Top Gear - is is just recycled shït?

[Mook]

I guess it can't be that difficult to spice up a programme with a new, stupidly expensive Lamborghini, but WTF is going on at Top Gear?

Is it just recycled shït, or decent entertainment?

[Torino101]

I'm desperately trying to like it but it's appearing more and more to be recycled ****.

[Twinspark]

Loved the caravan sketch. It may be scripted and they may have done caravan stuff before, but I thought it was very funny. Especially the dogging bit - 'Is that Stan Collymore? - no it's Phil Mitchell.'

The hypercar tests etc. do sod all for me - that Lambo was a hideous piece of shîte.

[garcon magnifique]

It has become a tad, er, formulaic. But it's not as if they don't realise that themselves - hence the 911 joke. As far as they're concerned it's still a formula that enough viewers worldwide find entertaining enough to keep watching.

[Cuprabob]

Clarkson is certainly doing alright out of it.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2013/jul/16/jeremy-clarkson-top-gear-bbc-worldwide

When you watch it, you know exactly what you are going to get. It is entertaining though.

[patently]

Well I thought it was a good laugh. Cheered me up no end

[Woppum]

People always complain but I'm personally glad it's still on. A bit of a ritual, like the Simpsons used to be when I was a kid in a Sunday night. There is nothing wrong with the programme it's just it has now been running for a very long time, being very successful. They are older blokes who probably don't want to change now. It's either enjoy it, say good bye or wait for some bright young sprog to have a clever idea with a new cast.

[NewNiceMrMe]

The simple fact is that we're all getting older.....and their core audience isn't the aging car enthusiast.

[Ian_C]

Caravan piece had me in stitches!

[Arch]

I sat here thinking oh FFS, not caravans AGAIN....when it came on but did have a good laugh.

I actually loved the Sesto Elemento, it's pure evil on a stick and, in this day and age of reducing emissions and sticking cack gimmicks into cars (Cliosport sound generator anyone...) I'm glad that Lambo stick two fingers up to the norm and build something utterly ridiculous embracing lightness and mega power.

[Biscuits]

It was good tonight.

WANT... BADLY... NEED MORE KIDNEYS TO SELL !

[Cuprabob]

As impressive as that Porsche "Singer" was, it's hard to get the idea that it's made by a sewing machine company out your head, even though it isn't.

[NewNiceMrMe]

I watched it on the back of reading that so many in this thread had found it entertaining - and fell asleep during SIARPC.

[Arch]

As impressive as that Porsche "Singer" was, it's hard to get the idea that it's made by a sewing machine company out your head, even though it isn't.

Just imagine the problems Tipex has dealing with that.

[theduisbergkid]

Recycled sh*t, winning formula, same thing.

I could happily watch an hours worth of caravan destruction at the expense of the rest of it though.

[m4ttm4son]

The simple fact is that we're all getting older.....and their core audience isn't the aging car enthusiast.

Who is their audience? Hammond, Clarkson and May could easily fit in on this forum (I'm convinced they already are here ), yet are supposed to appeal to completely different people?

[NewNiceMrMe]

Watched it all now.

I must have watched something different to most. I thought it was complete rubbish.

[M8CKN]

Watched it all now.

I must have watched something different to most. I thought it was complete rubbish.

No, you clearly watched the same episode as me.

Hammond and May are ok, but Clarkson seems so full of his self importance and obviously thinks his scripted ad-libs and "throws arms around and rolls eyes" are funny.

Wrong.

[cruiser647]

Fantastic 'suv' testing, followed by the caravan thing.

Good arguments about why NOT to buy the suv's too. Especially when they couldn't tell the difference - to make a point.....

SIARPC - boring as normal. I always go and do something else when this is on.

[billy2shots]

The way I look at it is, a poor episode of Top Gear is still better than no episode of Top Gear.

I have these same conversations with friends about it being too staged and challenges and gags that have been used over and over again. Regardless of how bad it might have been last week, I still look forward to the next one.

I do miss it when it is not on our screens for months on end and all of that points to one fact. I like it. For what ever reason, I do like it and as such I have to accept it for what it is.

[patently]

I think that sums it up for me too, Billy.

[Tipex]

Me three!

[CarMad]

Yep and me, if it was the licence money going into Top Gear vs some crap period drama than it would be Top Gear every time. Yeah its not really evolved much but its still about cars (just granted) and surely thats what we all like isn't it.

Or is this the knitting and crochet forum...

[NewNiceMrMe]

The way I look at it is, a poor episode of Top Gear is still better than no episode of Top Gear.

I would much rather see the money spent elsewhere.

Jeremy Clarkson earned £3m salary last year (with few other BBC commitments).

Then, just revealed in the accounts 2 weeks ago, he sold the controlling rights to the production company behind the show (which he owned) to the BBC - for £8 million. Executive Producer, Andy Willman, got £5 million too. That was after the BBC were accused of letting him boss them around.

Hammond and May earned well over £1m salary for their parts in the show.

The actual costs of production aren't available because the BBC has managed to get them excluded from the Freedon of Information Act under the 'journalism' exclusion. Journalism? I think that is laughable.

I don't doubt it makes a very large profit. However, I'd like to see the money spent on something original.

You don't need to look far (ITV and Downton Abbey) to see that it is possible for companies to make huge amounts of money on a considerably lesser spend.

The whole second series of it cost £12m. So just over double what the BBC pay for 3 presenters! Downton recouped the entire cost of the series in DVD sales alone. How on earth can a public organisation say it can't spend the money better? (And yes, I happen to think Downton Abbey is superb).

Sherlock Holmes also shows that the BBC can do it. That has made them a large profit and is set to continue doing so when the new series comes out.

Putting all the finances aside though, I'd like to see it scrapped. There is masses of media to consume on cars elsewhere and online. It isn't a car programme now anyway, it is Clarkson's Publicity Machine.

Edited July 30, 2013 by MrMe

[Woppum]

I would much rather see the money spent elsewhere.

Jeremy Clarkson earned £3m salary last year (with few other BBC commitments).

Then, just revealed in the accounts 2 weeks ago, he sold the controlling rights to the production company behind the show (which he owned) to the BBC - for £8 million. Executive Producer, Andy Willman, got £5 million too. That was after the BBC were accused of letting him boss them around.

Hammond and May earned well over £1m salary for their parts in the show.

The actual costs of production aren't available because the BBC has managed to get them excluded from the Freedon of Information Act under the 'journalism' exclusion. Journalism? I think that is laughable.

I don't doubt it makes a very large profit. However, I'd like to see the money spent on something original.

You don't need to look far (ITV and Downton Abbey) to see that it is possible for companies to make huge amounts of money on a considerably lesser spend.

The whole second series of it cost £12m. So just over double what the BBC pay for 3 presenters! Downton recouped the entire cost of the series in DVD sales alone. How on earth can a public organisation say it can't spend the money better? (And yes, I happen to think Downton Abbey is superb).

Sherlock Holmes also shows that the BBC can do it. That has made them a large profit and is set to continue doing so when the new series comes out.

Putting all the finances aside though, I'd like to see it scrapped. There is masses of media to consume on cars elsewhere and online. It isn't a car programme now anyway, it is Clarkson's Publicity Machine.

Chris I believe they have simply run out of ideas. There used to be a dozen or so shows per series, now there are 6. They keep it brief because there is only so much they can do without it getting dull. Of course Dave has not helped. Either way im sure this works well for jc as he is getting older, his teeth are falling out and those bulletproof lenses they film with wont last forever.