S23 E02

bnt

Off to a good start, I think: Evans driving a good reason to be a bit shouty. He hit 200mph on the Dunsfold runway, which is more than any of the other three did.

cdeb

That was...better than last week. Though still showing a lot of stuff that needs ironing out. Main thing being there was 8 people on the show. Evans, LeBlanc, Jordan, three co-drivers (why?), Jenson Button and that interviewee guy. It's way too many and just got confusing.

Evans said he owns a P1 - why was Button needed at all? Or why couldn't host Schmidt have done that bit?

The South Africa bit had the potential to be a superb slot, but with six people, none of whom really knew what they were doing, it fell a bit flat. There was no need for the co-drivers - if an excuse was needed to go to the pub, have them bring a musical instrument rather than a musician. I don't think I learnt anything about the region either - CHM would have had a few snippets about the country and would have brought it to life. Eddie Jordan didn't really know what he was doing, I thought.

But to make it worse, Seasick Steve and Spiteri were invited back to the studio for the interview with wotsisface. Definitely getting to "too many cooks" level with that. One guest introducing the other fell flat last week and did so again this week. And then it got confusing as to who was interviewing who, and were we even doing an interview or a competition between the interview guy and Team South Africa (WTF?)

Plus points - the trolley bit was entertaining, and a sign of them going their own way. The challenge was good, but it had the potential to be excellent. The scenery was superb. Evans wasn't as annoying as last week. LeBlanc was given a bit of studio time and was quite good.

Bad points - way too many people. The interview mess. The news is missed. Still no sign of any rapport between Evans and LeBlanc - and that's not going to develop so long as they invite huge gangs of people along on the films, while only using the other hosts extremely sporadically. Minimal laughs. The hosts didn't really know where they were going with the special, which was the difference between it being good and excellent (really, the scenery, the challenges and that final road in particular made it - the people didn't add anything really)

Overall, I think it's still a bit of a confused mess. This episode showed the people behind it know how to improve - but whether they can get it anywhere near the old standard remains to be seen.

cdeb

"Overnight television viewing figures for Top Gear have never been less relevant. Obviously some newspapers prefer to live in the past", tweets Chris Evans. Except that overnight television viewing figures for Top Gear were relevant last week when you tweeted them. I wonder what's happened in the meantime to change your mind? Would it be those figures dropping from 4.4m to 2.8m?

Evans manages to get more and more unlikeable the more he opens his mouth.

foggy_lad

I watched both shows and found the American actor(whose name escapes me) was much better in the 2nd show but together the two presenters feel disjointed as if they just walked onto the set and had never met before. It feels like they are in two different studios at times, miles apart on the same show and only actually meet up for the bits of the show where they are seen standing beside each other..

Evans is the wrong choice for a show like this, he is called a car nut but he is just one of many "collectors" of cars, if they wanted to replace Clarkson properly then someone like Jay Kay would have been a better choice, a real car nut who will put his money where his mouth is.

That whole "we aren't doing that anymore" bit at the end(and on that bombshell) is pathetic considering the absolute mess both of them make of the stupid opening lines trying to copy the previous presenters. that will never be good and should be changed.

Too many guests on the show, only have one or rarely 2 for the reasonably priced car slot, although the others appear to be there to mask the lack of ability of Evans to present this type of show, maybe if it was on radio or played out like Noels House Party or TFI Friday he might get it right?

as for Evans hitting 200mph I'd like independent verification please as that whole section and most of the driving scenes now are far too scripted and look faked. It is all just a collection of nice shots of the cars with slow motion bits etc while before it showed them being driven properly around the track at speed.

why do Evans and the other presenter wear a helmet when the others would not have dreamed of doing so in a roadcar?

Bring back the star in a reasonably priced car! nobody wants to see people doing a short rallycross lap in a jumped up mini. People liked seeing those "normal" cars being thrashed about by stars and some came very close to thrashing them!

Myrddin

My first time watching this new format last night. Awful stuff, more than happy to give it a miss herein. Too many cooks is an understatement

Ruu

Too many people on this, just confused me and the best car/first car segment is rubbish.

The Black Oil

Yeah, too many cooks is what I was struck by. South African trip was OK. Jordan not bad. Liked LeBlanc. Didn't like Evans's commentary over the film. I didn't see the first episode.

OldmanMondeo

The Black Oil wrote: »

Yeah, too many cooks is what I was struck by. South African trip was OK. Jordan not bad. Liked LeBlanc. Didn't like Evans's commentary over the film. I didn't see the first episode.

They had to do that because he couldn't do commentary while driving, it is very annoying.

All in all, it was better that the first episode, still improvement needed. I recently watched an early Top Gear with JC, RH and no James may, the old format did develop, hopefully this one will. I would like to see more of Jensen Button, I would put him as a future presenter.

lertsnim

They really need to shorten the lap times bit. It is incredibly boring and tedious. Far too many people on at one time too.

Also Chris Evans dismissing viewer numbers is pathetic after all his boasting last week.

hmmm

I think LeBlanc, Eddie Jordan and Charlene Spiteri could make a decent set of hosts.

f140

nobody will touch Hammond Clarkson and May but I feel Le Blanc is doing a good job considering. He seems likable just like Joey in Friends.

foggy_lad

hmmm wrote: »

I think LeBlanc, Eddie Jordan and Charlene Spiteri could make a decent set of hosts.

Eddie Jordan is not a good choice. Who could look at or listen to him for more than a minute or two? He is as bad as watching Louis Walsh talking about boybands and x factor.

endacl

Here's Top Gear's problem:

Most viewers were kinda like me (anecdotally based on everybody I know who watched it). Likes cars, in the sense that they're handy for getting from A to B, but not really all that fussed. Tuned in to TG because CHM were entertaining.

Without those three, it's just nicely shot videos of some cars. And Chris Evans. And Joey. It's a mishmash of the remains of three other shows. Top Gear should be renamed Leftovers.

Kiith

I quite enjoyed it. LeBlanc was very good, and the rest were ok. Evans isn't particularly likable though, which may or may not improve. He's definitely not helping himself with his twitter posts.

It's been two episodes...i've no doubt it will get better as it goes along.

BKtje

I enjoyed it and don't really mind all the people on it. It felt different to old top gear without being too different to be unrecognisable. They don't make changes people complain, they try something different, people complain. That said Chris Evans just annoys me. Always has and probably always will.

Don't currently enjoy it as much as the old gang but do enjoy it. Looking forward to Clarkson and co's new show. Lets hope it captures some of the old magic.

Buffman

I posted in the thread in Motors but just see this one now. My €0.02 below.

Buffman wrote: »

I've watched both episodes and the 'extras'. It hasn't surpassed my low expectations, but I'll stick with it anyway. Other posters have more or less said it all above.

Main negative points for me:

-Evans stuck in TFI Friday mode in the studio, not as bad in the pre-recorded segments. His twitter remarks don't do him any favours. (Today, viewing figures don't matter, make up your mind Chris!)
-Too many 'celebrities', the co-driver thing didn't really add much to the drive, but at least it involved vehicles, the couch segment is boring and pointless.

-Production values not as good as previous, from camera work to 'scripting', Andy Wilman is being missed.

-Car bits in 'Extra Gear' which would be far better in the main show, and put all the 'celebrity' sh1t talk in the after show if you want some sort of 'big brother little brother' type show.

Main positive points: (There has to be some!)

-There is hope with Matt, and the two Extra Gear presenters. I don't think I've seen enough of Eddie or Sabine 'on-screen' to make a call, they seem to be used as 'guest presenters'.

-We have another 'car' show the watch, the more the merrier as long as it's not complete scutter. I do hope they find their feet and get better with time.

-Makes me look forward to 'The Grand Tour'


And on that bombshell, some would say that watching somebody assemble a DHL box would not be entertaining, but I'll let you decide!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbbkDiuz9fw

ScumLord

The original hosts built up their rapport over years. They started off with small local adventures which got bigger and grander as they tried to outdo themselves each year. They're adventures seemed grueling, either they were just old men that have difficulty traveling, the adventures where really that epic, or they were just really good actors.

The new hosts are trying to pick up where the last guys left off but they have no rapport, they couldn't have. They're being dumped in at the deep end with challanges in S.Africa and it looks like they've just flown to S.Africa, spent some time driving the back roads around the airport and flown back when they were done.

They're not earning the respect of the viewers, they're not trying anything new, it's a pretty lazy effort.

I'll keep watching it, it's another car show, but I wouldn't be too surprised if it doesn't last.

Dravokivich

^
That is what's missing from Top Gear. (DHL Box Challenge)

fryup

f140 wrote: »

nobody will touch Hammond Clarkson and May but I feel Le Blanc is doing a good job considering. He seems likable just like Joey in Friends.

not for me, he's too wooden in front of camera..reading..the...autocue..very..carefully

Dempsey

The reversing cameras in the benz and porsche were designed and manufactured out of valeo vision systems in galway. Ill have to check if the jaguar was done there aswell but im fairly sure it was.

EDIT

All 3 are designed and manufactured out of Tuam

Rowley Birkin QC

God, there was more entertainment in that 3 minute video of a gorilla assembling a box than there was in the entire first two episodes of New TG. It really goes to show that the cars were a nice addition to what's essentially a programme about 3 mates dicking about with vast budgets.

ScumLord

fryup wrote: »

not for me, he's too wooden in front of camera..reading..the...autocue..very..carefully

I wouldn't so much hold that against Joey. This is a new venture for him, I don't think he's done live work with a studio audience before. I think he shows more promise than Evans does anyway, at least when he's behind the wheel he seems genuine and likable.

Dempsey wrote: »

The reversing cameras in the benz and porsche were designed and manufactured out of valeo vision systems in galway. Ill have to check if the jaguar was done there aswell but im fairly sure it was.

I'm pretty sure I've seen a Valeo Jag about the town (Tuam). They go into Mercs and BMWs as well. It wouldn't surprise me if they go into the vast majority of European cars at least. They make a savage ammount of them cameras in there. I don't think any one company could use the ammount of them they make.

Dempsey

ScumLord wrote: »

I'm pretty sure I've seen a Valeo Jag about the town (Tuam). They go into Mercs and BMWs as well. It wouldn't surprise me if they go into the vast majority of European cars at least. They make a savage ammount of them cameras in there. I don't think any one company could use the ammount of them they make.

They make them for most european brands but they wouldnt be in all carlines for all brands they cover

They are in those carlines for porsche and benz and they cover all jaguars. Was 99% about the jaguar but wanted to check first

Tzar Chasm

I liked this episode of TG2.1 overall, LeBlanc is really growing on me and I thought the 3 extra stars was a good addition to the ZA challenge. Gave them the opportunity to chat and joke without forced banter between cars, which is a change from TG2.0. Although only seasick steve seemed to really comment on the car, but im sure mister Tempah commented on their cars offroad capability

I cant see Jordan getting many more segments after being a bit wooden And wrecking the merc. However I think Evans was awful in the studio interview segment, what was worse this week was that he didn't shout All the time, this means tbe shouting is a concious decision