"Cheap stunts": running jokes, stuntman, V8 gadgets, falling over - yes or no?

"Cheap stunts": running jokes, stuntman, V8 gadgets, falling over - yes or no?


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I wouldn't ever claim that all the older episodes were fantastic and flawless. But they always felt real.

i think you hit the nail well and truly on the head there. thats perfectly sums up the difference between these latest episodes of Top Gear compared to the older ones. I find the things more funny when it seems real, like they are reacting to a real situation that happened instead of something that was planned and a witty response planned for it too. There have been some of those moments in recent seasons but not as much as there used to be, one that springs to mind was Jezza at the filling station in Japan with the happy Japanese woman. I almost pissed myself laughing at that, but the more scripted humour that we're getting lately makes me cringe because it doesnt feel real.
 
Look at the Crossfire & whatever the other two were film in Iceland. It SUCKED, possibly the worst episode of the entire series.
I thought it was ok. I never felt there was anything wrong with it until Jeremy claimed so in the next episode.
 
I thought it was ok. I never felt there was anything wrong with it until Jeremy claimed so in the next episode.

It was good in a I-know-its-rubbish-but-at-the-same-time-very-enjoyable way... :p

The epicly magnificent F430 review just made that episode anyway.
 
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For those of you longing for the old days, I am sorry, you are going to be disappointed.

Is Top Gear the same? No

If it was, you would all be gripping it is the same old shit over and over again.

Is it crap now? No

Anytime you try to stay new and fresh, you are not going to please everybody.

Earilier seasons of TG had a totally different feel. The studio was bare. 30 people standing around. But they were making a damn good show so more people wanted to go. Now it looks like they are packed in the place.

They are playing to a bigger audience. Both there and on tv. They are at the top of the ratings and they have to try to stay there with excitement in the show. As great as they are, once they do something, it is done and they have to come up with something new the next time.

I am sure they are enjoying the money and perks that come with that new status. And more power to them, they deserve it, but nobody will ever make me believe they are more interested in the money than they are in making an enjoyable show.

I can imagine there is a lot of pressure in doing just that.

And for me, they have not disappointed. They try new things and some of them may not work as well as planned. (I know how that is, happens to me all the time) But do you really think they are doing it as a sell out? No, they are doing that to keep the show hopefully fresh and entertaining.

They have fantastic camera work. Sometimes I think they go a bit far, but I personally think HDTV is a waste.

So keep providing your feedback on the new things, but this whinning for the old days is not going to work, because it is not the same show as the old days.

If you ever feel like you are just wasting your time watching then the show has jumped the shark for you and it is time to move on.

For me they are no where near that shark cage and I highly look forward to anything else they can come up with to entertain me.
 
They are playing to a bigger audience. Both there and on tv. They are at the top of the ratings and they have to try to stay there with excitement in the show. As great as they are, once they do something, it is done and they have to come up with something new the next time.

More audience = more money for them. You don't need to be a genious to figure out why they are doing this atm.
 
More audience = more money for them. You don't need to be a genious to figure out why they are doing this atm.

Isn't that basically saying you think they are selling out their integrity for a mess of pottage?

I really don't believe the 3 of them - and Andy - would ever do that.
 
More audience = more money for them. You don't need to be a genious to figure out why they are doing this atm.

Has it not occurred to you that best show in the land = more audience which naturally = more money, and the need to keep that audience = need new things to keep them entertained = disappointing did hard car people I guess.

Maybe they just got bored doing the same things all the time.

Not to mention, the three have branched out to do other things and it is getting harder and harder to get them all together when they need them.

For every person like you, there are tons more who are actually enoying the top gear journey.

I think they are having fun. And I imagine when it gets to be not fun anymore, they will say just screw it, and end the show. Having to try to please a bunch of whinners all the time takes a lot of the fun out of something real fast.
 
And for me, they have not disappointed. They try new things and some of them may not work as well as planned. (I know how that is, happens to me all the time) But do you really think they are doing it as a sell out? No, they are doing that to keep the show hopefully fresh and entertaining.

Further to this, it's worth looking at the poll results - even on this site, the number of people who enjoy the cocking about outnumbers those who don't by quite a way, and we're the "hardcore fans/car enthusiasts place" (speaking very, very generally). It is a minority of this forum's members who spend most of their time talking about how Top Gear's going down the pan. And I'm not condemning that, but it needs to be recognised.
 
Sky, let's not insult each other in this thread please.
 
I dont really know what falling over is all about...
but I like the stuff. Well most of it..
personally I really liked the v8 food blender, but not so much the chair. I think the 8 thing would be better if they had one every episode with some other creative ways to use it.

I really cant see why people didnt like the Dacia Sandaro in S11. That was probaby my fav. part of the entire season. And the I went on the internet skits. But I do think its time for Jeremy to lay the Dacia to rest; it was good up till s12e01, now its just old.
 
I love everything in the show! Every episode has something that makes me laugh and so what if they try to fish more audience with the comedy? I always enjoy the Monty Python quotes Jeremy keeps saying :D Cant think of any right now but I'm sure he's said one or two.

Oh yeah! Wish me a happy birthday!
 
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More audience = more money for them. You don't need to be a genious to figure out why they are doing this atm.

Isn't that basically saying you think they are selling out their integrity for a mess of pottage?

I really don't believe the 3 of them - and Andy - would ever do that.

Indeed. I seriously doubt they're in it for the money. It's probably just nothing more than a bonus, to them.

Not to mention, the three have branched out to do other things and it is getting harder and harder to get them all together when they need them.

For every person like you, there are tons more who are actually enoying the top gear journey.

I think they are having fun. And I imagine when it gets to be not fun anymore, they will say just screw it, and end the show. Having to try to please a bunch of whinners all the time takes a lot of the fun out of something real fast.

Count me as one of the "tons more" enjoying the current journey.

Are there bits I've not liked? Yes. Does it mean I think the show as a whole has turned to crap? Absolutely not. For every bit of rubbish, there are more bits of sheer brilliance.

swraman said:
But I do think its time for Jeremy to lay the Dacia to rest; it was good up till s12e01, now its just old.

It was laid to rest. There's been hardly a mention of it in S12, except for that one time.
 
Its not as good as it used to be, the cheap car challenges don't have the same appeal and the running jokes are irritating.

The Dacia one was good 'till Jeremy started it, it got old fast glad to see it gone now. The most annoying one is "are you wearing that for a bet", funny the 1st time, but overused.

The V8 gadgets are good though as are the stunts, although the whole TG stuntman bit makes them drag on a bit.

Although is is still a good show that I love to watch (despite them having a loathing of the cars I like, its still good enough to pull me in to watch it) I do think it is getting a little too scripted for it to feel natural.

Even if it was scripted a couple of seasons back it never felt like it, the show is at its best when it is just the 3 presenters mucking around.

In my opinion they can make great humor without any script.
 
I like them, but they need to keep them short.
 
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