Top Gear lives!

SnowMongoose wrote: In reply to turboswede: Oh, he's one of those 'Stars in a reasonably priced car' British celebs who I never paid attention to, got it.

You never paid any attention to Clarkson, May or HAmmond until top gear either. He's the biggest radio guy in the country with 10 million listeners. Now, 10 million might sound fairly impressive over here in the US with a population of 300 Million, but the UK has a population of about 70 million. Yup, 1 in 7 people listen to him daily.

Screw his collection of prancing Gucci cars, he owns one of James Hunt's old F1 cars. Serious 100% car guy. Not that I think he will work to fill the roll, but I find it funny when people just dismiss him as another Brit that they haven't heard of.

Tom_Spangler wrote: In a new form, with Chris Evans: http://www.topgear.com/uk/car-news/Chris-Evans-to-lead-new-Top-Gear-line-up-2016-06-16

Everybody, we have some very big news! Yes, Chris Evans has signed a three-year deal to lead an all new line up for Top Gear.

And the final episode of "classic" TG will air in a couple of weeks: http://www.topgear.com/uk/car-news/top-gear-tv-series-22-remaining-episode-trailer-2015-06-08

Good news! The BBC has today announced that Top Gear will return to UK telly screens on Sunday June 28, with an extended episode to wrap up Series 22. Featuring a pair of previously unseen films shot for the most recent series, plus studio links from Richard and James, the one-off will air on BBC Two at 8pm.

Looks like the producers are going to try and make a fruitcake with the ingredients for vanilla pudding.

I forecast a fail of even greater proportions than American Top Gear.

I have come to the conclusion that producing TV shows is like fishing in a lake you are not familiar with; you motor out and look to see where all the other boats are and then anchor as close to the pack as possible. What you don't know is that the entire fleet did the same thing.

TG had run its course. What that means is that it is time to re-invent the show, not remake it.With all the money at stake, their is too much fear of moving away from a formula no matter how dated it is.

Can I just watch Roadkill instead?

tuna55 wrote: Can I just watch Roadkill instead?

You mean the mopar show?

Fueled by Caffeine wrote:

tuna55 wrote: Can I just watch Roadkill instead?

You mean the mopar show?

Huh? Not sure if you are serious.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL12C0C916CECEA3BC

tuna55 wrote: Can I just watch Roadkill instead?

Rodkill, Dirt Everyday and Project Binky are where it is at.

SnowMongoose wrote: I think my ideal right now would be Martin, Harris, and Schmitz.

Interesting crew... But Harris has his own thing going and it seems he likes it that way.

Personally, I'd love to see Michael McIntyre as one of the hosts. While not as much of a car-guy, he is seriously funny and I can imagine them putting him all sort of situations with hilarious results.

tuna55 wrote:

Fueled by Caffeine wrote:

tuna55 wrote: Can I just watch Roadkill instead?

You mean the mopar show?

Huh? Not sure if you are serious. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL12C0C916CECEA3BC

Their new sponsorship from dodge has slanted the FB postings a bit. I'm worried it will be come the all mopar show.

Fueled by Caffeine wrote:

tuna55 wrote:

Fueled by Caffeine wrote:

tuna55 wrote: Can I just watch Roadkill instead?

You mean the mopar show?

Huh? Not sure if you are serious. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL12C0C916CECEA3BC

Their new sponsorship from dodge has slanted the FB postings a bit. I'm worried it will be come the all mopar show.

Gosh, did you really expect that to get across from your original post?

Anyway, I am only checking Facebook maybe an hour per month, and most of that is about kids pictures of while I am sitting on the toilet at work.

I haven't caught up to current, but I would be very surprised if it impacted the show at all.

In fact, that bit that they did with the Subaru was probably the most brilliant marketing I can imagine.

NOHOME wrote: I forecast a fail of even greater proportions than American Top Gear.

You mean the American Top Gear that's currently filming it's 6th season? I've never understood the hatred for that show. It's not as good as the original, but it's not bad. Certainly better than most of the contrived "reality" car shows on TV.

Fueled by Caffeine wrote:

tuna55 wrote:

Fueled by Caffeine wrote:

tuna55 wrote: Can I just watch Roadkill instead?

You mean the mopar show?

Huh? Not sure if you are serious. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL12C0C916CECEA3BC

Their new sponsorship from dodge has slanted the FB postings a bit. I'm worried it will be come the all mopar show.

Being that freiburger has a large mopar collection, it would make sense. The charger and duster are cars he already owned.

moparman76_69 wrote:

Fueled by Caffeine wrote:

tuna55 wrote:

Fueled by Caffeine wrote:

tuna55 wrote: Can I just watch Roadkill instead?

You mean the mopar show?

Huh? Not sure if you are serious. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL12C0C916CECEA3BC

Their new sponsorship from dodge has slanted the FB postings a bit. I'm worried it will be come the all mopar show.

Being that freiburger has a large mopar collection, it would make sense. The charger and duster are cars he already owned.

He also owns the F bomb Camaro, Crusher Camaro, and co-wons the Bonneville Camaro, and a bunch of Jeeps. And who knows what else. You can criticize that show, but criticizing the mix of makes and models that they show is pretty silly.

Don't get me wrong I love the show but since the mopar announcement had come about. There have been two out of three or three out of four episodes about mopars.

Tom_Spangler wrote:

NOHOME wrote: I forecast a fail of even greater proportions than American Top Gear.

You mean the American Top Gear that's currently filming it's 6th season? I've never understood the hatred for that show. It's not as good as the original, but it's not bad. Certainly better than most of the contrived "reality" car shows on TV.

The hate is because they call it Top Gear and play Jessica for the intro. Call it Project Gear and choose another theme song and it would be fine.

Tom_Spangler wrote:

NOHOME wrote: I forecast a fail of even greater proportions than American Top Gear.

You mean the American Top Gear that's currently filming it's 6th season? I've never understood the hatred for that show. It's not as good as the original, but it's not bad. Certainly better than most of the contrived "reality" car shows on TV.

Lord knows I tried, but there is no love for that show. Zero chemistry between the characters; they come across like they just met in the parking lot five minutes before they started to shoot and it does not get better as they go along. It is painful to watch.

Roadkill is awesome as it is and could be a TV show in it's own right.

Project Binky is one of the most amazing things out there, but is useless as a TV program. No sponsor tie in except for PG Tips tea bags and way to hard core for 99.999999999999% of people out there. T.G. appeals to people who hate cars, even Roadkill has a fun narative going to it to cross demographics. Binky is for people who love cool fab work without the glitz of 'reality' TV.

Dirt every day is hit and miss, some a great, some are yawn worthy.

RegularCars is another niche perfectly suited to YouTube.

Lost in Transmission is doing OK, but may be better of as a YouTube production

I really hope the rumors are true and that Jezza, Captain Slow and the Hamster plus their producer all go to NetFlix and do a show free of the usual American censorship sensibilities like the old TG. My fear is that they may not be able to afford such amazing production. The cinematography on TG was worth watching if for alone without the hosts or cars.

So what other car shows on TV or YouTube are worth watching? Serious Q.

Adrian_Thompson wrote: So what other car shows on TV or YouTube are worth watching? Serious Q.

You know, someone should start a thread about that!

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/web-based-car-shows-whats-out-there-worth-watching/102802/page1/

NOHOME wrote: Lord knows I tried, but there is no love for that show. Zero chemistry between the characters; they come across like they just met in the parking lot five minutes before they started to shoot and it does not get better as they go along. It is painful to watch.

I dont get that. I have definitely seen the chemistry between the three improve over the past few series. The difference is in their acting abilities. The UK producer let it slip recently that everything - everything - on Top Gear was scripted, no matter how off-the-cuff it appeared. Where the UK version lucked out was in that Clarkson, Hammond and May turned out to be damn good actors with great comedic timing.

The US guys are more "real" to their on-screen charactors. Faust is a race car driver first, everything else second. Sometimes he pulls off the acting part, sometimes he doesn't. Wood is a host and presentor, but not much of an actor. Ferrara is an actor and a comedian and that shows in what he does on the show. Whether you like him or not is subjective, but technically he knows what he's doing more so than the other two.

If the Netflix thing does happen, I would imagine Netflix not sparing any expense for the production. If anything, they'll have more money to work with than they had at the BBC. And all things considered, it's a reality show and the production costs aren't all that much. Can you imagine how many additional subscribers Netflix stands to gain? Millions is not out of the question.

Ian F wrote:

NOHOME wrote: Lord knows I tried, but there is no love for that show. Zero chemistry between the characters; they come across like they just met in the parking lot five minutes before they started to shoot and it does not get better as they go along. It is painful to watch.

I dont get that. I have definitely seen the chemistry between the three improve over the past few series. The difference is in their acting abilities. The UK producer let it slip recently that everything - everything - on Top Gear was scripted, no matter how off-the-cuff it appeared. Where the UK version lucked out was in that Clarkson, Hammond and May turned out to be damn good actors with great comedic timing.

Honestly, in the previous 3-4 seasons before this aborted 2015 season, it was painfully obvious that nearly everything in the TGUK was scripted, most of all the fake "calamities" that befall them. Watching the stupid stunt with May's ill-fated dirigible "out of control" and "crashing" on the restricted airfield was one of many jump-the-shark moments.

Ian F wrote: The UK producer let it slip recently that everything - everything - on Top Gear was scripted, no matter how off-the-cuff it appeared.

Let it slip recently?!?!?!?! You haven't been paying attention. Since the 'accidental' caravan fire they've been joking openly about it being a 'so called' non fiction series. They've been completely open that it's been scripted for years and years.

Ok, I'll give you that, but I was referring more to the interplay between the three, not the skits.

Although it's probably safe to say it's not part of the script when one of them gets hurt: Hammond in the jet car or when May fell and split his head open in the Middle East.

Adrian_Thompson wrote: Roadkill is awesome as it is and could be a TV show in it's own right. Project Binky is one of the most amazing things out there, but is useless as a TV program. No sponsor tie in except for PG Tips tea bags and way to hard core for 99.999999999999% of people out there. of 'reality' TV.

"Useless as a TV show" should be the definition of a good car show! Yes, I know that TV has to appeal to the 99th percentile, but that makes it irrelevant for the 1% that it is actually aimed at. How ironic is that.

Wait, which Chris Evans is Captain America and which is a dorky DJ again?

It's the dorky ginger one.

I wonder how many of those that hate top gear US have watched it past season 2? They've dropped the idea of it being a copycat and while still nowhere near the big 3, the host have started getting accustomed to their roles. Yes it's called top gear but I think at this point it really is its own show.