Chris Evans quits the show

I've talked about earlier but I think snatching David Freiburger and Mike Finnegan from Roadkill would make one great show.

Although they clearly are way into muscle cars I think it would work, I would laugh my ass of seeing the race at Lydden Hill in a V8 swapped Morris Marina and a turbo charged Reliant Robin.

They already got the banter and chemistry between them as well.
 
Before any comments on Sabine and the remaining cast members a little about the past presenters. I think Jeremy, Richard and James had very good chemistry developed over time and their 8 year old antics with big boy toys was amusing but they did get out of hand with their racist overtones especially those of Jeremy. Plus they were getting quite repetitive. While not a popular decision with fans of the show I do give the BBC credit for having the intestinal fortitude to sacking him. People like him think they can say, do and treat people terrible without repercussion.

On to the demise from the show of Chris Evans. I feel for the guy as he was put in the unenviable task of replacing icons on the show creating an almost no win situation. Granted he wasn't great but wasn't given much time to mature and evolve in the role as the past presenters were given. My guess is the pressure was getting to him and couldn't stand the criticism or pressure.

As far as the remaining cast I think that Matt is quite funny but a bit stiff at times however as he's allowed to be more natural I think he could improve. Sabine has a good sense of humor, is cute and a very good driver so if given a chance to grow into a more prominent role I think she would do well. But I agree that her accent and her ability to grasp the nuances of the English language and humor may hold her back. I like Rory in the Extra Gear show and as others have suggested they should experiment with that segment. I also like Chris Harris as he's a journalist/racer that knows his stuff and has a decent personality that could pull off being co-host and Rory could be groomed into a similar role on the main show.

As others mentioned they need to revise a few things like shorten the star guest segment. Go back to one person and get a better/faster car for them to use. I'd consider getting rid of the Stig or revise it as that part is getting quite old, instead I would have a guest race car driver to do the fast lap in the supercar and have them say a few words about it. Maybe have out segments with Sabine or Harris giving tips to the Star Guest in the new reasonably fast car segment. Keep the lap board/supercar lap board. While revamping I'd continue to do funny contests with the presenters but as Matt likes bikes and so do many other Petrolheads, I'd consider doing some more things with bikes even consider guest racers test bikes and create bike fast lap board. Guest racers to do laps could be racers such as Guy Martin, Dunlop, McGuiness and the like.

With all that said, I think the show can be even better in a different way then with the old presenters. However, they need to be more creative and spontaneous.






Ah well, finally. I don't for a minute believe Evans quit willingly.

As for who to keep and who not to keep: Get rid of Jordan, or give him something useful to do. We all know that he can be very funny and engaging - but on Top Gear he sadly makes the distinct impression of being his degenerated 90-year-old future self.
Harris and Reid are good, they improved visibly during the series, they just keep up growing into their roles. LeBlanc - he just plays a presenter. He needs to be more spontaneous, I don't know if he can pull that off. Perhaps when being placed opposite Reid, he'd be better.

Coming from someone with probably an equally terrible German accent: No, it's not that. Her problem - or rather, the overt symptome, I'm explaining my take on the actual reason for it further below - is that her "funny" remarks appear to be a desperate attempt at "I want to say something funny, too!" while being (mostly) totally unfunny. And this also seems to be her own work, not some bad script. At least that's the impression I get, because with a script, this bits should come out less hectic.

That she is, occasional difficulty to find the proper English expression notwithstanding. But she is clearly out of her depth doing a presenter job in English. She is fine talking about technical aspects of driving a car, when her racing driver experience gives her credibility and even the clich? "German seriousness" actually comes into play beautifully, but at least at her current level, having a casual, humurous conversation in English with a bunch of natural English-speakers in front of cameras and a studio audience seems to be too much of a strain on her (understandably), and that stress shows. As a result, she tries too hard.
 
Chris Evans has been pushing for Matt Le Blanc to become lead presenter....

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/eve...ng-thrill-rides-Life-cabriolet-old-chums.html

...but to my mind that would be a mistake and shows that despite everything Evans still has no idea what actually makes TG 'tick'. TG TV does not exist in a bubble of it's own, it's part of a larger organism that also includes TG Magazine and Topgear.com. Both the make-up and content of these latter entities are respected within the automotive industry. The lead presenter of TG Tv becomes the defacto 'face' of the group and therefore it is imperative that this person has automotive industry credibility. Evans did not have this at all and although Le Blanc is more knowledgeable about cars in general, unless he's thinking of a complete career change then he won't have it either. Of the remaining presenters only Chris Harris could fit this role, so he should be lead presenter backed up by Le Blanc and Reid. I see no need for Sabine or Jordan to be kept on either as regular presenters - their presence adds nothing to the show.
 
I see no need for Sabine or Jordan to be kept on either as regular presenters - their presence adds nothing to the show.

The BBC won't get rid of Sabine unless they have another women that they can replace her with. I like Sabine and obviously she's a great driver. But I never understood that bit of casting. I knew she'd have problems with English cadence. The BBC was just being lazy -- she was popular on the show and one can't deny her car credentials so it meant they didn't have to search for a native English speaking women.
 
The BBC won't get rid of Sabine unless they have another women that they can replace her with. I like Sabine and obviously she's a great driver. But I never understood that bit of casting. I knew she'd have problems with English cadence. The BBC was just being lazy -- she was popular on the show and one can't deny her car credentials so it meant they didn't have to search for a native English speaking women.

Yes, you're probably right, although the argument that the show needs a woman to attract women (or maybe more men!) is another thing altogether. Personally I find it patronising in the extreme...
 
Yes, you're probably right, although the argument that the show needs a woman to attract women (or maybe more men!) is another thing altogether. Personally I find it patronising in the extreme...

Yeah. I'm not a fan of quotas. I don't mind a woman being one of the presenters. But I can see how having one just for the sake of having one would be patronising. It's not like Sabine isn't qualified, I mean, I don't consider her a token. But the BBC will definitely of had a "We must tick the female box!" mindset when recasting.
 
Yes, you're probably right, although the argument that the show needs a woman to attract women (or maybe more men!) is another thing altogether. Personally I find it patronising in the extreme...

I don't care who presents it (male, female or orangutan) as long as they're good, the second choices are made based on other things than capability is the second it goes wrong.
 
The BBC won't get rid of Sabine unless they have another women that they can replace her with. I like Sabine and obviously she's a great driver. But I never understood that bit of casting. I knew she'd have problems with English cadence. The BBC was just being lazy -- she was popular on the show and one can't deny her car credentials so it meant they didn't have to search for a native English speaking women.

ask suzy wolf! not like she has a lot to do lately :p
 
Having Sabine meant the BBC could meet two criterias for diversity. Women and not a Brit.
 
I don't care who presents it (male, female or orangutan) as long as they're good, the second choices are made based on other things than capability is the second it goes wrong.

This...exactly

I have nothing against Sabine..she's a great driver, but her difficulty in making her words spoken in English sound natural and coupled with the fact that with the presence of Harris and the Stig, her talents appear to be superfluous to the line-up.
 
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or orangutan

They had one of those but they didn't renew his contract.

I wonder if Sabine were to have some English pronunciation coaching that the problem of her thick German accent would just go away.
 
Chris Evans quits the show

Just ask Christoph Waltz. :D
 
I wonder if Sabine were to have some English pronunciation coaching that the problem of her thick German accent would just go away.
The accent isn't the problem with her. If anything, it spares people who don't understand it from facepalming about what she says...
 
The accent isn't the problem with her. If anything, it spares people who don't understand it from facepalming about what she says...

This. In the end, (for myself, at least) the worst part of EvansGear was the PUTRID "scripts." The words that the "writers" put into the presenters' mouths have been just STINKING AWFUL. And by far, the worst of it has been "written" for Sabine. Second worst has been Eddie. To me, well, it's like the Saturday morning cartoons. Are you over, say, 40 years old? Did you ever watch Saturday morning cartoons like Bugs Bunny (Looney Tunes), the Flintstones, the Jetsons, and so on? Those had good writing, and very nearly appealed as much to adults as they did to children. But have you watched Saturday morning cartoons lately? What utter RUBBISH! Just the most simplistic, politically-correct pablum I've ever heard.

Well, to me, CHM Top Gear was like the old cartoons. If you've become aware of the production process, you'll know that Jeremy worked his BUTT off fine-tuning each and every word in those scripts. "Took work home" and spent hours on them, into the night. But the EvansGear scripts were like the "new" Saturday morning cartoons -- just awful. How many times did you actually CRINGE at some of the nonsense that was spoken in the EvansGear episodes? For me, that was MOST OF THE TIME. And I sure didn't get any impression that any "fine tuning" went on -- it's like some twenty-something with zero work ethic pulled his or her attention away from Facebook on the cell phone long enough to toss a few words into some sentences, and sent it off as "good enough." Garbage. Utter garbage.

So, it doesn't really matter to me WHO they have standing there like a wooden statue reading garbage nonsense from a teleprompter -- they need to hire some proper writers. Badly.
 
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I'm getting really depressed reading all this bad feedback about Sabine and people wishing for her to be kicked out. I really loved her in the old TG and wish all the best for her (inside of TG and outside). I haven't watched the new show but apparently she's not in a pretty place right now.

To me it seems obvious how to use her as a resource for a show like this. Getting scripted to screw around like in TG is exactly the opposite of that. She should be a German counterpart to Chris Harris and that's all, with the adorable natural German accent.

If she's forced to an act then I understand the frustration at her "character".
 
Chris Evans quits the show

The thing with Sabine is that Top Gear is only one of many jobs she has. I believe she has three or four other things she is busy with, including running the family hotel/restaurant.

So naturally she can never be as dedicated as a full time journalist/road tester.

Basically she's just s hired gun. I don't know about the others but if seemed to me that doing Top Gear wasn't exactly their no. 1 priority either...
 
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I'm getting really depressed reading all this bad feedback about Sabine and people wishing for her to be kicked out. I really loved her in the old TG and wish all the best for her (inside of TG and outside). I haven't watched the new show but apparently she's not in a pretty place right now.

Yes, I really liked Sabine in her old Top Gear appearances, but trust me, once you start watching the new show, you'll quickly find out EXACTLY what we're talking about. She is either standing there like a frozen statue reading from a teleprompter, fracturing the most awful dialogue you've ever heard with her thick accent, or she's reading off even WORSE awfulness while she's driving. Oh sure, you bet, it doesn't have to be this way, but that's what the morons running the show now decided would be "quality television." It's just horrible, horrible, horrible.
 
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