[11x01] June 22nd, 2008

[Tranquillizer]

there is some new stuff available, uncut news on www.topgear.com

[efoolution]

Originally Posted by airmenair

[...]Also, I want to see John Cleese as a guest

Oh, you´ve just redefined the perfect TG-guest for me ... John Cleese ... brilliant ... add more former Pythons for most epic show ever. But I guess TG is not really his thing ...

Another Questions on Language ... Rozzers ... I also guessed it was Slang for Police ... but is it meant disrespectful like "pigs" or "bulls" (like we germans like to call our cops)?

Second language question (and of course James May again ) ... it´s obvious what "Misgrint" (or so 58:33) supposed to mean - criminal, fugitive something like that ... but how do you spell it?

[Cobol74]

1. Rozzers is a bit twee and used by middle class people who think that it is street cred - but it is out of date by about 20 years.
2. Miscreant is a criminal like person who may or may not be a criminal but breaks the rules of what ever institution to which they belong.

That OK?

[jed]

hi guys

Watch it, give a 9, and love it. Should precise that i love every (yes every) episode of TG. I prefer some ep to other, but definitely always a looooot better than anything else even when it's the average thing.

knowing that, and that i've been waiting like you, for a long time, so enjoying more

The fuel race was so excellent, what a master piece, nice filming like always and so amazing cars. Couldn't be a better start, almost as good as trips with three cars on previous season, but in shorter.

The stunt thing was a bit too silly, so a bit too useless even for top gear, but quite pleasant.

The police stuff is very good, very dangerous with clarkson wheels. Maybe too dangerous even for clarkson but how funny it was. The only thing I was a bit disappointed in was the time with the fiat. Because close to my car and wanted to see how good it could round the track (and how slow it could be next to supercar, or to the liana).

Anyway, it damn good to see them back. Can"t imagine a day with no more top gear, where will we find so much entertaining on tv

[jo-jo-action]

Can someone read the spell on Jeremys police car front?
Its written in mirror writing!

I belive it says: It´s the filth.

[bbrm]

Originally Posted by jo-jo-action

Can someone read the spell on Jeremys police car front?
Its written in mirror writing!

I belive it says: It´s the filth.

You be correct - nice spot

It was a good solid episode, brilliant way to start a series, ease people in and then whack um with the good stuff! save the best to last n all that

[vikiradTG2007]

Good episode, not brilliant, but hilarious in some parts, especially their idiotic attempts at a police car. Skipped the guest part after hearing them for about two seconds. So I'd say that, for me, this rates at about 7.4-7.5 out of 10.

430 Scud review was interesting, and I guess Jezza summed the car up perfectly in one sentence at the end: "the bastard child of Stephen Hawking and Rambo". Supercar fuel economy? Nice one... but the guests let the show down somewhat.

Liked also the references to DAVE... but does that channel really show TG nearly all day long?

[HarLeQuiN]

I thought this episode was good wasn't the best. I tuned out when the SIARPC was on. Didn't know who they were and I didn't think they were all that good.
The Scuderia test was interesting, but I hated the camera angles that they used. I don't really recall in the other episodes where the camera angles were kinda all over the place and a bit dizzying, but that is a minor thing.
I guess the segment that did save it for me was the Police Car bit, especially James' and Jeremy's police sirens (I nearly wet my pants, that is how hard I laughed ).

[WillDAQ]

Originally Posted by vikiradTG2007

Liked also the references to DAVE... but does that channel really show TG nearly all day long?

They probably show 5 episodes a day ish. The one from the evening getting recycled to the morning the next day.

[Crash Fistfight]

Anyone notice the Alfa Spider sitting outside the Top Gear tech centre when the boys pulled up in their Cop cars? I wonder if thats one of the cheap Alfas they all buy?

[jo-jo-action]

it look like the one richard bought in the challange. (aus you can see in the spoiler pictures)
edit: in the picture the one is silver. the one standing out there is red.

[static]

One thing that comes to my mind after watching this first episode.

Scuderia segment was horridly over-edited. I wanted to enjoy it but it was such a basic roadtest that was edited for three months. Fifth gear actually made better review out of it.

[TomCat]

It was a good episode. I liked the fuel economy segments. And Jeremy's police car was hilarious.

SIARPC is just getting worse and worse. If it wasn't for the on-track mistakes, it wouldn't be worth watching.

[stevanford1]

Clarkson says that scuderia means team in italian. I looked it up and scuderia means stable. That is my only gripe with the episode.

[SR71]

I know I'm in a minority since I gave it a 5 but to me it was a very average show. My 2 cents:

* Beginning was good, Supercars are always nice to look at. Jeremy's point about driving style is right although the Prius vs M3 test was pointless. Prius is designed as a city car where it is driven in a stop and go traffic so that it uses its battery more often than its engine. When driven at full speed (as on a motorway), the engine runs the car all the time so no savings are to be made.

* News ok but hurried. No close ups of the cars displayed on the tv screens.

* Ferrari review was meh, just a rehash of previous reviews. I mean, how many times do we have to listen to the detail of the control knob on the steering wheel (has already been done ad nauseum for years, stop it now please, we all know it by heart). As for the director and cameramen, please stop using the jerky camera motion to give the illusion of speed. Let me see the details on screen and if the car is fast, it will appear fast no matter how the camera is used.

* As everyone has said, SIARPC was extremely boring, even Jeremy had no questions to ask. As for the Gay guy, it reminded me of the episode of Extras (the Ricky Gervais show) where he complains about the gay BBC producer and says that "you don't have to be that gay".

* The police car segment was a little too childish and forced. The only good part was when Jeremy was trying to stop stig by ramming into his car. That was dangerous stuff.

Ok, my rant is over. I'm slightly disappointed since I expect so much more from TG. The next episodes seem more interesting.

[M355Y]

I thought it was okay, haven't voted yet but it'd be a 6 or 7 out of ten.

Started well, loved Jeremy's comments about DAVE, great to have the guys back and the series preview looked very promising.

Would only echo what others have said about the Ferrari review - very little substance/actual info about what the car's like, massively overedited to the point of falling flat. Like some cack Simon Cowell band-by-numbers releasing a really deeply forgettable song (not like that ever happens, is it!!?) but trying to cover it by spending millions enlisting Tarantino to direct the video. Er....no.

The police car segment was funny. But definitely a bit forced and I always feel the best part of the Cheap Car Challenges is when they meet up at the services then have to drive them somewhere - you get a feel of what the cars are actually like. Same for the aquatic cars, the funniest bits of the first one of those films was Hammond/May/Clarkson driving to the lake. When it flashed straight to the TG test track I was disappointed. And it was all a bit contrived.

The guests were cack. Those two are the most irritating guests they've ever had, surely. Really time to shorten that segment or drop it altogether imo.

The stuntman was a pointless waste of 3 minutes of my life I'll never get back.

And yet somehow, despite all that whinging, I liked it a lot. Great to see the Cool Wall making a return (even if not in this ep), too. Missed ya man.

[pitdog]

Regarding "the police shuffle". Is that for real? Do the English police drivers have to work the steering wheel like an average bad women or gay drivers? My wife keeps doing that and quite often she has trouble getting out of a corner quickly enough.

[Karoug]

Originally Posted by SR71

I know I'm in a minority since I gave it a 5 but to me it was a very average show. My 2 cents:
*Blablabla*

I also gave it a 5..

[Mr-Stabby]

The perfect balance of car tests and cocking about is what the show should be, and it's doing that very well at the moment.

What sets Top Gear apart from the others though is the brilliant way they usually do car tests to make them even interesting to the people who couldn't give a stuff about cars as much as proper enthusiasts. Brilliant cinematography helps to a big extent but it's not enough. Taking the Phantom to the Humber bridge and telling the story of the Humber bridge and relating it to the car. Hammond and May sleeping in a tent whilst testing convertibles. Clarkson telling the story of the Miners and comparing it to the Alfa 166. More recently the perfect driving road segment. That's the way to do it. Last weeks review of the Ferrari though as well as the fuel saving segments had none of that extra stuff that makes them interesting to normal people like myself. I mean I do really like cars, but i don't care about seeing a Ferrari drive around a test track and being told stuff about how the traction control works. Nor do i care that a Prius does less MPG than an M3. It would have been a much more enjoyable episode (for me) last week if it had just had that bit extra in the actual car testing bits. The police car segment was brilliant and saved the episode for me though.

[Momo63]

Originally Posted by stevanford1

Clarkson says that scuderia means team in italian. I looked it up and scuderia means stable. That is my only gripe with the episode.

It means stable as in racing stable or racing team.