Post mortem. Bugger.
Irony is a cruel mistress. The last prime time Top Gear Australia was also the best.
The dragster bit was really good. As was the Chery challenge. I laughed out loud at Capper flap-jawing in the car. It was, um, entertaining and well thought out.
(Curiously, earlier this year I spoke to one of the NCAP guys and he said the Western Aussie Chery distributer had been quite actively avoiding official crash testing. I wouldn't buy one in a pink Chinese fit.)
Anyway, it was a good episode. So what went wrong?
Well, seeing as they had a good episode up their sleeve all along, they didn't lead with their trump card from the beginning? Dumb move.
Also, because all the studio bits were recorded ages ago, so no amount of input from 'us' could change the outcome. They were locked into the content, for better or for worse.
Now, aside from the Ch 9 grassy knoll assassination claims (partly true, I'll admit), I reckon there was one crucial but intangible element missing from the show.
Heart.
Aside from the presenters, no-one else involved with the show gave a flying fuck about cars. And that was always obvious from day one, even on SBS.
I'll wager the entire production team, from producer down, will all move on to others projects that won't have diddly to do with cars. Because it was just a job.
If you want to see car shows with heart (but admittedly no production values worth a damn) head to Channel 31. There's heaps on them, made by people who love cars, all on a buck-fifty and free beer. And they're good to watch, even though they're as rough as guts.
In the end, 'heart' means the crappy Channel 31 car shows live on and TGA is dead. Why? Mainly because Freehand put production values over content. And content trumps production every single time.
That's enough for now. Ewen, Shane and Steve did the best they could with the tools they had. I applaud you guys for giving it your best. And I'd like to be a fly on the wall the next time Clay and Shane have a beer together.
In the end, it's a shame. Bugger.