[17x07] December 28th, 2011 [India Special]

[17x07] December 28th, 2011 [India Special]


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Song?

Song?

I'm curious - would anyone be so kind as to identify the one song Jezza played to irritate Hamster? It sounds familiar, yet I can't figure it out.

Cheers
 
They missed the boat with that one.

After most of their road trip specials, I find myself wanting to do the same. After Bolivia, I was wondering what kind of off-road trip I could do. Since Vietnam, a friend and I have been wanting to do the same "buy a scooter and ride about". It gets your imagination going.

This is absolutely not the case with this special. Dull and uninspiring is what comes to mind. India? Could've been anywhere in the world.

The premise of it all is a hindrance more than anything, with that stupid dinner as its culmination. Not even funny. Just boredom, waiting for the next bit, hoping it'll be better.

There was no road-trip feeling whatsoever. Just drive from a dumb challenge to the other. And by dumb challenge, I mean staged shit show.

It would've helped if they stepped out of their fake personalities for a minute. The food delivery would've been bearable had it been genuine, aka "can we do better?" instead of "raaaaaah look at me throwing things in my trunk! oh cock, I'm lost! I love this car *flashes teeth* look at me mucking it up". Stupid stupid stupid.

Just no. Will not be watching it again.

Just irritating about what it could've been ... and what it was. Argh! I can't believe the same people made such amazing shows, and now this.
 
Dissapointing.

Some laughs, yet overall very bland and going through the motions. Won?t be watching that again, but I do fancy a XJS now ...
 
Here's an idea sure to spawn some hate. What if they continue to do these types of specials where they roll out the caricatures of themselves and fall over and catch fire etc. because they are cheap Christmas time entertainment for the masses.

Then when the series proper begins, they produce something like series 17, the cocking about will never go away because like it or not there is a market for it, but if they can balance it with interesting factual type stuff, I for one can handle it.

I wasn't blown away by awesomeness from this special, but i hasn't made me physically ill like some here seem to have been, I just found it sort of forgettable, which may be the worst criticism of all
 
Episode without Richard Hammond driving a Porsche ?!
 
7/10. Not a masterpiece, can't really blame them for that; masterpieces can't be forced.
 
I gave it an 8.

I liked the cars they chose, they fitted good to their respective personalities imo.
The only part of the show I didn't like so much was the garden party, but some of it was still funny.

Maybe it was not the best special, but it's the only show which I enjoy so much watching, and I liked the fact that it was longer that 60minutes, I have never enough of topgear. And sure they are getting a bit old, so what ? You are too.
 
This. I didn't see a connection between them and theirs car until the end where Jeremy was launching cans and balls from the Jag's exhaust. A good chunk of the show didn't even involve the cars.

What made the Bolivia special so incredible was that the drama was interwoven with their vehicles, they were all seen to be fighting side by side with their trucks to reach the end. In this the cars just happened to be props for their tired comic formula. That is until the end at the village which was incredible.

I don't have a problem with using scripts, a good deal of the show has always been scripted. They don't just grab a camera and start narrating a car review. Here though the segments try too hard and rely too much on the T.V. personas.

What I would rather have is a single goal (fighting the elements in junky vehicles or recreate a historic journey). The revolutionary thing about cars is that they allowed travel that wasn't possible for most before, I want to see that limit reached and exceeded.
This! Also they did the same exact jokes, I saw damn near every single one of them coming. They also had far too nice cars to be ruining them like that, I liked how they modified the cars in the Africa special they really had a Mad Max feel to them, here it was just fucking up good cars.

Also if JC has no technical abilities how did he know where to wire the brakes to the horn or to vent the A/C?

EDIT: They don't get a pass from me just because they may be better than other shows on TV, thats like saying that your arm being broken is a good thing because it's not as bad as if it were cut off....
 
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tbh, the second I saw Dicky in the Mini, I knew it would either be another Oliver or end up completely ruined. I so hoped for the former, but alas. 'Twas the latter.
 
Sadly the worst special so far. I just can't understand why it was that long since nothing happened in this episode. Challenges were boring and the garden party was just... pointless and stupid. We all know it isn't a car show but at least give us a show about cars... not lawnmowers and trouser presses. It was like 90 minutes of waiting for something to happen - just boring. Only part I liked was the ending with a great views and some true car action.

Oh, and cars looked so nice at the beginning I didn't like what they did with them. It seemed cars were in quite good condition.

I was far from excessive criticism of TG, but this time I'm very disappointed. All 6 previous specials were road trip films - this one wasn't.
 
Don't worry. I just spent a few minutes scan reading several page of the post show comments from the official TG website.

I haven't heard of a "backlash" like this since Max Mosley last wore his Nazi uniform. I estimate 75-80% of the feedback there is massively negative. They will be in no small doubt about how much they dropped the ball with this one. None whatsoever. I think it is safe to say a certain producer will be drafting his next blog extremely carefully, most probably after eating a gutbusting portion of humble pie.
 
Actually I've just had an idea ... If they deem it impossible to do any more of those roadtrip specials, for whatever reason... I think it would be easier if they do another epic race... I've missed those soooo much, every one they've done has been good. Japan, Oslo, Verbier, veyron-race ... Just elongate it a little to reach the 60minute mark.. And there's not much effort needed for it to be good. And if effort is dispensed then it'll be great!

Maybe it's just me.
 
For another BBC take on driving across India, I recommend the two part special 'India on Four Wheels'.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b013rc5d

It's this special without all the cocking about and two quite sensible presenters.

I liked both shows but much prefer the Top Gear version.
 
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Gave it a six. I was REALLY looking forward to this special, too, but it just felt too long and too... pointless? Nothing really broke down. No one slammed into each others cars. The Vietnam special was more interesting and that didn't even have cars. Still, could be worse...
 
Was very different to there other Christmas specials. They might have found it a bit hard to come up with stuff in India maybe.

Over all it was enjoyable. The Cricket at the end was the best of the epi

But I think they could have done better
 
Good watching, but it felt like they really didn't accomplish anything meaningful, with their cars being reliable as hell and all their sidequests failing predictability. Bit low on the old laughs.

Probably my least favorite special yet. 5/10
 
Whilst it wasn't the best Xmas special there was plenty to amuse and entertain one which is what I want to switch of for a couple of hours and have fun so I gave it a 9/10
 
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