something in relation to JC but other than that, not a clue..

 

[iaind]

JC punched a guy in the face during a row about the catering after a filming

 

[4T5]

I think the similarities of the scriptwork between the two incarnations of the show highlight just how much the previous trio were actors and not really that special.

So there is at least one person that agrees with me then.

 

[p1RATE]

Matt Le Blanc is great; Chris Evans is not watchable at all, for me.

I think that sums up everyones opinion on it.

 

[Drollic]

I thought mlb was fairly wooden in the studio with Evans too far the opposite. The way they work on screen together is fairly dire. Thought the track was an improvement.

 

[CaptainRAVE]

I only managed about 10 minutes of this - the content seemed great, but I just couldn't stand getting shouted at by someone who doesn't seem to know all that much about cars. This show is all about the presenters and I just couldn't stand Chris Evans. Anyone who is interested in cars will just watch the vloggers these days anyway like Tim, Paul, Sam etc.

 

[PinkFloyd]

Didn't think it was that bad tbh. Found Chris Evans trying to be Clarkson at the start annoying and he was a bit ott in places but if that gets toned down a little I think it'll be fine. I enjoyed the Nomad section, properly awesome car

No more dumb than a lot of previous Top Gear episodes were. I'd watch this one 10x over before rewatching the India special again...

 

[leaskovski]

So there is at least one person that agrees with me then.

I would agree too

 

[Scania]

So there is at least one person that agrees with me then.

And another.


Fundamentally the show was the old TG down to a tee just with different presenters.

 

[Marvin]

Didn't think it was that bad tbh. Found Chris Evans trying to be Clarkson at the start annoying and he was a bit ott in places but if that gets toned down a little I think it'll be fine. I enjoyed the Nomad section, properly awesome car

No more dumb than a lot of previous Top Gear episodes were. I'd watch this one 10x over before rewatching the India special again...

This is my feeling on it - it's the first episode, give it time. Studio filming goes on the Thursday, a week before the showing, so the second episode will be quite similar, but after that they'll start working feedback in.

On a lighter note: Sniff Petrol

The new series of Top Gear has been met with anger as fans took to the internet to complain that the show was not like the version they used to complain about.

‘I hated Chris Evans’s new Top Gear because it was so scripted and staged ,’ complained forum regular permanentvirgin14. ‘Why couldn’t it be more like the old show, which I hated because it was so scripted and staged.’

‘I don’t know where to begin with complaining about the new show,’ said online commenter friendlessITconsultant86. ‘It made me long for the return of Clarkson, Hammond and May so I can go back to complaining about them instead.’

‘I will not be watching this new Top Gear again,’ added Twitter user @blackclothesnomates5000 .’Except for every show in this and subsequent series’.’

That's written by Richard Porter - the script editor for the previous Top Gear (I didn't see if he was retained for Amazon or for the BBC, or neither).

 

[insane200]

Watched it last night. Wasn't as bad as some are making out - some of the jokes were funny.

MLB was miles better than Evans.

He always seemed to be shouting and it echoed around the studio and made the audio levels all weird.

Same as i thought, Evans needs to calm it a bit, but MLB was pretty good.

Will watch the next one for sure

 

[Hedge]

Was a missed oppurtunity to relaunch Top Gear as something decent, after its last 4 years of mostly tripe.

Shame they felt need to stick to a tired formula, Chris Evans certainly isn't good enough to carry it.

 

[MooMoo444]

I just couldn't get into this. Evans is just so cringeworthy to me. Lasted only 10 minutes

 

[Glaucus]

Matt Le Blanc is great; Chris Evans is not watchable at all, for me. I think the similarities of the scriptwork between the two incarnations of the show highlight just how much the previous trio were actors and not really that special.

haha, it is far more than just scripting, the scripting in the reliant section was non existent. while the scripting for pretty much everything else was terrible.

it was far more than just scripting, the scripting played to the C,H & M. do you think all the jokes like driving into each other where purely scripted?
it was mates being mates and a lot of it was formed by then, which the scripters then used to make it even more entertaining.

trying to use the same scripting ethos, on people who are not mates, and don't have the same laughs and jokes. is just an utter fail.

so no you cant just script and throw anyone in, the scripts have to be tailored to the chemistry of the team. which not only was there no chemistry there was no personalised script for them.