Top Gear - Finally Back?

Mercury

Mercury

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I think we can all agree that since season 7 TG has not been the same. Some said they were out of ideas and it would only go down from here. Others said they've "sold out" for ratings. Then Season 10 came about and I don't know about you but it definitely feels to me like TG is back in full form to be the show we all fell in love with!

Having watched 9 of 10 episodes I won't bother with reasoning why I feel this way because as TG said it's an X factor you can't really explain.

How does it compare with season 7 which I consider to be the best so far? I don't know. Even if 10 isn't better, it's definitely a worthy rival, and that's saying allot.

I'm wondering if others feel this way or am I just being a touchy idiot talking rubbish?
 
Nah, it won't ever be the same as it used to be. You can easily tell that TG doesn't make the programme just for car nuts any longer, which is a shame in my opinion.

More viewers = more money. I guess... :(


EDIT: Due to the unique way some people here are too sensitive - removed.
 
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^No, I won't fuck off. It's called an opinion. Tough shit, deal with it, man.

No, I do agree. I still think Season 7 is and will always be the best but Season 10 has really made up for the slight disappointments that were Seasons 8 and 9. Not saying that 8 and 9 were bad, but they certainly weren't as good as TG can be. Season 10 has been absolutely fantastic and we can only hope that it's upwards from here.

I get bloody sick of all the nay-sayers in the episode discussion threads complaining about it not being like old TG or being too much entertainment. I say to them: Shut up and watch Fifth Gear instead.
 
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watto said:
No, I do agree. I still think Season 7 is and will always be the best but Season 10 has really made up for the slight disappointments that were Seasons 8 and 9. Not saying that 8 and 9 were bad, but they certainly weren't as good as TG can be. Season 10 has been absolutely fantastic and we can only hope that it's upwards from here.

I get bloody sick of all the nay-sayers in the episode discussion threads complaining about it not being like old TG or being too much entertainment. I say to them: Shut up and watch Fifth Gear instead.
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I couldn't agree more. We never got hooked on this show for being a boring car show with numbers...and statistics. We got hooked because it was exactly the opposite, our favorite cars in a light, funny entertaining atmosphere with 3 blokes cocking about. God I hate it when people say "oh it's not a car show anymore" bugger off and tune into Fifth Gear. That's what it's there for.
 
ahpadt said:
More viewers = more money. I guess... :(
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Not really - because of the unique way the BBC is funded Top Gear will be given a standard budget in line with similar shows - it won't get any increase in money based on the number of viewers - unless maybe it moved to BBC One.

Also - like it or not there ARE a lot of people that love Top Gear but aren't that bothered about cars - Clarkson has talked about it in a number of interviews recently (listen to the Simon Mayo one for an example - search for thread).

Top Gear has evolved beyond being just a car show - it's a fun, entertainment show that happens to also feature cars.

Also if you read Clarksons latest TG Mag column I think he's getting fed up with talking about standard cars - he wants to do the fast, flashy sexy stuff. He basically says petrol heads bore him.
 
There's still a bit of an imbalance between challenges and the "classic" Top Gear episodes of season 7 and older. It's not quite there yet, but I think it's been a big step forward from season 8 and 9.
 
I never thought it "went down". I've been loving Top Gear as much as i used all through season 8 and 9. But i guess we're different like that :p

I consider myself to be a bit of a petrolhead, even if i've only had my license for 4 months and can't afford a car.. :p I spend a good chunk of my day reading about cars, looking at cars.. And watching Top Gear :) But it wasn't the cars i fell in love with in Top Gear.. It was that it was hugely entertaining, while being about cars. And i can sacrifice some of the cars for more entertainment. I know it's been said before, and it's quite stupid really, but if i so desperately want to know about the cars, then i can go elsewhere.

I do understand the people who would like Top Gear to be more about cars. I really do, it does have a certain charm about it. But in my opinion, there's enough as it is - i just wish they would vary it a bit more. Every single time they have a "new" Lambo or a "new" Aston on the show, i feel like i've seen it before. I don't care if Aston has taken the top of it's car, and i don't care if they've magically been able to shave off 100 kg. I want properly new cars. Interesting cars.

That being said, you're right that season 10 is pretty damn good. It's gone by so fast.. Really annoying that there's only one show left this season.. :p
 
I'm not a petrol head. I love cars, especially fast and pretty ones. But I fell in love with top gear way back, because I loved the way they presented. I've watched since the first episode of the new series (although I didn't know that back than).

I started watching because we had to watch english programmes for school (had to be on bbc or something, so we could't have dutch subtitles) Since then when I know that Top gear is on, I will watch it.

To be onest I think that series 6 and 7 are some of the best they did, but I also enjoyed watching all the rest. This series is for me great. Love the entertainment, love the cars. Love the presenters. Just love the show. I'm sad that it is ending. Can't wait till the next show, but after that it would be sad, because I don't what I should do with my sunday's!
 
upyourego said:
Not really - because of the unique way the BBC is funded Top Gear will be given a standard budget in line with similar shows - it won't get any increase in money based on the number of viewers - unless maybe it moved to BBC One.
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But wouldn't more viewers mean increased merchendise sales? Along with more people paying to go to things like MPH and other things which have some sort connection with Top Gear, which means more money for both the presenters and the BBC, despite the show getting the same budget.

Just another thing I've noticed (not really directed to anyone in this thread), while alot of people complain about having Astons on the show when they're only slightly lighter or more powerfull than the old ones, the same people are complaining about the lack of the Ferrari 430 Scuderia, which is only really a lighter and more powerfull (not really sure if I'm right here, please correct me if wrong) version of the F430.
 
I never found Season 9 to be bad, in fact, I enjoyed it thoroughly. I love cars, but to me Top Gear was always something more than cars and statistics. It's these adventures, that we get to live vicariously through the eyes of the cameras, that have made Top Gear into one of my favorite shows.
 
upyourego said:
Not really - because of the unique way the BBC is funded Top Gear will be given a standard budget in line with similar shows - it won't get any increase in money based on the number of viewers - unless maybe it moved to BBC One.

Also - like it or not there ARE a lot of people that love Top Gear but aren't that bothered about cars - Clarkson has talked about it in a number of interviews recently (listen to the Simon Mayo one for an example - search for thread).

Top Gear has evolved beyond being just a car show - it's a fun, entertainment show that happens to also feature cars.

Also if you read Clarksons latest TG Mag column I think he's getting fed up with talking about standard cars - he wants to do the fast, flashy sexy stuff. He basically says petrol heads bore him.
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So if say Fifth Gear got better ratings and a higher budget, TG's budget would also increase?
 
watto said:
I get bloody sick of all the nay-sayers in the episode discussion threads complaining about it not being like old TG or being too much entertainment. I say to them: Shut up and watch Fifth Gear instead.
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^Whoever gave me this neg rep "respect others' opinions if you want people to respect yours, stop with the 'if you dont like it watch fifth gear' bullshit".

Kind of ironic that. The watch fifth gear statement is an opinion of mine. According to you, we should all respect each others opinions. Congratulations on defeating the purpose of your own statement in not respecting my opinion.

Fail.
 
Mercury said:
I think we can all agree that since season 7 TG has not been the same. Some said they were out of ideas and it would only go down from here. Others said they've "sold out" for ratings. Then Season 10 came about and I don't know about you but it definitely feels to me like TG is back in full form to be the show we all fell in love with!

Having watched 9 of 10 episodes I won't bother with reasoning why I feel this way because as TG said it's an X factor you can't really explain.

How does it compare with season 7 which I consider to be the best so far? I don't know. Even if 10 isn't better, it's definitely a worthy rival, and that's saying allot.

I'm wondering if others feel this way or am I just being a touchy idiot talking rubbish?
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I think series 10 is great. Not the best, but still great. There have been quite a few episodes so far that I've wanted to watch multiple times. Like the African Challenge. And the British Leyland special.

I like the Challenges, but they were a little over the top previously, but this season is better. And they've actually done quite a few good car tests. Of course, those were usually pretty short and 80% fancy camera shots with clips of tire smoke and a screaming tire soundtrack, but still car reviews. I'm really looking forward to the C63-RS4-M3 comparo that'll be coming up. I'm hoping against hope that it's not like the crappy RX8-Alfa-Audi test they did last year. I hope they actually drive eachothers cars and do some realistic tests. I don't want to hear that they all secretly love the BMW back at the studio, and everything they said in the test was crock. <_<

watto said:
I get bloody sick of all the nay-sayers in the episode discussion threads complaining about it not being like old TG or being too much entertainment. I say to them: Shut up and watch Fifth Gear instead.
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As bad as TopGear can get, it's still not nearly as bad as Fifth Gear. That's like saying, "If you're not happy with your BMW X5, then shut up and buy a Pontiac Aztek". It really doesn't make any sense. Why would we watch an even worse show? We want better, not worse.
 
awdrifter said:
So if say Fifth Gear got better ratings and a higher budget, TG's budget would also increase?
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No it would be in comparison to other shows on the BBC, the budget would be set by the department responsible for Top Gear (Factual now I think) and it would be inline with other similar genre shows on the BBC - the only criteria Top Gear will be set is that it gets at least as many viewers as other BBC Two shows.

Basically Top Gear could drop to 3 million viewers a week and not be cancelled as that would still be a good number for BBC Two.

Of course the presenters and the BBC benefits from commercial sales of Top Gear around the world, through merchandising or on DVD but the actual show, Top Gear, would see none of that money - it wouldn't change the size of the budget and wouldn't affect the decision to keep it on air or not.

Because Top Gear is funded by the TV licence, the only audience it needs to serve is the UK audience - in fact the only audience its allowed to serve when considering what goes into the show - is the UK audience.
 
Wow, wow, what was wrong with Season 8?!? Re-watch it. :rolleyes:

It had some mucking about yes, the amphibious challenge and the van challenge were OT, but heck, they were awesome!

The cars in that series:
BMW Z4M
Jaguar XKR
Porsche Boxster S
Corvette C6
Koenigsegg CCX
Mercedes S500

And cars that were indirectly reviewed in challenges:
Porsche Cayenne
Citroen C6 etc.

(^That's all I can remember off the top of my head.)

^ Well, as you can see, it wasn't exactly all mucking about was it? :rolleyes:

But that said, Season 7 did have more "car-stuff".

And season 10? Well it's pretty good so far. If people are still complaining that Top Gear has turned over to entertainment rather that informative automotive reviews, they should just go watch Fifth Gear. :rolleyes:
 
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TopGear is back. Season 10 is the best, it's even better than season 7.

The only disapointment for me was 10x02. I absolutely love the rest of this series.
 
Arguably one of the best series. Shame they had to use old clips, like James reviewing Alfa...
 
God, some people.

Comparing different seasons of Top Gear is moot at best, and psychotic neuroticism at its most terrifying worst. Just look at the obsessive nitpicking in the specific episode threads and anybody can easily see to what ridiculous lengths some "fans" will go to complain about how much the show has "gone downhill". Honestly, I don't give a rat's ass if they replaced The Stig with Ryan Seacrest tomorrow (they're both clearly useless, anyway) and turned it into Gossip Girls; I'd still watch it. (Well, maybe I would complain a bit...) The point is...I'm just happy that these people have a job, that they're allowed to touch and gaze at fine machinery, and that the environmentalists, politicians, environmentalist politicians, neo-conservatives, Labour Party members, lobbyists, marketers, advertising directors, middle managers, PR representatives, accountants, Parent-Teacher Association members, board of trustees, concerned mothers, the elderly, animal lovers, Communists, and Ron Paul haven't gotten ahold of it yet.

Season 10 vs. Seasons 7, 6, 8, 3, 4, etc.: It's like saying, do you want a delicious chocolate birthday cake, or a delicious chocolate birthday cake with a teaspoon less sugar? Either way, it's still a birthday cake and therefore incredibly awesome, and complaining about it is silly. Deal with it, there's still some good in life without you lot nitpicking it to death.


P.S. This post is CLEARLY tongue-in-cheek. If you didn't get that, then God just gave you a -1 rep in life.
 
you can compare just about anything if you really want to, but I?m not gonna bother pondering about whether I liked series 7 or 10 better, but I do know that -as far as I?m concerned- they?re the best ones so far...

OK, so they?re not selling out for ratings, sounds like something I?d like to believe so I will. So the reason the show was becoming sort of less petrol-head-oriented must lie in the makers of the show wanting to do something different, bad for me, good for other people, but I guess that?s tough luck. I?m definitely not gonna start getting into fifth gear.

The reason that Top Gear is my favorite TV show by a long way is that I love cars, and I hate it when people reduce them to a bunch of facts and figures. Don?t get me wrong, I love facts and figures, after all I?m an engineering student, and on top of that I?m german. Facts contain nothing that can convey to you how a car will make you feel when you drive it though, and how much fun you can have with it. Anyone that doesn?t understand the passion that people like me have for cars should watch the segments with the supercars in france, and the ultimate driving roads, if they still don?t get it, their loss. Hell, as far as I care they can launch hundreds of cars into space, and sink a whole armada of horribly designed amphibious vehicles, as long as they still do proper car reviews, as they have finally been doing again this series.

Most petrol heads I know love to talk about horsepower, torque, and carbon fibre for hours, but really know absolutely nothing about them save the fact that large amounts of them will generally make a car faster. I think the three Top Gear guys are, in essence, just a bunch of petrol heads who have realised how boring it is to talk about something of which you know nothing. And turned instead to the stuff that they really care about, which is whether or not a car will make you feel like a 5 year old again, like a driving god, or if it will just scare you in ways that are more pleasurable than anything else you could ever do without taking your clothes off.

I don?t get why Jeremy has been making all these remarks about how he doesn?t like petrol heads, as they?re the reason the show became so popular in the first place. I?m not saying they should aim the show at the anoraks, but at the real petrol heads, the kind that isn?t boring to be with, and the kind that appreciates it when someone can describe cars in a language that anyone understands.

There you go, those are my thoughts on the topic that keeps popping up all over this forum with everyone complaining about everything. But since I don?t get any say in what where and how the show will continue, in the future I will just keep them to myself, and not write big long posts like this one, which I usually hate to read.

cheers...
 
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