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BBC Top Gear is back...

LLC5

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Clarkson, Hammond, and May are on Amazon internet on a show called The Grand Tour and it is free with my Prime membership, so it may cost to watch if your not subscribed.

The first season has about 4 episodes in it so far, and it is new every Friday. It's just like they never left Top Gear, just a different setting and track. No Stig yet that I have seen, but they do have the "American" doing lap times and he is pretty funny as he does talk. I can't remember his name right now but he is an older ex-Nascar driver.

Just Google "The Grand Tour" and it should take you to an Amazon address.
 
I've enjoyed what I've seen so far. They have a winning formula. The Stig is the intellectual property of the BBC and I doubt they'll loan him out.

Mac
 
I've enjoyed what I've seen so far. They have a winning formula. The Stig is the intellectual property of the BBC and I doubt they'll loan him out.

Mac



Yeah, and the the "New Top Gear" that is BBC still uses the Stig name. A Brit host and Joey(?) from Friends is on it, pretty lame IMHO.

Mike Skinner from Nascar is the "American" track driver and he is actually pretty funny.
 
Yeah, I really do miss the old Top Gear program too; I think most of us realize it was more entertainment as opposed to useful automotive information, but that didn't detract from the appeal. And I thought some of the challenges they did were more a practical test of vehicles than some of the canned ones that are usually performed. BBC America now refuses to even run old episodes of Top Gear in syndication; instead we seem to get the same twenty episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation looped almost continuously... :eyerole And I'm not subscribed to Amazon Prime, so I guess I'll have to be content with whatever I can find on YouTube...

Acknowledging that they probably couldn't continue to use the program title Top Gear, how did they come up for the name of their new series (The Grand Tour)? Seems like there should be a story behind that one...
 
Yeah, I really do miss the old Top Gear program too; I think most of us realize it was more entertainment as opposed to useful automotive information, but that didn't detract from the appeal. And I thought some of the challenges they did were more a practical test of vehicles than some of the canned ones that are usually performed. BBC America now refuses to even run old episodes of Top Gear in syndication; instead we seem to get the same twenty episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation looped almost continuously... :eyerole And I'm not subscribed to Amazon Prime, so I guess I'll have to be content with whatever I can find on YouTube...

Acknowledging that they probably couldn't continue to use the program title Top Gear, how did they come up for the name of their new series (The Grand Tour)? Seems like there should be a story behind that one...


As far a I can tell the Grand Tour name applies to the fact that they tour the world and set up a tent to host their show out of instead of always being in the UK in the hanger with a live British audience. The tent houses the audience of the country they are in. The test track is somewhere in Britain and is a small narrow track with a lot of trees and obstacles around the track including wildlife crossing, not the safest. Mike Skinner tests the cars on this track.
 
... Tim: Could be BBC would have to pay royalties if they ran reruns??

^^ Top Gear Season 17 Episode 1 - Top Gear Series 17 Episode 1 ^^ - YouTube YouTube can be a friend.. :chuckle

That could very well be the case. I'm sure sour grapes on the part of the BBC is somehow involved.

Thanks for the link! I'll have to start watching those episodes on my computer every evening while I enjoy my microwave-produced 'bachelor cuisine' from the comfort of my hotel room in lieu of the sub-par, commercial-laden programming offered by the hotel's cable system...

As far a I can tell the Grand Tour name applies to the fact that they tour the world and set up a tent to host their show out of instead of always being in the UK in the hanger with a live British audience. The tent houses the audience of the country they are in. The test track is somewhere in Britain and is a small narrow track with a lot of trees and obstacles around the track including wildlife crossing, not the safest. Mike Skinner tests the cars on this track.

Ah, thanks! I didn't know they'd gone to a roving locale format, so now the title makes sense! Maybe they'll wander around different parts of the US during the coming year...? Would be cool to see one of their programs in person!
 
That could very well be the case. I'm sure sour grapes on the part of the BBC is somehow involved.

Thanks for the link! I'll have to start watching those episodes on my computer every evening while I enjoy my microwave-produced 'bachelor cuisine' from the comfort of my hotel room in lieu of the sub-par, commercial-laden programming offered by the hotel's cable system..

Again, YouTube can be a friend...

The Stig:
The stig - YouTube

Vicky:
vicky henderson butler - YouTube

For some reason or other, the BBC lost a show that marketed well here or across the pond.

We are label readers so a lot of quick and easy microwave food is too sodium filled.. Although I know salt is a great preservative; for some reason, it doesn't seem to work that for us humans. :chuckle

Even at home, I have the laptop at hand and the mighty mute button for commercial laden TV.

 
Again, YouTube can be a friend...

The Stig:
The stig - YouTube

Vicky:
vicky henderson butler - YouTube

For some reason or other, the BBC lost a show that marketed well here or across the pond.

We are label readers so a lot of quick and easy microwave food is too sodium filled.. Although I know salt is a great preservative; for some reason, it doesn't seem to work that for us humans. :chuckle

Even at home, I have the laptop at hand and the mighty mute button for commercial laden TV.

Thanks again!

I try to avoid pre-packaged stuff; I just have to heat everything in the microwave because that's the only oven-type applicance in this efficiency hotel room...

Yeah, I'm immediately on the mute button as well when a commercial comes on. I've reached a point where I'm truly annoyed by commercials...
 
kpic;1183461[FONT=comic sans ms said:
Even at home, I have the laptop at hand and the mighty mute button for commercial laden TV.

[/FONT]


Record and fast forward here, saves a lot of time...
 
For some reason or other, the BBC lost a show that marketed well here or across the pond.

The old TopGear played well around the world... and they didn't so much lose it as they threw it away.

Clarkson did something stupid (punched a producer in the face) but he "owned" it immediately (Clarkson reported it to BBC executive himself), he apologized and tried to make amends. The producer wasn't hurt and didn't want any trouble. Clarkson's lack of political correctness was his undoing. The BBC is on a "diversity" drive and the opportunity of getting rid of Clarkson... a meat-eating Alpha male... was too tempting. The BBC didn't expect the other lads to follow suit but they recognized their kind of chemistry only comes along occasionally...

Their new Grand Tour is wonderful... and the BBC can gnash it's teeth for their stupidity...

Mac
 


The old TopGear played well around the world... and they didn't so much lose it as they threw it away.

Clarkson did something stupid (punched a producer in the face) but he "owned" it immediately (Clarkson reported it to BBC executive himself), he apologized and tried to make amends. The producer wasn't hurt and didn't want any trouble. Clarkson's lack of political correctness was his undoing. The BBC is on a "diversity" drive and the opportunity of getting rid of Clarkson... a meat-eating Alpha male... was too tempting. The BBC didn't expect the other lads to follow suit but they recognized their kind of chemistry only comes along occasionally...

Their new Grand Tour is wonderful... and the BBC can gnash it's teeth for their stupidity...

Mac



Yeah, the BBC really screwed the pooch on this one.

It's great to see that this new show is just as good as the original Top Gear, they haven't lost a step.
 

... The BBC is on a "diversity" drive and the opportunity of getting rid of Clarkson... a meat-eating Alpha male... was too tempting...

You noticed that too, huh? Frankly, when the BBC attempted to re-launch Top Gear earlier this year I was a bit surprised they didn't enlist Graham Norton as one of the new presenters -- just to go to the opposite end of the spectrum from Clarkson's personality... :eyerole


... The BBC didn't expect the other lads to follow suit but they recognized their kind of chemistry only comes along occasionally...

Yeah, that was another puzzler to me. Everybody who watched the show -- except the executives at the BBC, apparently -- realized the Clarkson-Hammond-May chemistry was the single greatest contributor to the success of the show. And that was why every other Top Gear spin-off failed miserably: it lacked that chemistry. It wasn't the cars; anybody can put an exotic car on stage or on a track and talk about it. It wasn't the challenges, although they were intriguing at times. It was the entertaining interaction between Clarkson, Hammond, and May. As much as they clearly got on each others nerves from time to time, they were, at heart, mates. They'd prank each other just like friends do, then buy the victim a pint at the pub and all have a good laugh over it. The best summarizing description I've ever heard about Top Gear (and the one I now use to describe it to people on desert islands who have never watched it) was that it was like "Monty Python on wheels."

When the BBC sacked Clarkson, Hammond and May maybe could have carried on with a replacement presenter; but they were astute enough to know that it would be like Shemp replacing Curly, and the show would not be nearly as popular. And similarly, if Clarkson had launched out on this Grand Tour venture on his own (or with two replacements), it would have almost certainly fallen equally as flat.

Clarkson, Hammond, and May are right where they should be: together again...
 
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Thanks again!

I try to avoid pre-packaged stuff; I just have to heat everything in the microwave because that's the only oven-type applicance in this efficiency hotel room...

Yeah, I'm immediately on the mute button as well when a commercial comes on. I've reached a point where I'm truly annoyed by commercials...

We aren't much for commercial TV and even less for commercials. I don't know if you'd enjoy this; we do...

Alone in the Wilderness - YouTube

From the above, if you are interested, you can watch more about Dick Proenneke living alone in remote Alaska.


Record and fast forward here, saves a lot of time...

That is a excellent idea.
 
Yeah, and the the "New Top Gear" that is BBC still uses the Stig name. A Brit host and Joey(?) from Friends is on it, pretty lame IMHO...

I finally caught a few rerun episodes of the new Top Gear formulation (Mark I) with Matt LeBlanc and Chris Evans as the presenters. I agree: pretty lame. It only took one season before Evans quit. Why? Apparently on-screen professionalism alone just wasn't cutting it; the chemistry with LeBlanc just wasn't there. Over the past few weeks, the advertisements for the second season/iteration of the new Top Gear have been run pretty regularly on BBC America, still with LeBlanc and the Stig -- plus two new blokes I've never seen before.

So is anyone surprised that, like every other Top Gear spin-off, this one is suffering a slow death...? Given the apparent success of The Grand Tour, anyone care to lay odds on how long it is before the BBC has to can Top Gear -- or eat crow by bringing back Clarkson, Hammond, and May...?

I wonder: what kind of wine goes with crow...? ;)
 
I finally caught a few rerun episodes of the new Top Gear formulation (Mark I) with Matt LeBlanc and Chris Evans as the presenters. I agree: pretty lame. It only took one season before Evans quit. Why? Apparently on-screen professionalism alone just wasn't cutting it; the chemistry with LeBlanc just wasn't there. Over the past few weeks, the advertisements for the second season/iteration of the new Top Gear have been run pretty regularly on BBC America, still with LeBlanc and the Stig -- plus two new blokes I've never seen before.

So is anyone surprised that, like every other Top Gear spin-off, this one is suffering a slow death...? Given the apparent success of The Grand Tour, anyone care to lay odds on how long it is before the BBC has to can Top Gear -- or eat crow by bringing back Clarkson, Hammond, and May...?

I wonder: what kind of wine goes with crow...? ;)



Yeah, the BBC really screwed the pooch by getting rid of their cash cow of Clarkson, Hammond, and May. It's a joke to even still use the name "Top gear" in their new versions, it's that bad.

I doubt Clarkson, or May and Hammond, would ever go back to the BBC after that debacle. Not enough wine in paradise to cover up that much crow........
 
Yeah, the BBC really screwed the pooch by getting rid of their cash cow of Clarkson, Hammond, and May. It's a joke to even still use the name "Top gear" in their new versions, it's that bad.

I doubt Clarkson, or May and Hammond, would ever go back to the BBC after that debacle. Not enough wine in paradise to cover up that much crow........

You're probably correct: Clarkson, Hammond, and May have absolutely no reason to go back to the BBC, given the success of their new program. They must be laughing their a$$es off right now -- not with Top Gear, but at it... ;)

Speaking of which: the only time I laughed during the couple of new episodes I watched was when, after LeBlanc/Evans feigned the use of Clarkson's signature sign-off ("And on that bombshell...") on a previous episode, one of their guests 'accidentally' said it anyway at the close of the subsequent episode. They've got LeBlanc trying to do dry British-style humor, and it doesn't convey well; maybe it gets lost in the accent -- or maybe LeBlanc just isn't well-suited to that style of humor...? I'm not sure which at this point... And the Stig seems to have been reduced to an afterthought; LeBlanc/Evans couldn't even seem to do the traditional Stig introduction ("Some say...") well... It all just seemed like a cheap Xerox of the original -- just like the other ones...
 
You're probably correct: Clarkson, Hammond, and May have absolutely no reason to go back to the BBC, given the success of their new program. They must be laughing their a$$es off right now -- not with Top Gear, but at it... ;)

Speaking of which: the only time I laughed during the couple of new episodes I watched was when, after LeBlanc/Evans feigned the use of Clarkson's signature sign-off ("And on that bombshell...") on a previous episode, one of their guests 'accidentally' said it anyway at the close of the subsequent episode. They've got LeBlanc trying to do dry British-style humor, and it doesn't convey well; maybe it gets lost in the accent -- or maybe LeBlanc just isn't well-suited to that style of humor...? I'm not sure which at this point... And the Stig seems to have been reduced to an afterthought; LeBlanc/Evans couldn't even seem to do the traditional Stig introduction ("Some say...") well... It all just seemed like a cheap Xerox of the original -- just like the other ones...


Lets face it, Le Blanc just isn't funny. No one on the phony/imitation "Top Gear" is.

I really like "The American" (Mike Skinner) on the real Top Gear show (The Grand Tour), they use him perfectly. Not really big on the track though, seems to be an afterthought.

Amazon seems to be letting the boys run with it, doing what they do best, and that's a good thing IMHO. :)
 
It's pretty hard to capture, let alone recreate, the kind of chemistry between the Orangutang, Captain Slow and the Hamster...

I'm surprised the BBC even tried. They might have stood a better chance to simply start with a blank sheet. The BBC should know
[FONT=&quot]better!![/FONT]

Take the example of Dr Who... Each new Doctor has his own quirks and way of doing business. Most of the background stays the same (the Tardis, the sonic screwdriver and the assorted bad'uns) but the Doctor accumulates a new helper etc... Would the new TopGear have worked better if the new crew did their own thing... same track, same studio... with original ideas rather than trying to have the new crew walking through the paces of the old crew?

Mac
 
It's pretty hard to capture, let alone recreate, the kind of chemistry between the Orangutang, Captain Slow and the Hamster...

I'm surprised the BBC even tried. They might have stood a better chance to simply start with a blank sheet. The BBC should know
better!!

Take the example of Dr Who... Each new Doctor has his own quirks and way of doing business. Most of the background stays the same (the Tardis, the sonic screwdriver and the assorted bad'uns) but the Doctor accumulates a new helper etc... Would the new TopGear have worked better if the new crew did their own thing... same track, same studio... with original ideas rather than trying to have the new crew walking through the paces of the old crew?

The same line of thinking crossed my mind as well. In not so many words the BBC is kind-of acknowledging that they had a good thing in Top Gear -- and knows it -- but made a poor decision when dealing with their show personnel. They wanted to make an example of Clarkson, didn't count on Hammond and May's reaction, and are now trying to cover that over by making it appear like the format -- not the presenters -- was what made the show so popular.

I'm not saying the Clarkson was probably the easiest TV star to deal with; even his cohorts recognized it. Just that the situation that led to the team's departure definitely could have been handled much better -- to everyone's benefit. Including the show's fans...
 

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