Hammond: BBC2 Documentary: Richard & Evel Knievel

It was a great show. I'm really impressed that even outside of Top Gear, each on their own, the three presenters still produce some extremely good television. It was obvious that Clarkson would be able to, but James May and Hammond has made some really good stuff too.. All of them with genuine passion.

It was rather disspointing to see Evel be such an idiot. I felt bad for Hammond.. But i guess you guys are right in saying that Evel was very sick, and i too wouldn't be that happy about making interviews, had i been in his position. But then i should've just said no to Hammond in the first place. It's not fair to make a guy fly from England to USA to make an interview, and then don't do it properly. But that's just him i guess - wanting to be in the spot light untill the very end.
 
Evil an idiot?

Evil an idiot?

I Think it was a great show and Evil was just an old and tired man. I did not think that he was an idiot.
 
It was actually awkward for me to watch. I felt really bad for Hammond having to deal with such a grouchy old prick. When I first heard the news of Evel's death I was sad that a legend had passed on, after watching this, it makes me wonder if it just made the world a happier place. And I agree with whoever said that they were tired of the BBC only picking backwater redneck infested cesspools to portray America with, although I guess there wasn't much "choice" in where Evel lived. Richard did a great job in the documentary, and was extremely polite and understanding, but you could just tell he was crushed by what he saw. Overall James' program was much better to watch, simply because the atmosphere was less depressing. I think I'll go download James' and Oz' episodes now :)
 
Yeah, I was quite disappointed too. One should never really meet your heroes.

But in Evel's defense, he was old as fuck and in serious pain. Plus, it's all he's been bugged about for the longest time.

Still though, a rather eye opening experience.
 
Danny Tran said:
Seems to me that when you're old, sick, tired all the time, and in pain, and generally feel like crap, and dying, the last thing you wanna do is give interviews and recall difficult times in your past. I undestand Knievel for not being all that enthusiastic about an foreign country's programme production biography.

If it were Rolling Stone, Time or Larry King doing a recap of his life, I'm sure he would've been much more cooperative.
Click to expand...

It's not like he had to agree to it. Surely he knew that if someone was going to come all that way, they would ask questions like that. You can't expect someone to come all that way and just ask silly superficial questions.

It seems like he only agreed to it because he's still what he's always been - a showman.
 
Now that I think of it we could use some more people like Evel Knieval in the world. He wasn't afraid to say exactly what was on his mind and he didn't care what anyone thought. Ok, maybe we don't need people as extreme but a little more honesty would be nice. I guess having the guts to constantly piss people off helped him have the guts to risk his life for show.

I wonder what he thought of Richard's jet car mishap and if that had anything to do with agreeing to do the interviews?
 
Evel was a real bastard in real life, but that shouldn't diminish what he accomplished and all the tens of thousands of people he entertained. The man may have been a real egomaniac, but when you crash after jumping 12 buses and stand up and walk, wave and talk to the crowd with half your bones broken inside......well lets just say you wont see any of our modern-day "superstars" pulling anything like that. The guy had balls. And if you were a kid in the 70's he was larger than life. You didn't care that he was busy drinking booze out of a teenage hookers crotch every saturday night.....the guy broke 27 bones every time he went on Wide World of Sports...he deserved it :)

And...as an American...I'd also like to chime in that the schtick of constantly showing the Asscracks of America does get a bit old. Lets see...put Richard up in the most rundown hotel in town. I wonder whats gonna happen then!?

But one thing...the whole "This place suddenly turned very American" quip was kind of funny, if only because I too cringe at the whole "Fat, beer guzzlin flag-wavin" stereotype as much as any foreigner (and, its true..all the best stereotypes are!)....but I was also *mildly offended* at the same time......Clarkson, thats the kind of stunt I'd expect him to pull....but not Hammond. Seemed a little cheap for his standards....I mean, you go to a poor coal-mining town...you aren't going to run into movie-stars :p

Clarksons recent series "Meet The Neighbors" is another example of him being funny, but at the sheer and utter expense of the people he's providing post-filming commentary on.
 
HeadRusch said:
But one thing...the whole "This place suddenly turned very American" quip was kind of funny, if only because I too cringe at the whole "Fat, beer guzzlin flag-wavin" stereotype as much as any foreigner (and, its true..all the best stereotypes are!)....but I was also *mildly offended* at the same time......Clarkson, thats the kind of stunt I'd expect him to pull....but not Hammond. Seemed a little cheap for his standards....I mean, you go to a poor coal-mining town...you aren't going to run into movie-stars :p

Clarksons recent series "Meet The Neighbors" is another example of him being funny, but at the sheer and utter expense of the people he's providing post-filming commentary on.
Click to expand...

Take in the context. Just before that, Hammond was talking about whether it was right that the audience, including small children, could possibly be about to watch a man die for their own entertainment. Is that the kind of thing you should be feeling patriotic about? was the point I think.

Anyway, if you're cringing at it all as an American, imagine how us stiff upper lipped Brits feel about it!
 
Kinievel came across quite badly. I had always known the "myth" of Evel Kinievel but Richard Hammond showed me a bitter old man - who wouldn't admit his failures in life yet would take all the "bowing down to his greatness". Also that "Viva Kinievel" film afterwards was the biggest load of self promoting crap I've ever seen (outside of Hulk Hogan) There is a far better biopic doing the rounds on British movie channels - and as it turns out truer to life. I feel for Hamster, he was looking forward to meeting his hero - and all he discovered was a total ass. It's a shame because Kinievel was a great man and a showman almost without equal, unfortunately he was all too quick to tell us himself.
 
Tomba33 said:
I Think it was a great show and Evil was just an old and tired man. I did not think that he was an idiot.
Click to expand...

That's a good enough reason to end an interview, but I agree with Hammond that he seemed to do it to avoid certain questions. And it doesn't explain why he kept ignoring Hammond at the golf course.


Why are some people running Butte into the ground? I thought its residents (and even the people directly associated with Knievel) came across pretty well.
 
I understand him being grumpy because of pain and age now... but he really did seem to be an utter clot for his entire life... I got the impression that it was how he always was.
 
I just finish watching the show. My impression was shocking about Knievel. From the first moment that Hamster meet him He was a complete A$$. This video showed a different side of Knievel. Sure he is old in a lot of pain and every bone in his body hurts like hell from all those stunts. One from over time he could have reflect about his past, from all the miss takes that he done in life to things that he might haven't done. Some how that he knew that his time is about to come maybe , just maybe a little more open up for little hamster. Or two go down as a bad ass that he is and once a performer always a performer.
 
Just got around to watching this and it was a very good program. I felt bad for Richard, but at the same time he had to of known it was going to turn out this way. I thought the "its suddenly getting american in here" or whatever the comment was had me rolling with laughter.

All in all, it was an ok way to spend an hour watching Richard's humble brilliance. He really is talented in making good programming as is May and Clarkson when they go solo.
 
It was a great show, it just seemed like it lacked some impact cause of Evels avoidance. The deepest part I think was in the theatre when Hammond asked him if he could would he jump again, and you could see it hurt Evel to say that that part of his life was in a heap on the floor and all he had left was his retirement home.
 
Does anyone know the name of the song thats played at the start of the program just before Hammond meets Evel Knievel?
 
I'm glad that the BBC2 actually showed what an asshole Knievel was and has always been. He lived walking distance from me up until he passed. Everyone that ran into locally knows what an ass he was. Yet most people who don't know him thinks he was some kinda "hero".

Good show, but man... I'd be pissed if I had to travel from Europe and ended up in Butte, MT when Knievel lived in beautiful Clearwater, FL by the beach!
 
BlitzK said:
I'm glad that the BBC2 actually showed what an asshole Knievel was and has always been. He lived walking distance from me up until he passed. Everyone that ran into locally knows what an ass he was. Yet most people who don't know him thinks he was some kinda "hero".

Good show, but man... I'd be pissed if I had to travel from Europe and ended up in Butte, MT when Knievel lived in beautiful Clearwater, FL by the beach!
Click to expand...

Oh, please. The BBC wanted to film in Butte, Montana during Evel Knievel Days. What's the point of filming in an upscale Florida community when you can plonk Richard into the cheapest, oldest hotel in Butte?

You can't poke fun at rural Americans, American patriotism or daredevils in a condominium on the beach.

Do you think the BBC wasn't aware of Evel's medical condition? It had been in the news for months. They new he was dying before they left England. They did their research and knew what Knievel was like.

Nobody thinks Hammond's comments about the motorcycle jumper dying in front of kids was B.S.? I guess he believes only adults should watch F1, NASCAR, motocross, football, or any other sport or event where the participants could die. Children especially shouldn't watch Top Gear as they are liable to see a presenter skidding on his head at 250 MPH into brain damage and comma.

This "interview" of a dying man was as much of a set up as top Gear's American trip. I'm growing tired of Richard Hammond's thin nice-guy veneer.

Whatever Evel was, he managed to do things his way until the end.
 
Last edited:
Mach1 said:
Whatever Evel was, he managed to do things his way until the end.
Click to expand...

Please explain the validity of your statement?

Anyhow, I disagree with the interview being a total set up. I had known that Knievel was an ass prior to watching the doc, and afterwards it only served to re-affirm my opinion. But I felt that the whole tone of the thing was... rather sad. Did anyone detect an air of regret around Knievel for some of the crap he did?

I didn't think they were poking fun at rural Americans. Excluding Hammond's comment about it suddenly being very American, they depicted the citizens of Butte exactly as they are.
 
Last edited:
I loved how hammond presented this and everything but know what an ass knievel is I would have loved it more if Clarkson had went and done it. Clarkson would have told him off when he started pulling his BS.
 
Nah, Clarkson woulda joked around, etc. Richard was a much better choice for this.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top