[09x01] January 28th, 2007

[brady123]

Honestly, I didnt even notice May's hair being much different. Main thing I noticed was, obviously, Hamster looking tired (who can blame the little bugger!).

Agreed the roadworks bit was a little dull... A personal agenda from JC I guess?

Next week's preview on the BBC webby sounds awesome, a bit more like the usual TG.

 

[Formula Stig]

I think this season they are going to be really hampered by the weather. They have been pushed farther back into the fall/winter than they ever have before.

 

[knihc2008]

Wow, the entire crash segment had my heart pumping the whole way through. Stunning, and really great to have Hammond back after that horrifying crash!

I actually loved the Jaguar segment. I thought it was well directed and had some really stunning visuals. It, for some reason, really seemed to be a step up editing-wise and visually compared to last season's reviews.

 

[flyinhawaiian]

This is my first official post in the normal forums. I'm downloading the episode now... Can't exactly watch it live being in the USA and all. This will be my second Top Gear season that I'll watch "live" so I can't wait to watch this one. I've seen Seasons 6-8 thus far and think they've only gotten better over time.

Needlessly, downloading at 400kbs seems too "Captian Slow" for me...

 

[Martin]

Just watched it and I'm kind of feeling unforfilled. I was actually nervous and had goosebumps when I hit play. Felt really good to finally get some new TG. But I somehow expected MORE content.

I absolutely know how you feel. I liked the episode and all, but at the end I felt the same way. The problem is the show has had so many great moments in the past a less then stellar episode feels like a disappointment, when it really isn't. I think this might be the ultimate undoing of the show one day (hopefully many many days away); that the show is so GOOD that if they can't keep it up for a while viewer-ship will drop off and TG will fade away.

Nonetheless, I'm certain that that day isn't going to be happening this series! I'm ready for 9x02!

 

[Susurrate]

Not the best ep, not the worst. Though better than anything 5th gear has ever put together.

 

[Top Geek]

No it wasn't. Apart from Hamsters welcome, the XKR and the crash special, it was below TG standards imo.

It's good to have the show back, but the whole roadworks thing was boring

I completely agree: by far not the best episode. I would even call it a bit disappointing, especially with the roadworks thing being at the very start of the program. I don't mind watching them goof off every once in a while, but it's just boring filler by now and they do it far too often. I was also a bit annoyed with there being no news, only one car review, an oddly timed guest appearance and the lack of a season preview.

Hammond's entrance was...interesting. It's one of those things you're embarrassed to watch even though you're alone!
But, wow, have you ever heard Clarkson with so much genuine emotion than when he introduced Hammond? That was, dare I say...moving!

Come on producers.. do the crash again backwards and make a world record LOL!

Well, that wouldn't be much of a challenge...just reverse the tape! :lol:

WHAT HAPPENED TO TOP GEAR DOG?!?!

Ack! Good point...to be frank, it didn't actually cross my mind.

I do wish they would can the "skits" for a while and just stick to talking about exotic fast cars.

Agreed. TG has been a bit too obviously-scripted in this and the last series.


And, for crying out loud, would you people stop obsessing about May's hair?! Yeesh!

I do agree, though, that the hamster looked quite...worn. Not that you could blame him, of course.



Off Topic:

The date is written DD/MM/YY not the other way

No, it's written YYYY-MM-DD -- largest to smallest unit -- because it's the most logical, no one has to guess what it is and it's ideal for sorting things by date.

Why, yes, I am a programmer, how did you know?

 

[Chupacabras]

I thoroughly enjoyed the lot - very happy too see them all back

I wonder if we can never talk about the crash on final gear again? :lol:

 

[Martin]

Does anyone know what that audience member said during the Hammond Crash segment that made Jeremy look so annoyed?

Yeah, does anyone know what was said? I replayed it about 10 times and couldn't make a word of it.

 

[Martin]

it wasnt really that funny was it? but mostly true though. i dont think she's racist because she intends to be, she's just too stupid to know any better.

It's not that important (I'm just curious), but could our British friends on the forums explain the reason for the outburst while introducing the Stig? The name he mentioned is completely unfamiliar to me, and being on the other side of the pond it's a bit difficult to keep up with all the ins and outs of British current events.

 

[MPowered]

It's not that important (I'm just curious), but could our British friends on the forums explain the reason for the outburst while introducing the Stig? The name he mentioned is completely unfamiliar to me, and being on the other side of the pond it's a bit difficult to keep up with all the ins and outs of British current events.

A quick search of the net reveals that Jade Goody was a contestant on the recent British version of Big Brother, and on the show, she made a number of racist comments along with a few others. She was voted off the show by an overwhelming majority. Guess it was big news in the UK. If you trust the source, you can read more at Wikipedia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jade_Goody

As for the episode itself, I absolutely loved it. Hammond's entrance was hysterical, especially his reaction coming down the stairs. The whole roadwork bit did seem forced, but JC throwing James's chips into the roller as retaliation was a classic moment.

I thought the Jag/Vantage segment was by far one of the best. The production was just so slick...moreso than previous segments. Sure it wasn't the most informative or groundbreaking piece of motoring journalism, but the editing was top notch.

And of course the whole crash segment was handled with great sincerity with just a little "elbow jab in the ribs" thrown in to keep things lively. But there's no doubting that everyone was glad Hammond was back.

As stated, it's good to have TG back.

 

[Martin]

A quick search of the net reveals that Jade Goody was a contestant on the recent British version of Big Brother, and on the show, she made a number of racist comments along with a few others. She was voted off the show by an overwhelming majority. Guess it was big news in the UK. If you trust the source, you can read more at Wikipedia.

Got it. I did hear about the Big Brother racism thing, didn't have a name to connect it though. A bit odd that Jeremy would give that much credence to a Channel 4 show by tossing out a 'applaud' line like that.

 

[BlaRo]

Roadworks bit was funny as hell, Jamie Oliver was a cool guest, and the Jag vs. Aston bit was magnificent. Welcome back, guys.

Also, I was nearly moved to tears when Hammond shouted, "I'm alive!" Shhh...

 

[Matt2000]

Got it. I did hear about the Big Brother racism thing, didn't have a name to connect it though. A bit odd that Jeremy would give that much credence to a Channel 4 show by tossing out a 'applaud' line like that.

yeah the whole racist BB thing went mad over here, so i wasn't too surprised to hear him mention it - usually mentions somethIng in our headlines, like Prescott . the whole thing's a bit of a big deal IMO, just britain's indian community moaning

 

[dino_martini]

I just finished watching it. It was a good episode, but I hope Top Gear gets back to its self next week. Where was the news? thats my favourite part, they make fun of the french.

 

[Goose+]

I really enjoyed, especially the airport steps

 

[TurnerGTX]

XKR - "It has a Stubbly, Coulthardy chin".:lol:

 

[narin]

I think this season they are going to be really hampered by the weather. They have been pushed farther back into the fall/winter than they ever have before.

agreed, even tho they do some filming way b4 the series started, we will prolly see some segments that are affected by the weather (i.e. star in a reasonably priced car)...in the words of clarkson, blame global warming

 

[otispunkmeyer]

It's not that important (I'm just curious), but could our British friends on the forums explain the reason for the outburst while introducing the Stig? The name he mentioned is completely unfamiliar to me, and being on the other side of the pond it's a bit difficult to keep up with all the ins and outs of British current events.

well she was a contestant on a show called big brother a while ago. she was a no-one until she went there and an exposed her outragous stupidity to the nation, that and pretty much all her private parts as a game of strip poker or whatever got the best of her (not exactly hard)

she didnt even win, i think she came third, but never the less her minute level of intelligence has thrust her into the media spotlight and she now makes a lot of money by basically being dense. honestly she'd give some of the daftest americans a run for their money.

as things go with our TV reality shows get spun until forever...so big brother has been on every year and is now accompanied by a celebrity BB. this show is even worse than the normal show as it features a bunch of has-beens hamming it up for the camera.

i guess they tried to make an effort this year and by offering some tasty contracts (money wise) they attempted to get some more recognisable faces in there, one of them being Jade Goody and that shillpa bollywood woman. and when jade gets irate with someone she always just spouts her mouth shouting all kinds of dumb stuff like an angry child would.

hence i dont think she actually purposfully intends to be a racist bigot, she's just too dumb to know any better.

i mean this is someone who when asked what question they would most want answering asked "how come the eskimos havent turned into ice people, why havent their eyes frozen shut n stuff, why are they not big ice cubes." and she wasnt being funny....she was seriously wanting to know.

 

[narin]

well she was a contestant on a show called big brother a while ago. she was a no-one until she went there and an exposed her outragous stupidity to the nation, that and pretty much all her private parts as a game of strip poker or whatever got the best of her (not exactly hard)

she didnt even win, i think she came third, but never the less her minute level of intelligence has thrust her into the media spotlight and she now makes a lot of money by basically being dense. honestly she'd give some of the daftest americans a run for their money.

as things go with our TV reality shows get spun until forever...so big brother has been on every year and is now accompanied by a celebrity BB. this show is even worse than the normal show as it features a bunch of has-beens hamming it up for the camera.

i guess they tried to make an effort this year and by offering some tasty contracts (money wise) they attempted to get some more recognisable faces in there, one of them being Jade Goody and that shillpa bollywood woman. and when jade gets irate with someone she always just spouts her mouth shouting all kinds of dumb stuff like an angry child would.

hence i dont think she actually purposfully intends to be a racist bigot, she's just too dumb to know any better.

i mean this is someone who when asked what question they would most want answering asked "how come the eskimos havent turned into ice people, why havent their eyes frozen shut n stuff, why are they not big ice cubes." and she wasnt being funny....she was seriously wanting to know.

what about the microwave launching at a tramp bit?