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So, tonight's the night the forum possibly explodes! New Top Gear is about to start and personally I am looking forward to a fresh start. Sometimes it's nice to have a change regardless of how much you enjoy something.

Mods, yes I know there is another Top Gear thread, but I was hoping that perhaps a new one could be like the show, a fresh start.
Merge if you disagree.

Why is Chris Evans shouting so much ?!
I think he's trying a bit too hard and MLB is just woeful

Hmmmmm... really wanted it to work but it just errm ... didnt

For me it was the chemistry between the old presenters that made it work.
Without that you are left with what we got tonight.

The rallycross change to the star in a car was a good original idea, the only one unfortunately. The rest seemed to be a re run of previous segments with different presenters.

I'm not bothering to compare it to the last version.

For me, I was thoroughly entertained for an hour, so job done.

As for chemistry, you can't ever get that in episode 1. It takes time. Not that it bothered me. I really enjoyed it.

Oops, totally forgot it was on

Not bad, Matt was a bit wooden in his acting but I think as time goes on it will all become more natural and hopefully there will be less reliance on scripts.

My favourite part of the old format was when things were genuine e.g. off the top of my head the Rallycross segment with all 3 of them when James was surprisingly good.

It seems Top Gear writers are still into their heavily scripted stuff, it's a shame really.

Chris was a bit shouty and for a lack of a better word "showmanship-y" too for me, but I could live with it.

I didn't like it. Chris Evans was trying too hard to be Clarkson and there seemed to be very little chemistry between him and Matt Le Blanc; the rapport that was there looked far too forced and scripted. The problem is not just that Clarkson, Hammond and May aren't there. They have also lost the two key people behind the scenes: producer Andy Wilman and script writer Richard Porter (in Clarkson's own words, the source of everything funny on Top Gear). So as well as trying to replicate the rapport between the three presenters, they are also trying to replicate the content and lines written by the previous creators of the show. To be honest the format was on its last legs anyway, even with Clarkson and co there. I believe Clarkson himself (along with Wilman) had wanted to pull the plug a few series earlier as they felt it had run its course but the BBC put pressure on to keep it going because of strong viewing figures.

I have no problem with the fact that Clarkson was fired for what he did. But I said at the time that they should take the opportunity to re-invent the show and try something new, and the first episode has only reinforced that belief unfortunately.

I think the BBC will learn as it goes. As much as I enjoyed it, and I truly did, I think they will soon enough tweak the show to include the bits that should be carried over and some new bits.

Chris Evans was not trying to be Clarkson, he's always been like that. I remember the Big Breakfast, Don'f Forget Your Toothbrush TFI and other shows. He was always loud, over confident, a little cocky, but that made his the huge success he is.

I don't want some quiet bunch of people on a show which is basically about fast cars and messing about. A serious car show it is not, therefore it does not need serious presenters.

It was better than I feared. A good first attempt in my opinion.

I enjoyed most of it, I think it will settle in and become more natural as it delvelops

When he was younger I didn't like Evans, but he's quite good on Radio2. However, I lasted about five minutes with Top Gear, he should be himself but he's just reading Clarkson's script.

There were some bad sound issues in the warehouse/studio, loads of echo. Chris seemed to be shouting most of the time cause instead of just having a conversation with Matt or the camera, he was speaking to all the audience, different to how they've done it before and with the bad sound I didn't really like it that much.

But enjoyed it overall, better than having no motoring based entertainment show other than Drive on ITV.

I couldn't finish the episode. That was terrible... Ok not entirely, as always the filming and editing were excellent as they always have been. But the script has taken a turn for the worst (plastic guns on cars? Taking turns to follow each other and pretending that it wasn't scripted. Why?) Matt le Blanc was alright and seems like he could grow into the role well given time.

Now... Chris Evans. I've never seen him before apart from one segment on old top gear, but from what I have now seen. Nah, throw him in the bin. He was simply terrible! Clarkson always seemed to legitimately enjoy his time on top gear. Evans seems like a nervous man frantically trying to pretend he is Clarkson enjoying his time. Not even pretending to enjoy HIMSELF, pretending to be someone else pretending to enjoy themselves.

I didn't mind the segment comparing the Jeep to the rangerover, it was a little naff and again too scripted. An interesting idea behind it. BUT, just as it got interesting with the hill climb I had to turn it off, I simply couldn't stand Evans any more. I was getting far too angry listening to him and it was stopping me from enjoying it at all.

I do have a solution though! Chris Evans- out. Cut your losses and get him gone already. Keep Matt le Blanc and give Sabine Schmitz a bigger role and bring in a third host who is legitimately funny, Rowan Atkinson would be great if he was remotely interested.

If you've not seen Chris Evans before, you won't understand that he's been like on TV that all his life. Possibly longer than Clarkson has been as he was far more toned down during his early Top Gear years. Trust me, he's not trying to be like Clarkson. He's had significantly more success in the media world than Clarkson to have to worry about copying him.

If you don't like him then fine, it's just that he's not being a Clarkson.

Most of the reviews I've read have Chris Evans as being the one thing that people most disliked. Added to the fact that he's essentially unknown outside the UK. Funny fact, today one of my workmates was pondering why captain america wasn't in the first episode. He was outraged when I explained that it was a different Chris Evans who was in fact the loud ranga and not a member of the Avengers.

But I suppose at least he got the name right, no one else had a clue who he was, except for one English ex-pat

Just saw this that me chuckle....

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/arts ... 0531109206

Didn't watch it live because it was on halfway through the Indy 500, but the reaction on twitter was as if it was the worst thing ever recorded.
When I watched it, it was alright. I was confused why people were so upset about it, because it followed largely the exact same structure and level of quality as the last 5 or so years I'll watch it just as much as I did the old version, which wasn't all the time, but was fairly regularly.

Thing is. the show is currently on a lose lose situation.

The way I see it is that those that liked it will largely keep quiet because they are happy.
Those that don't like it (I'm not talking on this forum, but in general) will make a fuss for the following reasons.

1. They think Clarkson is god and no amount of racist or punching matters to them
2. If they tried to do an exact copy of Top Gear under Clarkson and co, they will say they are copying it and it was not as good.
3. If they changed it completely they will say they've ruined a good concept and it's not the same show
4. If they mixed it with old and new, which they appear to have done, then people are not sure if it's a rip off or a new show. Either way they won't like it.
5. The new team don't have the chemistry of the old team. Well they're not going to have this straight away. I remember James May joining with his first film being about his classic Bentley he owned. I thought he was awful and a really bad addition. This changed over time.

If you don't accept that Clarkson should have been sacked then you may as well not watch as it will never match your expectations.
If you accept that he and the others have gone, you have to accept it will be different.

Personally I thought the mix of new things and old was good. The rally cross circuit is great fun, the stars having to talk about their first and best cars was good. I hope that stays.

The slightly updated studio was good with some familiar bits like the furniture.

Either way, it needs time, but I was very happy with the first attempt.

My biggest disappointment was not that they copied the tried and tested format (ideally new presenters and writers should have brought their own concept of the show and give it a different spin) but they practically copied directly segments previously done. I seen cars being shot at before by lasers in a military setting before, I seen a car being jumped by a motor bike in slow motion and I seen a trip top Blackpool all before.

Its like a band announcing a new line up but their first album is a greatest hits package of the previous line up. More than likely it is the BBC's doing. They should have gone for presenters with their own quirky views and ideas but instead went for the greatest hits homogenised version without any controversy. I would not be surprised if they went to the Antarctic yet and went somewhere towing caravans.

Flop Gear! What a load of rubbish! As if the old format wasn't bad enough, they just tried to recreate the Jeremy Clarkson Show without Jeremy Clarkson. Matt Le Blanc is so wooden - did the producers never watch Friends? If they'd wanted an American petrol head, why not get Jay Leno? It just looked like a poor episode of Pulling Power or Fifth Gear. Not very entertaining.

Don't know what anyone else thought, but I loved that episode!

I did too, they seem much more at ease with it all. It can only get better in my opinion.

Yep second episode was really good I thought!

The McLaren/SUV segments were really enjoyable, the only part I really didn't like was the "star in the Rallycross (reasonably priced) car" segment. Having the audience cheer for who's first car was better etc. just feels childish and having guest read off the teleprompter what the other guest is currently doing is just forced and clunky.

A tweak in format of that - to be honest I preferred the previous non Rallycross format - and some time for the hosts to get comfortable with eachother and I think it could be really good.

Just watched the second episode. Very entertaining. Nice mix of track/studio/road tip.

Thought Eddie Jordan was great, as were all the others to be honest. Looking forward to next weeks.

I used to think Matt Le Blanc was wooden as an actor. Top Gear has shown him to be rather wooden when just being himself.

I liked the first segment with the new Mclaren and Jenson Button. I felt Evans was trying to be less like Clarkson and it worked well. After that, I was simply bored. The guest bit went on for way too long and the first car/best car thing made the whole thing tiresome. The road trip was a good idea but I could have switched it off 10 mins before the end; It lost my interest. Having 6 'presenters' yet having Evans in everything doesn't really work for me. The other 'presenters' so far have merely been guests.

Underviewer wrote:I liked the first segment with the new Mclaren and Jenson Button. I felt Evans was trying to be less like Clarkson and it worked well. After that, I was simply bored. The guest bit went on for way too long and the first car/best car thing made the whole thing tiresome. The road trip was a good idea but I could have switched it off 10 mins before the end; It lost my interest. Having 6 'presenters' yet having Evans in everything doesn't really work for me. The other 'presenters' so far have merely been guests.

I think that's the just the format they have chosen.

Matt and Chris are the two main presenters and either one or both will be in everything. The likes of EJ, Sabine & co it appears are a kind of supporting cast.

It's almost as though they couldn't find someone they wanted for the 3rd presenter so made it an interchangeable position. I'm not opposed to that but I think a regular 3rd presenter may be the way they go in future seasons.

I think it adds to the interest mixing it up a little.

Keyboard warriors are off complaining as usual all over twitter, but then when you consider how many people bothered to picked outside the House of Commons when Clarkson was sacked, I kid you not, some people will refuse to like the new show just because they are grieving! Boo hoo...

Having finally watched most of an episode (the last one) I don't understand why they didn't use this as an opportunity to give the format a [complete?] overhaul.

The current / Clarkson version of Top Gear evolved around him (and his sidekicks), and it was never going to be possible to find a replacement that was universally liked. It still gets decent rating though, at least they haven't totally fallen off a cliff, but then how much of that is due to the fact there's nothing else to watch on a Sunday evening?

I personally preferred it when the show was mainly about cars (with some funny bits), rather than just focussing on the 'hilarious' antics of three middle aged blokes going through a mid life crisis, but then it makes it more difficult to sell the show abroad if most of the content is about UK car models - the ones that normal people can afford. Not suggesting we go back to the days of William Woollard, but Top Gear did turn into the Clarkson show, and it mostly seemed to revolve around him and his ego rather than cars, so now we're left with a car show that isn't really about cars, and an anchor pretending to be someone he's clearly not.

Jimbox01 wrote:Having finally watched most of an episode (the last one) I don't understand why they didn't use this as an opportunity to give the format a [complete?] overhaul.

The current / Clarkson version of Top Gear evolved around him (and his sidekicks), and it was never going to be possible to find a replacement that was universally liked. It still gets decent rating though, at least they haven't totally fallen off a cliff, but then how much of that is due to the fact there's nothing else to watch on a Sunday evening?

I personally preferred it when the show was mainly about cars (with some funny bits), rather than just focussing on the 'hilarious' antics of three middle aged blokes going through a mid life crisis, but then it makes it more difficult to sell the show abroad if most of the content is about UK car models - the ones that normal people can afford. Not suggesting we go back to the days of William Woollard, but Top Gear did turn into the Clarkson show, and it mostly seemed to revolve around him and his ego rather than cars, so now we're left with a car show that isn't really about cars, and an anchor pretending to be someone he's clearly not.

I party agree with you, it would be nice to have some more consumer focused sections, but they were in a lose lose situation. Had they changed it totally, they would have suffered a backlash from those that like the format. Had they kept it identical, they would have had a backlash from saying that they're simply copying. As it is, they have made subtle changes to a format that works and still they get a backlash. Imo, Evans is being the same as he always has been as a personality. Like it or not, it's made him an incredibly successful TV and Radio personality. In fact, his rather off the cuff manner is not a million miles from Clarkson and he was doing this years before Clarkson was. Clarkson's early years on Top Gear were far more PC and mild.

http://www.carsguide.com.au/car-news/to ... -box-42031

This about sums it up really in my opinion, viewers are more likely to be loyal to hosts than a brand name... Also it's pretty hilarious.

Asphalt_World wrote:

Jimbox01 wrote:Having finally watched most of an episode (the last one) I don't understand why they didn't use this as an opportunity to give the format a [complete?] overhaul.

The current / Clarkson version of Top Gear evolved around him (and his sidekicks), and it was never going to be possible to find a replacement that was universally liked. It still gets decent rating though, at least they haven't totally fallen off a cliff, but then how much of that is due to the fact there's nothing else to watch on a Sunday evening?

I personally preferred it when the show was mainly about cars (with some funny bits), rather than just focussing on the 'hilarious' antics of three middle aged blokes going through a mid life crisis, but then it makes it more difficult to sell the show abroad if most of the content is about UK car models - the ones that normal people can afford. Not suggesting we go back to the days of William Woollard, but Top Gear did turn into the Clarkson show, and it mostly seemed to revolve around him and his ego rather than cars, so now we're left with a car show that isn't really about cars, and an anchor pretending to be someone he's clearly not.

I party agree with you, it would be nice to have some more consumer focused sections, but they were in a lose lose situation. Had they changed it totally, they would have suffered a backlash from those that like the format. Had they kept it identical, they would have had a backlash from saying that they're simply copying. As it is, they have made subtle changes to a format that works and still they get a backlash. Imo, Evans is being the same as he always has been as a personality. Like it or not, it's made him an incredibly successful TV and Radio personality. In fact, his rather off the cuff manner is not a million miles from Clarkson and he was doing this years before Clarkson was. Clarkson's early years on Top Gear were far more PC and mild.

Maybe that's the problem, Evans is too similar to Clarkson. But in a sort of 'hip', showbizy way and without the depth of knowledge of the shows' [supposedly] main topic - cars.

I just wonder, if this was a brand new show, and Top Gear had never existed, would it be a hit?

Jimbox01 wrote:

Asphalt_World wrote:

Jimbox01 wrote:Having finally watched most of an episode (the last one) I don't understand why they didn't use this as an opportunity to give the format a [complete?] overhaul.

The current / Clarkson version of Top Gear evolved around him (and his sidekicks), and it was never going to be possible to find a replacement that was universally liked. It still gets decent rating though, at least they haven't totally fallen off a cliff, but then how much of that is due to the fact there's nothing else to watch on a Sunday evening?

I personally preferred it when the show was mainly about cars (with some funny bits), rather than just focussing on the 'hilarious' antics of three middle aged blokes going through a mid life crisis, but then it makes it more difficult to sell the show abroad if most of the content is about UK car models - the ones that normal people can afford. Not suggesting we go back to the days of William Woollard, but Top Gear did turn into the Clarkson show, and it mostly seemed to revolve around him and his ego rather than cars, so now we're left with a car show that isn't really about cars, and an anchor pretending to be someone he's clearly not.

I party agree with you, it would be nice to have some more consumer focused sections, but they were in a lose lose situation. Had they changed it totally, they would have suffered a backlash from those that like the format. Had they kept it identical, they would have had a backlash from saying that they're simply copying. As it is, they have made subtle changes to a format that works and still they get a backlash. Imo, Evans is being the same as he always has been as a personality. Like it or not, it's made him an incredibly successful TV and Radio personality. In fact, his rather off the cuff manner is not a million miles from Clarkson and he was doing this years before Clarkson was. Clarkson's early years on Top Gear were far more PC and mild.

Maybe that's the problem, Evans is too similar to Clarkson. But in a sort of 'hip', showbizy way and without the depth of knowledge of the shows' [supposedly] main topic - cars.

I just wonder, if this was a brand new show, and Top Gear had never existed, would it be a hit?

probably, because there would have never been like it before!

minchy wrote:

Jimbox01 wrote:

Asphalt_World wrote:

Jimbox01 wrote:Having finally watched most of an episode (the last one) I don't understand why they didn't use this as an opportunity to give the format a [complete?] overhaul.

The current / Clarkson version of Top Gear evolved around him (and his sidekicks), and it was never going to be possible to find a replacement that was universally liked. It still gets decent rating though, at least they haven't totally fallen off a cliff, but then how much of that is due to the fact there's nothing else to watch on a Sunday evening?

I personally preferred it when the show was mainly about cars (with some funny bits), rather than just focussing on the 'hilarious' antics of three middle aged blokes going through a mid life crisis, but then it makes it more difficult to sell the show abroad if most of the content is about UK car models - the ones that normal people can afford. Not suggesting we go back to the days of William Woollard, but Top Gear did turn into the Clarkson show, and it mostly seemed to revolve around him and his ego rather than cars, so now we're left with a car show that isn't really about cars, and an anchor pretending to be someone he's clearly not.

I party agree with you, it would be nice to have some more consumer focused sections, but they were in a lose lose situation. Had they changed it totally, they would have suffered a backlash from those that like the format. Had they kept it identical, they would have had a backlash from saying that they're simply copying. As it is, they have made subtle changes to a format that works and still they get a backlash. Imo, Evans is being the same as he always has been as a personality. Like it or not, it's made him an incredibly successful TV and Radio personality. In fact, his rather off the cuff manner is not a million miles from Clarkson and he was doing this years before Clarkson was. Clarkson's early years on Top Gear were far more PC and mild.

Maybe that's the problem, Evans is too similar to Clarkson. But in a sort of 'hip', showbizy way and without the depth of knowledge of the shows' [supposedly] main topic - cars.

I just wonder, if this was a brand new show, and Top Gear had never existed, would it be a hit?

probably, because there would have never been like it before!

I agree with yours and Jimbox's points.

3rd episode was great, best yet IMO. Again the only part I didn't particularly enjoy was the Rallycross car but then the reasonably priced car was always my least favourite part of the old format.

The Ken Block piece was very funny and my already unrelenting desire for a Focus RS is now even worse!

I though Rory Reid and Chris Harris were excellent too. I could see them both becoming a more prominent part of the format in the future.

Yes it was a great episode. Really liked it. New presenters were good as well.

Just watched the 3rd episode there and for me it was one of the best Top Gear's in a long time. Chris Harris and Rory Reid were great and Matt is much more natural now in front of the camera. Agree with Black Flag on the Star in the Rallycross car not a fan of that bit but same was never really a fan of the Star in the Reasonably priced car. Onwards and upwards

This show is getting better and better. Top marks tonight.

I´ve now given it five episodes but I can´t be bothered watching the sixth. The old episodes might have been as scripted as these but at least the presenters were funny and the dialogue even somewhat genuine. Waiting for the Grand Tour.