Season 14 slid off track

I also have been watching Top gear as long as Mr. Mineworksfine (If not longer to be honest) and I too have been a bit depressed about this season.

There have been the funny bits, there have been a few good guests, and a few nice cars.

But, yesterday was the FIRST TIME EVER, I have actually turned over as top gear was too depressing for me to watch.

The actual moment was...

In the art gallery, with the art expert chap, May's "sculpture" and Clarkson and Hammond walking towards it.

I KNEW, it was coming down and Clarkson and Hammond would jump back in mock horror. And May would just stand there with a look on his face before saying "Clarkson you Oaf"

Except he didn't say anything, he just looked and I could see him thinking "Oh Christ, what have we become"...

This is TG as a Laurel and Hardy film :-(

I turned over to watch Lemony Snicket on Film 4 and I only turned back over to see them saying goodbye.
 
acabinian said:
^^^^^ this x100.

TG (including Wilman, the trio, crews and staff) just need to step back and look at what they have. The production quality is there and is evident each week. But, as you've said, janstett, they're doing so much work with TG Live on top of filiming/editing for TG, that it's getting to be too much.

(P.S. curse your Yankees for beating the Phillies in the World Series this year :thumbsdown: :( ;))
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They need to hire some new blood - someone like me ;). I agree that sometimes the content is not as auto-centric as it used to be, but naturally, I'm looking at this a bit different from a sound mix perspective and wondering what happened to their music budget? The mix has become predictable with the same albums over and over, I mean how many times can they use Ludovico Einaudi and the damn "Inside Man" soundtrack? We are nitpicking I know, but I contend that great content mixed with creative music choices, is what set Top Gear apart back in Seasons 5-8 (a time when they rarely used predictable film scores over and over, and seamed to hand select songs that no other television shows would think of using.)
 
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GTV V6 said:
But, yesterday was the FIRST TIME EVER, I have actually turned over as top gear was too depressing for me to watch.

The actual moment was...

In the art gallery, with the art expert chap, May's "sculpture" and Clarkson and Hammond walking towards it.

I KNEW, it was coming down and Clarkson and Hammond would jump back in mock horror. And May would just stand there with a look on his face before saying "Clarkson you Oaf"

Except he didn't say anything, he just looked and I could see him thinking "Oh Christ, what have we become"...

This is TG as a Laurel and Hardy film :-(
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My entire family watch TG and not one of them laughed or even broke a smile. It was funny the 1st few times like when James' Capri smashed the piano but its just too easy to see coming, also as you get attached to the show and presenters I think people start to feel sorry for James as its always his stuff that gets ruined. Scripted it may be but after a while its slightly saddening.

I was never a huge fan of old TG, I watch the odd bit now and again but what I liked most was the start of the '3 blokes cocking about even though its a car show' era. Now it seems almost like its '3 blokes cocking about, because thats what the shows about', its lost the feeling of "Wow, I didn't expect that".

I also get the feeling from reading James' articles in the Telegraph he's not too keen the whole 'keeping in character' bit either. As charming and amusing as it is that he's a bit of an ecentric with a kitchen full of motorcycle parts and he lives in the 1950s, I don't think its needed to highlight the point all the time.
From watching his other shows and reading his articles you find he's really much more toned down than his TG apperance.

Just my opinion, feel free to have your own. I just feel that the last TG episode I really liked was the Vietnam Speical.
I'm hoping the South American Special will be just as good...
 
It looks like TG started shifting its target audience to idiots, imbeciles and women now.
 
wasapamati said:
Typical response from any forum. "What's this?! You don't have 2,000+ posts! And you're not blindly agreeing with all our complaining like a sheep! Get him!!!!"
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Read his signature. Surely if you're a Top Gear fan you're familiar with the British phrase/tradition "taking the piss".
 
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Nuieve said:
It looks like TG started shifting its target audience to idiots, imbeciles and women now.
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Yup .. think that about sums it up.

Having seen 5 episodes of this series, it is IMO the worst series ever. I can go back and watch eps from series 1 and still enjoy them, but doubt I will do the same for any eps from this series.

Top Gear was at its best when it was an entertaining show about cars. As an entertainment show with cars it is pretty dull faire and I don't know why people with integrity would let it slip into this latter genre. It airs on BBC2 .. a channel set up for niche programs, not rubbish with diffuse audience demgraphics.

I'm not sure Andy Wilman is the producer either .. this series looks more like the work of Michael Bay and Jerry Bruckheimer ... lacklustre content garnished with expensive explosions, crashes and predictable prat falls. All style, no substance.

If they are running out of ideas ... and sinking the Twingo is a pretty good hint that that is case, why not go back to their roots? Why make a mockery of the road test?

It seems to me, that they have forgotten how to connect with their audience. Why did they have to take 3 unattainably expensive cars to Romania? They already did that in France (twice) ... and Italy .. and Switzerland. Why not take 3 hot hatches instead .. something real people can relate to.

@Richmondgal: If Top Gear was a cat, it has stopped catching mice and purring and started pissing on the bathroom mat.
 
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hantms said:
You know what, to keep things fresh it doesn't even have to be about cars anymore. The attraction never was cars, the attraction was making funny 'bloke TV' about topics that are interesting to blokes.
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Someone already brought it up, but I've found Mssrs May and Clarkson's side projects (such as "Meet the Neighbours", "James May On The Moon", et al) very entertaining and informative.

I would fully support the entire production team doing another show and/or side projects -- the brain power, the personality, the wit, the production values -- it's all there. Maybe instead of morphing Top Gear into something else, what we have here is a case of Siamese Twins that need to be surgically separated. The car program part is being consumed by the comedy show. Maybe a side project is exactly what they need.

The initial attraction for me was a combination of (a) looking at cars in a fun way instead of reading a window sticker and (b) not being afraid to be utterly silly. Bonus points for (c) making a car program exciting and entertaining for spouses who ordinarily wouldn't watch a car program if their lives depended on it.

EDIT: I just read Andy's blog, and I do encourage them to experiment and try new things, don't be afraid to fail. When I reflect upon the kind of dreck most auto shows are (such as Motor Week, which hasn't changed its formula at all in the 20 years I've been watching), it takes bravery and daring to resist the urge to fall into a complete formula, because that's easy.
 
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GTV V6 said:
This is TG as a Laurel and Hardy film :-(
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No, it's not, because even the worst moments of Laurel & Hardy (and the Three Stooges, and the Marx Brothers) are more funny and better-executed comedy. It's sad but true.

Nuieve said:
It looks like TG started shifting its target audience to idiots, imbeciles and women now.
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While i agree with you on topic, i don't like your useage of "women" as a symbol of stupidity.
 
hantms said:
You know what, to keep things fresh it doesn't even have to be about cars anymore. The attraction never was cars, the attraction was making funny 'bloke TV' about topics that are interesting to blokes.
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MamesJay said:
As the show became bigger and popular, it moved towards the mainstream audience.
Everything has to be a big showy something, even if there isn't anything. It's about goofing around and pompous effects, not about cars.
The show has become the "Nintendo Wii" of car shows.
It's all pointless noodling around.
Cause any real road test of a car, or just a tiny detail too much, could scare away the masses.
The ones that would never watch Top Gear again if there was a 24h Simon Cowell channel.
The ones that would watch Simon Cowell sell T-Shirts.
The ones that don't care what they are watching, as long as it is a big, flashy, something.
That's the audience Top Gear caters to these days.
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I'm a genius. :cool:
 
Nuieve said:
It looks like TG started shifting its target audience to idiots, imbeciles and women now.
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Thanks very much.
I think you'll find a number of women on here who are neither idiots nor imbeciles, who love cars, who've enjoyed TG for many years and won't appreciate that sort of remark.
If you'd said pre-teens I might have agreed with you. If you were trying to be funny, you failed as much as some of TG's latest scripts.
 
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I do agree something has gone wrong with top gear. I'm just posting here to say it's not forums like this that have caused any expectations that are dashed. I don't read or post much here, and I'm feeling the same way as many regulars here, even without getting a daily fix of top gear news or feed back. I feel the same watching it on my own, so don't blame the forums for making this season seem a bit ho hum.

I've been watching the current version of top gear since season 1, and it's all got a little boring for me in season 14.
Yes I still watch it, getting the latest version of top gear every monday used to be a highlight of my week. I still watch it because it's better than not watching anything at all on a monday night, but it doesn't blow me away anymore.
Top gear should be an entertaining show about cars. That's what they got right previously, cars can interesting even if you aren't a 'car' person. For example cars can take you to interesting places, cars can bring out new technology, you can have an adventure in a car; so the show could be about cars, but still be interesting. That's what they used to do, have a show about cars, but still be interesting.
I loved the old top gear, when even if they were reviewing a focus or a mazda, they drove it somewhere interesting, relevent cars, interesting locations, good show. The eco drive to scotland on one tank, the test drive of the citroen van. All boring cars, but made great by the team. That's a good baseline to add all their europe/USA etc specials to.
Now it's about supercars on their track and some lame filler (what's the filler? I can't tell anymore)

I do agree with Andy, it's predictable because their "cartoon" personalities are on show. I had a feeling it was all going wrong with Jeremy Clarkson's Duel, that just bored me to tears because he just went OTT on that, like he is doing this season.
[Edit: not that they are necessairly related, but he's playing the buffoon/POWAH character too much, which gets old fast for most long time veiwers. Clarkson can be interesting without that, like the eco challenge to scotland and back, the race against the boat to norway, the trip to the humber bridge, he had his personality without going OTT for those features and many more.]

They aren't too far off the course, the show isn't a write off, but it's just the little things that add up that just make this current season weak.
I appreciate everything Andy has said, they don't want to redo old ideas (but they have?), but I can understand regardless what he means, there's no point making a big feature ep of something they've already done. It would be pretty hard to do africa mk2, or another best road in europe, or another ??1000 car challenge, or to think of another car vs 'X' race in europe.
I guess that's the problem, they are bored because they've almost done it all.
But hey, even when it was regular cars driving through the UK etc, it was better than these off the wall irellevant segments. Go back to that with the odd supercar, 1 or 2 specials per season.

I suggest australia, you haven't done a challenge there yet :D

I'm off to watch season 10 again, as it was mentioned so much in this thread I feel like revisiting the one of the high lights
 
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blue2fire said:
Now on the Daily Mail's website.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbi...nters-cartoon-characters-ratings-plummet.html
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I think its vital that it continues, if only to annoy people who say things like this:

'Let's get back to reality. We want to know about the cars we all drive or may hope to drive in the real world. Not this delinquent world of speeding and contempt for the environment.?

No, we spend our lives in "reality", the last thing we want sometimes is more of it on the television. Let's keep going with the delinquency please.

And there are already programmes for people who want serious car reviews. They're okay, they do what they say on the tin, but they're not entertaining at all.
 
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wasapamati said:
I for one don't see what all the fuss is about on here!

14x01 - the trip to Romania was great, really enjoyed seeing a country that I haven't really seen much of and as always watching the boys cock about during the journey.
14x02 - I thought the electric car stuff was funny. Yes some of it was a bit contrived, but it's still funny and I enjoyed the episode
14x03 - James' caravan airship was brilliant! The Lancia film was also brilliant!
14x04 - Hammond and others crashing airport vehicles into eachother, priceless! That bit was hilarious. The uber-expensive SUVs were interesting and Clarkson's Twingo road test was great.
14x05 - the only actual bad episode I think I've ever seen of Top Gear, and I've seen them all. But hey, they tried something different. There were still some good moments in there but as a whole the art gallery bit didn't seem to work from my point of view. But that's only one episode out of 14 seasons that I actually haven't really enjoyed. That's a pretty damn good ratio if you ask me. So bravo to the entire Top Gear team on that. Even The Sopranos had a slightly off episode here or there. No show is or ever will be immune to that.

So yes they've done some better stuff in the past and we all can pretty much agree that the show is at its best during the big challenges and the big races and trips (such as the upcoming Bolivia episode I'm sure), but I for one see absolutely no reason at all to complain about the current state of Top Gear. Great job to everyone at the Top Gear team for continually putting out a great product!
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I agree with this post. 14x05 was the season low i think, but still was watchable. There's nothing wrong in trying new things as long it has something to do with cars or motorsports. Ive been watching top gear for 4-5 years and not a single episode has got me thinking "This is crap, ill stop watching".

I discovered Top Gear from video.google.com and been in love since then.
 
JPD said:
I think its vital that it continues, if only to annoy people who say things like this:

'Let's get back to reality. We want to know about the cars we all drive or may hope to drive in the real world. Not this delinquent world of speeding and contempt for the environment.?

No, we spend our lives in "reality", the last thing we want sometimes is more of it on the television. Let's keep going with the delinquency please.

And there are already programmes for people who want serious car reviews. They're okay, they do what they say on the tin, but they're not entertaining at all.
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Neither is this Season.
 
For anyone out there that is disappointed with Top Gear Series 14, I suggest you watch (or rewatch) Top Gear Australia Series 2.

I never thought I'd hear myself say this, but TGA S2 > TG UK S14. I'm just hoping that the South American road movie is epic.
 
I've managed to stay out of this for this long, but I want to just throw in my comments just so I can say that I have said what I think about it.

We all know that the car orientated Top Gear ended with series 8, before Hammond had his "300mph crash", and that to me has been when I started to not like it as much as I did before. Everything up until then was primarily about the car, with the occasional treat. A race every couple of series, the odd game of caravan conkers etc. It was special because it wasn't every week, every series and then it was different. Hence the reason why my favourite episode was, and still is the Winter Olympics. It was the first and best of them messing about.

I'm not saying that there hasn't been any good ones after series 8, there have been some great parts. American and African roadtrip, Polar special, and some other parts.

Before anyone says I should go away and watch other car shows if I'm not happy with TG, then I've got news for you. I have been, and I always have because they have been about cars, no matter how bad they are.

In all honesty though I think if Wilman and the rest aren't careful, it'll end up going the same way that Fifth Gear went when they tried to do the entertainment bit too much. Axed, because they strayed away from what people originally loved it for. Fifth Gear was a good show, before they tried to get greedy and want more viewers, I'm sure they would still be on TV if they had kept it more about the cars. It's the same with Top Gear Australia. Their first series wasn't that 'car orientated' as it were, more entertainment. But their second series toned it down and focused on the car more. Not much, but it was enough that they, from what I can remember, managed to get viewing figures roughly the same each week, which saved it form the axe, since from what I've seen, they will be back for a third series.
 
pablo_h said:
I don't read or post much here, and I'm feeling the same way as many regulars here, even without getting a daily fix of top gear news or feed back. I feel the same watching it on my own, so don't blame the forums for making this season seem a bit ho hum.
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My feelings exactly. I usually only make a quick post-episode visit to the forums just to vote and in doing so keep some restraint on my 1 - 10 rating in case a real gem come along later. Usually this means my vote is always on the lower side of the mean. Lately though I've been struggling to give more than 5/10 and everyone else seems to have moved down with me.

In the past the nasty surprises that befell our trio usually seemed like genuine surprises to them too, and re-watching old shows with more jaded eyes still confirms this, but Richard's easel falling in the river, for instance, was so predictable (not to mention contrived, cheap, etc) that I winced. I hope it's just a phase for the TG trio since on their own they can still produce quite riveting TV programmes.
 
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