The problem with TopGear Australia

I started off on this thread because it was about problems with the Australia version of the show and some how it ended up being what was wrongs with all Top Gears. I have downloaded all the Australia shows but I am only 2/3 of the way thru the first season. So far it seems to me that the guys in the UK faxed a show to Australia and they just put it on the air. Episode one started off by describing this as an all new show for Australian's, by Australian's. So I thought "OK, Cool, a new twist on the Top Gear theme... I wonder what they will do?"

So far I am disappointed. I was expecting an all new show, but all I have gotten so far is a bad facsimile of the UK one. NEW? An older cocky guy, a short spunky guy, and a guy that does not seem to want to push a car to it's limits. An anonymous guy in a white race suit named "The Stig". Even the set is the exact same. Much of the challenges so far have been things I saw the guys in the UK do, only this time it is a different vehicle, and a slightly different game.

Keep in mind that I am only 2/3 of the way thru the 1st season, but I am still watching and hoping that the show will take off in it's own direction. That the presenters will develop their own unique personalities. And the I will not follow my girlfriends lead and just go to sleep when I put the next episode on. (She actually likes the UK one and will stay up till 6am with me watching those)
 
Keep in mind that I am only 2/3 of the way thru the 1st season, but I am still watching and hoping that the show will take off in it's own direction.

It does in Season 2. The difference between Seasons 1 and 2 are like night and day. That's not to say that Season 2 is perfect, but it's much better than Season 1.
 
Yes I agree that season 2 of TG aus was much better. I just watched through season 2 again and i think i enjoyed it even more the second time.

Although I must say that i think they used up a lot of good ideas already during season 2. I actually was wondering what content season 3 might have that would be interesting to watch and i am afraid that there is little left that would be uniquely australian that hasn't already been covered.

Sure they can test whatever new falcon or commodore is available, but thats only going to cover one episode. They have already done utes, they have tested some australian made cars from small companies like Elfin. What else could they do. To be fair a lot of season 2 was still spent testing cars that had already been tested on TG UK.

Like i mentioned in the other thread they can't get access to any cars that TG UK haven't already done. They really can't do the epic international episodes. I wonder what is left for TG aus to do?

Some of the things i thought of they could do like covering some grass-roots motorsport won't fit in with the current format of TG. They could cover some V8 ute racing or the HQ racing series but i just can't see that fitting in with the current format of TG.

I'm trying as hard as possible not to be cynical and i really did enjoy S2 of TG aus but i can't think of too much that they haven't already done or anything that wouldn't essentially be just a copy of TG UK.

Any thoughts on this? Maybe there are some things i am overlooking. What are your original ideas that TG aus season 3 could do? :hmm:
 
Like i mentioned in the other thread they can't get access to any cars that TG UK haven't already done. They really can't do the epic international episodes. I wonder what is left for TG aus to do?


Actually there are more models of car for sale in the Australian market then there are in the UK.
 
Actually there are more models of car for sale in the Australian market then there are in the UK.
:rolleyes:
...and that comment would be relevant if i had said the uk has more models of cars on sale than australia, but i didn't. Really who cares about some shit korean cars (aka holdens).

TG uk has better access to rare, exotic and interesting cars than tg aus.
(bold and italicised for the reading impaired)
 
What are your original ideas that TG aus season 3 could do? :hmm:

Whilst it's not an original idea per se, Australia does have a strong history of home-grown cars. I think I've mentioned this elsewhere, but I'd love to see segments on 2 or 3 historically significant Australian cars per series.

If it's for something with a performance pedigree, something like Pizzati's GTHO review would be excellent. Though they can't always do those at Bathurst, that would get boring pretty quickly. If it's for something interesting, quirky or otherwise historically significant, then Wazza is your man.

Cars they could consider include the Bolwell Nagari, the Purvis Eureka, the E49 Charger, Holden GTR-X (although I'm not sure that the National Motor Museum in SA would let anyone have a go in it), the Lightburn Zeta, the Leyland P76, the Giocattolo and a whole raft of other interesting and oddball cars produced here over the years. If they are really scratching for ideas, there are a few Holden/Ford tuners that do (did?) interesting stuff to Falcodores, such as CSV and DJR.
 
... what content season 3 might have that would be interesting to watch and i am afraid that there is little left that would be uniquely australian that hasn't already been covered.

I wonder what is left for TG aus to do?

What are your original ideas that TG aus season 3 could do? :hmm:

I truly believe that its all the silly stunts that actually make the show, if people wanted to here all about compression ratios they wouldnt watch TG.
They have copied a lot of the UK ideas but I can think of a few stunts with an Aussie angle....

1. Do a drift race...around the Opera House forecourt.
(Theres plenty of room all the way 'round, btw.)

2. The classic desert race across the Nullabor.

3. Have an East to West race against the Indian Pacific train.

4. Have a South to North race against The Ghan train.

5. Do a complete circuit of Tasmainia. Or selected areas in each state.

6. Do a tour of Australian car plants including test tracks.

7. Do a cautionary expose of what happens when the hosts get progressively drunk and how it affects driving skills, complete with slurred speech and inability to negotiate a secure course while driving their fathers car.

8. Get 2 teams to test who are the best Australian drivers....men or women. Or P platers Vs octagenarians.

9. Weld 1/2 a Holden to 1/2 a Ford. Either left side to a right side or the front to a back.

10. Put an engine in a caravan and tow a car behind it thru Queensland for Schoolies.

11. Get a Bathurst entry together.

12. Race an Emu. Or do a head to head with a racing greyhound, a trotter, a thoroughbred and a Prius.

13. Jump The Spit bridge in Seaforth/ Mosman.

14. Build an amphibious car to see if they can cross Port Phillip Bay or across the heads of Sydney Harbour faster than driving around it.

15. Build a TG float and enter the Gay Mardi Gras in Sydney.

I know they sound odd but who wouldda thought they would do the things they are already famous for ???
And the beauty of crazy ideas is that the sound preposterous but people will watch to see exactly what happens at the end.
 
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Stiggie, I suppose almost anything is possible for a segment and the sillier the better because thats part of the charm. I mean, who wants to see a track race between 2 litre family cars when you could watch a race across the sand dunes and beaches of Fraser Island between an X5 and a 2 wheel snow-sled pulled by a team of semi-tame Dingoes ?
Part of any challenge should be a unique Australian location so its always an ad for our beautiful country, and then add something absurd and slightly life threatening and youve got a TG challenge.
Makes me wonder why the AU guys copy the UK stuff at all ?!?
 
Cars they could consider include the Bolwell Nagari, the Purvis Eureka, the E49 Charger, Holden GTR-X (although I'm not sure that the National Motor Museum in SA would let anyone have a go in it), the Lightburn Zeta, the Leyland P76, the Giocattolo and a whole raft of other interesting and oddball cars produced here over the years. If they are really scratching for ideas, there are a few Holden/Ford tuners that do (did?) interesting stuff to Falcodores, such as CSV and DJR.

Great suggestions, i would like to see all those cars.

I truly believe that its all the silly stunts that actually make the show, if people wanted to here all about compression ratios they wouldnt watch TG.

And the beauty of crazy ideas is that the sound preposterous but people will watch to see exactly what happens at the end.

You are right about doing the crazy stunts. I just think they need to do stuff that TG uk hasn't already done. You have some crazy suggestions and i would love to see some of those.

I suggested that one during a competition SBS held back in 2007 to come up with challenge ideas.

It won me a NavMan satnav system. :D

Great suggestion and well done on your prize. I am surprised that tg aus hasn't already done an epic trip like that. Even if it consumes an entire episode i would love to see that.

Part of any challenge should be a unique Australian location so its always an ad for our beautiful country, and then add something absurd and slightly life threatening and youve got a TG challenge.
Makes me wonder why the AU guys copy the UK stuff at all ?!?

I agree totally with that sentiment. You have some wacky ideas and i love that. Something original for sure.
 
Great suggestion and well done on your prize. I am surprised that tg aus hasn't already done an epic trip like that. Even if it consumes an entire episode i would love to see that.
/QUOTE]

Well the rumour (unsure if it was confirmed or not?) was that the new series of TGA would be a series of 3-4 specials instead of an episodic style show.
Based on that, I'd be incredibly surprised if there wasn't a proper Australian roadtrip/race, either across the Nullabor or down the East coast.
 
The 'Series Of Epic Trips' idea is good. Something they shoulda done at the start to get the hosts bonding kinda like an automotive Boot Camp to help the guys settle and build a rapport months before they started filming for real.
Other Challenge ideas....

16. get a bog standard car and attempt to make it faster/est by trying different modifications eg turbo Vs tuning Vs engine rebuild to show where money is best spent. ( like in Grand Turismo)

17.Recreate all the stunts from The Italian Job with a modern and an old Mini.

18. See how much you can cut off a car and stilll be able to drive it. ( The 100 kg car )

19. See if cars can really run on cooking oil and what other alternate fuels are currently possible/available ??

20. Have a segment where they showcase some of Australias best car collectors/ modifiers/ car nuts (lunatics)

21. Show if PS2 skills translate into real car skills.

22.Do a Candid Camera style of expose on real cab driver behaviour. (Morrison has to be Alan Funt.)

23. Do a timed triple crossing of Sydney Harbour, over the bridge, thru the tunnel and turn an old Cortina into a working submarine !

Anything challenge to do with alternate fuels has to have a section where they taste-test the fermented grain fuels for alcohol drinkability.
Theres so many funny things that could come out of every idea...
 
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18. See how much you can cut off a car and stilll be able to drive it. ( The 100 kg car )

Mighty Car Mods did this to an old Mazda 323. Hilarity ensued.

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5lHdZ8gF6E[/YOUTUBE]
 
i remember seeing a car craft or hot rod magazine way back when where they did that to an early 1970s cadillac. It was the 500 ci front wheel drive v8 model. after they took everything possible off, it would do like a 10 second quarter mile.
 
Just shows that there are few truly original ideas but they should be able to do it better than the UK, and add an Aussie flavour to any challenge.

The Au car-converted-in-to-a-boat segment was cringeworthy, I still feel a sense of shame when I remember that segment..... :(
 
21. Show if PS2 skills translate into real car skills.

I shotgun being the geek on the arcade machine if this goes ahead :3

I reckon TGau1 had a few good ideas, but butchered on attempt. The mine segment could've been better if a certain someone stopped hogging the camera being a bogan twit.
 
TopGear has already done the PS2 vs reality thing.

Jeremy set a time around Laguna Seca in a Honda NSX in GranTurismo 4 in his living room and then tried to match it in a real NSX at the real Laguna Seca.
 
TopGear has already done the PS2 vs reality thing.

Jeremy set a time around Laguna Seca in a Honda NSX in GranTurismo 4 in his living room and then tried to match it in a real NSX at the real Laguna Seca.

Maybe they could mix it up a bit by finding someone that doesn't know how to drive and having them learn on an arcade game and then seeing how well it works (from experience: not at all).
 
Maybe they could mix it up a bit by finding someone that doesn't know how to drive and having them learn on an arcade game and then seeing how well it works (from experience: not at all).

Sorry Stiggie, I forgot about that episode, but it does open it up like mneiai says. They could get get a range of people who have varied experience in PS2 Vs racing ....
So you'd have Craig Lowndes,
a pimply faced teenager on his L's,
some crusty old geriatric like Father Bob or Ita Buttrose
and Warren Brown (or not).

Its a good visual mix,
it caters to a wide range of demographics.
( not just middle aged blokes).
And it looks (on paper) like it would be more interesting to watch than the UK version.

There you go Freehand !
You could even have a regular "viewers request" segment.
 
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