What segments do you miss from the earlier seasons?

ImNotAHorse

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I miss those old cheap car challenges, like ?1500 sports cars in France and stuff like that.

I really hope those makes a comeback.
 
The cool wall, really don't know why they don't do it anymore.
 
Cool Wall, cheap car challenges. Build less rubbish like the Hover Van, it was entertaining but only when they were crashing.
 
I miss the cool wall. It was one instance in which the audience could interact with the cast; it was almost like a pantomine. I read it was stopped because the producers and cast didn't like it and it was only a time filler anyway.
 
Cheap car challenges were always fun and it would be fun to see again, but they weren't really a regular item, just a recurring theme for features. The cool wall was never a favorite of mine, but it could be fun nonetheless and I wouldn't mind seeing it once a series or so.
 
For me, only the cheap car challanges.

Cool wall...???........better not.


Chears
 
I'm watching some older episodes and it amazes me that they had so many items for one episode. Nowadays it's a review, news, some challenge thingy, SIRPC and the final of the challenge thingy. The older episodes have plenty more reviews, much more items in the studio itself (news, new car, crook or classic, cool wall, import or not, ...), ... It had much more variety in it ... And also the car reviews where always unique (remember reviewing the vauxhall vectra and Clarkson ends up riding the car from the back seat ... Classic!). Now it's always on the track and doing the same stuff (go around some corners, do a drag race, talk about the ride comfort).

God I miss the old, more "hardcore" episodes ... Now the main public has to like the episode and each presentator has their own character and it's forbidden to steer away from that character ...
 
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Definitely the cheap car challenges, yeah.
But if they'd kept on doing those, people would complain about that as well I guess.
 
Cheap car challenge, Cool Wall, Classic or Crock (too "car-bored" for, what today is, an entertainment show and not a real and pure motoring show), and non-obviously-scripted items (the most I miss).
 
I'm watching some older episodes and it amazes me that they had so many items for one episode. Nowadays it's a review, news, some challenge thingy, SIRPC and the final of the challenge thingy. The older episodes have plenty more reviews, much more items in the studio itself (news, new car, crook or classic, cool wall, import or not, ...), ... It had much more variety in it ... And also the car reviews where always unique (remember reviewing the vauxhall vectra and Clarkson ends up riding the car from the back seat ... Classic!). Now it's always on the track and doing the same stuff (go around some corners, do a drag race, talk about the ride comfort).

Well I didn't particularly like that old formula, it felt less focused, more like a mash-up of unrelated little things, I like the longer segments and aprt from the Cool wall and the news, dislike the studio segments. And for the reviews, the Signum one is probably one of my least favorite exactly because of its total irrelevance.

Top gear is not all things to all men.
 
I really liked when they did that "Restoration Ripoff" where the viewers voted on an old celebrity's car on whether or not it should be restored.
Also, when they used to do present the results of the most/least reliable cars based on real owners voting.
And yes the cheap car challenges, and epic journeys.
Top Gear is still my favorite show, but they do a lot of silly skits for the sake of entertainment. If they used that extra time for more of the stuff I've listed, it would be an even better show.
 
I'm watching some older episodes and it amazes me that they had so many items for one episode.

I'd forgotten that. It used to be that an episode felt like a feast because of what was packed into it. It certainly doesn't feel like that now. I imagine that time and cost restraints are factors; easier to shoot extra footage for one location story than to do several location productions for an episode, and then there's the matter of less money to spend on an episode. Also there is time per year spent on TG Live events and the cast wanting to have lives of their own. Pity to have lost the richness and diversity of the old formula though.
 
I also liked the classic or crock thing. But fundamentally I liked that the older episodes had a bunch of short films along with non-awkward studio segments, whereas now it tends to be one huge film with a bunch of penis jokes in the studio.
 
* Cheap car challenges where the scoring is taken (semi-)seriously and isn't just to have a go at one presenter in particular.
* More car reviews done anywhere other than Dunsfold. Even if it means going abroad and/or closing a road for a duration of time.
* More items in the same vein as the Senna tribute or the feature on the rally team of wounded soldiers. Virtually all of us loved those segments; each of the three are more than capable of presenting more serious work.
* Stop getting stars for SIARPC just for the sake of having big names. Find some who genuinely want to have a go (and ffs, get some more women in there!), even if it's just the old "regulars" again (anyone who has been on at least twice in two different cars), and book them. Screw the promotional nonsense.
* Overall, less contrivance, less "kayfabe", more letting things happen naturally and organically.

Maybe then I'll actually start watching again.
 
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...and get rid of those odd colors and oversaturation!
 
When I watch the older episodes I like to see all those segments in the studio such as the Cool Wall but I don't miss them right now, I like TG just the way it is. It's been an evolution since the first episode back in 2002, it's now a mainstream show so it has to have mainstream content. As for the more serious reviews well, if I want to see one, there's loads on Youtube alone. Let TG do fun and games with cars thrown in which is what it's always been in essence anyway.
 
I'm going to echo some of what Shelly said:
Cheap Car challenges - Don't really care all that much about the scoring as long as its taken semi-seriously and not used as an excuse for an almighty piss take and there has to be point to doing said challenge
Any car related challenge like the 24 hour race or Jeremy's trip to Scotland on a single tank of gas - I miss some of these challenges where the presenters take are car to see how well it performs under specific circumstances. Again there needs to be some point to the challenge.
Star in a Reasonably Priced Car - I don't mind seeing big names on the show, but I would prefer that they were actually interested in cars and not there simply to promote something
The Cool Wall - Bring this back please! I liked the intelligent arguments regarding how cool or uncool a car is and why...

Above all else, cut the overly scripted nonsense and fooling around. I don't mind the funny stuff, but I don't want to see it coming and it needs to be natural. The presenters have become caricatures of themselves, which is rather irritating to watch. I don't like watching them being stupid for the sake of laughs. Just because it has become mainstream doesn't mean it has to cater to idiots who wear their y-fronts backwards.
 
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