jr
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Registered: 20th May 02
Location: Kent
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We'll seems that JC/BBC listen, and want your views
As Top Gear finished its much-delayed run a few weeks ago, the cheery continuity announcer said that the show would be back in the summer. Well, I'm sorry, love, but it won't be.
Not unless someone from the Greenwich Observatory suddenly decides that we need a new month between May and June.
The fact is that it takes four months to film enough material for a run of Top Gear. And then another couple of months to turn the miles of tape we generate into something you might actually want to watch.
But assuming we do come back to BBC2 at some point in the future - October, if we're lucky - our problems will be far from over. Because as I write, no one has much of a clue what the programme should look like. I'd therefore like your help.
The series that's just finished was full of us three cocking about, and almost completely devoid of anything you might fairly call 'a road test'. You had us growing petrol, getting stuck in Fulham, being hounded out of Alabama and resurfacing roads. And about two seconds of a Porsche going round corners in Lincolnshire.
This has gone down very badly with the people in internet land. After every show, they dived into their forums and moaned like Nigel Mansell stuck in a jet engine that their beloved car show had become an entertainment show for the terminally childish. They're right too. Perhaps we should have changed the name to Last of the Summer Petrol.
All these people want to know why there aren't two or three proper car tests a week. And not car tests where I drive around shouting "poweeeeer", but proper ones done by James where every nut, bolt and torque is taken out and examined.
What they want, secretly, is Chris Goffey back. And I'd love to oblige. I'd love to spend the day hooning around in a 599 or a lightweight Gallardo. I'd love to make those cars live for you on the screen. It'd be great.
I'd even love to take that little Fiat Panda 100HP for a spin and wonder out loud how many Nurofens you'd need to take before the headache it generated went away. And whether that many Nurofens will actually kill you.
But galloping like a huge, shit-stained horse over the horizon comes the problem: is that what the vast majority of the viewers want? Not you. Not your mates in cyberland. But the vast swathe of people who just want to flop down on a Sunday night and watch entertaining telly. I suspect the answer is a Thatcheresque "No. No. No."
We always knew that when Richard Hammond made his triumphant return to the programme, the viewing figures would be enormous. And they were. We even beat the final of Big Brother into a cocked pig. And then we sort of thought they'd tail off again, when people realised the Hamster wasn't going to suddenly fall to the floor and start dribbling.
But they haven't. Apart from a slight blip for the America special, the figures climbed like an F-15 on combat power, until we finished with 8.6 million people watching the end of the final show.
To put that in perspective, it's pretty much twice what a very successful programme could dream of getting on BBC2 or Channel 4. It puts us on level terms with Eastenders. It means we are, give or take, the most watched show on the BBC. And that's just in Britain. Factor in the rest of the world, and TG is effing massive.
You may say that, as a public service broadcaster, we shouldn't care about viewing figures; and it's true - we shouldn't. We can take them to the lavatory for a little moment of pleasure, but we can't skew programmes to make them as big as possible or we'd end up with Jade Goody and The Hamiltons being loaded into the cars before they were pushed out of the transport plane...
Anyway, although we won't chase figures, we still have to give the audience something you want and like. Which means we should make Top Gear an entertainment show featuring cars, rather than a car show, that isn't as boring as your wife and kids feared.
Or have I got that all wrong? I'm stuck on this one and would love to hear your views.
http://www.topgear.com/blogs/planettopgear/040-series-10-its-up-to-you/
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Robin
Premium Member
Registered: 7th Jan 04
Location: Northants Drives: Clio 182 Cup
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Summary? 
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Ben G
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Registered: 12th Jan 07
Location: Essex
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read half of it and got bored.
but good quote: moaned like Nigel Mansell stuck in a jet engine 
i only watch top gear because it's a good laugh and good cars. i don't watch it to know how many MPG a fiat panda gets in extra-urban area 
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jr
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Registered: 20th May 02
Location: Kent
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read it, its intresting
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ed
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Registered: 10th Sep 03
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Oh I was right. The BBC is a public service broadcaster and thier viewing figures aren't the most important things in the world.
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Novaneil
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Registered: 26th Oct 06
Location: Leamington Spa
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I've said it before and i'll say it again IMO Top Gear doesn't need to change a thing, its a hugely entertaining program.
Clarkson for PM 
Gutted we've got to wait till October for a new series though 
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ed
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Registered: 10th Sep 03
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I like watching the 'Best Of's'. There is a bit of messing about. But it all has some relevence to what they are doing. Take the episode when Clarkson drove that Discovery to the top of a mountain in Scotland for example...
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Rob H
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Registered: 28th Oct 00
Location: Staffordshire Drives: Astra SRi
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quote:
I really enjoyed the latest series of TG, but i felt that sometimes the show went a little too far to try and entertain, rather than inform.
Take for instance the Vectra VXR review with Clarkson standing on the throttle pedal and acting surprised that the car understeered with the best part of 300BHP trying to make it onto the road, and preceeding to slate the car for it... It still managed to beat the Civic Type R, and a Lotus elise with stig at the helm...
Then some of the entertainment features seemed to go just a little too far for me to believe that it wasn't set up, or the film edited to make it seem alot worse than it was in reality (i.e. the US special where Hammond and May proceeded to try and start the car, with angry mob enroute, rather than ditching the broken one to make a quick get away).
Even still, I made the effort to tune into every episode religiously, and always enjoyed the show - I think maybe just a bit more focus on the cars and a bit less "trying too hard" to entertain at it's expense wouldn't go un-appreciated.
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Robbo
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Registered: 6th Aug 02
Location: London
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To be fair, there just havent been many decent cars out in the past 6 mths for them to look at!
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andy1868
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Registered: 22nd Jun 06
Location: Burscough, Lancashire
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end of the day, i would rather wait til october for some quality viewing than have some next month and them be a bag of toss.
is there no borderline? keep both elements etc, surely there is
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ashbishop90
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Registered: 19th Mar 07
Location: Leicestershire
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IMO that last series was up there with the best episodes so far.... and definately does not need to change.
Is it me or was that series a tad shorter than usual? it seemed to only have a few weeks, compared to narmal.
And the bit about "It puts us on level terms with Eastenders"------, im sure im not the only person who thinks top gear is better by far
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Tommy L
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Registered: 21st Aug 06
Location: Northampton Drives: Audi wagon
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quote:
Originally posted by Ben G
i only watch top gear because it's a good laugh and good cars. i don't watch it to know how many MPG a fiat panda gets in extra-urban area
some cars yes but not all cars
i enjoyed the last series and i could see a lot of 'cocking' about and thought to myself there should be more car reviews, but it didn't bother me as it was good entertainment. maybe they need to think about getting a few more everyday cars to review and not just the lambo's, and power cars as tbh not many people are going to be able to afford one
if TG gets scraped it would be a stupid mistake by the BBC imo
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Marc
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Registered: 11th Aug 02
Location: York
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As long as they feature more car reviews next series, be it hot hatches or super cars I'll be happy. Some classic car reviews would be good too.
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M2RTY
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Registered: 25th May 01
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keep it as it is 101%
all my family watch it
ace
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M2RTY
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Registered: 25th May 01
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the problem: is that what the vast majority of the viewers want? Not you. Not your mates in cyberland. But the vast swathe of people who just want to flop down on a Sunday night and watch entertaining telly.
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ashbishop90
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Registered: 19th Mar 07
Location: Leicestershire
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quote:
Originally posted by M2RTY
the problem: is that what the vast majority of the viewers want? Not you. Not your mates in cyberland. But the vast swathe of people who just want to flop down on a Sunday night and watch entertaining telly.
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fir3vip3r
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Registered: 14th Jun 06
Location: Stevenage, Hertfordshire
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quote:
Originally posted by M2RTY
the problem: is that what the vast majority of the viewers want? Not you. Not your mates in cyberland. But the vast swathe of people who just want to flop down on a Sunday night and watch entertaining telly.
but do you not think this is where TV is going wrong?
i tune into a programme because I want to watch it.. if its a motoring programme ill take time out to go and watch it.. if that motoring programme is then more about plants than cars your going to be slightly pissed off..
that whole last series of top gear had like 5 car reviews thats about it.. the rest was just fucking about.... if i wanted that id watch jackass etc.
the thing is if it keeps going the way its going every tv programme is going to be the same stuff over and over again.... but then again i suppose thats why most idiots switch the TV on already
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Robin
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Registered: 7th Jan 04
Location: Northants Drives: Clio 182 Cup
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It's supposed to be a car show.
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M2RTY
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Registered: 25th May 01
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quote:
Originally posted by Robin
It's supposed to be a car show.
it still is, just less geeky
time change
if they change something, and get a better result, they will stick with it
[Edited on 16-04-2007 by M2RTY]
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Robin
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Registered: 7th Jan 04
Location: Northants Drives: Clio 182 Cup
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Nice edit.
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fir3vip3r
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Registered: 14th Jun 06
Location: Stevenage, Hertfordshire
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quote:
Originally posted by Robin
Nice edit.
i was about to reply to that before he edited it to lol
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M2RTY
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Registered: 25th May 01
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quote:
Originally posted by Robin
Nice edit.
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Adam_B
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Registered: 13th Dec 00
Location: Lancashire
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i like it how it is, if i want to know what cars are actully like to drive and stuff i go and buy evo
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Nath
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Registered: 3rd Apr 02
Location: MK
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quote:
Originally posted by Adam_B
i like it how it is, if i want to know what cars are actully like to drive and stuff i go and buy evo
Right on brother!
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P1CK4D
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Registered: 19th Jun 06
Location: Around Essex Somewhere
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quote:
Clarkson for PM
Damn Right!
[Edited on 16-04-2007 by P1CK4D]
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