Christmas special 2014 Part 1 (27th December)

colm_mcm · 27-12-2014 8:29pm #1

Even by their standards, provoking an international incident while filming a car programme is going some. Seeing exactly how our three marauding man-children end up having to quit Argentina in a cloud of dust, pursued by an angry mob, will be one of the pleasures of this two-parter — though we’ll need to see tomorrow’s conclusion (8pm) for that. The premise of the trip is the usual: a knockabout road-trip/travelogue in three middle-aged cars, in this case a Porsche 928, a Lotus Esprit and a Ford Mustang. It was the Porsche’s number plate that was, the production insists, entirely misinterpreted by the locals… David Butcher

Radio Times

My name is URL · 27-12-2014 8:33pm

Trying way too hard with this episode. Apparently the 'outrage' that followed the filming of the episode was as manufactured as the script itself.

The show has gone to absolute shite over the last couple of years anyway so it's hardly a surprise.

Sufa · 27-12-2014 8:40pm

My name is URL wrote: »

Trying way too hard with this episode. Apparently the 'outrage' that followed the filming of the episode was as manufactured as the script itself.

The show has gone to absolute shite over the last couple of years anyway so it's hardly a surprise.

At least you gave it all of three minutes before passing judgement

My name is URL · 27-12-2014 8:47pm

Sufa wrote: »

At least you gave it all of three minutes before passing judgement

I know people who have seen it already for preview and classification purposes.

20 minutes in now and what I said doesn't seem to be very wide of the mark.

dublinman1990 · 27-12-2014 8:50pm

How the hell can Jeremy do that with the car?......Oh right it is the power steering.

ricero · 27-12-2014 8:53pm

Classic banter with the boys. Time to show these argies who's boss.

thelad95 · 27-12-2014 9:01pm

My god this is boring.

My name is URL · 27-12-2014 9:12pm

ricero wrote: »

Classic banter with the boys. Time to show these argies who's boss.

Sums up the target audience of the show these days...

MadYaker · 27-12-2014 9:12pm

This is boring.

Zascar · 27-12-2014 9:20pm

boring

colm_mcm · 27-12-2014 9:37pm

Poll added

thelad95 · 27-12-2014 9:55pm

Big disappointment. They weren't really out of there comfort zone apart from a few bad roads which they went deliberately out of the way to reach. This is the worst special since the India one.

Red Kev · 27-12-2014 11:16pm

Stunning scenery, I'll be (hopefully) doing a 6 month road trip in South America in a couple of years, so this just confirms it was a good decision.

Apart from that it was pretty awful, just worse than the last ones but has all the stupid traits...
badly scripted, Hammond a diabolical actor, stupid 'jokes' played on each others cars, 'lost' the way and end out driving down shlt roads, etc. etc. etc.

Hammond trying to put petrol in the car and 'not knowing' it looks phallic and the cow on the roof gag just sum it up. Very tired.

I'll still watch the whole series, but it is so poor these days I'm just as happy to record it and watch it later in the week. It's not obligatory viewing anymore. Shame.

Tzar Chasm · 28-12-2014 12:28am

Not awful, not fantastic. I will reserve final judgement until tomorrow.
but its not captivating my attention like last year, or some of the other greats

dfx- · 28-12-2014 9:37am

It was ok to me.

People would criticise it if they were messing about (and probably will do so after part 2 and after three minutes in this thread) and it being planned/scripted, yet they are still criticising it when it was just a drive across Chile/Argentina.

If you want it to be about cars, last night was your version of how the show should be.

lertsnim · 28-12-2014 10:44am

I enjoyed it. Some of the scenery was breathtaking

thelad95 · 28-12-2014 11:04am

If I remember the other two parters, I think the first part was a bit dull but it really came to life in the second so I'll give it a chance tonight.

The first part was just bland and boring though.

EB_2013 · 28-12-2014 11:08am

Apart from the scenery and Lotus Esprit I found the rest a bit dull. One of the worst first part trips they've done so far. Hopefully tonight's is better.

The Black Oil · 28-12-2014 11:12am

thelad95 wrote: »

Big disappointment. They weren't really out of there comfort zone apart from a few bad roads which they went deliberately out of the way to reach. This is the worst special since the India one.

Agree with the first part of your post, not the second. The India episode set a really low bar. There was too much, to borrow from their own phrasebook, cocking about - delivering meals, etc.

Re last night's, touching note from Clarkson re his father. Stunning landscapes, as always. Didn't think they'd run into that range of weather conditions. The Lotus was pretty impressive on the reliability side of things.

The condors, wow.