Top Gear

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Re: Top Gear

Post by ALF » Wed Mar 25, 2015 7:20 pm

The trio to get work on Sky on pretty much the same show with a witty name that is similar to Top Gear?

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Re: Top Gear

Post by skalpel » Wed Mar 25, 2015 7:35 pm

Donkey Toon wrote:Am I the only one on here who doesn't give a s*** and has never understood the popularity of this show?
Nah, I'm with you. I don't like cars and I don't like Jeremy Clarkson, Bebop or Rocksteady, so it pretty much bores and irritates me. I saw a handful of episodes eight or nine years ago where they went on trips to the Arctic or something like that. But I didn't even realise that so many people (like five or six million, right?) gave a s*** about cars and 'lad' humor until I happened to see the show's ratings in some article a year or so ago. Bizarre.

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Re: Top Gear

Post by Ramone » Wed Mar 25, 2015 7:39 pm

skalpel wrote:
Donkey Toon wrote:Am I the only one on here who doesn't give a s*** and has never understood the popularity of this show?
Nah, I'm with you. I don't like cars and I don't like Jeremy Clarkson, Bebop or Rocksteady, so it pretty much bores and irritates me. I saw a handful of episodes eight or nine years ago where they went on trips to the Arctic or something like that. But I didn't even realise that so many people (like five or six million, right?) gave a s*** about cars and 'lad' humor until I happened to see the show's ratings in some article a year or so ago. Bizarre.
<laugh>!

On topic: Top Gear is awful. I don't understand how people can stomach such badly choreographed jokes.
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Re: Top Gear

Post by Bodacious Benny » Wed Mar 25, 2015 7:40 pm

It's light hearted entertainment on a Sunday night.
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Re: Top Gear

Post by Ramone » Wed Mar 25, 2015 7:41 pm

Bodacious Benny wrote:It's light hearted entertainment on a Sunday night.
Strictly Come Dancing is light hearted entertainment as is the One Show. Do you watch either of those?

No, because they're s***.
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Re: Top Gear

Post by Donkey Toon » Wed Mar 25, 2015 7:42 pm

skalpel wrote:
Donkey Toon wrote:Am I the only one on here who doesn't give a s*** and has never understood the popularity of this show?
Nah, I'm with you. I don't like cars and I don't like Jeremy Clarkson, Bebop or Rocksteady, so it pretty much bores and irritates me. I saw a handful of episodes eight or nine years ago where they went on trips to the Arctic or something like that. But I didn't even realise that so many people (like five or six million, right?) gave a s*** about cars and 'lad' humor until I happened to see the show's ratings in some article a year or so ago. Bizarre.
Not sure about the viewing figures but that is probably about right. Even more surprised by its popularity overseas. Worth about £100m a year to the BBC apparently. Don't understand it. It is about cars and includes Clarkson and Hammond, two of the most annoying tv personalities alive. I put them in the same category as Noel Edmonds and Jeremy Beadle.

But then I'm not fussed about cars either. Suppose if you like them the rest must not grate as much.

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Re: Top Gear

Post by Ramone » Wed Mar 25, 2015 7:44 pm

I don't think the majority of people who watch it care about cars in the slightest. At least not the ones I know.
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Re: Top Gear

Post by Bodacious Benny » Wed Mar 25, 2015 7:44 pm

Ramone wrote:
Bodacious Benny wrote:It's light hearted entertainment on a Sunday night.
Strictly Come Dancing is light hearted entertainment as is the One Show. Do you watch either of those?

No, because they're s***.
I don't get people who moan about 's***' TV shows or presenters that annoy them.

It's not difficult to completely avoid whatever it is you dislike.
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Re: Top Gear

Post by Donkey Toon » Wed Mar 25, 2015 7:45 pm

Bodacious Benny wrote:It's light hearted entertainment on a Sunday night.
See that is part of the problem for me. Light entertainment. Never liked it, never will. Too much to do and too little time to do it in to ever settle for light entertainment. I want full entertainment from a show otherwise I will do something else that I will fully enjoy.

Never understood the concept of just settling for something to vedge in front of.

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Re: Top Gear

Post by Bodacious Benny » Wed Mar 25, 2015 7:48 pm

Donkey Toon wrote:
Bodacious Benny wrote:It's light hearted entertainment on a Sunday night.
See that is part of the problem for me. Light entertainment. Never liked it, never will. Too much to do and too little time to do it in to ever settle for light entertainment. I want full entertainment from a show otherwise I will do something else that I will fully enjoy.

Never understood the concept of just settling for something to vedge in front of.
Tv is there to cater for all tastes. Some people like to zone out, some like documentaries etc. that would similarly bore the pants off other people. Having a choice is good.

Lots of things in all aspects of life are completely pointless but there's still a market / place for them. Not everything has to add value.
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Re: Top Gear

Post by Donkey Toon » Wed Mar 25, 2015 7:55 pm

Bodacious Benny wrote:
Donkey Toon wrote:
See that is part of the problem for me. Light entertainment. Never liked it, never will. Too much to do and too little time to do it in to ever settle for light entertainment. I want full entertainment from a show otherwise I will do something else that I will fully enjoy.

Never understood the concept of just settling for something to vedge in front of.
Tv is there to cater for all tastes. Some people like to zone out, some like documentaries etc. that would similarly bore the pants off other people. Having a choice is good.

Lots of things in all aspects of life are completely pointless but there's still a market / place for them. Not everything has to add value.
I accept what you say. It just isn't in me to settle for something that i'm not really interested in. If there isn't anything on tv that I feel like I absolutely have to watch I will watch a dvd instead, read a book, listen to music, go for a walk, anything really so long as it is something that I feel like I really want to do or will get full value from. It is too easy to just settle for a tv show that you aren't really interested in. I just don't do that anymore. Too many years already wasted watching crap tv. And to me every light entertainment show ever made falls into the category of tv I can do without.

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Re: Top Gear

Post by Ramone » Wed Mar 25, 2015 7:58 pm

Bodacious Benny wrote:
Ramone wrote:
Strictly Come Dancing is light hearted entertainment as is the One Show. Do you watch either of those?

No, because they're s***.
I don't get people who moan about 's***' TV shows or presenters that annoy them.

It's not difficult to completely avoid whatever it is you dislike.
I'm not moaning about it, just simply stating that I think it's s***.
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Re: Top Gear

Post by Lidl » Wed Mar 25, 2015 8:04 pm

It was never fantastic but always at least vaguely amusing. Only ever really watched it for James May though, his toy shows are a lot better though, the one where him and others made a Meccano motorbike and took part in a race on the Isle of Man was great <awe>
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Re: Top Gear

Post by Mifune » Wed Mar 25, 2015 8:07 pm

I like Top Gear, it is good entertainment. Clarkson, May and Hammond have genuine chemistry together and I don't think any of them take themselves seriously at all. The specials are the best though, especially the Vietnam and Botswana ones. Top Gear also is one of the best shot TV shows out there, the cinematography is really great.

I think I read the global viewing figures for Top Gear are 350 million?

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Re: Top Gear

Post by skalpel » Wed Mar 25, 2015 8:14 pm

Mifune wrote:I like Top Gear, it is good entertainment. Clarkson, May and Hammond have genuine chemistry together and I don't think any of them take themselves seriously at all. The specials are the best though, especially the Vietnam and Botswana ones. Top Gear also is one of the best shot TV shows out there, the cinematography is really great.

I think I read the global viewing figures for Top Gear are 350 million?
Is it really that genuine though? It's all very obviously scripted stuff, especially obvious in the parts where they sit in the studio having a bit of back and forth. The fakeness of it all has always been one of the biggest put-offs for me (aside from my dislike of cars, which I suppose would be the top one); at times it feels more like a poorly acted sitcom.

Also those viewing stats are pretty incredible <****>.

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Re: Top Gear

Post by Mifune » Wed Mar 25, 2015 8:29 pm

skalpel wrote:
Mifune wrote:I like Top Gear, it is good entertainment. Clarkson, May and Hammond have genuine chemistry together and I don't think any of them take themselves seriously at all. The specials are the best though, especially the Vietnam and Botswana ones. Top Gear also is one of the best shot TV shows out there, the cinematography is really great.

I think I read the global viewing figures for Top Gear are 350 million?
Is it really that genuine though? It's all very obviously scripted stuff, especially obvious in the parts where they sit in the studio having a bit of back and forth. The fakeness of it all has always been one of the biggest put-offs for me (aside from my dislike of cars, which I suppose would be the top one); at times it feels more like a poorly acted sitcom.

Also those viewing stats are pretty incredible <****>.
Entertainment tv is scripted <****>. Next you will be telling my that The Office is not a documentary <roll>.

I do think it is genuinely genuine, they are friends outside of the show and by the looks of it both Hammond and May are not going to continue doing it without Clarkson.

Yeah I knew it was popular but did not know the viewing figures were that high.

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Re: Top Gear

Post by skalpel » Wed Mar 25, 2015 8:36 pm

Mifune wrote:Entertainment tv is scripted <****>. Next you will be telling my that The Office is not a documentary <roll>.

I do think it is genuinely genuine, they are friends outside of the show and by the looks of it both Hammond and May are not going to continue doing it without Clarkson.

Yeah I knew it was popular but did not know the viewing figures were that high.
<wenger> It's the degree to which it is obviously scripted that I'm taking issue with. They might well be buddies, but on screen they look about as good friends as Ross, Chandler and Joey, if you see what I'm getting at.

This is besides the point, but surely they're stopping not out of some solidarity or other, but because the three of them are a lucrative trio which is bound to be offered a position on some other channel.

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Re: Top Gear

Post by TJR » Wed Mar 25, 2015 8:41 pm

I like Top Gear, its entertaining and as much as Clarkson is a t*** who I don't want to like I can't help but like him. Looks like May and Hammond aren't going to renew their contracts since the BBC won't renew Clarksons. Hopefully they'll form a very similar show with another channel, it wouldn't be the same if they continued without Clarkson. The three of them together make it work, take away one and I don't think the show would be as good.

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Re: Top Gear

Post by Mifune » Wed Mar 25, 2015 8:54 pm

skalpel wrote:
Mifune wrote:Entertainment tv is scripted <****>. Next you will be telling my that The Office is not a documentary <roll>.

I do think it is genuinely genuine, they are friends outside of the show and by the looks of it both Hammond and May are not going to continue doing it without Clarkson.

Yeah I knew it was popular but did not know the viewing figures were that high.
<wenger> It's the degree to which it is obviously scripted that I'm taking issue with. They might well be buddies, but on screen they look about as good friends as Ross, Chandler and Joey, if you see what I'm getting at.

This is besides the point, but surely they're stopping not out of some solidarity or other, but because the three of them are a lucrative trio which is bound to be offered a position on some other channel.
Why is than an issue with Top Gear though and not for every other entertainment tv show? It is not like they are trying to pretend it isn't or anything. If they were trying to pass it off as all real and everything then I would agree with your point, but to my knowledge at least they never have. I've never felt that their chemistry is anything other than legitmate to be honest, you obviously feel different which is fair enough, but even though a lot of the show is clearly scriped I've never felt that their chemistry was one of those things.

Maybe, but they are on lucrative contracts already which are also up for renegotiation and with Clarkson leaving the BBC will surely be desperate to keep the remaining two so they will be in a good position to get even more money. Would they risk leaving that to go on a venture with Clarkson that has no guarantee of success?

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Re: Top Gear

Post by skalpel » Wed Mar 25, 2015 9:04 pm

Mifune wrote:Why is than an issue with Top Gear though and not for every other entertainment tv show?
I'm not singling it out by any means. This just happens to be the Top Gear thread.
Mifune wrote:It is not like they are trying to pretend it isn't or anything. If they were trying to pass it off as all real and everything then I would agree with your point, but to my knowledge at least they never have. I've never felt that their chemistry is anything other than legitmate to be honest, you obviously feel different which is fair enough, but even though a lot of the show is clearly scriped I've never felt that their chemistry was one of those things.
I'm not really interested in whether or not they're trying to pass it off as real or not. I find the fakeness cringe-making either way.
Mifune wrote:Maybe, but they are on lucrative contracts already which are also up for renegotiation and with Clarkson leaving the BBC will surely be desperate to keep the remaining two so they will be in a good position to get even more money. Would they risk leaving that to go on a venture with Clarkson that has no guarantee of success?
No idea. But they'll no doubt make vague hints at exit intentions in public while their agents crank up the BBC's offer and the inevitable offers from other networks.

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