Has anyone noticed Richard Hammond becoming more prominent?

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harperb

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It seems like Hammond has been trying to assert himself more in the showe, with James May drifting further in the background. Hammond has had more reports, more introductions, and introduced the stig this week. I know he seems to have a real need for fame and/or exposure (given him dropping out of some top gear winter olympic filming to go back to a guest host spot). Is Clarkson fading into the background a bit more, is there a bit of infighting going on, is May being purposefully brushed aside (he seems to do the least amount of work on the show, but is the least busy in general on and outside the show), or what is going on? Maybe i'm just dreaming, but something seems to be a bit wierd this season, with Hammond having significantly more prominence than May or even Clarkson on occasion.
 
Heh, yes.

I was going to start a thread called the "Hammond and Clarkson Show", because it looks a bit like that's what it's becoming.

In four episodes - almost four hours of television - the only James-only review [correct me if I'm wrong] we've had was the Civic. Other than that he has only appeared in studio or in part of the all-three-of-'em challenges.

Which is a shame, because generally I like James more than I do Hammond - I thought James was hilarious in the Winter Olympics ep, for example.

And it's not because James has suddenly become busy [unless he's doing something I don't know about] - heck, Hammond seems to be the busiest of the three, with Brainiac, Top Gear, and all his side-notes [for example, tonight he's presenting a show on teh BBC called "Richard Hammond and the search for the Holy Grail".]
 
I like all the guys.. they really fit together in a few episodes where they're all together, such as that one episode where they were on the hovercrafts, and dunebuggy things, but james had an operation or something so instead he reviewed some buggy/cart that was street legal.

They had a lot of airtime together there, and it seemed like bliss.

The show does seem a bit weaker all around now
 
Yeah Richard has had an increasing role in the show after four episodes down. But maybe we should wait until the end of the series to make final judgement. IMO, Jeremy still has the same amount of role in this show as ever before but James clearly doesn't. Maybe the later episodes in the series have more James involvement - I certainly hope so.

At the moment, TG is struggling finding the best mix of ingredients for their program. They can't find the perfect mix between having an entertainment show and a petrolhead show. They can't find the best mix between dividing the roles between the 3-main hosts.

They will...just gotta wait. Still an awesome show aye :)
 
MasterEvilAce said:
The show does seem a bit weaker all around now
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I'm sorry but nobody and nothing can be perfect all the time. The last season seemed to be at its best and even if the current one doesn't stack up, we are still eagerly looking forward to every subsequent episode to come out.

And yes, there's too little of James in the show. Perhaps there's just no proper cars for him to be reviewed now, as there seem to be very few this season so far...
 
teeb said:
In four episodes - almost four hours of television - the only James-only review [correct me if I'm wrong] we've had was the Civic. Other than that he has only appeared in studio or in part of the all-three-of-'em challenges.
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Maybe there aren't enough large saloon cars being made..... James might have been a better person to have reviewed the Mercedes S-Class......
 
Katherine said:
teeb said:
In four episodes - almost four hours of television - the only James-only review [correct me if I'm wrong] we've had was the Civic. Other than that he has only appeared in studio or in part of the all-three-of-'em challenges.
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Maybe there aren't enough large saloon cars being made..... James might have been a better person to have reviewed the Mercedes S-Class......
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To be honest I'd like to see James review something other than a large saloon or a hatchback.

Give him a hot hatch, give him a convertible - heck, he reviewed the Bugatti Veyron for Top Gear magazine, so give him a supercar, even!
 
Yeah, forgot to mention that as a possible scenario. Probably hard for him to go that offroading sequence in the Porsche with a bad back. Too bad they're not giving May as much a boost in visibility in lieu of Clarkson as they are with Hammond. :( I used to really like Hammond, when I thought he was a genuine petrolhead, but now it seems like he's more of an opportunist, and using top gear to gain even more visibility and fame. Although, in his defense, apparently Clarkson left Tiff in the old Top Gear because he wasn't prominent enough in the show, or so i've read.

I guess we'll just have to wait and see what the rest of the series brings!
 
well in later episodes this season we know that James will be reviewing the peugoet 207, alfa romeo brera :thumbsup: , and all three have some kind of challenge with their wives/girlfriends
 
I hated may when I first saw TopGear. I thought he was so boring, awkward, and Dad-ish.

Now I love him, he's such a damn rock star.
 
pfrocker said:
well in later episodes this season we know that James will be reviewing the peugoet 207, alfa romeo brera :thumbsup: , and all three have some kind of challenge with their wives/girlfriends
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o I forgot there will be a segment that is didicated to changing the title of "Captain Slow" into a faster guy, buy giving James driving lesson using a race car driver in a TVR
 
pfrocker said:
alfa romeo brera :thumbsup:
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I wonder if we'll see James running to the lav with his legs crossed when he sees the Brera? Remember Jezza and Rich at the Cool wall when they saw it? :p
 
I agree, not enough James. I enjoy the whole 'eccentric middle-aged Englishman' vibe he's got going on. He's great with the older cars, and I for one enjoy the retrospective pieces that were more prominent in older episodes of TG.

Perhaps TG have run old of old cars for James to wax lyrical about?

He also works well with Hamster in some of their little adventures ... James vs Audi Woman in the Scooterman bit from 6x09 was gold!!
 
Couldn't agree more...Were starting to see way too much of Hammond and way too little of May and that's just very bad.
May is one of my favorite presenters on TV,almost everything he says makes me laugh and when looking at the first TG season,and then the second, there's no comparison, the first really sucked for not having May. Taking him out of business is just plain stupid.
 
I think it's a good thing. Every show that I have seen Hammond in has been good. He's an excellent presenter.
 
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