The "Top Gear", Season 24/25/26 thread

[Diddums]

I liked LeBlanc. Reid worked given the right space. Harris couldn't make the jump from YouTube to TV but despite that I think they should be looking to YouTube rather than established TV talent. Henry Catchpole or Alex Goy, for example, would be brilliant.

Catchpole would be absolutely superb, as would the Motor Trend crew (although that's a million times more than just a youtune channel).

Hell James Humphrey and that dude from Science Garage on Donut Media's channel.

They're trying to be young and hip but they're looking in the wrong places.

 

[Frozennova]

Catchpole would be absolutely superb, as would the Motor Trend crew (although that's a million times more than just a youtune channel).

Hell James Humphrey and that dude from Science Garage on Donut Media's channel.

They're trying to be young and hip but they're looking in the wrong places.

Carlos largo, jonny lieberman or Jason cammisa would all be a great fit IMO.

Although two of the three are no longer at motor trend which is a shame as their replacements aren't as enjoyable to watch

 

[Jono8]

Lol, oh dear BBC.

I forgot this was still even being made to be honest but then saw the headline on the BBC front page about the new hosts. I thought they couldn't get it any more wrong than Chris Evans....but here we are.

 

[Mal X]

For me this is an effect rather than a cause. I used to love Discovery and Nat Geo, even Euronews in the background. Nowadays it's all reality show drivel and charity ads. TV died for me many years ago.

the BBC died soon after they first aired Eastenders because this is when they realised that the ``great mass`` of people love rubbish like this and this caused them to broadcast far more of it.. this reality tv has now become fixated and habit forming, the BBC needs a total shake down from top to bottom because they are totally washed out and lacking fresh ideas

 

[The_Abyss]

As TGT builds on its beginnings and starts to improve and become slicker, Top Gear seems at risk of going the other way. Flintoff might be a decent support person, but I'm not sure he's a lead. I still dislike this version of Chris Harris - he's all shouty and fake. McGuinnness? No way!

 

[shadow_boxer]

Agree with Harris being too fake on TV compared you YT. Having said that is waaaay to scripted anyway.

Would've like to see Jodie Kidd, Steve Coogan, Guy Martin or possibly James Martin. Anyone but Paddy

 

[Joe T]

Amazing how many of these you guys have ticked: https://sniffpetrol.com/2018/10/23/bbc-reveals-new-top-gear-opinions/

 

[Rroff]

Agree with Harris being too fake on TV compared you YT

Yeah he isn't naturally a TV personality but I do like his segments, etc. but I don't think it is a fatal flaw - just need someone who can generate a bit of natural back and forth to offset the awkwardness.

 

[Combat Fighter]

There is nothing really worth watching on the BBC anymore

Eastenders?

 

[Nasher]

Eastenders?

My point exactly.

Plus the real life East End is now more shocking than the soap lol

 

[Dup]

Amazing how many of these you guys have ticked: https://sniffpetrol.com/2018/10/23/bbc-reveals-new-top-gear-opinions/

Haha, a subject close to his heart given he used to write for them (but now TGT). Pretty much summed it up well though

 

[jpaul]

the BBC died soon after they first aired Eastenders

Amazon 'tv' will follow shortly, if TGT is really the reason people sign up for it - craziness

The assumption is that the first show a viewer watches after signing up is the reason they signed up for Prime in the first place. So if people stream The Grand Tour straight after signing up to Amazon Prime, then Jeremy Clarkson and co are credited with securing that membership.

By this metric, the figures show that The Grand Tour season one was the best performing Amazon Original series. While costing a reported $78 million to make, the show pulled in more than 1.5 million “first streams”, meaning the show had a “cost per first stream” of $49 per subscriber.

fifth gear still has some car related journalism that relates to the man, as opposed to boy, on the street

 

[Entai]

the BBC died soon after they first aired Eastenders because this is when they realised that the ``great mass`` of people love rubbish like this and this caused them to broadcast far more of it.. this reality tv has now become fixated and habit forming, the BBC needs a total shake down from top to bottom because they are totally washed out and lacking fresh ideas

Eastenders was first aired in 1985, probably before you were born.

As for lacking in fresh ideas how about all these, are you saying that all these epic shows created by the BBC were not fresh and new and worth watching ?

Sherlock
Night Manager
The Office
The Fall
Luther
The Honorable Woman
Peaky Blinders
London Spy
Planet Earth
Strangers
Killing Eve
McMafia
The City & the City
Collateral
Requiem
Bodyguard
Line of Duty
Taboo
The Missing
The Last Kingdom


To name just a very few.

The BBC still turns out some world beating dramas, and is worth every penny of the license fee.

 

[Rroff]

As for lacking in fresh ideas how about all these, are you saying that all these epic shows created by the BBC were not fresh and new and worth watching ?

About half of those shows I got really bored after the first couple of episodes, even granted some of them the first 1-2 episode were epic but they kind of blew their load early and settled into the same tired old patterns. The other half just aren't my thing so I won't comment on those. Sherlock I enjoyed for awhile but it ended up going a bit weird.

EDIT: Planet Earth is probably a bit of an exception there.

 

[Nasher]

Eastenders was first aired in 1985, probably before you were born.

As for lacking in fresh ideas how about all these, are you saying that all these epic shows created by the BBC were not fresh and new and worth watching ?

Sherlock
Night Manager
The Office
The Fall
Luther
The Honorable Woman
Peaky Blinders
London Spy
Planet Earth
Strangers
Killing Eve
McMafia
The City & the City
Collateral
Requiem
Bodyguard
Line of Duty
Taboo
The Missing
The Last Kingdom


To name just a very few.

The BBC still turns out some world beating dramas, and is worth every penny of the license fee.

Not all of those were all that good and a some of them haven't been made for years.

You can also find all of those elsewhere.

 

[Frozennova]

Not all of those were all that good and a some of them haven't been made for years.

You can also find all of those elsewhere.

Wouldn't be able to find them anywhere without the license fee

 

[Nick1881]

I won't miss Rory, never really felt he suited the role.

This is a ridiculous choice though, how out of touch are the BBC? I'll give this one episode, the same as I gave Evans.

 

[Uncle Petey]

Agree on Rory. Nice guy, but he just didn't work and felt like a generic TV presenter.
Shame about Matt... Him and Chris were getting a pretty good chemistry going there.

 

[Rroff]

The problem with Rory and Chris really is that they both occupy the same "slot" (as in like having 2x Richard Hammond instead of 1x Hammond and 1x May) albeit appealing to different demographics and both of them are quite Marmite in that people either love or hate them.

I actually found Rory quite good on Extra Gear but never really gelled with him on the main show.

 

[Entai]

Not all of those were all that good and a some of them haven't been made for years.

You can also find all of those elsewhere.

All of them were made between 15 and 30 years after Eastenders first aired, so it blows the theory that nothing decent was made by the BBC after Eastenders was first shown.

Yes they are available elsewhere now, but very single one of them were first shown on the BBC and were made with BBC money, and would not be here now if the BBC was not in existence.


If you actually start looking into the backgrounds of a lot of supposedly "Amazon Original" or "Netflix Original" series, you will find BBC money and BBC technical expertise, and technicians creating the shows.

There is actually very little brand new fresh programming made in the UK without BBC input in one way or another, so for anyone to say;

"The BBC needs a total shake down from top to bottom because they are totally washed out and lacking fresh ideas"

is completely misled.



With regards to Top Gear, it was dead and buried the moment the holy trinity left.

It can never be a Fifth Gear, because Fifth Gear does that.

It can never be a Grand Tour, because Grand Tour does that.

And it will never be Top Gear because it was only Top Gear with Clarkson Hammond & May.

Just dump it and move on.