July 13th Thread

mike65

So then, don't talk on phone when in Japans' public transport system. And don't press buttons on foreign langauge gear in a car.

Has Tokyo solved its traffic, or is it a case of stay on the main (tolled) routes and you'll be fine?

Mike.

Mossy Monk

I lolled at the Bill Oddy bits, especially at the petrol station. He can spot her beaver from a mile away

Oafley Jones

The extended guest spots this year are really unwelcome. Got the feel that their trying to pad out an episode, thus making it easier to edit for Dave and foreign markets. All they'd have to do is completely remove the spot and leave the rest well alone.

mike65

Thats an interesting thought, I liked the guests tonight (ahem) but yep having two on with banter + drives does handily eat up 10 mins.

Mike.

keefg

And how desperate are they getting for guests now?

Seems like they have resorted to just wandering around the BBC canteen asking random people if they want to drive a car round the track.

Maybe Clarkson is setting himself up for another stint as a chat show host?



As much as I enjoy their races, those stupid scripted "disasters" such Hammond & May getting split up on the train are just annoying. It's ironic that they won an Emmy or a Bafta or something a while back for best "non-scripted" show and it has now become as scripted as an episode of Corrie.

Top Gear used to be fantastic but with a few exceptions (the Bill Oddie mask was funny ) it is becoming a very dull show indeed. Such a shame

jhegarty

keefg wrote: »

As much as I enjoy their races, those stupid scripted "disasters" such Hammond & May getting split up on the train are just annoying.

I don't believe much about those challenges, but I do think that happened..

Dont be at yourself

Has Tokyo solved its traffic, or is it a case of stay on the main (tolled) routes and you'll be fine?

The public transport is so good in Tokyo, and the cost of parking so high, that in my experience there is very little traffic on the streets. Huge population centres like Shinjuku are much easier to drive around than Dublin City!

_feedback_

jhegarty wrote: »

I don't believe much about those challenges, but I do think that happened..

I thought the same ...

First episode I've managed to catch, thought the Bill Oddy thing was funny too.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

japanese schoolgirls ftmfw

ojewriej

Some lad reporting Clarkson for crossing the continous line 5 meters before it chaged to a broken one - I thought that was pretty funny. Some people have to much time on their hands.

I was a tad dissaponted with the race - they didn;t really show much. Although the Nissan was kind of cool - in a gadgety sort of way. The lads behind Grant Tourismo designed the displays, and it showed.

landydef

keefg wrote: »

And how desperate are they getting for guests now?

Seems like they have resorted to just wandering around the BBC canteen asking random people if they want to drive a car round the track.

Maybe Clarkson is setting himself up for another stint as a chat show host?



As much as I enjoy their races, those stupid scripted "disasters" such Hammond & May getting split up on the train are just annoying. It's ironic that they won an Emmy or a Bafta or something a while back for best "non-scripted" show and it has now become as scripted as an episode of Corrie.

Top Gear used to be fantastic but with a few exceptions (the Bill Oddie mask was funny ) it is becoming a very dull show indeed. Such a shame

it looks to me like the whole challange was scripted,they show camera angles of the car going by for instance which could only be acheived if they had 20 odd cameramen along the route he was taken which would be unlikely having said that the challenges and the programme as a whole are good television so i dont really care! apparently its the most downloaded tv programme in the world at the moment according to some british rag i read last week

landydef

Princess Innocent Knickers wrote: »

japanese schoolgirls ftmfw

+1 dont know what ftmfw means but i think id say i agree with you

jhegarty

landydef wrote: »

it looks to me like the whole challange was scripted,they show camera angles of the car going by for instance which could only be acheived if they had 20 odd cameramen along the route he was taken which would be unlikely having said that the challenges and the programme as a whole are good television so i dont really care! apparently its the most downloaded tv programme in the world at the moment according to some british rag i read last week

they explained that before, all the external shots of the challenges are filmed after words...usually on the way back....

mthd

landydef wrote: »

it looks to me like the whole challange was scripted,they show camera angles of the car going by for instance which could only be acheived if they had 20 odd cameramen along the route he was taken which would be unlikely having said that the challenges and the programme as a whole are good television so i dont really care! apparently its the most downloaded tv programme in the world at the moment according to some british rag i read last week

http://www.topgear.com/blogs/planettopgear/134-jeremy-clarkson-japan-race/

Johnny Storm

Where can I get one of those air guitar things Clarkson was playing in the car? Seriously.
Also, I felt like writing in myself to complain about how dangerously he was driving while trying to reset the satnav:rolleyes: what a plonker !
I agree the guest spot is a complete waste of time and despite the interesting link above to my mind this was the most contrived and scripted "race" so far.
I still look forward to it every week though:pac:

anonymous_joe

Anyone else desperately wanting Clarkson to lose a race? Just for bloody variety alone.

I adore Top Gear, and have done since I was a little one being allowed stay up to watch with my dad, but it's gotten awful. It's so tired by now.

danniemcq

would the public transport race across london counts as a loss for him?

ojewriej

I think he also lost to a marathon runner, going through London in Fiat Panda.

And didn't James win the amphibious car challenge?

danniemcq

ah yeah and the rock climber one (both up and down!)

mike65

So then Clarkson is in fact a looser.

Mike.

ojewriej

mike65 wrote: »

So then Clarkson is in fact a looser.

Mike.

Yes, I think we've proven that.

I wish he'd win every once in a while.

Rowley Birkin QC

The split up of May and Hammond on the train was one of the first time I have had trouble suspending disbelief during one of their races.

That wasn't Clarksons first time in Tokyo either. I remember reading an article he wrote for TG magazine a few years back where he likened it to living in a perpetual building site. Seems like it paid off.

Also +1 for scrapping the "celebrity" bit. Glad not to see the TG stuntman aswell, all a bit too Braniac.

jvc

Repeated tonight (Thursday) at 8pm on BBC2 according to my tv guide anyway.

lostexpectation

but sure remember the mountainbike race down the hilly little village, where they happend to jump over the car, was that a bit of the actually race or bit filmed afterwards?

cabrwab

That would be filmed after to put a bit of excitement into it! Iam one who enjoys the car winning the challenges of public transport.

While i do find some of the bits scripted, i wonder is it more scripted on the spot, as it seems noticable.

Enjoyed the episode, its entertainment with cars, all i look forward to! Im not convinced the whole train thing happened entirely on purpose.

And clarkson drove like every other idiot who is in a city with no sign he can understand and is completely lost because he turned off his sat-nav. I thought the bit he drove up the mountain was more dangerous he practically drifted around all the bends.

The bit he got out of the car went back to turn it off one of the crew shouts at him "Leave it just go quick" really made me feel that there is a race involved.

Clareman

Personally I think it's a straight up race that they make more interesting by inserting some tension, take the polar challenge last year, Hammond was days behind but they didn't say that.

It's a car show that has races between cars and other modes of transport, of course the car is going to be given a slight advantage

Max_Damage

keefg wrote: »

And how desperate are they getting for guests now?

I can't understand why they don't get the likes of Rowan Atkinson or Michael Caine and so on to do the SIRPC section now. It's not like Top Gear are on a small budget.

Mossy Monk

I don't think they have as much money as people realise.

barnicles

Bill Oddy bits were very good.

I think this series is one of the best so far:)

mike65

Well I don't think they pay guests beyond expenses, and they've had the likes of Rowan Aktinson, Hugh Grant, Patrick Stewart, Michael Gambon, etc not too shabby.

Mike.

Max_Damage

Rowan Atkinson was never on the show.

pirelli

Max_Damage wrote: »

Rowan Atkinson was never on the show.

No! The had asked him on for a psecial series and he was unable to attend, i think he was previously on the show though,

It's a bit like the muppet show really.

afatbollix

its the most expensive BBC2 show... how the races work is they have 1 camera crew with each side one with clarkson and the other with the lads... the crew with clarkson are a chase crew with the camera out the back window.. (most of the time its a range rover but in japan it was a toyota) they chase after clarkson... with a director in toe telling everyone what shots to get and what clarkson should do... after the race is over they travel back and do the camera at the side of the road ( you dont see clarksons face as its not him driving just a crew member)

Gekko

they must have the use of a helicopter as well though!

I agree some of the guests are a bit naff but I did enjoy this one with feisty Fiona Bruce!

tylerdurden94

That was one of the best Top Gears i had seen in a long time i think everything just worked perfect for me.

Plug

I wonder will they do another amphibious challenge?

EDIT: I just love spell check:D

Mahatma coat

well they did 2 alreadyso I doubt they,d try again, unles it was a put some wheels on a boat type thing, and then we're just gettin inta Scrapheap Challenge Territory