BBC Top Gear [It's back!]

[The Compensator]

It's just so similar to the "old" TG, isn't it? From the editing down to the actual content.

[mau92]

Damn BBC that kept Harris TDF video... I really wanted to see it. Anyways, I think this "refreshed" TG doesn't look that bad.

[CarMadMike]

Why the hell are they calling it Season 23 though? It makes no sense.

 

The 2002 TG revival didn't continue from where old-old topgear set off, so why are these? It's as if they're holding on to its success in desperation.

 

The staff has changed dramatically, yes the editing staff is still there but come on, this should have been Season 1 of new TG.

[hassan1995]

So what I've gathered from that trailer is that I'm only watching it for harris and Evans is extremely obnoxious, I don't think he got a word in :lol: it was just shouting and screaming.

 

:mhmm:

[Camel]

SHEEEEP!

 

Looks good to me apart from the annoying ginger person. :(

[Eudemon]

Production is still on point which is good to see. I think it will be a case of the new Top Gear is every bit as good as the previous despite what the foreigners may say but, that ginger wazzock needs to GO!

[Camel]

Wazzock.

 

Maybe he will shock us all and not actually be that bad. For his, and our sake I hope that is the case.

[CarMadMike]

Big day today, after seemingly forever since the 'fracas' Topgear is back on our screens this evening.

 

My expectations are low going into it, I'm hoping they'll be raised after :) Harris has tweeted saying he's not in this ep though.

[Eudemon]

Yeah saw Harris saying he's not in it. That means more time for Evans. :fp:

[Camel]

I'll be watching it but do have low expectations. Would be nice if we're all pleasantly surprised though.

 

I know what the challenge is this week and I think it would have been good in the old TG but let's see. :)

[TIMELESS]

I like Matt LeWhite, so... hopefully he gets plenty of screen time.

[Camel]

He should do. :nods:

[Eudemon]

I haven't been following anything about the show, and have only seen just that which I have been unable to miss, such as the Cenotaph Mustang thing, Reliant Robins and the brief Viper ACR teaser BBC shows often. That's all I have seen of it.

[Camel]

That's all I've seen as well as LeBlanc on a TV interview show thing earlier this week where he talked a bit about it.

[GTAMADDOG]

Well, I didn't think it was too bad to be honest. The 'road-trip' to Blackpool was a bit bland and typically I found the SIARPC section dragged on too much.

 

Reading that a lot of people have given up on it before even the first episode has finished, but I think I'll still look forward to watching it on a Sunday evening just like I did with old Top Gear. Is there anything else car related on TV these days that isn't repeats of old Top Gear on Dave, or repeats of Wheeler Dealers or Fast n Loud on the Discovery Channel? Nope. So its still the one TV show I'll actually pay attention to when its on.

[CarMadMike]

Was it good? No. Was it as bad as I was expecting? Far from it.

 

Matt LeBlanc can come across as lacking charisma in interviews on other TV shows so it's always been concerning how he'll perform on TG, I think he was the best thing about today's TG episode. He's a very likeable person, the Ariel is a very cool car and the location/shooting and challenge all seemed pretty decent, Matt seems to be good behind the wheel so that's good too.

 

I'm so anti-Chris Evans at the moment. He's just way too 'make it alllll about meeee', I'm watching ExtraGear at the moment and Rory asked simple questions that needed simple answers and he's so loud, obnoxious and in your face about it.

 

The Viper vs Corvette thing was just a bit crap, they never really discussed the cars much and only in ExtraGear did Rory ask Chris why he wouldn't buy a Viper, that kinda thing should really be in Topgear, no? Absolute crap. It wasn't entertaining, it was very obviously all faked, and the cars as targets and the fighter plane thing has kinda already been done before so we can't even appreciate it for its originality.

 

The US vs UK trip to Blackpool was rubbish. The Willys vs Defender thing was much better and it should have just been that from the start.

 

SIARPC? I quite like the new off road track thing, but this segment still has the same negatives as it did on the old TG.

 

ExtraGear seems okay, Rory is nice but has to prove himself a bit more first. They keep on showing too many in car driver camera shots, when it's the stig, we do NOT need to see that? It's not as if we can see a facial expression. It's absolutely appalling :lol: Someone needs to go sit in the naughty corner and think about how stupid they've been.

 

Overall rating? 5.5/10. It'll have teething issues and I can't wait for CH to get some actual airtime, but as it is, it's notttt awful. If Chris Evans doesn't calm down or if I don't learn to hate him less then I might have to resort to fast-forwarding his speech.

 

I thought 'this would have been much better with the original trio' on more than one occasion but that's understandable.

[Dan G]

Made me giggle a couple of times but mostly bland. Film editing is still nice but I guess it's the same team as before.

 

Only bit I liked was Chris Harris on Extra Gear. Harris is just funny because he's honest like Jezza.

[Camel]

I had low expectations before the show and it didn't even meet them.

 

Evans shouting, screaming and running around like a kid whose just eaten half a bag of sugar was just painful to watch.

 

The road trip was was just motorway driving? With half of the footage involving the recovery truck. :yawn:

 

The Aerial Nomad part wasn't too bad and neither was LeBlanc.

 

LeBlanc, Harris and Sabine would make it worth watching imo. With Evans mentality on it, there really isn't a place on the show for him. He's just trying way too damn hard to make it like old TG but with loads of new shiny bits in the studio.

 

Will be interesting to see what the viewing figures are like for next weeks show as this one "only" had 4.4 million, which is the lowest since 2006. And I don't think it will get any better either.

[CarMadMike]

Top Gear verdict: 'A feeble Clarkson impression' - BBC News

 

This review is literally the most accurate thing ever. And it was on BBC R4 too, poor Beeb, absolutely blindsided :lol:

[TIMELESS]

Top Gear verdict: 'A feeble Clarkson impression' - BBC News

 

This review is literally the most accurate thing ever. And it was on BBC R4 too, poor Beeb, absolutely blindsided :lol:

 

Hilarious that it's BBC on BBC - but yeah he absolutely nailed it. "Evans and LeBlanc had all the chemistry of Ed Miliband and Nigel Farage" :lol:

[The Compensator]

First thing that struck me - it is identical to the "old" show. Like, everything. Reliant Robins, Stig's lap time commentary, and hell even the intro is the same style ("I got chased, Matt falls", etc.). Was hoping for it to be (a bit more) different.

 

I know nothing about Evans and had no reservations about him unlike almost everyone. But, damn, I had to skip most of his parts. He seems, at least to me, as a non-car person with no driving skills? Shouts way too much, too. :hmmm:

 

The car 'n plane thing and the robin roadtrip were boring and already overdone. Matt's Nomad segment was the only one I liked.

 

nah/10

[Eudemon]

Quite impressed to see BBC sharing this actually. I don't think he was critical of Evans enough though as he is the main issue imo and he will turn people away. Even the older Top Gear had its forced moments and areas where the acting was so hammed up but they could kind of save it. Evans though is just annoying and LeBlanc feels like he's in there just to appeal to the 'muricans too.

 

Drop Evans, bring in Harris as the main, have LeBlanc as a sort of US Hammond and Sabine as a stern critical female May and it might take off. Haven't watched Extra Gear yet but it sounds like the other guy is good too so bring him in also. Four cars running the challenges could be a nice change.

 

And if I had to rate the show I would give it a 5.5/10.

[The Compensator]

Top Gear verdict: 'A feeble Clarkson impression' - BBC News

 

This review is literally the most accurate thing ever. And it was on BBC R4 too, poor Beeb, absolutely blindsided :lol:

 

Heh, wrote my post before I watched this, good to know it wasn't only me.

[TIMELESS]

Quite impressed to see BBC sharing this actually. I don't think he was critical of Evans enough though as he is the main issue imo and he will turn people away. Even the older Top Gear had its forced moments and areas where the acting was so hammed up but they could kind of save it. Evans though is just annoying and LeBlanc feels like he's in there just to appeal to the 'muricans too.

 

Drop Evans, bring in Harris as the main, have LeBlanc as a sort of US Hammond and Sabine as a stern critical female May and it might take off. Haven't watched Extra Gear yet but it sounds like the other guy is good too so bring him in also. Four cars running the challenges could be a nice change.

 

And if I had to rate the show I would give it a 5.5/10.

 

I think I actually enjoyed Extra Gear more, the only issue being the production was carp. But there was a segment of Rory and Harris just talking about cars, and it was genuine, unscripted, natural banter. Exactly how TG should be.

 

I don't understand why they pushed the idea that it would be a completely new show when in the end it wasn't at all. They've taken the exact same formula and expected it to work with a whole new bunch of people, and they've executed it badly too! Why is Evans impersonating Clarkson?! Why are they doing crappy challenges in Reliants? Why is Chris Harris not on the main show?! Why was one of the guests completely clueless and uninterested in cars?!

 

/endrant

[CarMadMike]

The issue is, it's being absolutely panned by everyone. The most positive comments are still less than positive. They've asked for people to post their views here: TG TV episode 1: your post-show discussion | Top Gear They've got people on the BBC criticising it, social media is having a field day. Tabloid media are trying to ruin Evans' will to live.

 

So what will happen? I predict absolutely nothing. This all seems very much a 'stick your head in the sand and ignoreeee' kind of situation and I think they're hoping we like what is to come in the next few episodes, let's pray we do.

 

I saw a comment somewhere saying this is the best advert for Amazon Prime they've ever seen, and that is true so far.

 

The issue is, through all the scripted crap on old TG, we could all imagine those 3 acting like that, saying the things they do and having that kind of banter even if the cameras weren't there. This simply will never be the case between Evans and LeBlanc imo.