What has to happen for TG to improve?

What has to happen for TG to improve?

1) I've grown to despise the phrase "cocking about", and it would be a massive improvement if scenes such as Richard's painting falling in the lake and James' structure falling over were cut out.

2) Use more stereotypes about cars and their drivers - I'm thinking of the Cadillac Escalade "bling" test and James' test of the Subaru Forester at the British toff's country mansion. It's fun when they poke fun at buyers.

3) Drop any sequences where obscure vehicles are raced by Richard Hammond and some unknown drivers.

4) Do not play any segment of a guest's film during the Star in a Reasonably Priced Car.

5) Let James be a bit more like his true self, as he is on his own programs like James May an the Edge of Space.

6) Don't say "How hard can it be?"
 
No spoilers here but if Top Gear is to improve it should do exactly what they've done in the first 20 minutes of 14x07. If this one continues like this then I will be a happy man.
 
i had to register just for this thread...

i had to register just for this thread...

the prob with TG in my opinion is that they are out of ideas. thats it. its not that the chemistry is gone, or too much acting or anything, they just need ideas. (and it seems that they are avoiding good ideas, like building challenges which were awesome)

here are some of my concrete suggestions...

1. enter gumball 3000 (either in 3 cars or a saloon car) and film them during the trip.. thats gotta be gold

2. drive across russia (mebbe a russian car vs russian trans-siberian train <-- which is an amazing adventure by itself) it will be a west meets east type of deal.

3. drive across canada show the plains, north canada... do a challenge one gets presenter gets a car only sold in america and one gets a car sold in both north america and europe.. then compare. i think even a challenge like where you get fixed amount of $... so you get $5000, with that you need to buy a car, eat, pay for gas, stay in hotel... then see how they do... im sure jeremy will get a car for $4,999 then eat tree bark and sleep under the stars with the remaining $1.

4. get them to go to a school get paired up with a buddy which we had here for a while (an elementary school kid, usually 1st grade) then together design and build additions to a car that has a challenge to accomplish... so kid thinks of needs to be done to improve the car and the presenters make it happen! like a fold-able bridge or pontoons to get across water and stuff...so have a race across a landscape that has crevasses, water hazards and hills... that sort of thing. kids imaginations = winner for sure. then the presenters do all those challenges with the kids in the car, it would be awesome to see the bonding )

5. give each presenter x amount of dollars and get them to buy a car from a given decade for challenges. like jeremy gets 60s james 70s and hammond 80s ...

6. compare what you get for x amount of dollars when you buy a new vs old car... then do a review comparing the two (or three)

7. drive across saudi arabia and the huge desert

all in all i think they should have a challenge/big review that they mix in with a sportscar review (like they have been doing in the past) that way its not always crazy cars that noone can afford and ppl complain.

thanks for reading, any feedback = awesome!
 
No spoilers here but if Top Gear is to improve it should do exactly what they've done in the first 20 minutes of 14x07. If this one continues like this then I will be a happy man.

You see you can't please all the people all the time. I thought that was shite..all the computer graphics and spaceship...whats all that about...someone in the editing suite thought he (or she?? that would explain it...) would play around with some new toys.
 
In no particular order:

More "normal" car tests, so we don't get used to the supercars reviews (watching a Lamborgini once in a while it is nice, watching it every week bleh...)

Less "scripted chemistry", maybe someone new would help to avoid repiting the same jokes over and over. Maybe an epic road trip with any guest (fifth gear presenters or Sabine) would be really refreshing/nice

Full reviews from James and Richard

Less track reviews, road reviews are much better
 
sorry for reposting, I was sure I only pressed the quick reply button once :hmm:

And to add something useful, another suggestion: More distracting audience members :p
 
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You see you can't please all the people all the time. I thought that was shite..all the computer graphics and spaceship...whats all that about...someone in the editing suite thought he (or she?? that would explain it...) would play around with some new toys.

But at least it was different and interesting without being predictable. Pause any Clarkson track test at time of broadcast from the last 3 years and I reckon I could have got the next phrase before he said it about 2/3 of the time. Jezza is bored of track tests and it shows in his lack of effort. His road test in 14x07 forced him to make proper points and was all the better for it, as was the LFA review because it came through fresh eyes.
 
Erratum...

A bit earlier, I read Richard's main column for the week on the Mirror site, where he was going over some of the cars to be released or reviewed in 2010. The automotive pornography on that page was just astonishing. (Even that new Peugeot coupe had me excited! A fucking PEUGEOT, people!) If TG continues in this manner, sadly, they probably won't get to reviewing/featuring half the cars he talked about.

Yeah, in my excitement, I got my French car manufacturers mixed up. But in my own defense, the column did also feature a Citroen.
 
I liked episode 7, ... I did notice their (Jeremy & James') reviews felt strained.
 
It strikes me that Top Gear is suffering the same fate as many things that become successful. Once enough 'consumers' say, "Oh, I love it when you... (fill in the blank)....", then the people who make the "product" think twice as much of that 'thing' will make their product even better.

Well it doesn't. It usually kills it.

Give us half as much acting/role playing, half as many repeated gags, half as much of the 'Top Gear MegaCorporation Over-The-Top Marketing Blitzkrieg' and more great car stories and you'll have a balance more like what worked in the first place. That would make lots of viewers happy.

Subtlety and understatement (often masquerading as genuine ignorance) used to be two of Top Gear's biggest assets. Somehow they've gone missing in action and you've turned the volume up a little too high.
 
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For the highest rated show on BBC2, and one of the BBCs flagship shows shown across the world and downloaded by millions - just showing the technical prowess of the BBC let alone the entertainment value is worth investment.

I say give them any damn budget they like - they deserve it.

Sell shed loads of DVDs, make money and invest in more shows, I bet if it were an American show that would happen. ...
 
1) Scrap the TG Live Tour

Yeah, I know, I can't believe I typed that, either. But the more I think about it, the more I'm becoming convinced that the tour is more of a detriment to the telly show (which should take precedent, along with the mag) than an asset. While I would love to see a TG Live show in person, I would much prefer they give it up if it means improving the TV show.

That's the biggest problem I think. Why do they even do a Live Show?
There is too much going on for them. Concentrate on the TV Show as before.
 
Before there was Top Gear Live, there was MPH Live (as Wyvern noted), which they did do; but it wasn't a tour. They did shows "locally" (just London?) and in South Africa. In hindsight, I do agree it didn't effect things much, in regards to the TV show.

The tour, at which time the name was changed to Top Gear Live, started in 2008/09. That, I think, has had a negative effect on the telly show.
 
Before there was Top Gear Live, there was MPH Live (as Wyvern noted), which they did do; but it wasn't a tour. They did shows "locally" (just London?) and in South Africa. In hindsight, I do agree it didn't effect things much, in regards to the TV show.

The tour, at which time the name was changed to Top Gear Live, started in 2008/09. That, I think, has had a negative effect on the telly show.

MPH was also in Birmingham at the NEC. It's weird because I don't think the live show suffers from any of the 'scripting' issues that people complain about in the tv show. I saw the show in Birmingham four times this year and although I knew roughly what they were going to say, it was a surprise - and what's more I bought it - every time. I think that's probably from the 'live' element. I'm not sure whether it's the tour or the presenters' other shows that are stretching them a bit thin. I must admit that I'd hate for the live show to go because it's the only chance for a lot of people to see Top Gear, what with the uniquely crap way the tickets are distributed.
 
Before there was Top Gear Live, there was MPH Live (as Wyvern noted), which they did do; but it wasn't a tour. They did shows "locally" (just London?) and in South Africa. In hindsight, I do agree it didn't effect things much, in regards to the TV show.

The tour, at which time the name was changed to Top Gear Live, started in 2008/09. That, I think, has had a negative effect on the telly show.

Quite so - MPH, the Prestige and Performance Car Show, was (and still is) London, Birmingham and SA (to the best of my knowledge). What is now Top Gear Live was the integral 'MPH Show' for several years. The branding change happened in 2008 and that's when the world tour kicked off. I love that they want to bring the show to the fans, but I remember reading Jeremy's column last year about how they were all too knackered for the rock and roll lifestyle and I wish they'd wind it back a bit for their own good and that of the TV show. It must take huge amounts of time and energy to write and produce at least two different shows (the UK show is not the same as the touring production) and to write and produce two series of the TV show at the same time.
 
You see you can't please all the people all the time. I thought that was shite..all the computer graphics and spaceship...whats all that about...someone in the editing suite thought he (or she?? that would explain it...) would play around with some new toys.

You see, the whole spaceship thing (which oddly has become a BIG talking point despite being on screen for about 4 seconds) didn't bother me at all. In fact it seemed fairly obvious that the director (irrespective of gender) was trying to place the LFA in a futuristic comic book environment, to which it's largely suited. I can only assume the dreaded spaceship just pushed the concept a bit too far for some.

To the topic at hand, I believe (rather fervently) that Top Gear needs to move away from 'scripted' and more towards 'plotted'. If the humour doesn't happen, that's fine, just make the scenario interesting. If the humour does happen (and it usually does with 3 charismatic and talented hosts) then let it happen naturally...but please, whatever you do, don't force it.
 
1) Scrap the TG Live Tour

Yeah, I know, I can't believe I typed that, either. But the more I think about it, the more I'm becoming convinced that the tour is more of a detriment to the telly show (which should take precedent, along with the mag) than an asset. While I would love to see a TG Live show in person, I would much prefer they give it up if it means improving the TV show.

Indeed, it visibly takes away energy from the presenters. Also, I would suspect that TG Live is the main cause of them "playing their characters" because they have to do the same show tens of times, the same jokes, the same script at every event (I'm guessing here), which makes them bored and tired of anything TG related.
 
My understanding is the "local" shows (London, Birmingham, Dublin*) have a different script (if you will) from the ones on the tour. You're right that it would be a bit of an issue, though, performing the same show up to four times a day for a long weekend (Thursday - Sunday).

* At this year's (2009) Dublin show, they played car football (Ireland vs. France) specifically for them as Ireland didn't make the World Cup. London and Birmingham didn't have it.
 
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