Amazon Prime v BBC - The Grand Tour - Steveieb
What an epic start to the new series.
Clarkson leaves the BBC building in London in pouring rain looking pretty depressed,heads straight to Heathrow and jumps on a BA plane arrives in California , hires aMustang from Europcar (All product placement) and is then joined by May and Hammond who like the Government versions left their previous employ after a major upset.

Glad to see Clarson still as outspoken as ever, especially when reviewing the Ferrari. No wonder they have been difficult to deal with!

But the photography in the new format 400 hz ? Is just brilliant .

Some references don't travel too week ,such s the reference to Carol Vorderman which met with stony silence.

Hats off to Amazon who have given Clarkson the free rein that he never was allowed at the BBC.

I'm sure we will see him demolishing his house sometime in the series.

Wonder what Chris Evans must be thinking of if he ever watches how the programme should be done!
Amazon Prime v BBC - The Grand Tour - RT

Thought the old TG was crap, three middle-aged wasters acting like prats with cars - the advert clips of the Grand Tour is just the same with a bigger budget.

The Americans liked the old TG, so I guess the Grand Tour will be a huge hit there.

Amazon Prime v BBC - The Grand Tour - brum

I found the opening scene just too much, Ott a bit like promoting JC as the arrival of a new messiah. Then it settled down quickly to be a very long boring program. The studio/tent sections were just 3 old british guys trying to be funny with americans which was predictably stilted. Had to skip large parts of that as it was getting too painful to watch. Sure the filmed bits were nice photography, but long long long scenic shots....followed by watching 3 cars drive along a road.....boring. The program seemed to be trying to follow the old staid TG format but with the added baggage of american bling and too much money being spent just for the sake of it.

Multi million pound cars dont really interest me.

By all accounts its going downhill by episode 2, but I cant be bothered to watch.

Too american, humour past its best by date, lacking anything to entertain or interest me.

Amazon Prime v BBC - The Grand Tour - Cluedo
I really struggle with Clarkson and his attitude to people around him. I am astonished that any company would employ someone that punches their coworkers.
Amazon Prime v BBC - The Grand Tour - Steveieb
Simply a commercial decision on behalf of Amazon who saw the opportunity to take over the most popular factual programme in the world and intend streaming it to over 200 countries.
Amazon Prime v BBC - The Grand Tour - Cluedo
I agree Stevie, I just think it is a real shame that commercial money making comes above everything in this world and people that watch the programme support that view. I don't know any other area where if you had on your cv that you were sacked because you punched someone you would be offered a job.
Amazon Prime v BBC - The Grand Tour - FP

"Factual programme"?

Well, I suppose it is, in a way, but it's really more of a fantasy feed.

I haven't watched TGT, but then I never was a great fan of TG anyway.

Clarkson is a boorish lout with a big mouth; I don't really like that.

Amazon Prime v BBC - The Grand Tour - gordonbennet

Whilst i didn't watch TG (avoid the BBC like plague anyway) i shall give this Amazon show a tryout, Clarkson does regularly upset the snowflakes and thats fine in my book, someone should and as often as possible.

He has a different sense of humour to the modern self styled types who in so many cases are about as funny as death, and so far up their own fundaments as to have almost disappeared, he doesn't seem to take himself too seriously either again and sends himself up continually, again compare to the new breed who have a rather high opinion of themselves...a prime example being the once humourous HIGNFY, now little more than a lefty political vehicle.

I wish the trio every success.

Amazon Prime v BBC - The Grand Tour - sandy56

+TGT- one big yawn, only for early teens.

Amazon Prime v BBC - The Grand Tour - Kia Ora

Not seen the Amazon trio, but I know I would like it. Anyway, good luck to them.

Surely there is room for some daft blokes in this world that don't agree with the liberal politically correct.

Regards

Amazon Prime v BBC - The Grand Tour - RT

Not seen the Amazon trio, but I know I would like it. Anyway, good luck to them.

Surely there is room for some daft blokes in this world that don't agree with the liberal politically correct.

Regards

You don't have to be a daft bloke to disagree with the liberal politically correct - I'm not daft !

Amazon Prime v BBC - The Grand Tour - Steveieb

Writing in todays Sunday Times he describes how he , Hammond and May have been on a continual stream of interviews to promote the show.

He got so fed up he told one reporter he was in New York to be with Hammond and May on their honeymoon.

but one thing I was concerned about in the transfer to Commercial television was his journalistic independence, given that those advertisers would not be too happy if he slagged off their products.

His references to Ferraris reluctance to allow their cars to be fully compared with the opposition clarifies this.But product placement is the name of the game in this new format.

Amazon Prime v BBC - The Grand Tour - Smileyman

I'd be interested to watch but other than the standard don't licence fee won't pay for any TV. Might consider a modest fee for specific programmes on a case by case basis, if that were to be possible.

Edited by Smileyman on 27/11/2016 at 19:19

Amazon Prime v BBC - The Grand Tour - brum

There are enough bits of it on youtube for you to get a good idea what its like.

Edited by brum on 27/11/2016 at 19:45

Amazon Prime v BBC - The Grand Tour - SLO76
Wasn't keen on episode one but figure they'd find their feet and develop it into something enjoyable but episode 2 was God awful, so bad I turned it off, certainly not heading in the right direction for my tastes. As a huge Top Gear fan I'm gutted but will keep looking in with hope.
Amazon Prime v BBC - The Grand Tour - alan1302
Wasn't keen on episode one but figure they'd find their feet and develop it into something enjoyable but episode 2 was God awful, so bad I turned it off, certainly not heading in the right direction for my tastes. As a huge Top Gear fan I'm gutted but will keep looking in with hope.

Not sure why they would need to find their feet - they are essentially dong Top gear under a different name

Amazon Prime v BBC - The Grand Tour - SLO76

Not sure why they would need to find their feet - they are essentially dong Top gear under a different name

If only... I was a big fan of Top Gear with Clarkson, Hammond and May but this is a poor shadow by comparison. Episode 2 was childish nonsense and could barely by described as a car show of any sort. I accept the need to run a different format but they need the foundation of a car show as a base or they'll lose the previous audience but may well gain a few 5yr olds in return.

Edited by SLO76 on 29/11/2016 at 13:24

Amazon Prime v BBC - The Grand Tour - daveyjp

Not seen any.

I think the Amazon series will be a case of proving you can actually spend too much in an attempt to produce perfection.

Give me Dave with the programmes from 10-12 years ago!

Amazon Prime v BBC - The Grand Tour - Gibbo_Wirral

Clarkson used to do a lot of striaght-to-DVD programmes of them blowing stuff up or doing silly challenges.

That's precisely what Top Gear / Grand Tour has become.

It doesn't matter how much money you throw at a programme, if you're out of ideas (which it was when on the BBC) then you're out of ideas.

Episode 2 was terrible. I'll give this week's UK episode a try and then that's it.

Amazon Prime v BBC - The Grand Tour - Steveieb
Just learned that Amazon are planning to release a number of the shows on DVD, perhaps in time for Christmas!
Amazon Prime v BBC - The Grand Tour - mss1tw

I used to like the technical aspects of the challenges, although of course these were glossed over in the final edit.

There's a book on kindle about the behind the scenes stuff that's a good read.

Not interested in supercars at all.

The races were generally quite good, it's all in the edit.