Jeremy Clarkson Suspended Over Fracas

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I can't say I share everyone's enthusiasm for the main crew jumping ship, never mind that some articles seem to have James May's agent saying they're still talking to the BBC about Top Gear even though he's ruled himself out.
There seems to be this fantasy that things will resume as usual on a different network under a different name and complete freedom from criticism if they offend people but I doubt it will be the case. There is also the future of Top Gear in limbo now as it has no real creative figurehead guiding its future to reinvention, it's coming back in one form or another so I'd like to see it come back with someone with actual talent at the reins who isn't just trying to make Politically Correct Gear thinking under the misguided view of what made the program good, Andy's article describing the creative process to get the show on the air doesn't leave a lot of confidence in that regard.
 
- how many car shows are there that are truly global
- how many TV shows are there that are actually worth watching because they're not boringly PC or based on drama, xfactor or whatever
- how many shows actually have intelligent presenters being allowed to clown around, doing their thing
- how many TV shows are made, in total

Given that the answer to that is "uuuuhm I can think of perhaps 3, of all the thousands of crap shows they come up with" what are the chances that a random restart of the TG brand with a new random set of presenters is going to work as well, or better? We're back to pre-JC TG: a failing brand about to get closed down because no one is going to watch it.

It's not that I WANT TG to fail but realistically the chances of it being crap are really high because most TV programs really suck. I'm fine with that, I don't watch TG because it's TG, I don't care for the BBC as such. I watch it because it has interesting people and if those interesting people relocate I'll relocate with them.
 
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Aston Martin said:
Yes, thank you James.
If Hammond fucks this up and says yes. I will have to turf him.
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He's only small, but burying him under your lawn would still make it rather lumpy.
 
The main problem, as I see it:

Wasn't the Format that had resulted from JC's "string of light bulbs" getting a bit tired, formulaic and repetitive anyway?

I mean sure, they've tried to counter that by breaking the mold, letting the presenters have unexpected opinions and such, and there were still the occasional bouts of astonishing creativity. And with greater budgets came supreme editing and the CGI and the exotic travel locations and all of that. But all of that remained on the content level, meaning what kind of outrageous statement, plot device etc to garnish a given piece content with.

Whereas that seminal 'string of light bulbs' from which the New Top Gear format itself resulted took place on the conceptual level. And not even JC might be getting many of those any more, and they will get fewer the older he gets. Meanwhile, the internet revolution has led to a different level of expectations, what with other people with great conceptual ideas being able to get them aired to huge audiences without having to jump through the hoops of meddling organisations like the BBC.

I could be wrong. But basically, true reinvention on the conceptual level takes genius on a Picasso scale to accomplish it several times over a single lifetime.
 
That's a very strong point made more valid by the fact that we live in an age of virtually instant gratification and the constant pressure to be "the latest thing".

I've done it before but I liken the trio to an aging rock band, still touring and playing the same old standards at every gig yet packing arenas wherever they go.

Clarkson is Keith Richards, obviously.
 
Cancun said:
The main problem, as I see it:

Wasn't the Format that had resulted from JC's "string of light bulbs" getting a bit tired, formulaic and repetitive anyway?
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Even the most avid fans would struggle to deny that, deep down.
But! I like to think that we weren't still watching TG with the hope that it would come up with something entirely novel with every item.
Also, I do find it almost physically impossible for a show like TG to avoid coming across as repetitive. There are only so many places you can test a car for example, and they fall into the two major categories that are "On the track" and "Outside". They could obviously find a way to review the next Ferrari on the moon, but then again once they will have done that... Any subsequent moon test would feel repetitive.
Ignoring the location, even the wording that is employed for description is eventually bound to feel like a broken tape. The English vocabulary is sadly finite, and adjectives describing how good a car is have sadly run out by now. Also, unless the car to be reviewed has been made with new materials, utilizing an entirely novel propulsion system that permits warps and teleportation ... Then all we can expect to hear in a review is 0-60 times, flat-out speed, lap times, building materials, etc... .

I think what I'm getting at with all that blather is that TG has a format that doesn't lend itself, intrinsically and for the most part, to perpetual reinvention. In order to enjoy it, a viewer must be prepared to see and hear many things that they might have already seen or heard, and focus on enjoying the fresh things that the team has struggled to think of, to liven the item up.

Basically, I wasn't expecting TopGear to last forever... I just think that for them to have managed over 170 episodes is a great feat. And I believe I speak for most fans when I say that all we were expecting, realistically, was for them to make a few more series and go out with style, leaving a lasting and pleasant mark in television annals and in our minds.
 
The contract is up for all of them. Only Wilman was still under contract.
 
He's presumably not currently under contract and TG is no more. Without a job, there is nothing for him to quit.
 
If I recall we all knew their contracts would have been out by now it's just if it weren't for the Fracas they would have signed on for another 3 years or whatever it is, doesn't mean they aren't talking to the BBC though about Top Gear.
Andy Wilman's resignation throws a monkey wrench into any speculation but only they know what the game plan is at this moment especially considering he was meant to be working on the reminding footage from the last 3 episodes of series 22.
 
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Ayman said:
Even the most avid fans would struggle to deny that, deep down.
But! I like to think that we weren't still watching TG with the hope that it would come up with something entirely novel with every item.
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And this is key here. People are creatures of habit, and as long as it's entertaining enough, we'll still watch it. It might not be as good, or as creative, as it was, but as long as it isn't terrible, then we're less likely to turn to something else. Creative inertia isn't something to be underestimated in the viewing public.
 
Cancun said:
The main problem, as I see it:

Wasn't the Format that had resulted from JC's "string of light bulbs" getting a bit tired, formulaic and repetitive anyway?
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I don't agree with this, with series 22 they certainly put that argument to shame!
If your statement was made pre series 22, then I would have agreed.
 
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