Top Gear new series

[VectraMan]

There's very little info for a prospective buyer

Strictly.. also has very little consumer advice on cars, and neither (I assume - I've never watched it) does Downtown Abbey or whatever it is. Why don't people complain about those?

[Gittins Gal]

Strictly.. also has very little consumer advice on cars, and neither (I assume - I've never watched it) does Downtown Abbey or whatever it is. Why don't people complain about those?

Top Gear is a brand that has been around since, what, late 70s? For the bulk of its existence it has offered consumer advice on buying cars.

Don't you remember when William Woolard presented it?

I don't think it unreasonable to expect it to adhere to at least some of its original remit.

Comparing it to Downton Abbey and saying nobody complains about that not offering consumer advice on buying cars is just ridiculous, if you don't mind my saying so.

[d000hg]

Top Gear is a brand that has been around since, what, late 70s? For the bulk of its existence it has offered consumer advice on buying cars.

Don't you remember when William Woolard presented it?

I don't think it unreasonable to expect it to adhere to at least some of its original remit.

TG was rebooted as the current presenters joined. Other programs remained on topic, like 5th Gear, and got cancelled. Just like programs telling you where to go on holiday - we don't need such programs anymore.

[Flashman]

Big fan of Jezza and the boys. I think I've watched their South American road trip about 6 times!

Last nights episode was carp. Very predictable, laboured, scripted stuff.

Quite an amusing idea to drive cars around a supermarket. So why not try and drive around without hitting anything? Instead we had to endure some 'hilarious' accidents... yawn.

And as for the TGPD bit I thought it would never end.

Dire.

[VectraMan]

Comparing it to Downton Abbey and saying nobody complains about that not offering consumer advice on buying cars is just ridiculous, if you don't mind my saying so.

Well I heard other people saying ridiculous things and wanted to join in.

"New" Top Gear has been going for well over a decade, and has been enormously successful and highly publicised. Just how many people do you think tune in still thinking it's a boring consumer advice show?

Actually quite a few people seem to tune in every week without fail, and then go on the internet and moan about how crap it is and how it isn't about cars.

[DodgyAgent]

I find it highly entertaining though it is getting very repetitive. As an antidote to the grey world of political correctness and as a counter to the po faced puritans it is perfect. I can also perfectly understand why people are not interested in it as it is quite one dimensional. Great escapism for a Sunday night.

[pjclarke]

Not for me, tho its very successful at what it does and earns the BBC millions. Just accept that its 'telly'. Every word is scripted, every 'breakdown' staged, every fact fake, every 'trial' rigged (e.g. running the battery down on electric cars before fliming so the car runs out of juice prematurely to 'prove' that lectric is useless) that it has a boy racer's agenda and its an entertainment show in roughly the same market space as 'Nuts' and you won't go far wrong.

Making private millions out of a format built up using public BBC licence money, now that does stick in the craw a tad...

[Gittins Gal]

Big fan of Jezza and the boys. I think I've watched their South American road trip about 6 times!

Last nights episode was carp. Very predictable, laboured, scripted stuff.

Quite an amusing idea to drive cars around a supermarket. So why not try and drive around without hitting anything? Instead we had to endure some 'hilarious' accidents... yawn.

And as for the TGPD bit I thought it would never end.

Dire.

Don't get me wrong, I do like Clarkson. Love his Sunday Times column and I loved that series called (I think) Meet the Neighbours where he travels round Europe in an E Type Jag casting a critical eye over our continental neighbours.

You may be innerested to know that Ive had a bit of a brush with Jeremy myself. A few years ago, I had to take a medical for a Life Assurance wolicy I was taken out. It turned out that the doctor I went to see moonlighted as the medical advisor for all those TG specials.

Anyway, the upshot of all this is that he said Jeremy is a really nice guy, unfairly maligned by sections of the media etc and Richard Hammond is a little toe rag. Throws a lot of tantrums, apparently.

[Scruff]

I also like Clarkson and his irreverent views and opinions.

I thought that the first 10 minutes last night was entertaining and then it got progressively more puerile. Luckily, I had it on Sky+ and was able to switch it off after Downton Abbey "Star in a reasonably priced car" man had done his thing.

Stale and predictable.

I am an avowed petrolhead and there is a shortage of Motoring programs on Telly. I haven't seen a new 5th Gear in ages and prefer Tiff and Plato's driving.

[BoredBloke]

Making private millions out of a format built up using public BBC licence money, now that does stick in the craw a tad...

How is that any different to plenty of other people on the BBC? There was a story doing the rounds a bit ago about Alan Hansen and his £50k per show on Match Of The Day.