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Topgear without Clarkson?
stevebubs - 22/7/10 at 04:17 PM

Did I miss this announcement?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8634791.stm

mookaloid - 22/7/10 at 04:20 PM

Jay Leno is right

"Chat show host Jay Leno had been approached to host, but said he was worried the show's would be "impossible to recreate" in America."

MikeFellows - 22/7/10 at 04:33 PM

I believe there is already an Australian version.

StevieB - 22/7/10 at 04:47 PM

I thought they did a yank version a while ago?

speedyxjs - 22/7/10 at 04:58 PM

I think it would be quite funny. These Americans telling us how their cars are so good with their live rear axle and 200hp from a 5.0 V8 etc

beagley - 22/7/10 at 05:06 PM

quote:
Originally posted by mookaloid
Jay Leno is right

"Chat show host Jay Leno had been approached to host, but said he was worried the show's would be "impossible to recreate" in America."


Absolutely right...... there is no way that anybody could recreate Top Gear anywhere else. I just wish the US would relax a bit and just air the UK Top Gear over here.

Alan B - 22/7/10 at 05:28 PM

quote:
Originally posted by beagley
quote:
Originally posted by mookaloid
Jay Leno is right

"Chat show host Jay Leno had been approached to host, but said he was worried the show's would be "impossible to recreate" in America."


Absolutely right...... there is no way that anybody could recreate Top Gear anywhere else. I just wish the US would relax a bit and just air the UK Top Gear over here.


They do...on BBC America

britishtrident - 22/7/10 at 05:30 PM

It would dumb down US tv !


I just wish the Beeb would pull the plug on it here.

David Jenkins - 22/7/10 at 05:58 PM

quote:
Originally posted by beagley
Absolutely right...... there is no way that anybody could recreate Top Gear anywhere else.


I just wish that they wouldn't recreate it here...

bi22le - 22/7/10 at 06:11 PM

I cant believe the pushed clarksons caravan thing over a cliff!

How did they ever get clearence for that sort of thing??

Top Gear is a one off. Never to copied or recreated.

Although it does not satisfy my need for speed like it use to. Thats what 5th gear and other programs are for.

beagley - 22/7/10 at 07:15 PM

quote:
Originally posted by David Jenkins
quote:
Originally posted by beagley
Absolutely right...... there is no way that anybody could recreate Top Gear anywhere else.


I just wish that they wouldn't recreate it here...


It seems that a lot of you all don't really care for Top Gear..... what happened? I do get to watch it every now and then when I'm at my dad's, but I'm too cheap to pay for full cable. I have the unadvertised Locost package that's $17 a month.

I have heard about 5th gear, any way for us in the US to get that?

Ninehigh - 22/7/10 at 07:48 PM

www.five.tv?

Some link to that effect..

They also do a German version, so Top Gear must work without both Clarkson and the humour! (Nah Germans do have a sense of humour really)

smart51 - 22/7/10 at 07:49 PM

quote:
Originally posted by beagley
It seems that a lot of you all don't really care for Top Gear..... what happened?

I have heard about 5th gear, any way for us in the US to get that?


Top Gear used to be very good. There were bits about cars for enthusiasts, other bits of general interest to keep the rest of your family watching and some silly bits to make you laugh. I get the impression that the earliest funny bit were accidents that were so funny they kept them in. They must have had feed back that they were the best bits and tried to script in some new ones. badly. Gradually they dropped the serious stuff for the scripted "jokes" without getting in a good scrip writer. The show has become a caricature of itself. It needs reinvention.

The funniest moment ever was James May demonstrating a Honda. He said "pull this tab here and the rear seat folds flat - as so. Pull it again and..." Boff! the seat sprung up and hit him in the face with enough force to knock him over backwards. Classis slapstick. Today they make Charlie Chaplain look like an absolute genius.

5th gear is "Old" top gear but dumbed down to suit channel 5. It's still all about cars though.

smart51 - 22/7/10 at 07:53 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Ninehigh
Germans do have a sense of humour really


Schadenfreude. See my earlier comment about James May in a Honda. We're lucky that the English language lends itself to jokes about words. They like David Hasselhoff too. That's got to be ironic. Right?

Rocket_Rabbit - 22/7/10 at 08:54 PM

quote:
Originally posted by beagley
I have heard about 5th gear, any way for us in the US to get that?

www.finalgear.com

David Jenkins - 22/7/10 at 09:11 PM

quote:
Originally posted by beagley
It seems that a lot of you all don't really care for Top Gear..... what happened?


Personally, it annoys me - every show has some really good bits, but it's always spoiled by some stupid piece that makes me turn it off.

Jeremy Clarkson earns his crust by writing for The Sun newspaper when he's not on the telly - and it shows...

BenB - 22/7/10 at 10:24 PM

I wish they'd cut out the scripted bits (personally). They're not good enough actors to pull it off as believable.

alister667 - 22/7/10 at 10:33 PM

quote:
Originally posted by David Jenkins
quote:
Originally posted by beagley
It seems that a lot of you all don't really care for Top Gear..... what happened?


Personally, it annoys me - every show has some really good bits, but it's always spoiled by some stupid piece that makes me turn it off.

Jeremy Clarkson earns his crust by writing for The Sun newspaper when he's not on the telly - and it shows...


Spot. On.

oldtimer - 23/7/10 at 08:00 AM

I have never been a fan but the scripted jokes and fake suprises usually mean I last about 5 minutes before I have had enough. Please start again BBC with a bit more about cars and a lot less about 'personality'.

scootz - 23/7/10 at 08:05 AM

quote:
Originally posted by smart51
quote:
Originally posted by beagley
It seems that a lot of you all don't really care for Top Gear..... what happened?

I have heard about 5th gear, any way for us in the US to get that?


Top Gear used to be very good. There were bits about cars for enthusiasts, other bits of general interest to keep the rest of your family watching and some silly bits to make you laugh. I get the impression that the earliest funny bit were accidents that were so funny they kept them in. They must have had feed back that they were the best bits and tried to script in some new ones. badly. Gradually they dropped the serious stuff for the scripted "jokes" without getting in a good scrip writer. The show has become a caricature of itself. It needs reinvention.

The funniest moment ever was James May demonstrating a Honda. He said "pull this tab here and the rear seat folds flat - as so. Pull it again and..." Boff! the seat sprung up and hit him in the face with enough force to knock him over backwards. Classis slapstick. Today they make Charlie Chaplain look like an absolute genius.

5th gear is "Old" top gear but dumbed down to suit channel 5. It's still all about cars though.


Agreed!

David Jenkins - 23/7/10 at 11:16 AM

quote:
Originally posted by smart51
5th gear is "Old" top gear but dumbed down to suit channel 5. It's still all about cars though.


And they've also started filling their program with 'silly stuff' - which is a shame as some things they've done have been very impressive, especially when they've filmed tests done by MIRAS. Two of these really stood out:
1. Driving a Volvo into 3 rows of stopped cars (to simulate what happens when people crash on motorways) - A Fiat family car ended up about 2 foot square...
2.Driving a car into a tree at 30-40 mph. An astonishing amount of damage resulted, including the engine going right back into the passenger compartment. Far more damage than driving into another car!

Ninehigh - 23/7/10 at 09:16 PM

quote:
Originally posted by David Jenkins
1. Driving a Volvo into 3 rows of stopped cars (to simulate what happens when people crash on motorways) - A Fiat family car ended up about 2 foot square...


I remember that one, I think it was a big Merc and then an escort or something smaller but yeah Fiat Uno ended up about 2 foot long. Scared the s**t out of me as missus was using her 106 on motorways at the time