I've just read every post in this thread, and 99% of people who have something negative to say do not live in the UK. If you don't understand the humour and the references to British culture, then you shouldn't review this episode.
If you think you need to have a deep understanding of British culture to be able to appreciate good British television, you shouldn't be on this forum.
Much has been said about this episode, and I agree with most of them.
Hammond's part in the film was total shite, but I don't think it's his fault, more like a script some idiot shoved down his throat.
Yes, he can't act to save his life, but then he wasn't employed to act, but to present.
The people who commented about Andy and Jeremy's video preview were spot on. Proper car bores wouldn't watch
Top Gear, not even episodes from earlier in the show's history (series four to seven, I'm looking at you), because it's always been too informal and, frankly, had too much comedy to be considered a true car show. Even if they did, they would take their anorak off (mostly) and watch the show the same way everyone else watches it -- as an entertainment show focused on motoring. And nowadays, the entertainment value, especially on the comedic side, of the show really is a mixed bag.
When they set up a scene (or something actually happens out of their control) and just let the presenters have at it -- say, when Richard tore up the clutch on that Noble, the race across Rome for lunch or James and Jeremy driving that awful Chinese three-wheeler, the show is properly engrossing; funny when it needs to be, somewhat insightful and really rather engaging in its action. It's only when they actually try to make it funny and make the presenters do exaggerated caricatures of themselves where the show really fall short. This, not the anorak-y bits that they sometimes overlook -- though I wish they would explain more about the cars themselves and pay more attention to detail sometimes -- is the main problem for most of us watching. We don't want to watch yet another episode of Hammond/Clarkson/May (especially Hammond) botching something the other presenter(s) has worked on that would've otherwise be decent, because a) they've never been good at this and they're certainly not getting any better, and b) everyone can see it coming from the moment they read/watch the preview. Not even eight-year-olds, who are the main scapegoats of the producers, would approve of this rubbish. I remember, as a 14-year-old kid, being so enthralled by the SLK vs. Boxster vs. Irish Guards snipers film (my first brush with
Top Gear) when I first watched it, I became hooked on the show ever since. I don't think I would've been such a big fan if they played the Sweeney car chase film back then.
That said, though, the film wasn't so bad, considering the sort of crap they threw at us before. And goodness me, that chase scene they showed at the end, is in my humble opinion one of the best car chases I've ever seen. I wouldn't be surprised if the TG crew did have a hand in the making of the film, because it actually did look like something out of the show and they have everyday experience with some serious car chase camera equipment. And have you seen the last few episodes of
Top Gear? The visual quality of the show these days has blown a big hole through the Burj Khalifa's roof -- it's absolutely astonishing and honestly pretty much Hollywood blockbuster ready as it is.
He did make the show what it is alongside the other two after all.
