# Top Gear (UK) 3.0 Season 1 Thread



## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

The Clarkson/May/Hammond-less version debuts May 29th both in the US and the UK.


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## tvmaster2 (Sep 9, 2006)

RonDawg said:


> The Clarkson/May/Hammond-less version debuts May 29th both in the US and the UK.


thanks for the info. sounds like they've had some personality problems off-camera. Any word on the Amazon series?


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

Will definitely check it out, but don't have high hopes. The more I watch the US version, the more I realize how irreplaceable and essential Clarkson is.


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## questors (Jun 4, 2009)

It's May 29th in the UK, May 30th on BBC America in the US.


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## ClutchBrake (Sep 5, 2001)

tvmaster2 said:


> thanks for the info. sounds like they've had some personality problems off-camera. Any word on the Amazon series?


Yes. Premieres in the fall. Will be called The Grand Tour.


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## Jon J (Aug 23, 2000)

ClutchBrake said:


> Yes. Premieres in the fall. Will be called The Grand Tour.


From what I have read they are pouring megabux into it and will have production values on a par with their BBC program.


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## heySkippy (Jul 2, 2001)

The Grand Tour = TGT = Top Gear 2?


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

Why are there so many people? 6 "hosts" not counting The Stig? Are they going to adopt a Myth Busters "build team" style where they have two groups doing different things each week? Or is everyone going to be intermingling all the time?


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

Dan203 said:


> Why are there so many people? 6 "hosts" not counting The Stig? Are they going to adopt a Myth Busters "build team" style where they have two groups doing different things each week? Or is everyone going to be intermingling all the time?


I get the sense that there's only one full-time host (Chris Evans) and then the others are like contributors or correspondents and will appear in the episodes based on when their pre-taped pieces air.


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## pgogborn (Nov 11, 2002)

Reminder - The new Top Gear has just aired in the U.K.



Spoiler



The girl made the Top Gun throw up


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## pteronaut (Dec 26, 2009)

heySkippy said:


> The Grand Tour = TGT = Top Gear 2?


Top Gear Three. Clarkson May Hammond on BBC were Top Gear 2.


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## osu1991 (Mar 6, 2015)

Watched it tonight. It was better than I was expecting. Chris Evans and Matt LeBlanc were pretty good as a team. Hopefully it doesn't go downhill from here. Only a few slight changes from the previous format. 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk


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## GoPackGo (Dec 29, 2012)

I found it boring. This was the best they had to offer for their first episode?


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## MarkofT (Jul 27, 2001)

Yes. It's a chemistry based show and those take a while to get rolling. Any idiot can recite a few numbers, and if you get a few idiots together, you can make a show, but until those idiots get stuck alone in the middle of a field/jungle/desert/city, you don't get the full chemical reaction.

Then you have to look at the raw materials. Clarkson and May wrote quite a lot before Top Gear 2.0, both in newspaper articles and in Top Gear 1.0 and both had quite the command the English language. Hammond wrote a bit and had radio experience to go with it. For a couple years, they sucked together until they finally had their chemical reaction.

Chris Evans is definitely the weakest link. Loud and obnoxious might work on a morning radio show, but not on TV.


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## pgogborn (Nov 11, 2002)

MarkofT said:


> Chris Evans is definitely the weakest link. Loud and obnoxious might work on a morning radio show, but not on TV.


BBC Radio 2 isn't loud and obnoxious, morning noon or night.


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## purwater (Aug 25, 2005)

I've seen all 22 seasons of Clarkson's Top Gear, and I'll definitely watch their new Amazon show. I will be checking out the new crew on Top Gear as well. It won't be the same, but it could be entertaining until we see The Grand Tour. The first season wasn't great with Clarkson, Hammond, and I forget the other guy on Top Gear, but it did get a lot better as they became better friends and added May in season two. Season 3 is when it finally seemed to really come together. LeBlanc can be entertaining, and I like Schmitz from her spots with the old crew. It'll be like Fear the Walking Dead for me. A time filler till the real show starts back in the fall.


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## MarkofT (Jul 27, 2001)

Anyone check out Extra Gear? They put the new segment there, a reasonable celebrity interview, and a visit with Sabine at her home in Germany.

Much better Top Gear then Top Gear.


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

I liked the new episode. Obviously the chemistry between the hosts wasn't there yet, but the films were well made and beautifully shot, the audience was engaged, and the new rally circuit for the stars was a fun twist. Looking forward to the rest of the season, and even more excited now for TGT.


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## midas (Jun 1, 2000)

I just got done watching it. I really didn't like Evans. The whole time I was watching him I couldn't figure out who he reminded me of. Then it finally hit.



Spoiler


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## JMikeD (Jun 10, 2002)

I thought the first episode was OK. Good enough to continue to watch the series, but not good enough that I may not save up a half-dozen eps to watch when things are really slow. As others have said, the cast needs time to jell. 

My interest in the old Top Gear was flagging, anyway. There's only so much of Clarkson that I can take.


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

It's alright. 100x better then the US version of the show.


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## Big Deficit (Jul 8, 2003)

I'll second the sentiment that it's at least way better than the US version. Chris is a bit too hyper and "shouty" for my tastes (and way too old for skinny jeans) and Matt maybe not hyper enough, but it was Top Gear. A good argument could be made that this is now a US version too. My opinion is it's good enough to continue, but not nearly good enough to get out from under the old casts shadow (yet). It's far from a train wreck and the US version does seem to limp on even though it kind of is (at least it is for me, having checked back in from season to season to see if it has improved enough to warrant an OP which it does not!). The UK reviews I've read and the overall twitter reaction seems to be very negative. I didn't mind it as much as I anticipated, though I wouldn't go out of my way to obtain the show like I did in the past with the previous version. I think there won't be any more "most watched show on the planet" claims. The issue going forward is will it prove popular enough to warrant it's huge production cost? And if it doesn't, will the BBC kill it with a thousand paper cuts? A lot of room to improve, but I'm in to keep watching.


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## Hoffer (Jun 1, 2001)

I switched to a new provider for internet and TV Friday. It went out last night right as the show was starting. Looks like it is on again tomorrow night and I'll catch it then.


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## Drewster (Oct 26, 2000)

What's with the "rally car" change? Did the Clarkson crew take "reasonably priced car" with them?


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## ClutchBrake (Sep 5, 2001)

I found the first episode to be hit and miss.

Can't stand Chris Evans. This is the first time I've seen him as anything other than a guest spot on Top Gear. He's just... annoying. Particularly while hosting the audience portion of the show. He was OK enough during the challenge stuff.

The part with Chris and Sabine on the military base was pretty bad. Reminded me of US Top Gear. Way, way, way too obviously staged. On no planet does Sabine not drive circles around Chris Evans, let alone in a Z06. Clarkson/Hammond/May did a much better job making their scripted stuff seem organic.

The first part of the challenge with the Reliants was awful. They should have scrapped that part of filmed something else.

Good job on getting Ramsay for the launch episode, but pairing him was Eisenberg was terrible. 

I liked Leblanc well enough. He's a bit mellow, but has enough charisma to keep my interest. 

I'll definitely keep watching. And I suspect most others will as well. Even the folks that swore they were done with the show once Clarkson/Hammond/May were replaced (can't remember if I was one of those people).


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

Drewster said:


> What's with the "rally car" change? Did the Clarkson crew take "reasonably priced car" with them?


I doubt they didn't have rights to the name of that bit, or they wouldn't have even mentioned it when first talking about it. I'm guessing they wanted to keep the segment, but put their own spin on it to differentiate this version of the show from the Clarkson version.


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## DouglasPHill (Feb 10, 2005)

ClutchBrake said:


> ...And I suspect most others will as well. Even the folks that swore they were done with the show once Clarkson/Hammond/May were replaced


I did not watch it. Won't even think about watching it until they have shown about 6 or so more.


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

DouglasPHill said:


> I did not watch it. Won't even think about watching it until they have shown about 6 or so more.


Why not?


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## nirisahn (Nov 19, 2005)

Big Deficit said:


> Chris is a bit too hyper and "shouty" for my tastes...


Agreed. Matt LeBlanc actually showed more energy and enthusiasm than I expected him to after seeing him on several talk shows where he was so quiet and low energy, he was almost unwatchable.

Not thrilled with the new show. May watch one or two more to see if it improves as they get used to it, but if it doesn't then I'm done.


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## Craigbob (Dec 2, 2006)

I thought it was way better than the U.S. version. The cast needs time to Gel as other's have said. For me there were a couple of issues that grated on my nerves:

1: Chris Evans was trying too hard to be Clarkson without success. Could be the writers were too used to Jezza and kept writing for his voice/mannerisms.

2: The staged avoidance of references to other three ans the previous incarnation of the show only made the absence more obvious. The Star in the reasonably priced car and the ending on that.... were two big examples.

Leblanc is okay, much more comfortable in front of the camera than Evans was. 

The format was identical, but the pieces were lacking. and I think there not being all three interacting was a mistake. 

I'll give it a few more episodes, but it shows how much the chemistry that Clarkson Hammond and May have matters to the show.


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## DeDondeEs (Feb 20, 2004)

Yeah it was _ok_. Matt Leblanc seems to be channeling too much Joey Tribiani, and Chris Evans is trying to channel too much Jeremy Clarkson with his wow-I-can't-believe-how-fast-this-car-is-accelerating screaming and yelling.

If these two guys were more themselves on camera I bet it would come across as more genuine.

I wasn't really familiar with Chris Evans so I Wikipedia'd him. How on earth was _that _guy married to Billie Piper??? I don't know if I should dislike him that much more or view him as a hero...


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## midas (Jun 1, 2000)

ClutchBrake said:


> The first part of the challenge with the Reliants was awful. They should have scrapped that part of filmed something else.


Seriously, a Reliant segment without a single roll over?

But I have to admit that I did chuckle seeing Evans with the hat on top of the helmet.


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

This show is kind of like The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. It's still got a familiar format and decent jokes, but they just don't land the same with the new hosts. Still watchable, but not nearly as good as it was with the old hosts. 

Looking forward to The Grand Tour on Amazon this fall.


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## TonyTheTiger (Dec 22, 2006)

After about the first three or four minutes, my eyes and ears started bleeding. It's terrible. There's no other words for it. After the wife declared that she wasn't watching and that I could stop it at any time, I forced myself to at least watch it to the end so I could comment.



Full of cheap shots ("there'll be no catering jokes on this show" and "...and on that bombsh..." "No, there's none of that!" to name but two). Plus am I the only one who thinks that Leblanc is there for two reasons only? 1, to appeal to an American audience and 2, as a foil for cheap 'yank' shots by Evans?

The scripts were poorly written and even the photography was not as good as before, perhaps because Andy Wilman also left the show. There were some shadows left, but little more than ghosts.

IMO, the whole Blackpool segment(s) could have been removed. They were contrived, uninteresting and unfunny. The 'Vette/Viper film was badly conceived from the start and, of course, the main presenter was going to win from the start. I don't believe for one second that a real Top Gun pilot would be throwing up after a tame ride in a Z06!

Will I give it another chance? I really don't know at this stage. Maybe, but just as I held out no hope that ginger twat had a chance of pulling it off, I, personally, don't think it'll improve.


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## TonyTheTiger (Dec 22, 2006)




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## Bob Coxner (Dec 1, 2004)

I'm as a big a fan of the original as anyone but it was fine for me. As others said, infinitely better than the US version.

Imagine that you've never seen an episode of the original and see if that changes your impression of this one. It should be judged on its own merits anyway.

Most people don't recall that it took about 3 years for the chemistry to gel with the boys. If you were making instant judgments at the beginning of that one you would have probably dropped it.

I'm staying with it.


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## DeDondeEs (Feb 20, 2004)

Also: WTF is up with the Dodge Viper? The thing looks almost exactly the same as it did in the 90's and they put that hideous looking lego-spoiler thing on that back. I know that the spoiler is some sort of custom/special edition, but come on.


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## purwater (Aug 25, 2005)

I finally managed to make it all the way through this episode. I'm definitely not a fan of Chris Evans so far. He seemed alright as a guest on the old show, but I'm not liking him as a host. I knew the chemistry wouldn't be there early on, but I do think they need that 3rd host especially when doing the challenges and films. You really need 2 to be able to ride the 3rd for whatever is going on in the films. After 1 episode I liked LeBlanc more than expected and Evans less than expected. I'll continue to watch hoping for more chemistry to happen as they get used to each other, and cross my fingers that Evans will relax a bit and not try so hard.


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## MarkofT (Jul 27, 2001)

TonyTheTiger said:


> The 'Vette/Viper film was badly conceived from the start and, of course, the main presenter was going to win from the start. I don't believe for one second that a real Top Gun pilot would be throwing up after a tame ride in a Z06!


It's a known phenomenon. Someone who is basically motion sickness proof will get sick when not the one in control of the vehicle. It is believed it is because the movements are not expected and that induces the nausea. Especially the sharp and sudden movements of a pro driver in a Z06.



DeDondeEs said:


> Also: WTF is up with the Dodge Viper? The thing looks almost exactly the same as it did in the 90's and they put that hideous looking lego-spoiler thing on that back. I know that the spoiler is some sort of custom/special edition, but come on.


It's actually quite a bit different if you look at the old Viper and new Viper side by side. It's gone from a bunch of round curves to a semi wedge with sharp angles.

And it's a Dodge ACR. ACR stands for American Club Racer. The first Dodge ACR was a Neon and it was pretty much the fastest American production vehicle at the time. There was a Viper ACR a few years later and now there is this one. Back when the Neon ACR and 1st Viper ACR came out, there was a sales restriction. You had to have a racing competition license. I think it's also the same thing now, only those with a racing license from a known sanctioning body can purchase one from the dealer.

It's not just a fashion accessory like most OEM or aftermarket wings. It is a functional aero traction device. That splitter on the front, the 4 little winglets on the bumper make so much downforce that it takes that large wing on the back to provide the same downforce and balance out the car's handling.


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## tvmaster2 (Sep 9, 2006)

Dan203 said:


> This show is kind of like The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. It's still got a familiar format and decent jokes, but they just don't land the same with the new hosts. Still watchable, but not nearly as good as it was with the old hosts.
> 
> Looking forward to The Grand Tour on Amazon this fall.


Two words: Jody Kidd.
What were they thinking NOT including her?
Just like Sam Bee...
None of the new hosts are writers, or comedians. They could have found both by watching any episode of Graham Norton. 
Evans is too old, too loud, and just not that funny.


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

MarkofT said:


> Anyone check out Extra Gear? They put the new segment there, a reasonable celebrity interview, and a visit with Sabine at her home in Germany.
> 
> Much better Top Gear then Top Gear.


I just watched it. I liked the bit showing the making of the rally circuit. I wish they would have let The Stig post a lap time so we know what to compare the celebs to.

The celeb interview was totally pointless if they're not going to have him drive the track. I can watch late-night talk shows if I just want random pointless celeb interviews.

Seeing Sabine at home was cool, although it would have been better if she took the guy around the Ring rather than out on country roads.


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## Hoffer (Jun 1, 2001)

Watched it last night. Do not like Chris Evans. He puts out a lot of energy and it feels fake to me.

The two hosts have no chemistry, but they just started working together. Need to throw them on some challenge going across Africa or something.

I really didn't like the Top Gun missile lock thing. It was so fake. Did stuff on the old show seem *that* fake?

I saw people mention here the new celebrity rally course. I didn't realize they just worked it in with the existing course. Didn't especially care for that.

My eyes rolled a little when I saw the 2 Reliant Robins. That was a classic bit from the old show, and I felt they were trying to work off that. They ended up doing nothing with it. Just drive from point A to B, and that's that. The 4x4 stuff was more entering I thought.

Are there really only 2 hosts? The old show had 3, and I figured this new one would as well.

I will keep watching. I still like to watch shows that drive cool cars.


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

Hoffer said:


> Are there really only 2 hosts? The old show had 3, and I figured this new one would as well. I will keep watching.


No. They've announced like five different hosts, so I suspect every episode will be Chris Evans and then one or two of the others depending on what films they're showing that week. Although it was odd that Sabine was in the Top Gun film, and she was in the studio for the Extra Gear segment, but they didn't use her at all.


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## Hoffer (Jun 1, 2001)

DevdogAZ said:


> No. They've announced like five different hosts, so I suspect every episode will be Chris Evans and then one or two of the others depending on what films they're showing that week. Although it was odd that Sabine was in the Top Gun film, and she was in the studio for the Extra Gear segment, but they didn't use her at all.


So, Chris Evans will be on every show, and even Leblanc won't? So, it's like one host, and 5 co-hosts?


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

Hoffer said:


> So, Chris Evans will be on every show, and even Leblanc won't? So, it's like one host, and 5 co-hosts?


I may not be right, but that's how I interpreted it when they announced so many hosts.


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## GoPackGo (Dec 29, 2012)

I interpreted it as Evans and LeBlanc being on every show, with the third host rotating out from show to show.


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## tvmaster2 (Sep 9, 2006)

just watched episode one, season six of American Top Gear, Sierra Nevada's.
hard to believe I'm going to say it was a much better show than S23E01, Brit TG.
They've found their groove in season six


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## heySkippy (Jul 2, 2001)

Started watching the first episode and fell asleep during the Reliant Robin segment. I'm not sure I'll finish watching it. Don't like Evans at all.


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## ElJay (Apr 6, 2005)

Craigbob said:


> 1: Chris Evans was trying too hard to be Clarkson without success. Could be the writers were too used to Jezza and kept writing for his voice/mannerisms.


This was a serious problem... I was not familiar with Evans before this, and my first impression was not at all good. I definitely blame part of the problem on the writing. I can't see myself ever growing to like this guy, though.

Leblanc did fine. I did think all segments were not great or that entertaining, even in a non-comical way. The replacement for "reasonably priced car" is not a good change, in my opinion.


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## TonyTheTiger (Dec 22, 2006)

For the record, they were roofless Reliant Rialtos, NOT Robins!


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

TonyTheTiger said:


> For the record, they were roofless Reliant Rialtos, NOT Robins!


Did the design of the Rialto solve any of the tipping over problems that were present in the Robin? If not, then it seems very ill conceived that they shot a segment using the Rialto, with no roofs but roll bars, but then never showed any roll overs.


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

Apparently things aren't great behind the scenes with the new presenters on the show. I guess Chris Evans is very controlling and he doesn't get along well with Matt LeBlanc, who was apparently forced on him by the execs who wanted to appeal to American audiences:

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/7070909/New-Top-Gear-hosts-fall-out.html


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

And here is an explanation about the various presenters:

http://www.express.co.uk/showbiz/tv...st-rest-Top-Gear-team-back-up-cast-new-series



> Speaking ahead of the debut episode on May 29, Chris said: "So there are seven of us on the show  six faces and one helmet [The Stig], but Matt and I co-host the show every week."
> 
> He continued: "We are the hosts of the show and other people make films and then come in and talk about those films. So production will dispatch who they think is the best for those films, it could be one person, two people, three people.
> 
> ...


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## Big Deficit (Jul 8, 2003)

DevdogAZ said:


> Apparently things aren't great behind the scenes with the new presenters on the show. I guess Chris Evans is very controlling and he doesn't get along well with Matt LeBlanc, who was apparently forced on him by the execs who wanted to appeal to American audiences:
> 
> http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/7070909/New-Top-Gear-hosts-fall-out.html


How great would it be if Chris got frustrated and took a swing at a producer?

Most of the reviews I've read have been brutal. I didn't see it as that bad. Then again, I have USA Top gear experience.


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## midas (Jun 1, 2000)

This is totally unrelated to the new version, but I had a laugh.

I was watching a rerun, something where they bought cars at auction. Anyway, during the fixup segment there was a shot of a building across the parking lot that said Adult Warehouse. I wondered if it was real, but I also figured there was probably a thousand places with that name. So I Googled the phone number.

Sure enough, it's real They basically sell adult 'toys'. What's funny is the banner on the web page says:



Spoiler



Adult 
Warehouse
As seen on BBC's Top Gear!


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## TonyTheTiger (Dec 22, 2006)

DevdogAZ said:


> Did the design of the Rialto solve any of the tipping over problems that were present in the Robin? If not, then it seems very ill conceived that they shot a segment using the Rialto, with no roofs but roll bars, but then never showed any roll overs.


There were actually very few tip-over problems. Yes, they did tip, but it wasn't easy to do, certainly not as easy as Jeremy made it seem in his film.

Believe it or not, they had a purpose. Apart from being cheap, they only required a motorcycle license and insurance, making them very affordable - and no, they did not require a helmet despite the UK's strict helmet laws.


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

TonyTheTiger said:


> There were actually very few tip-over problems. Yes, they did tip, but it wasn't easy to do, certainly not as easy as Jeremy made it seem in his film.
> 
> Believe it or not, they had a purpose. Apart from being cheap, they only required a motorcycle license and insurance, making them very affordable - and no, they did not require a helmet despite the UK's strict helmet laws.


But did the design of the Rialto do anything to improve the tipping? If not, then Top Gear really whiffed by not having Chris and/or Matt tip them in the latest film. After all, the Robin segment with Clarkson is one of the funniest pieces in TG history. To put the presenters in Reliants again but then not reference that classic piece at all just seems like a massive swing and a miss.


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## heySkippy (Jul 2, 2001)

Nothing will ever be as awesome as putting wings on a Robin and launching it on a rocket. Nothing.


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## ElJay (Apr 6, 2005)

DevdogAZ said:


> Did the design of the Rialto solve any of the tipping over problems that were present in the Robin? If not, then it seems very ill conceived that they shot a segment using the Rialto, with no roofs but roll bars, but then never showed any roll overs.


Well, the Olympic guys did push over Chris's Rialto after they ripped a door off of it.


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## ClutchBrake (Sep 5, 2001)

ElJay said:


> Well, the Olympic guys did push over Chris's Rialto after they ripped a door off of it.


Who were those Olympic guys?


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## pteronaut (Dec 26, 2009)

TonyTheTiger said:


> There were actually very few tip-over problems. Yes, they did tip, but it wasn't easy to do, certainly not as easy as Jeremy made it seem in his film.
> 
> Believe it or not, they had a purpose. Apart from being cheap, they only required a motorcycle license and insurance, making them very affordable - and no, they did not require a helmet despite the UK's strict helmet laws.


You had to have the reverse gear disabled to operate them on an MC license.


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## TonyTheTiger (Dec 22, 2006)

pteronaut said:


> You had to have the reverse gear disabled to operate them on an MC license.


Officially, yes.


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## TonyTheTiger (Dec 22, 2006)

DevdogAZ said:


> But did the design of the Rialto do anything to improve the tipping? If not, then Top Gear really whiffed by not having Chris and/or Matt tip them in the latest film. After all, the Robin segment with Clarkson is one of the funniest pieces in TG history. To put the presenters in Reliants again but then not reference that classic piece at all just seems like a massive swing and a miss.


Firstly, what part of "There were actually very few tip-over problems" did you not understand? There was actually a piece by Jeremy explaining what they had to do to modify the cars to tip in the original film.

Second, there were NO, or at least minimal references to past stories. Acknowledging the tipping film meant admitting that Clarkson & co existed!


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## pgogborn (Nov 11, 2002)

Tip over this one.


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

I finally got to see the first episode of the new Top Gear. In one word: awful.

Chris Evans is absolutely annoying. I agree that the writers need to adjust for his style, as him imitating Clarkson just doesn't work.

Matt Leblanc is....wooden. I mean he makes Tanner Foust look like a natural for TV. I was surprised given that he is a professional actor.

They need to move Rory Reid from _Extra Gear_ over to this side. He's far more comfortable and enjoyable to watch than either of these two.

Sabine is great as a driver, but probably won't do well as a host, partly because of her English skills, and partly because she doesn't come across as a great conversationalist (in English anyway). They need to keep her just for the driving segments only.

The challenge with the convertible Reliants was just plain dumb. If they want to make it "US vs. UK" they needed to come up with something that was available in both countries. In the older TG, when they invited TG Australia for a challenge (two cars stacked atop each other), they not only gave the Australians cars that are available Down Under, but they even mounted one car upside down 

The WWII Jeep vs original Land Rover challenges were far better both in spirit of US vs. UK as well as content.

I do like the modification of the TG Test Track to accommodate RallyCross. The original "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" was getting long in the tooth and in the older series I often skipped past this.


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## MarkofT (Jul 27, 2001)

The second episode is better, Extra Gear is still better then the main show, and they put a bit of film cut from the main show that was much better then the rest of the film it came from.

And I realized that they needed to do that they skipped, probably because it's from the old show. They needed to have an open track day to get some times on the Star lap board.


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## osu1991 (Mar 6, 2015)

Just finished the 2nd episode. I thought it was better. Haven't tried extra gear episodes yet. Guess I will do that too


Sent from my iPhone


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

I liked Ep 2 much better than Ep 1. Probably because Chris Evans' role in the studio was minimized and Matt narrated the main film.

Does anyone know when they shoot the studio segments? Like, did the presenters have the feedback from the viewing audience from last week's episode when they shot the studio segments for this one, or are the studio segments shot several weeks ahead?


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## MarkofT (Jul 27, 2001)

TG2.0 would film on Wednesday to show on that Sunday. I got the vibe from last week that they were filming an extra week ahead of time, again on a Wednesday but for the 2nd Sunday.

On Extra Gear, Chris Harris was out because he was committed to drive the Glickenhaus entry at the 24 Hours of Nurburgring, which was last weekend. So it looks like the same timeline as last week's show.

So this next episode, #3, would be the first after they got feedback about the 1st episode.


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## Drewster (Oct 26, 2000)

Apparently my provider shows BBCA on a different schedule? I get the new ones Mondays at 9PM.


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

Drewster said:


> Apparently my provider shows BBCA on a different schedule? I get the new ones Mondays at 9PM.


I think those of us who have watched it already are not watching via BBCA.


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## Drewster (Oct 26, 2000)

Great Scott! You must be wizards!


----------



## osu1991 (Mar 6, 2015)

I believe they are filming on Thursdays a week in advance. So they filmed the studio segment for episode 3 this past week and will be filming episode 4 this week. 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk


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## Big Deficit (Jul 8, 2003)

I had little experience and no opinion of him before this show, but I'm learning to dislike Chris Evans in a big way. I didn't see ep2 as an improvement on ep1 either, but maybe that's because Chris is starting to annoy me and I'm obsessing on his old man trying to look hip shtick? As for the off road challenge? I thought the attempted humor missed almost 100%. I originally thought the reviews of ep1 were a little harsh, but after 2 I'm not so sure. Looking forward to the Grand Tour more and more.


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## TonyTheTiger (Dec 22, 2006)

https://bgr.com/2016/06/06/new-top-gear-viewing-figures-review/


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

Extra Gear this week was not as good. I don't understand the point of having a celebrity interview if they're not going to drive the track. Imagine how pissed/humiliated you'd be if you were a celeb and got asked to come be a guest on Top Gear but you're not a big enough celeb to rate a drive on the track and so you're just going to sit there and talk about car news with the JV team.


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## MarkofT (Jul 27, 2001)

Some people like to talk cars but not so much drive them around. News was never about the news, it was a 3 person comedy routine.


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

MarkofT said:


> Some people like to talk cars but not so much drive them around. News was never about the news, it was a 3 person comedy routine.


For a while it was a long running joke about Dacias ("Good news...").


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## ClutchBrake (Sep 5, 2001)

I made it 30 minutes into episode two last night and deleted it. Chris Evans is simply awful. He's trying to be Clarkson and he SCREAMS EVERY WORD. On top of that, the pieces just aren't very good.

I was one of the people saying everyone will complain but still watch it. I even said it last week! But I'm out. At least for now. Hopefully they will settle in and find a groove and I can come back to it then.

I quit watching Top Gear US a few years ago. Never really liked it, but watched it for a few seasons. TiVo'd a Season 6 marathon yesterday and watched the first three eps last night. It was actually enjoyable. Not great, but fun and enjoyable. I'll definitely watch it from now on. Good enough to wash off the stink of Top Gear UK.


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## BluesFools (Apr 5, 2000)

US Top Gear soon realized they couldn't pretend to be UK Top Gear and started doing their own program. No Star in a Car, no test track, no studio at all, Stig all but vanished. A single location segment with all 3 presenters and an occasional short super car drive. Once you stop thinking of it as "Top Gear" but just another entertaining car show, it's ok.

The new UK Top Gear could learn some lessons here.


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## Jon J (Aug 23, 2000)

Viewership is dropping by half week over week so before long the BBC will be paying people to watch.


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

I ended up fast-forwarding through much of episode 2. I especially liked Jensen Button effortlessly driving the McLaren at speeds that terrified Evans while admiring the car's features ("...look at this Alcantara") since that meant Evans was forced to mostly STFU. 

But I thought the SUV challenge was pretty boring, even though the backdrop was rather spectacular.


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

Jon J said:


> Viewership is dropping by half week over week so before long the BBC will be paying people to watch.


I can't link to it here due to the built-in obscenities, but there's a Hitler Rants parody over the new TG. Besides echoing much of what has already been said here, Der Führer himself wants a refund of his TV licence


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## BluesFools (Apr 5, 2000)

It's not just the presenters which made TG what it was, and what it is now, it's also the people who write, direct and come up for ideas for the show.

I was wondering how many of the behind the scenes staff remained on Top Gear, and if any moved to Amazon with the Clarkson crew. Looking at the list of production staff for TG 3.0, there's only a couple left over from last year. I think it's well known that Andy Wilman sided with the previous presenters. Vicki Butler-Henderson is married to the series director for old TG, Phil Churchward, and revealed that he's moved to Amazon with the new show. Has anyone heard of other TG crew who've left the BBC for Amazon?


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## Drewster (Oct 26, 2000)

It's pretty clear that a mostly-new group of people are imitating the Clarkson show. And it shows.


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## Hoffer (Jun 1, 2001)

I liked the second episode more than the first. I enjoyed the McLaren segement, just because the car was pretty awesome. I enjoyed watching even a terrible host drive such a cool car.

I was also OK with the South Africa stuff. I fast forwarded through the celebrity interview, but I often did that on the old show.


----------



## Jon J (Aug 23, 2000)

BluesFools said:


> It's not just the presenters which made TG what it was, and what it is now, it's also the people who write, direct and come up for ideas for the show.


And you could tell the BBC spent lots of money on it. Its production values were the top of any motoring show.


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## Bob Coxner (Dec 1, 2004)

Jon J said:


> And you could tell the BBC spent lots of money on it. Its production values were the top of any motoring show.


This is what the US version is missing. I'm enjoying season 6 and the hosts have good chemistry but the production values are really minimal.


----------



## Hoffer (Jun 1, 2001)

I stumbled upon what the first episode of season 6 of US Top Gear was. Crossing the Rubicon with a Google streetview camera. I thought that sounded interesting, and started watching the show. Enjoying it a lot more then when I quit watching the show a couple years ago.


----------



## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

TonyTheTiger said:


> Firstly, what part of "There were actually very few tip-over problems" did you not understand?


Off-topic, but apparently the risk of tip-over was enough for one entrepreneur to do an adaptation for the American market.






There's no other reason for the ridiculously-sized box flares and ultra-wide stance (insert Senator Craig joke here) just to bring it to the American market.


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## Big Deficit (Jul 8, 2003)

A bit stronger showing, mainly because it had less Evans. I liked the Rory Reid hot hatch segment a lot with Chris Harris's Ferrari segment a close second. I could see both of them along with a new host (Jensen Button?) being a better choice than the large group they have now. I don't think there's any intention of Matt staying around long term. I don't dislike Sabine and understand the need to bring in the female demographic, I just don't think she fits. Even with all the hype and missing footage you're supposed to know is missing? The Matt Leblanc tour of London segment fell flat. I now dislike Evans so much, that I find myself skipping through any segment he's in. To be fair, I often skipped through Jeremy's interviews and the celebrity in a car segments too. From what I've read, the ratings continue to fall. How much longer till Chris gets a better opportunity elsewhere or needs to spend more time with his family? If you look at reviews and comments? He's obviously THE problem that needs fixing and a spectacularly poor choice (maybe on purpose?) as host.


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## MarkofT (Jul 27, 2001)

This weeks Star in a car wasn't bad, because they had Kevin Hart in. He's such a strong funny personality that he outshone Evans, by quite a lot.

Then I watched Extra Gear and noticed that they are using a comedian as the guest. They know that the noncar segments always were sketch/improv comedy bits. And Evans just doesn't have a high quality funny bone like CHM.


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

I liked ep 3 the best so far. Having Chris Harris and Rory Reid do films was helpful. 

The bit with the stars where they read from a promoter about what the other star is currently promoting is really poorly conceived. They need to get rid of that ASAP.

The Ken Block thing was just strange. OK, I guess it's cool to see a car barreling through empty London streets, drifting corners, etc. But it just seemed to have no point.


----------



## TonyTheTiger (Dec 22, 2006)

http://www.autoblog.com/2016/06/15/chris-evans-top-gear-role-shrinks/?ref=yfp


----------



## dtivouser (Feb 10, 2004)

I would love to see this show refactored to star Chris Harris, Rory Reid, and Kevin Hart. That would be quite a show!

I cannot get past Matt LeBlanc's low energy and inability to banter with his co-presenters. When they toss to him, he consistently gives a lame "ok, well, now here's a film..." which breaks the momentum of the show for me.


----------



## billboard_NE (May 18, 2005)

DevdogAZ said:


> stuff deleted..
> 
> The Ken Block thing was just strange. OK, I guess it's cool to see a car barreling through empty London streets, drifting corners, etc. But it just seemed to have no point.


They should have watched the James May/ Ken Block film a few more times, that was one of the best things I have seen on TV ever!

I know they are trying and it will take a few years to get things right, but to me version 3.0 is just as bad as Final gear or Australian Top Gear. 3.0 is not in the same category as 2.0


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## purwater (Aug 25, 2005)

I hope they do use Harris and Reid more, and Evans far less. The episodes have gotten slightly better. I think Jensen Button is far more natural on TV than Evans seems. Having 3 people doing the challenges, like in episode 2, is far better than just having the 2 hosts do it like in the premiere episode. Hopefully they will listen to the fans, and improve the show as it goes along. Having this along with The Grand Tour would be nice. It never hurts to have 2 good car shows.


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## Big Deficit (Jul 8, 2003)

My guess is they are editing out Chris as much as possible in the remaining shows this season and that next season, we can expect to have a 100% Chris Evans reduction.


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

DevdogAZ said:


> The Ken Block thing was just strange. OK, I guess it's cool to see a car barreling through empty London streets, drifting corners, etc. But it just seemed to have no point.


Much of Top Gear 2.0 had no point, especially many of the "challenges." Seriously, in the British Leyland challenge, what really is the point of filling up your car with water? But they were still entertaining.

I would say it was more entertaining that anything in the first two episodes. But once again Matt Leblanc's wooden personality turned what could have been a really funny episode into a not-as funny episode.


----------



## ElJay (Apr 6, 2005)

Chris Harris is great, I remember enjoying his YouTube stuff until it got paywalled, I guess. I think they should go back to focusing on making a car show, and hope that the hosts gel in the meantime. 

Rory Reid shows a lot of promise. I hope we see him more on the main show. 

I hope the rumors about Evans are true, but I don't expect much change in this season since just about everything's in the can already. I thought the star segment last time was way too long and didn't even bother watching at least two thirds of it.


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## Hoffer (Jun 1, 2001)

I watched this week's new show last night. I like the segments they do about cars. Like I liked the Aston Martin supercar segment, because it's a cool car. I also liked the bit about the Tesla Model X. I like cool cars and I don't seem to care who is driving them.

The rest of the show I didn't care about. I rarely watched the celebrity segments on the old show. Last night, I skipped right over it. I didn't recognize either celebrity. The bit about Eddie Jordan on the train and everyone else driving was boring. Cooking using the heat from the engine. Hasn't that bit been done 1,000 times?


----------



## TonyTheTiger (Dec 22, 2006)

So, it seems the whole motoring population is disappointed!

http://www.autoblog.com/2016/06/20/top-gear-episode-four-review/?ref=yfp


----------



## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

When they started the cross-continent challenge, I thought, "Here we go, this should be fun like the old days." And then the challenge was just completely blah.


----------



## ClutchBrake (Sep 5, 2001)

Hoffer said:


> I also liked the bit about the Tesla Model X.


I'm calling BS on that one. He claimed to have done all that driving and still had 21 miles left. There is NO WAY he did all that driving and drag racing and never charged the Model X. Absolutely no way.

I had planned to stop watching the show but must not have cancelled my One Pass. Still underwhelmed, but fast forward when things get boring (which is a lot).


----------



## ClutchBrake (Sep 5, 2001)

Hoffer said:


> I like cool cars and I don't seem to care who is driving them.


I've been very pleasantly surprised by MotorWeek. It's a half hour show and they usually start the episode with a cool car and end it with a practical car. For example, the other day the show started with the 2017 Audi R8 and ended with the 2017 Honda Ridgeline. Last week was the 2017 Porsche 911 Carrera and the 2017 Cadillac XT5. They have news, garage tips, and some other bits in the middle. The news bits I like, but usually skip through the garage and other bits.

Not an entertainment show like Top Gear, but good for learning about new cars and getting some stats and track impressions. I look forward to it weekly.


----------



## Hoffer (Jun 1, 2001)

I've watched Motorweek for years. I also used to watch Fifth Gear. I'm pretty sure that show isn't produced anymore. I've tried googling about it, but it seems like it is done.


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## ClutchBrake (Sep 5, 2001)

Hoffer said:


> I also used to watch Fifth Gear. I'm pretty sure that show isn't produced anymore. I've tried googling about it, but it seems like it is done.


I watched Fifth Gear before Top Gear. Always liked Tiff.


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## osu1991 (Mar 6, 2015)

Fifth Gear was officially cancelled again last month. It's last series was broadcast in Fall 2015


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## MarkofT (Jul 27, 2001)

ClutchBrake said:


> I'm calling BS on that one. He claimed to have done all that driving and still had 21 miles left. There is NO WAY he did all that driving and drag racing and never charged the Model X. Absolutely no way.


On Extra Gear, Rory did show that they needed to hit up a Supercharger. But there is such a thing as Top Gear Maths, where they round to the best sounding number.


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## Big Deficit (Jul 8, 2003)

ClutchBrake said:


> I've been very pleasantly surprised by MotorWeek.


I watched motorweek when I was in my 20's, and I'm in my 50's now. Both John Davis who now looks lacquered and Pat "I really don't have a clue about cars anymore" Goss have to be nearing or in their 80's. It's an old school car magazine like Car&Driver for TV. I lost track of it for decades and was surprised it's still on after all these years (35+). The amazing thing is the cars change but the show's format and hosts never do. Like alligators, it resists evolution.


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## LoadStar (Jul 24, 2001)

Big Deficit said:


> Both John Davis who now looks lacquered and Pat "I really don't have a clue about cars anymore" Goss have to be nearing or in their 80's.


John Davis is 68 as of April this year.

No clue about Goss, but I'd wager he's probably around the same age, maybe a bit older.


----------



## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

Hoffer said:


> I've watched Motorweek for years. I also used to watch Fifth Gear. I'm pretty sure that show isn't produced anymore. I've tried googling about it, but it seems like it is done.


Fifth Gear was a nice balance: the hosts had quite a bit of fun like Top Gear 2.0 without the immaturity, but still offered up a good car review without resorting to Consumer Reports-style dull narratives that MotorWeek can sometimes be guilty of.

MW is becoming somewhat of a parody of itself though with John Davis' over-acting. Jalopnik used to have "MotorWeek Theater" which used to make fun of John Davis' campy opening line "HI I'M JOHN DAVIS!!!" If you watched the early episodes (many of which are on YouTube and even embedded into MW's own website) you'll see that while dull he wasn't always so ridiculous in his presentation.


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## Big Deficit (Jul 8, 2003)

LoadStar said:


> John Davis is 68 as of April this year.
> 
> No clue about Goss, but I'd wager he's probably around the same age, maybe a bit older.


Thanks. From what I can glean, Pat's in his mid seventies. I guess this is the rare case(s) where TV subtracts age? Both seem older to me.


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

Big Deficit said:


> Thanks. From what I can glean, Pat's in his mid seventies. I guess this is the rare case(s) where TV subtracts age? Both seem older to me.


You think Pat Goss looks older than mid-70s?!? I would say he looks no older than 60ish, except that would mean he started on MW when he was 25ish, which seems a little too young to be the "expert mechanic" on a car show.


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

DevdogAZ said:


> You think Pat Goss looks older than mid-70s?!? I would say he looks no older than 60ish, except that would mean he started on MW when he was 25ish, which seems a little too young to be the "expert mechanic" on a car show.


I would have thought so too, but his MotorWeek bio says he opened his first shop as a high school freshman, and by the time he graduated "he was operating an 11,000 square-foot garage, with 23 employees, and was grossing $870,000 a year."

So if he's 65 now, MotorWeek is 35 years old, so he would have been 30 when it started, and if he started his own shop at 15 or 16 he would have had 14-5 years' experience at the start of the show.


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## TonyTheTiger (Dec 22, 2006)

Apparently, LeBlanc won't stay unless Evans is cut/fired/released!


----------



## Big Deficit (Jul 8, 2003)

TonyTheTiger said:


> Apparently, LeBlanc won't stay unless Evans is cut/fired/released!


My low/no value opinion? Get rid off both along with Sabine Schmitz (nice but no fit) and Eddie Jordan (why was he hired in the first place?). Hire Jensen Button ($$$, but they're paying Chris a boat load) to host with Rory Reid and Chris Harris. Boom...FIXED!

What they'll probably do is defiantly keep Evans, let Matt go (my guess is he's looking for an out anyway) and low ball and mistreat Harris and Reid till they leave. Though at this point even though the show is far from awful, it's become a train wreck and anything is possible.


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

I like Matt more then Evans. Evans has that weird fake enthusiasm about everything that comes off as disingenuous. Matt is a bit dry, but seems authentic when he gets excited about something.


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## heySkippy (Jul 2, 2001)

Evans is annoying and LeBlanc is boring. Ditch em both, but keep Sabine. I love her enthusiasm and driving style.


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## ClutchBrake (Sep 5, 2001)

heySkippy said:


> Evans is annoying and LeBlanc is boring. Ditch em both, but keep Sabine. I love her enthusiasm and driving style.


I realize Sabine is Queen of the Nurburgring, but is she really that great a driver outside of that? I'm the opposite in that I don't care for her driving style. Her style doesn't seem very composed and I can't help but think she would be a lot faster if it were. Of course the Corvette versus Viper bit was fake, but I thought her laps in the R8 were not very good.


----------



## osu1991 (Mar 6, 2015)

I dont care for Chris Evans. I think it would be better with Matt and Sabine along with Chris Harris and Rory Reid. Get rid of the horrendous Rally Car interview segment too.


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## heySkippy (Jul 2, 2001)

ClutchBrake said:


> I realize Sabine is Queen of the Nurburgring, but is she really that great a driver outside of that? I'm the opposite in that I don't care for her driving style. Her style doesn't seem very composed and I can't help but think she would be a lot faster if it were. Of course the Corvette versus Viper bit was fake, but I thought her laps in the R8 were not very good.


Well, I wasn't suggesting she be the new Stig. Even if she's not an F1 caliber driver, being Queen of the Ring ain't small potatoes. I know I'm not qualified to criticize her driving style based on the few dozens of minutes she's driven on Top Gear over the years.


----------



## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

osu1991 said:


> I dont care for Chris Evans. I think it would be better with Matt and Sabine along with Chris Harris and Rory Reid. Get rid of the horrendous Rally Car interview segment too.


Either Chris Harris or Rory Reid seem like they have the right skills to be a lead presenter. Matt is too dry and blah to be the main guy.

As for the interview segment, in just four episodes Evans has managed to make it completely formulaic. Two guests, each reads (poorly) a cue card that says what the other guest is there to promote, they talk about first cars, audience votes, they talk about best cars, audience votes, then show the laps. I realize it's not terribly different from Jezza's interview segments, but he just managed to make the interviews much more interesting and much less formulaic.


----------



## midas (Jun 1, 2000)

DevdogAZ said:


> Either Chris Harris or Rory Reid seem like they have the right skills to be a lead presenter. Matt is too dry and blah to be the main guy.
> 
> As for the interview segment, in just four episodes Evans has managed to make it completely formulaic. Two guests, each reads (poorly) a cue card that says what the other guest is there to promote, they talk about first cars, audience votes, they talk about best cars, audience votes, then show the laps. I realize it's not terribly different from Jezza's interview segments, but he just managed to make the interviews much more interesting and much less formulaic.


But on the old version they seldom had 2 guests. And when they did they at least had something in common. Now it's just 2 random people that probably never met (and likely never even heard of each other) before. And the stupidity of first car/best car just needs to go. Audience voting, and miraculously, it's always a tie going into the lap.

The whole show is a prime example of someone deciding that this or that had to change with no regard that the change actually be better. As long as it's different, that's all that counts.


----------



## tvmaster2 (Sep 9, 2006)

how about Steve Coogan (Saxondale), Jay K, Patrick Dempsey, Jacques Villeneuve (hey, his opinions are a riot), Simona DeSilvestro (her interviews are spirited), Susie Wolf, Russel Brand, Jo Brand, and those guys from Extra Gear.
Just a few to ponder. 
What's evident is the complete lack of chemistry and improvisation between the current lot.


----------



## TonyTheTiger (Dec 22, 2006)

How about just renaming the show?

It's not Top Gear without the holy trinity, so why bother? Call it "The Car Show" or "We're Trying To Be Successful Without Clarkson, Hammond and May, So Give Us A Chance"!

Heck, even The Stig's been named now. It's just not the same and never will be. Let it die of natural causes instead of keeping it on life support.


----------



## MarkofT (Jul 27, 2001)

The current Stig hasn't been named and it's been 6 years since Ben Collins wrote his book.

I think Evans in general, the expanded star bit, and the total lack of the news segment is the issue right now. Evans has a high pitched voice and that makes his slightly loud speaking volume too shouty for the body language he displays. He's also not that great with words. The star bit is clumsy, partly because of Evans and partly because it's two unrelated people which makes it much longer then the old star bit. It just seems that the films are much shorter then they used to be just so they can make room for the star bit.

And they need the news segment, badly. It's call the news and they covered news, but it wasn't ever about the news. It was 3 comedians having a jam session. Sure the would comment on some bit of news that was automotive related, but in most cases quickly veer off that topic into the comedy. I think I've watched every episode with the lads, but when I'm sitting here bored, I'll fire up YouTube and search out the news clips and laugh my head off. I almost never look up the review segments. I'll also dig up the history segments, such as Jeremy and James looking for the first car with modern controls, or the Saab/Puegeot/Lancia films.

Episode 5 wasn't bad. Evans was shouty like usual in the Zenos film, but Rory and Harris delivered excellent films. Matt's segment on the Dawn was great, but Evans just couldn't hold up his end of the Rolls Royce film.


----------



## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

Big Deficit said:


> Though at this point even though the show is far from awful, it's become a train wreck and anything is possible.


To me, "train wreck" means something is so awful you can't help but stare at it.


----------



## DouglasPHill (Feb 10, 2005)

I wonder if this Matt/Evans thing is just made up drama to try to improve the ratings?


----------



## Hoffer (Jun 1, 2001)

I have a Chris Evans question. Are his glasses part of his look? Like has he been known for wearing thick, black rimmed glasses for like the last 20 years or something. Like when I think of Harry Caray, I think of him with his glasses.


----------



## Bob Coxner (Dec 1, 2004)

tvmaster2 said:


> how about Steve Coogan (Saxondale), Jay K, Patrick Dempsey, Jacques Villeneuve (hey, his opinions are a riot), Simona DeSilvestro (her interviews are spirited), Susie Wolf, Russel Brand, Jo Brand, and those guys from Extra Gear.
> Just a few to ponder.
> What's evident is the complete lack of chemistry and improvisation between the current lot.


For that list why not throw Eddie Izzard into the mix. That would liven things up.  I'll watch anything with Alan Partridge/Steve Coogan in it.


----------



## TonyTheTiger (Dec 22, 2006)

MarkofT said:


> *The current Stig hasn't been named* and it's been 6 years since Ben Collins wrote his book.
> 
> ~


He is widely believed to be BTCC champion, Gordon Sheddon.


----------



## DeDondeEs (Feb 20, 2004)

They should pull in Jeff Gordon or one of the Waltrip brothers. Although I don't know how that would go over in the UK.


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## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

heySkippy said:


> Evans is annoying and LeBlanc is boring. Ditch em both, but keep Sabine. I love her enthusiasm and driving style.


I can't stand her accent, I can barely understand her.

Honestly none of these guys are very good. Evans is annoying, LeBlanc is a bit too dry, Jordan is boring, and Sabine is hard to understand. The other two guys haven't been in it enough for me to really form an opinion on them, but they seem more like hard core car guys then entertainers.

The one thing about the old show was that it was a comedy show disguised as a car show. This is now a car show trying to be funny.


----------



## TonyTheTiger (Dec 22, 2006)

...and failing!

LeBlanc: "Ladies and gentlemen, Salt and vinegar..."

W...T...F...???


----------



## Big Deficit (Jul 8, 2003)

Watched episode 5 and thought it a regression. Way too much Evans, too much sappy introspective music reviews, too little fun. If you skip through all the Evans parts, what do you have? 12 min? Wasn't there supposed to be LESS Evans moving forward?


----------



## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

I think they said they would reduce the Evans parts in the studio (except for the interview). The films are all already made.


----------



## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

I FFed through the celebrity interview part in this episode. That portion of the show is just boring. I did watch their laps, but I probably should have skipped them too.


----------



## Hoffer (Jun 1, 2001)

Dan203 said:


> I FFed through the celebrity interview part in this episode. That portion of the show is just boring. I did watch their laps, but I probably should have skipped them too.


I've already said this. I would usually skip the celebrity segments during the Clarkson era. I find the level of celebrity on the new show to be even worse. Most of the celebrities I've never heard of. They might be famous in the UK, but I don't have a clue who they are.


----------



## TonyTheTiger (Dec 22, 2006)

As it is a British show, it's only understandable that the average 'celebrity' is relatively unknown here, just like most C & D listers in the US are unknown in Britain!


----------



## Dan203 (Apr 17, 2000)

I just think the segment is too long now with the two celebs every time. And the whole first car/best car thing is boring.


----------



## BluesFools (Apr 5, 2000)

I'm a week behind watching this series, but weren't the VT segments filmed well in advance of the shows being broadcast? Having seen the Chris Harris segments, it should have been obvious to everyone involved in producing and editing them that he is way better than Evans or LeBlanc.

That really showed in last weeks episode. A tedious Evans piece on the Zenos E10. An uninspiring LeBlanc segment on a Rolls Royce. Then bam! - Chris Harris being passionate about the cars he's driving. Including the first actual laugh-out-loud moment of this entire series. Night and day difference.

I would have thought someone on the production staff would have said "Chris Harris is the level we should be aiming for, and the main hosts aren't even close", and then done something to address it before the series aired.

Ah well, too late now - season finale later today.


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## MarkofT (Jul 27, 2001)

I'm like LeBlanc. His ride around London was great, his review of the Rolls Royce Dawn was solid, and his hot laps on the series finale* brought out his real car personality, sort of a mix of James May and Richard Hammond.

Evans tried to be bombastic about the reconditioned MG, but was just loud. A purely superficial car personality, both ways. He likes the superficial presence of a car, and superficially pretends he likes more about cars then that.

Harris is a bit of a mixture of Clarkson and Hammond. A bit bombastic, well spoken, a bit mad, and a bit mad**.

* British definition that aligns with season finale in the US.

** Think about it.


----------



## pgogborn (Nov 11, 2002)

Chris Evans Tweets:
Stepping down from Top Gear. Gave it my best shot but sometimes that's not enough.
I feel like my standing aside is the single best thing I can now do to help the cause. >
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-36707266


----------



## DouglasPHill (Feb 10, 2005)

The three musketeers leaving were huge shoes to fill.


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## TonyTheTiger (Dec 22, 2006)

DouglasPHill said:


> The three musketeers leaving were huge shoes to fill.


That's why they failed.

They were NEVER going to fill those shoes so the ONLY thing to do would be to completely reformat the show, not add an off-road section to the track, increase the time spent with so-called celebrities that didn't even have a connection, use a real racing driver instead of the Stig, etc., etc., etc. Anything else is going to promote comparisons an fail!


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## MarkofT (Jul 27, 2001)

And now there are rumors of sexual misconduct from the early 90s with Evans. A woman came forward just before this series began airing. Some say that's why he stepped down today.


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## Unbeliever (Feb 3, 2001)

MarkofT said:


> Some say that's why he stepped down today.


And that he didn't get along with Matt Leblanc.

All we know, is that he quit!

--Carlos V.


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

TonyTheTiger said:


> use a real racing driver instead of the Stig


The Stig was never a real racing driver? All of the outed Stigs (at least 3 so far) had professional racing credentials.


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

MarkofT said:


> And now there are rumors of sexual misconduct from the early 90s with Evans. A woman came forward just before this series began airing. *Some say* that's why he stepped down today.


I see what you did there 

EDIT: Jalopnik article on the allegations. The part that stands out to me is that he's admitted to at least one allegation of inappropriate workplace behavior:



> In an interview with the Sunday Times in 2005, Evans admitted his penchant for exposing himself at work.
> 
> The newspaper reported that *Evans frequently exposed himself at the offices of Ginger Media Group, which owned Virgin Radio and television shows such as TFI Friday. He would interrupt meetings by standing up to pull down his tracksuit bottoms to reveal that he was sexually aroused.*
> 
> At the time, Evans told the newspaper: If you get your willy out, its the funniest thing in the world. Everybody laughs, everyone of our generation. I wouldnt do it in front of my mum, for example. Girls love it; boys -Oh, I cant believe you did that. It also takes the night to a new level. I actually havent done it for a while. But I will do it again.


Makes me wonder if Clarkson punching a producer was all that bad. OK it's still unacceptable, but this is just...wow. I don't know about the UK, but in most if not all of the US this behavior will earn you the Scarlet Letter (sex offender) for life.


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## TonyTheTiger (Dec 22, 2006)

RonDawg said:


> The Stig was never a real racing driver? All of the outed Stigs (at least 3 so far) had professional racing credentials.


Yes, they are all racing drivers. My wording was bad. I meant a NAMED racing driver instead of trading on the old mythology of the Stig.


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

Just watched the last episode plus Extra Gear. Having Harris, Reid, LeBlanc, and Schmitz together just felt right. No Evans (good riddance) and no Jordan. I think if they come back next series with those four, it will be much better.

For the record, I liked the change to the rally cross track, but I hated the way Evans handled the interview segments. Hopefully they'll keep the track and just make improvements to the studio segment.


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## Big Deficit (Jul 8, 2003)

He didn't jump, he was pushed and whoever the pusher was? Get him a beer on me!


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## RonDawg (Jan 12, 2006)

DevdogAZ said:


> Just watched the last episode plus Extra Gear. Having Harris, Reid, LeBlanc, and Schmitz together just felt right. No Evans (good riddance) and no Jordan. I think if they come back next series with those four, it will be much better..


Unfortunately Jordan is slated to return next season. From the BBC:



> BBC News understands the remaining five presenters - Matt LeBlanc, Rory Reid, Chris Harris, Sabine Schmitz and Eddie Jordan - will return for the next series, which is due to begin filming in September.


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

RonDawg said:


> Unfortunately Jordan is slated to return next season. From the BBC:


Well, I didn't really dislike Jordan, I just didn't feel like he brought anything to the table. And since he wasn't really in the show much this season, I won't mind if he comes back with the same level of involvement next year. I just hope they don't think that, having lost Evans, they need to compensate by increasing Jordan's role.

For that matter, I sure hope they don't overcompensate by trying to bring on another "experienced" presenter to be the face of the show. I hope they just let Matt, Chris, and Rory run with it next season and see if they can jell.

However, if they do that, I'm afraid that will mean Chris and Rory won't be doing Extra Gear anymore, and that's actually been one of the highlights of this season. So if Chris and Rory do get "called up" to the main show full time, I sure hope they find some good replacements for EG.


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## MarkofT (Jul 27, 2001)

Well, if they ditch the rallycross segment as is, give Harris and Reid an interview w/lap segment, most of Extra Gear will have moved into the main show. There have been a couple short films that were cut from the main show's films, and Harris doing a lap in something. Harris is doing BBC funded lap films now, and without the dragging rallycross bit, they should have time to move those extra bits into the main show.


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## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

MarkofT said:


> Well, if they ditch the rallycross segment as is, give Harris and Reid an interview w/lap segment, most of Extra Gear will have moved into the main show. There have been a couple short films that were cut from the main show's films, and Harris doing a lap in something. Harris is doing BBC funded lap films now, and without the dragging rallycross bit, they should have time to move those extra bits into the main show.


The part I like about Extra Gear is the behind-the-scenes stuff and the additional films. So it can't be replaced by moving it into the main show. It's the very fact that it's not part of the main show that makes it good.

As I said before, I like the actual rally cross addition to the track. There's nothing sacred about going round Chicago. They just need to fix the interview segment to not be so formulaic and boring.


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## midas (Jun 1, 2000)

I think the fact that Evans was so bad has masked the fact that LaBlanc is pretty awful too. When he's giving opinions on cars I never get the feeling that he's really talking. It always feels like he's just acting. Either way, he's just amazingly dull.


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