Top Gear

[TopGun]

Last night was very poor. I guess they suffer a double whammy by setting the bar so high before now that when they are out of material (as looked to be the case) it just looks dreadful.

 

And someone should tell Hammond that his long hair look is not good on him.

[Colinjb]

It amazes me that a car show can run out of material when there has been 6 months worth of new cars released since the last series. The road tests don't need to be totally stupid (like with the Twingo, although I do feel it got it's point across quite effectively that it was a sturdy, affordable and entertaining little car) but an ironic review of the new Skoda Superb would be sweet.

 

That they totally overlooked the new Pug 3008 for any kind of attention (positive/negative/whatever) when they had one of them on the show was totally stupid. Why have the damn thing, one of PSA's most important models of recent years on the show if they are not going to pass judgement on it?

[Son of Bob]

I thought it was pretty crap last night. Not sure quite what the point of smashing up the Twingo was to be honest. Absolutely pointless. Why not do the piece, not smash the Twingo up and then devise a way of giving it to someone in the audience? Or maybe even auction it for charity? Anything but the puerile way they smashed it to bits. A great little car destroyed for absolutely no reason other than supposed entertainment.

[ribbo]

every series of top gear has excellent episodes and pants episodes (fillers basically) the airport racing was rehashed as was the "richard meeham" review, Guy Richie was an odd fellow and the 4x4 segment was trying to get a point across that he always seems to try to get across....

 

either way, i was still entertained

[keithd]

All you lot moan about top gear every year. Don't watch it if you don't like it. Simples

 

to be fair a lot of the moans came from peeples who usually like it. i'm the same, usually great programme was god awful last night, all recylced material to such an extent i thought i was watching Dave.

 

And Guy Richie surely has to go down as the dullest guest ever! Showed just why he should be behind the camera

[Thedelldays]

if top gear just reviewed cars it would not have been as popular as it is (world wide)

 

the other content (the challenges etc) are all part of the show...trouble is, there is so much they can do...the american episode was superb..but that cant do that again..and the show has been going for years..

[Son of Bob]

All you lot moan about top gear every year. Don't watch it if you don't like it. Simples

 

 

Thing is I do like it. It's been one of my favourite programs for years. I just thought last nights was a bit pants. I still watched and yes, I was still entertained. Just not as much as I expected to be. Simples.

[JackFrost]

All you lot moan about top gear every year. Don't watch it if you don't like it. Simples

 

I do like it, but last night's show was rubbish.

 

I was bored the whole way through

 

I think the 3 are at their best when their doing one of those cheap car challenges, the one when they were pretending to be 17 year olds in the last series was very funny. I nearly died of laughter at the challenge when they had to go up the driveway in the middle of the night.

 

Last night's show looked very much as if they'd run out of ideas. The only complaint I have against the latest top gears is they are too staged. The slapstick humour tends to be just too planned and rehearsed.

Edited 7 December, 2009 by JackFrost

[Patrick Bateman]

It amazes me that a car show can run out of material when there has been 6 months worth of new cars released since the last series. The road tests don't need to be totally stupid (like with the Twingo, although I do feel it got it's point across quite effectively that it was a sturdy, affordable and entertaining little car) but an ironic review of the new Skoda Superb would be sweet.

 

That they totally overlooked the new Pug 3008 for any kind of attention (positive/negative/whatever) when they had one of them on the show was totally stupid. Why have the damn thing, one of PSA's most important models of recent years on the show if they are not going to pass judgement on it?

 

Why bother reviewing anything from the worst manufacturer there is? Foul cars.

[Colinjb]

Why bother reviewing anything from the worst manufacturer there is? Foul cars.

 

Generally speaking I would agree with you, but they've been showcasing one of them around work, and it's a rather good vehicle! Reliability would be the only question mark for me, but hey, company car scheme!

 

Also, it is a fact they praised some of Pug's cars in one of the early series. Specifically the 206 Estate.

Edited 8 December, 2009 by Colinjb

[O_RLY]

TG is looking far too staged now...

[Saint_Jonny]

I wish they had given the Twingo to me rather than ditch it in the sea. Still, old hot hatches are faster, as my little (**** heap) beast shows!

[St Landrew]

Why bother reviewing anything from the worst manufacturer there is? Foul cars.

 

It's all relative really, isn't it..? In truth, there is isn't a truly bad car manufactured anymore, and believe me, I can think of loads from the past, and the worst of them was NOT the Morris Marina or Ital. Today, there are cars that are better than others, but let's not run away with ourselves - practically every car on the market today is a pretty well designed car, even if some of them are made by Peugeot. Or Hyundai. Or Kia. Or Ford.

[Thedelldays]

Great show across south America

[Arizona]

Yeah, tonights episode was really good IMO. Hammonds car 'accidentally' rolling down the dune at the end was a bit of an insult to my intelligence, but otherwise the show was good.

[St Landrew]

Yeah, tonights episode was really good IMO. Hammonds car 'accidentally' rolling down the dune at the end was a bit of an insult to my intelligence, but otherwise the show was good.

 

Yep, thoroughly enjoyed that one. If I had been Hammond, I would have let the handbrake off too. That looked steep. I thought May was quite brave barrelling down the descent in the Suzy.

 

I do wonder whether May and Hammond are as resourceful as the programme makes them appear. I mean, I assume they are not, but sometimes, I wonder. Clarkson, I know I assume correctly, IS an unresourceful idiot. Rather him than me on that narrow high-pass though. I did something like that in the Southern Alps of NZ, and I can still feel my sphincter cramp up when I think of it, about 17 years later.

Edited 28 December, 2009 by St Landrew

[RedAndWhite91]

Great episode tonight... I wonder how many complaints the BBC got for Clarkson hacking down a tree and driving a car...

[St Landrew]

Great episode tonight... I wonder how many complaints the BBC got for Clarkson hacking down a tree and driving a car...

 

More importantly, what about their comments of Lung Nectar, i.e. the fresh air..? Seems odd when they ordinarily don't give a toss.

[Son of Bob]

A bit of a return to form last night I thought. Apart from the blatant set-up of Hammonds Land Cruiser rolling off down the dune 'on it's own' it was thoroughly entertaining. You could see and feel Clarksons genuine fear on that pass!

[Kadeem Hardison]

Yeah, tonights episode was really good IMO. Hammonds car 'accidentally' rolling down the dune at the end was a bit of an insult to my intelligence, but otherwise the show was good.

 

I totally disagree about the rolling down the hill bit. I don't think it insults your intelligence at all.

[JustMike]

quality episode and the rolling down the dune bit made me giggle. There is no way you'd get me driving along that pass though, especially at the yokel driving the other car didnt give a ****

[Colinjb]

I totally disagree about the rolling down the hill bit. I don't think it insults your intelligence at all.

 

Indeed, it was probably the best excuse ever for leaving your handbrake off. 'Oh no! Now I don't have to charge down that insane slope in a near dead 2WD Land Cruiser!'

 

An excellent episode, although it seemed to pass too quickly, they could have made far more out of it. Extended edition DVD/Blu Ray anyone?

[Red Alert]

Quality episode, still not as quite good as the Vietnam one imho. But that was the bestest episode ever.

[Ponty]

I think the "signature" car rolling away move was fine in that context. I wouldn't have fancied that much either.

[Atticus Finch of Maycomb]

Top Gear was boring?

 

No WAY!

 

Next you'll be telling me that Boj isn't a very good singer...

[norwaysaint]

Here we go, Kadeem posts on a thread and the very next day, Atti**** appears.

 

Just wait and see if Wiltshire Saint posts within the week...

[saints_is_the_south]

Really enjoyed last nights episode. Had to lol at the sweat dripping off Clarkson's head when he was trying to squeeze past the other car on "death road" with the stones & rocks slipping away from the edge of the road, that was mighty close!

[Ponty]

I didn't think it was too bad at all, Shane. Obviously the content wasn't up there with the Bolivia trip but it was never going to be, was it?

 

Voted the best TV programme of the decade on something I caught the end of the other day.

[O_RLY]

Last nights was good, so was Bolivia.

[JackFrost]

Last night's was pretty good, back to the conventional stuff.

 

I don't know about anything else but the two main moans I have about current TG is that it seems to be very bad at 'parodying', the Renault Twingo test when they pointlessly smashed it up what's the point????

 

and also there's too much staged slapstick humour.

 

I really enjoy some of their "cheap car challenges" and IMO it's the contrasting personalities of the 3 presenters which makes the genuinely funny humour. It's when the beeb try and artificially add to it and take it to far when it just gets annoying. There's been far too much of it in later series.

[Ponty]

Renault R24 round the TG track on the episode just starting on Dave now.

[St Landrew]

Renault R24 round the TG track on the episode just starting on Dave now.

 

Rather watch Monte Carlo or Bust on Film4.

[Ponty]

Best of TG on BBC2 now features that Vincent Black Shadow, StL.

[St Landrew]

Best of TG on BBC2 now features that Vincent Black Shadow, StL.

 

 

With the berk, that is Hammond, riding it. He managed to diminish a legend. The A1 Tornado class locomotive was fun though, when I watched it last.

 

I went to Sammy Miller's motorcycle museum a couple of months back and saw a few Vincents ranging from the late 30's to the mid 50's. It's easy to see why many people think them the most beautiful pieces of machinery that has ever been made.

[St Landrew]

Renault R24 round the TG track on the episode just starting on Dave now.

 

On the Renault front, I see from the latest series of Renault adverts that they appear to be biting the bullet on electric cars. I give them credit for being in the vanguard.

[Ponty]

With the berk, that is Hammond, riding it. He managed to diminish a legend. The A1 Tornado class locomotive was fun though, when I watched it last.

 

I went to Sammy Miller's motorcycle museum a couple of months back and saw a few Vincents ranging from the late 30's to the mid 50's. It's easy to see why many people think them the most beautiful pieces of machinery that has ever been made.

I don't see how he diminished it, mate. He was very enthusiastic about it and it's hardly his fault it broke down. Besides that was hardly of any surprise to any Vincent enthusiasts... it's a 1940s piece of machinery, after all.

[Ponty]

On the Renault front, I see from the latest series of Renault adverts that they appear to be biting the bullet on electric cars. I give them credit for being in the vanguard.

 

I guess it's one of the principal reasons for their step backwards from F1. Until it becomes more 'visibly' green (it's already carbon neutral) it doesn't really fit with their projected image for the Renault group, and that's fair enough.

[Colinjb]

I don't see how he diminished it, mate. He was very enthusiastic about it and it's hardly his fault it broke down. Besides that was hardly of any surprise to any Vincent enthusiasts... it's a 1940s piece of machinery, after all.

 

Errrrr, he admited himself that it broke down because he left the reserve fuel tank valve open when the reserve tanks was drained, dragging up sludge and clogging the carburettor.

 

Nontheless he obviously loved the thing.

[St Landrew]

I don't see how he diminished it, mate. He was very enthusiastic about it and it's hardly his fault it broke down. Besides that was hardly of any surprise to any Vincent enthusiasts... it's a 1940s piece of machinery, after all.

 

I don't remember exactly why the Vincent broke down [thanks Colinjb for the reminder], but Vincents don't break down if you use them properly. They were famous for NOT breaking down, they were that well designed. Almost unique in that respect, back then.

[St Landrew]

I guess it's one of the principal reasons for their step backwards from F1. Until it becomes more 'visibly' green (it's already carbon neutral) it doesn't really fit with their projected image for the Renault group, and that's fair enough.

 

Last year, at the Isle of Man TT races they held the very first zero emissions motorcycle race, the TTXGP. It was on a reduced race distance of, I believe one lap around the track, which is still 37+ miles, of course, and average speed was down to 87.434 mph. Normally, 130+mph average is obtainable.

[Ponty]

It was his fault then. Daft tw**.

[Julian H. Cope]

Whilst we're on the subject, I'd ruin that bird who used to be in Lamb.

[Junction 9]

Whilst we're on the subject, I'd ruin that bird who used to be in Lamb.

 

Rosemary?

[Julian H. Cope]

Rosemary?

 

That actually made me smile.