[17x07] December 28th, 2011 [India Special]

[17x07] December 28th, 2011 [India Special]


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The team can be as professional as you like but if the two people who are basically in charge of the show say something happens then the professionals just have to get on with it.

Quite surprised we haven't had an official response on the TG website yet. I can only guess that this is partly due to being busy getting the last parts for series 18 in the can but mainly down to the fact that Wilman's latest blog will be a very short "sorry about India" followed by much bigging up of the content for the upcoming run.
 
Everyone has an opinion, no need for disrespect if it doesn't match your own. :|

Ever hear the phrase, "Opinions are like assholes"? Besides, this wasn't an opinion from Vovo. This was a judgement made up of a vast quantity of wishful thinking with a frisson of desperate contortions to avoid thinking what, for him, is the unthinkable: Andy and Jeremy shat the bed.

I stand by my statement that the behind-the-scenes guys on TG are professionals. But, here's another phrase: "Garbage in, garbage out". You can make an absolutely horrid idea look thoroughly beautiful on the surface, which you have to admit the TG crew's done before. India was a well-sculptured coating of buttercream frosting slathered over a compost cake.
 
This was a judgement made up of a vast quantity of wishful thinking with a frisson of desperate contortions to avoid thinking what, for him, is the unthinkable: Andy and Jeremy shat the bed.

That's a pretty strident opinion. Firstly about the show, but also about my personal take on the program.

I don't give a flying fuck at a rolling donut whether they screw the show up or not. It's Britain's show, nothing to do with me. I don't pay the licence fee that funds it. I did care when the franchise screwed up Top Gear Australia, and I made my thoughts known on that.

However, in this instance I was simply making an informed observation as to why it didn't 'seem' to meet a certain standard. You have the opinion that it was a turd rolled in glitter right from the start, and you're entitled to that.

Just don't go telling me what I may or may not believe.
 
Ever hear the phrase, "Opinions are like assholes"? Besides, this wasn't an opinion from Vovo. This was a judgement made up of a vast quantity of wishful thinking with a frisson of desperate contortions to avoid thinking what, for him, is the unthinkable: Andy and Jeremy shat the bed.

That earlier statement came across very badly, not only for the member you targeted, but for Aussies in general - and we have plenty of great members from down under here. Skip the BS and own up to it (if you can).
 
That earlier statement came across very badly, not only for the member you targeted, but for Aussies in general - and we have plenty of great members from down under here. Skip the BS and own up to it (if you can).

In Webster's, next to the word "sociopath", you'll find my picture. So, guess what you're not going to see me write?
 
It's very sad. I expect more from a program that i have been watching religiously since the beginning. Vietnam special was great, bolivia was breath taking, America special was awesome, even the 4 wise men was somewhat alright. They could have done so much better with the india speical, so much better, its very sad that it was one and a half hour of absolutely the same-e-same nonsense. I dont know who writes that stuff but they really have to change their ways now, we the people eagerly wait for new episodes of this show, checking the ticker at this website daily, begin already. Please make it better. I wish they made it the same way they did Africa, that was by far the best special ever, awesome. I hope it gets better in the future, or i'll just keep watching the old episodes and specials, they are great and i cherish them very much.
 
I didn't really care before, but now I'm kinda curious as to what actually happened. The garden party looks more and more like a filler piece made by a hotel-bound crew.
But, but, the hotel just happened to have a British Allet lawn mower? What are the chances of that?

"Known as the Allett 36in Mark 1, the mower featured a 29hp water-cooled, four cylinder petrol engine and gearbox from a Reliant three-wheeler car." LOL. TG must have thought "if they can sell Reliant engines to India, then we can sell them rubbish as well"
 
Botswana, Bolivia, Vietnam, North Pole - still way way up there on top especially Bolivia.
This episode was just WTF.

I suggest that the three should re-trace Marco Polo's silk road, drive from Venice to China - sure it'd take a couple days but the encounters should definitely be worth it.
Hell they can even make it a two part special!
 
Jeez you guys have some insanely high standards.

Sure the "shIT" and "eat muff" you could see miles away, but in the end I was entertained and had some laughs, isn't that what TG is about? Jeremy's insane rocket was a bit over the top but in the end a solid 7 or 8/10 from me.

Yeah, it's scripted. Yeah some things are a a given on these trips like sabotaging each others cars, ruining them by making them sporty and/or offroady and crashing to things. Its what they do.

Also straight 6 cricket FTMFW.And I don't even understand the rules of "regular cricket"


LIGHTEN THE FUCK UP people, it's just some silly TG special, I dunno what you were expecting?

Yeah if these guys hate Top Gear for being silly, then why they wasting their time whining about it?!?

Still, the India special wasn't the worst Top Gear xmas special, but it wasn't their best either in comparison to their other specials.
 
I can imagine that the BBC would apologise, but Clarkson? Nah.

Hmmm ... maybe this will but an end to Top Gear with a big bang?!
 
Frankly I don't see, how this is different from any of the protests they encountered before. And I'm surprised they get that kind of complaints at all.

The thing about humour is, that it is always a matter of taste and perspective. And the one who falls "victim" to humour, doesn't always have much of a sense of it (as a German I should know ;))

The Indian complaint is especially incomprehensible, since there actually was not much they made fun of about India. If anything, the episode was absolutely harmless and they embarrassed themselves by doing a lot of unfunny, predictable jokes.

So would be nice to hear some example of what exactly they mean by Top Gear being disrespectful to Indian culture. It cannot be the faecal humour, because I don't see a connection to Indian culture there. I agree, however, that as far as British trade interests go, Top Gear scored an own goal with that special.
 
While it isn't technically any different from the remarks about Mexico in this case I think Clarkson and Wilman should be made to dress properly to represent the show and apologise in person at the Indian High Commission. If they find it an uncomfortable and embarrassing experience all the better. Perhaps it will serve as a reminder never to foist such a contrived piece of fetid tripe upon their audience ever again.
 
So your issue is not with the Indian complaints or the potential insults but with the poor quality of the episode?

Why not simply wait until season 18 has been aired and then check, if it has simply been a gaffe? I mean, come on, seriously: It wasn't the best they ever did but also not the worst and certainly not so bad, that you wanna throw stones at your TV.

Every singer/songwriter has the right to write a bad song once in a while, every moviemaker has the right to make a bad movie sometimes and every author has the right to occasionally write a bad book.

As long as it doesn't become a habit, I don't see what all the fuzz is about. Even idols have a right to mess things up without having to constantly apologize. They walk a fine line and the difference between cheer and boo is only so small. Give them some slack ;)
 
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I think MWF has a good point: if the episode wasn't as dire as it was, there might not have been as many complaints (there would still have been some, because people complain about anything). It's readily apparent that they tried to use cultural stereotyping as humor, but that the stereotyping was aimed at "Little Englanders" rather than Indians. The problem was that they missed, badly. No one came out looking good. There needs to be an apology from Wilman, but it should mainly be for the crap they foisted on us, with a side apology to the High Commission.

Will that cause them to "learn their lesson"? Probably not. They didn't learn from the Mexico incident, but you have to admit that this one hits a little closer to home due to the large South Asian population in the UK, so that might make a difference.
 
Actually, MacGuffin, in my own opinion as well as that of a huge number of other commentators it was by far and away the worst episode they have ever made. It ranked alongside Ground Force in its cringe factor but being three times as long as well as totally failing to deliver on the potential of the location means it ranks even lower.
 
^^This. It is the only episode that I didn't watch the repeat of, and also the only one I haven't recorded or downloaded to keep and rewatch at a later date. It did have some good bits, but 15 mins at most.
 
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