They're getting better and making the humour fit the situation again rather than starting with the joke and building the episode around it. I loved the hot hatch film, especially the second part at Monaco, which had my heart racing and the rest of me turning a vivid shade of green with envy. I'm a sucker for a small, quick car, and I liked the balance of having fun with them and driving them hard; surely the whole point of a hot hatch (or a Fiat 500 Abarth
).
I thought the studio segment after the Virage film was a bit overplayed, but Clarkson's baffled face is something I've always found inherently funny, so I'll let that go. James always has an interesting take on sports cars, and because he isn't all about the 'powwweeeeeeer', he tends to do something different. This wasn't an exception, and although I wouldn't want
exactly that kind of treatment every week (it would get wearing if every review of cars that are supposed to be aspirational turned out to be relatively negative), it was fun to see other parts of Dunsfold, good to get an impression of what the car was like off track, and James managing to talk about the payoff between ride and handling that manufacturers seem to think exists without quoting the late LJK Setright. And as for the news, again, it seemed to be mostly about cars. I don't care if the jokes about the Growler were childish and silly, I nearly pissed myself laughing.
And I like Ross Noble and enjoyed his interview. Good bloke, good lap, and it's so good to see that they seem to have lost the plugginess that SIARPC has had a tendency towards in recent series.
I know it's early days yet, but I think they've taken on board the criticisms of recent series. The cocking about has been reeled in, the cartoonishness has been toned down a bit and the cars are front and centre. I'm happy.