James May's Cars of the People

Aston Martin said:
The amount of RPG's to destroy the Reno. :lol:
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The same questionable logic that had these two types of vehicle being used by French military would no doubt also suggest that it'd be wise to install bigger windows ... thus letting more rounds pass safely through :?
 
Very enjoyable - who knew that there were quite so many really crappy cars built in the past.

I grew up with that weird 3 wheeled car on a motorcycle licence law in the UK - sort of made sense at the time.
 
I think is now a running gag in the series : Camera car breaking down. Can't wait to see next week :p
 
I enjoyed the subtle Spinal Tap homage in the first episode :lol:
 
I really like this series,as pretty much everything May does, it's brilliant.
I don't understand how and why they need to spend 10 minutes shooting at an R4 and a 2CV only to determine they're both shit?
Also, how do you miss a car with a bazooka 4 times in a row?
 
NooDle said:
I don't understand how and why they need to spend 10 minutes shooting at an R4 and a 2CV only to determine they're both shit?
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They might be shit, and there might be millions of them, but they didn't need to destroy two perfectly good classics like that :rolleyes: For a moment it felt like May ringed Clarkson and asked for help on doing a factual program.
 
NooDle said:
Also, how do you miss a car with a bazooka 4 times in a row?
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By shooting straight through the bodywork. :lol:

I'm of the opinion the destruction is just to attract views. Cars appeal to a certain audience, cars going boom/falling from great heights appeals to a larger audience. They need stuff to put in the trailers and keep the general public watching and not turning over to watch Storage Hunters, Lizard Lick Towing or some other "reality" bullshit.

The Lada drop was at least brief even if it was pointless and a tired joke. The R4/2CV destruction really dragged on though, I got legitimately bored. It felt like a waste of time that could be better spent covering something else. It seems that television in general is drifting away from the informative but entertaining in favour of "oooh, look. Explosions and flashing lights!!!" in the hope of gaining more viewers as more and more people move towards online on-demand services...
 
captain_70s said:
I'm of the opinion the destruction is just to attract views. Cars appeal to a certain audience, cars going boom/falling from great heights appeals to a larger audience. They need stuff to put in the trailers and keep the general public watching and not turning over.
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I suspect that unlike James' other documentary series, where he doesn't feel the need to drop a Meccano motorcycle from a great height or do aerobatics in a U2, some of the production team from recent TGUK episodes (and Hammond's Blast Lab) are 'assisting' in this current 3 parter. I'm sure James would rather have left those cars intact. Given the audience I assumed this series was aimed at, I'm surprised this silliness made it by everyone and into the show - I'm sure it'd be better without it.
:(
 
Remember that even JM's Top Toys and My Sisters' Top Toys from ten years ago contained a lot of destruction, and so did 20th Century or Toy Stories.
 
peta303 said:
Remember that even JM's Top Toys and My Sisters' Top Toys from ten years ago contained a lot of destruction, and so did 20th Century or Toy Stories.
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I must have forgotten what was in those shows. Might be worth a re-watch while I wait a new TG.
 
Me too cos I don't recall much destruction other than accidental (like the Meccano bridge)
 
mpicco said:
Me too cos I don't recall much destruction other than accidental (like the Meccano bridge)
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Blowing up Action Man, shooting up the plastic scale model of the Bismarck, flash powder and model tanks, detonating one of his sister's toy sets, and so one.
 
Wing Nut said:
I suspect that unlike James' other documentary series, where he doesn't feel the need to drop a Meccano motorcycle from a great height or do aerobatics in a U2, some of the production team from recent TGUK episodes (and Hammond's Blast Lab) are 'assisting' in this current 3 parter. I'm sure James would rather have left those cars intact. Given the audience I assumed this series was aimed at, I'm surprised this silliness made it by everyone and into the show - I'm sure it'd be better without it.
:(
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The production team may come from a variety of other shows but James has stated on twitter that the script for this series was written by him. Therefore, and I know how much this must pain some of you, it means that James appears to be perfectly capable of scripting fatuous inane destruction of vehicles all by himself and in this case does not get let off by the assumption that he was 'just following orders'.

The military vehicle destruction was completely pointless and far too long, and as usual James drawing out a subject just that little bit too much ruined what otherwise was an entertaining and interesting story.
 
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Labcoatguy said:
Blowing up Action Man, shooting up the plastic scale model of the Bismarck, flash powder and model tanks, detonating one of his sister's toy sets, and so one.
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An action man and a plastic Bismarck, plus some other toys totalling about 50 quid, does not equal blowing up two classic cars with genuine demand and fan clubs. Heck the cheapest 2CV in that good of a condition will probably set you back some 5000 euros here.
 
mpicco said:
An action man and a plastic Bismarck, plus some other toys totalling about 50 quid, does not equal blowing up two classic cars with genuine demand and fan clubs. Heck the cheapest 2CV in that good of a condition will probably set you back some 5000 euros here.
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Hey, all you said was that you didn't recall any intentional destruction, and I just pointed out a few instances of it. You also don't know if those cars had reasons for being cheap enough to blow up, like terminal or crash damage. Plus just because it's rare and costs 5000 euros in Portugal doesn't mean the BBC can't get them cheaply and easily. And if you're bringing up "genuine demand and fan clubs", well, the same can be said about the Morris Marina.
 
Labcoatguy said:
Hey, all you said was that you didn't recall any intentional destruction, and I just pointed out a few instances of it. You also don't know if those cars had reasons for being cheap enough to blow up, like terminal or crash damage. Plus just because it's rare and costs 5000 euros in Portugal doesn't mean the BBC can't get them cheaply and easily. And if you're bringing up "genuine demand and fan clubs", well, the same can be said about the Morris Marina.
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Again, James has said on twitter that both the military cars destroyed were 'cut-and-shut-wrecks'. The segment was still pointless though.
 
Humm, I don't think there are such things as 2CV wrecks. Unless the bodywork is completely mangled beyond recognition, those pieces can be easily fitted as spares to other 2CVs, the whole body is attached to the chassis with nothing more than a few bolts.
 
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