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Yes, Clarkson's vehicle looked very dangerous. What about Hammond's shed? Had bits fallen onto the motorway, it could have caused a pile up.I thought the motorhome part was okay. But I wonder how these things are allowed on the road. Don't one off and small production runs need some sort of legal check before they are allowed on public roads? Or can they endanger lives because they are 'celebrities'.
Clarkson is basically an overgrown public school buy, playing naughty japes against authority. It can be entertaining.
The woman in an open top car was funny.
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Its the BBC, look at the trouble they get in when two blokes leave a saucy message on an answerphone. I think the vehicles will have been stringently checked and will be much safer than they appeared. The whole thing is stage managed,
You might as well say how dangerous it was in Die Hard 3, rolling cars and firing handguns on the highway.
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The 2003 Act makes it illegal to use a hand held communication device so they would have been breaking it.
The law only applies to frequencies used by mobile phones. Walkie-talkies and CB are exempt. See www.askthe.police.uk/content/Q659.htm
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The 2003 Act makes it illegal to use a hand held communication device so they would have been breaking it.
So, does that mean everyone who hoisted a pair of england flags upon their vehicle during the world cup could be prosecuted for using hand held communication devices (semaphore) ?
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Accept completely how there is far more stage management than many of us realise on tv, but one scene showed Clarkson's car wobble very dangerously just as a VW Golf (I think it was) went past very quickly the other way. Didn't look stage managed to me!
As has been said above the fact remains that they just act as overgrown school boys putting two fingers up to authority which thankfully is not followed through by the majority of those that watch because they have more sense. In fact the programme seems be getting more about them having a laugh than factual content.
Whatever the case with the phones or walky's etc, the fact is the same principle applies and they should be acting responsibily and not doing it.
FTF
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I have to say I like Top Gear for the trips abroad to far flung places, the budget allows some great photography, also I like the sheer Britishness of it, three middle aged blokes with dubious dress sense just laughing at themselves most of the time (Clarkson capsizing in that floating Hi Lux was hilarious), some things like Star in a Reasonably Priced Car is getting a bit tedious, and I never liked the cool wall.
But unless one of the trio decides they've had enough or the viewing figures start flagging badly, it will probably continue for a while yet.
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As Michael Winner might say, "calm down dears, it's an entertaining TV show"!
Yes, much of it staged. Much of it irrelevant to real day to day motoring but it's a laugh, refreshingly sticks up two fingers to PC (amazing for something on the BBC but the ratings prove that people like that sort of thing) and don't we all need a bit of a laugh one way and another, especially when it's sort of linked to motoring?
They're living out the mid-life type of nonsense that the rest of us given half a chance would like to do too.
Much of the time, i have no idea who the star in the reasonably priced car has been, and don't really care but some do.
I suspect that some of the road scenes are filmed/staged off road, although those camper contraptions did go on a real road because you might recall the excited Youtube video from punters who overtook the convoy, which was played a lot before this series started to air.
Shame to see that CX go though! Oh, and Clarkson was spot on re bikers!! But maybe best not to start all that again here. Ooops, just have. Crumbs.
Edited by RicardoB on 20/07/2010 at 21:39
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They're living out the mid-life type of nonsense that the rest of us given half a chance would like to do too
Now that "Last of the Summer Wine" is about to end, this could be the replacement. Three men messing around instead of having to do a real job
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Yep, ok, you have a point, have to admit that some of it is very funny, and the britishness as you say ..... but more often than not I see behaviour that is irresponsible if not illegal. Some of the stuff on the A303 didn't look stage managed and they could have killed somebody or themselves. It will happen one day, Hammond has already tried - though I appreciate that is little unfair in the context of this thread.
FTF
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QUOTE:...""Now that "Last of the Summer Wine" is about to end, this could be the replacement. Three men messing around instead of having to do a real job""
I've been thinking along these lines for some time.
Top Gear is turning into a spoof of a motoring programme.
It's like getting Bodger and Badger to do a cookery programme or Eminem to give singing lessons..
What's worst is that this is the BBC, and it's our money that's being use for all this Tom-foolery. We don't see this sort of flippancy with other subjects. Countryfile has a good approach - nearly all interesting - sometimes with light-hearted features but always relevant and informative. If they let the Top Gear team loose on a farming programme I can imagine a scenario where each presenter is given the task of spreading a livestock disease and the winner is the one that causes the most infection!!!!
Richard Hammond seems to be building a solo career for himself with Harry Hill soundalike commentaries like in Total Wipe Out.
Fifth Gear is much better than TG, although they do get a bit silly too sometimes.
Edited by Sofa Spud on 20/07/2010 at 23:31
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If they let the Top Gear team loose on a farming programme
They already have when they tried to produce biofuel a few years back... Regretably it sells well and attracts good auduience figures for BBC2 so we are unlikely to see the back of it for a while yet... and until we do we'll never see a decent motoring programme from the Beeb as the bosses in the Beeb actually believe that TG IS a motoring programme!!!
Edited by b308 on 21/07/2010 at 10:24
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Regretably it sells well and attracts good auduience figures for BBC2 so we are unlikely to see the back of it for a while yet
Sadly (depending on your opinion) it has the biggest audience for any BBC2 programme
Here's the BBC2 audience figures in millions for a few weeks ago. Top Gear is way ahead of its nearest competitor, so obviously somebody out there thinks it's good
1 TOP GEAR 4.03m
2 MARY QUEEN OF SHOPS 3.13m
3 UNIVERSITY CHALLENGE 2.36m
4 ANTIQUES MASTER 2.23m
5 HAMPTON COURT PALACE FLOWER SHOW 1.81m
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Like it or not, Top Gear is a huge worldwide success, trumping both competitors like (the awful, in my opinion) Fifth Gear, and the previous incantation of itself.
If you don’t like the format, don’t watch it. Yes it’s more about the stars than the cars, and yes the programme is essentially juvenile. But I imagine that’s the appeal.
As for the hand-held devices; please give the producers some credit. Their items maybe hugely contrived and extraordinary, but I’m sure they’re savvy enough to research everything they plan is not going to land them with legal action.
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"If you don't like the format, don't watch it"
That is the usual response from those that don't like this programme being criticised. I pay for it (licence fee) so why can't I slag it off if I don't like it. It is a total waste of money about cars no "Joe Bloggs" can afford perpetuating the 3 egos to the extent they take the urine out of you, the car industry and the viewers. I watch it to see how bad it is degenerating. It is well past the sell by date and needs a fresh start. If I want comedy I'll tune in to the Comedy Channel. I want a decent motoring programme and the least the BBC could do is accommadate.
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I have no problem with you criticising Top Gear. You can slag it off, it affects me in no way.
But IMHO it is clearly not a waste of money, as it still brings in audience numbers and spin offs to warrant its continuation.
You’ll have to define a “decent” motoring programme; I don’t know what that means. Do you mean Fifth Gear? It’s available on Channel 5, and you need never bother tuning in to BBC2 on a Sunday night, if that’s what your preference is.
Watching a television programme to revel in its perceived degeneration is a concept I don’t understand.
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If you don’t like the format, don’t watch it.
If only the Beeb actually produced a Motoring Programme that we could watch, I would... The trouble is, the powers that be actually regard it as a motoring programme, which it gave up being a long time ago... now it is a Light Entertainment Show with some cars in it, nothing more, nothing less...
All we ask for is an intelligent Motoring programme from them... but whist TG is still massaging JC's ego we will never ever see one.
At least we can now watch it on Catch Up TV and I can whittle the programme down to the 10 minutes length it should be by getting rid of the dross! ;-)
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If the BBC ever produced a 'proper' motoring program (as some seem to be wanting), then it would be terribly dull and boring.
Viewing figures would drop and we'd end up with TG as it was in the 80's with some bearded muppet droning on about how steering wheels are designed to deform when your head hits it and a bloke always waving his hands and wearing a corduroy jacket with elbow pads trying to convince you the Volvo has the world's most comfortable seats....yawn
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Which is why we have Top Gear as it is today - the previous version became incredibly boring. Do a search on youtube for Chris Goffey as an illustration.
I think Fifth Gear attempted to be more 'motoring' orientated, but even that appears to have given in and tried to emulate Modern Top Gear, with blokes sitting around in what appears to be in a Café chatting "naturally" about cars, like mates together. Awful.
Other than Tiff, none of them have the on-screen presence that Clarkson, Hammond and May has. I know it's a tough pill to swallow, but really, if they grate on you, watch something else.
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Your two post sum up all thats wrong with the current series... I (and many, many others) like a decent amount of "knowledge" in a programme, not just "one size fits all" dross... A factual sort of programme can be made interesting... try watching such progs as Local Heroes, Industrial Revalations to mention just two... plenty of info and entertaining... it would be just as easy to do the same with a Motoring Programme...
Now as far as I'm aware BBC2 is there to provide programmes for subjects which will not appeal to the majority of the population, and believe it or not us motoring enthusiasts aren't in the majority (there are loads of motorists but not as many enthusiasts)! So the current prgramme doesn't actually fulfill that criteria as its not a motoring programme, just a light entertainment programme which (sometimes) includes motoring... as such it should be on BBC1.
That would then leave the BBC2 programmers the chance to do what they should be doing... providing a Motoring programme for those of us who want something a little more challenging and interesting...
I am not advocating getting rid of it, it has a niche and fills it well, but by pretending to be something its not it takes away the chance we have to get something more motoring related.
There was a thread many moons ago which discussed content for such a programme and many good and varied ideas came from it... its a pity the producers of 5th gear were not looking!
Edited by b308 on 21/07/2010 at 17:02
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Anyone else remember "Driven"?
If my memory serves me correctly - and age may prove me wrong - on Channel 4 around 1999/2000, and perhaps the best motoring programme of recent times
Included James May, Jason Plato, Penny Mallory, Mike Brewer etc and seemed to have a decent mixture of intelligence and entertainment.
And no overpowering egos
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Yes, AS, I agree... And its noticable that those presenters still make entertaining programmes now as well!
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If, like me, you watched all of the motoring programmes on TV (Top Gear, 5th Gear, Wheeler Dealers etc.) you come to realise that they're all entertaining in their own way. TG is very funny - I accept it as something that makes me laugh. I accept 5th Gear as more serious and I accept WD as even more serios still. But I enjoy all three as much as each other for different reasons.
So my philosophy is don't worry about it, just watch each one and enjoy it for what it is.
And by the way I agree that the recent TG feature on the Reliant Robin was one of the funniest things I've seen in years. But maybe you had to be a northerner to appreciate the p**** take!!!!
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What bugs me the most is that what they do sometimes endangers others or is illegal, or both. Do we really just stand back a say that because its the BBC they must have risk assessed everthing so it must be ok?
FTF
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I've only ever seen one thing that was clearly "illegal" - Jezza crossing a solid line on an overtake.
He even apologised.
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So the way that the load (a small house) on the back of Clarksons car was wobbling wasn't breaking the law? I dare say that if you saw a lorry doing that you would be on the phone yourself.
FTF
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I think Fifth Gear attempted to be more 'motoring' orientated, but even that appears to have given in and tried to emulate Modern Top Gear, with blokes sitting around in what appears to be in a Café chatting "naturally" about cars, like mates together. Awful.
Other than Tiff, none of them have the on-screen presence that Clarkson, Hammond and May has. I know it's a tough pill to swallow, but really, if they grate on you, watch something else.
Quentin Wilson is first rate, Jason Plato does a good job, Barlow was good, others are good. I think the problem is money. TG have the wodge to film in exotic locations, and do costly things. FG drive a Fiat Panda around Wolverhampton.
But TG is NOT a motoring programme. It's a teenagers fast car dream mixed with comedy and light entertainment.
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Yep, ok, you have a point, have to admit that some of it is very funny, and the britishness as you say ..... but more often than not I see behaviour that is irresponsible if not illegal. Some of the stuff on the A303 didn't look stage managed and they could have killed somebody or themselves. It will happen one day, Hammond has already tried - though I appreciate that is little unfair in the context of this thread.
FTF
I don't think the Hammond drag car crash is relevant as it was done on a private track in controlled conditions, and it was Hammond who was taking a risk. They did take care to control the risks, albeit they failed. And the general public were not present. The convoy driving on the A303 did look dangerous. I know people say it was staged, and that the vehicles were probably not as dangerous as they looked, but I do wonder given the wobbles. Perhaps they put a large weight in the tall 'camper van' to ensure that the centre of gravity was low. In which case did it really blow down overnight? If so, then it could have done so on a public road. Still, these days we are all so immersed in 'Elf and Safety' regulations, some good, most stupid, that it can be refreshing to see someone stick two fingers in the air. I speak as someone who's had to watch 'Elf and Safety' videos at work (3 hours) and then do 'exams', where most of the content is patronising and no more than a work generation scheme for E&S hangers on.
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Clarkson did go to a public school but he was expelled. Hint there for the Beeb perhaps?
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Clarkson did go to a public school but he was expelled. Hint there for the Beeb perhaps?
Stephen Fry was expelled twice from his private school. He has also been to prison. Johhny Vaughan also went to prison. It looks like the route of choice for those who want to scale the heights of the media.
Back to Top Gear, the problem is that some people still think it is a motoring programme. It's not, it's a light entertainment programme, with a motoring connection. The basic theme is usually "The Famous Three Have Jolly Japes in [insert place]". I fear that any real motoring programme would be rather dry, but it might attract an audience on BBC2 by focussing on car news and reviews, with some safety tests and so on.
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