I like Top Gear but I'm surprised at how popular it is abroad. Seeing Clarkson mentioning last night's show was being broadcast simultaneously in more than 50 other countries really made me think about this. Does anyone have any theories why its so popular in so many countries, even the non-English speaking ones, especially as TG often makes fun of other nations? Do they actually enjoy seeing their nation having the piss taken out of it by the TG presenters albeit in a tongue-in-cheek way?
Your forinner doesn't have the sophistication of the British public so they'll laugh at anything.
In Mexico, the highest rated TV show, below Top Gear, is nothing but 30 mins of a solitary three legged dog, falling over all the time. Its called "Peligro perro discapacitados"
Because their media isn't as daft as ours and they can just enjoy it for what many people do enjoy it for? A show roughly based on cars with 3 men willingly making themselves look daft going to amazing places around the world?
I agree that must be the appeal of the programme here and abroad but what do you mean by their media not being as daft as ours? Do you mean to say that only our media report on TG-related controversies?
Your forinner doesn't have the sophistication of the British public so they'll laugh at anything.
In Mexico, the highest rated TV show, below Top Gear, is nothing but 30 mins of a solitary three legged dog, falling over all the time. Its called "Peligro perro discapacitados"
You're kidding me, right? THAT'S their highest rated homegrown show? A show about a three legged dog? You also telling me that Top Gear is THE highest rated show in Mexico, above all Mexican entertainment, dramas and sitcoms as well as all the US imports? I take it they weren't put off by the jokes Richard Hammond made about them a few years ago? Did they laugh it off knowing it was just a harmless joke?
I agree that must be the appeal of the programme here and abroad but what do you mean by their media not being as daft as ours? Do you mean to say that only our media report on TG-related controversies?
Most of our press have it in for TopGear for a variety of reasons, the right wing bell ends because they hate the BBC and the left wing bell ends because the show is highly successful yet hasn't got any female, gay, disabled or Muslim presenters an sticks two fingers up to political correctness.
Why is Top Gear loved in Iran where the guy who dubs Clarkson is seen as a star in his own right.
TG is brilliant for what it is 60 minutes of nonsense and pratting around.
Plus, Hammond falls to his left onto the road/tracks. The bike also falls to the left. While it could have bounced along the road a bit, the damage was sustained to the dérailleur which is on the right of the bike..
I checked that again and again - it is a bit confusing as in addition to gthe front-facing camera at wheel-level, there is an on-bike camera that seems to be facing backwards (or is it the same camera where the front wheel has turned backwards?), but Hammond finished up lying behind the bike - he lifts it up by the saddle and it is lying on its right side, not its left side
I checked that again and again - it is a bit confusing as in addition to the front-facing camera at wheel-level, there is an on-bike camera that seems to be facing backwards (or is it the same camera where the front wheel has turned backwards?), but Hammond finished up lying behind the bike - he lifts it up by the saddle and it is lying on its right side, not its left side
The bike does some weird things once it hits the ground because it's briefly still attached to Hammond. There's a barrel roll as he's thrown off
I think it's safe to say that the bike crash was scripted beforehand - Hammond at the end said the crash had cost him 20 minutes and he supposedly arrived at the finish not long after May and Clarkson, so if we were led to believe this was a proper race then the cyclist would have won by some distance had there been no delay.
Whether they let Hammond crash the bike himself or whether there was a stunt-person involved, it's not clear. Perhaps there wasn't decent footage of the crash to show what happened, or perhaps there was incriminating evidence to show what actually happened but there is a definite edit break between seeing "Hammond" cycling along and us seeing him pick himself up off the tarmac.
I think it's safe to say that the bike crash was scripted beforehand - Hammond at the end said the crash had cost him 20 minutes and he supposedly arrived at the finish not long after May and Clarkson, so if we were led to believe this was a proper race then the cyclist would have won by some distance had there been no delay.
Maybe I'm just analysing it too much.
Maybe a little . I think pretty unlikely the BBC Health & safety bods would let Hammond crash his bike intentionally, especially with his previous head injury.
In the end we didn't see how much May won by and only have Hammond's claim he'd have won if he hadn't crashed. My guess is clarkson sent ages faffing about getting under bridges which made him as late as Hammond and as a result May won by a street. We'll never know if he'd have won if Hammond hadn't crashed.
I thought this series was being simulcast live "around the world"?
I can't find any channel here in Germany that is broadcasting it. Anyone know which channel it's on, or indeed if at all?
In Poland, the first episode is going out next Sunday, 1st February, because on that day "BBC BRIT" takes over from "BBC Entertainment". On its first day, BBC BRIT is showing May's Toy Stories from 6:30, then Top Gear virtually all day, with season 22, episode 1 at 19:40 followed by episode 2 more or less live with the UK at 21:00 (8pm in UK). I say more or less because judging by the 80 minute time slots, there will be advert breaks.
I think it's safe to say that the bike crash was scripted beforehand - Hammond at the end said the crash had cost him 20 minutes and he supposedly arrived at the finish not long after May and Clarkson, so if we were led to believe this was a proper race then the cyclist would have won by some distance had there been no delay.
Whether they let Hammond crash the bike himself or whether there was a stunt-person involved, it's not clear. Perhaps there wasn't decent footage of the crash to show what happened, or perhaps there was incriminating evidence to show what actually happened but there is a definite edit break between seeing "Hammond" cycling along and us seeing him pick himself up off the tarmac.
Maybe I'm just analysing it too much.
The crash looked genuine enough to me. An edit break would be hardly surprising since the camera car would probably have to stop and reverse back to him. He looked really shaken, and he's a rotten actor.
The most unlikely thing for me was May not knowing what the streets of central St Petersburg were like. He is a meticulous planner and a little research would be all he'd need to know it was mostly wide boulevards.
Overall I enjoyed this episode. It seems to have got some of the old freshness back. TG was getting rather tired so hopefully this is a good sign.
I wasn't expecting anything new from them, although I was hoping for a few new ideas to shake it up a bit.
But they did what they do and are famous and popular for it.
Some funny moments. Some overly scripted stuff. Nice looking girls in the background.
Enjoyable enough.
Didn't Wilman post a blog or something a few series back saying that he understood some of the (constructive) criticisms of the show and they were looking to involve new ideas?
I think it's safe to say that the bike crash was scripted beforehand
Well, I trhink differently.
- Hammond at the end said the crash had cost him 20 minutes and he supposedly arrived at the finish not long after May and Clarkson, so if we were led to believe this was a proper race then the cyclist would have won by some distance had there been no delay.
But that was exactly the point that he made at the end in the studio - he was indeed so far ahead prior to the crash that he would have won easily.
I thought this series was being simulcast live "around the world"?
I can't find any channel here in Germany that is broadcasting it. Anyone know which channel it's on, or indeed if at all?
In Poland, the first episode is going out next Sunday, 1st February, because on that day "BBC BRIT" takes over from "BBC Entertainment". On its first day, BBC BRIT is showing May's Toy Stories from 6:30, then Top Gear virtually all day, with season 22, episode 1 at 19:40 followed by episode 2 more or less live with the UK at 21:00 (8pm in UK). I say more or less because judging by the 80 minute time slots, there will be advert breaks.
It was simulcast, but not to every country around the world, as made clear in this BBC Press Release::
Top Gear Series 22 opener to simulcast globally in 50 countries across 4 continents
[/B]Top Gear is also announcing another first that will see January 25th’s opening episode of Series 22 on BBC Two broadcast simultaneously in over 50 countries across Australia, Africa and the Middle East at the same time as the UK.
Also 10 countries across Asia including Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Taiwan, Korea, Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand, South Korea and Mongolia will, for the first time ever, air the episode within 24 hours of the UK transmission.
I'd be very upset spending £9k on a bike for it to break so catastrophically at the first sign of trouble.
It's a reasonable expectation that cyclists will probably fall off at some time; the rear dérailleur attaches to the frame on a mech hanger, a sacrificial component that's deigned to break rather than the frame or the electronic rear changer taking the brunt. The hanger broke as intended. They're made of cheese or carrot sticks and cost a few quid & a couple of minutes to replace.
I'd be more gutted if a simple tumble cost me a new frame or a replacement rear mech.
But that was exactly the point that he made at the end in the studio - he was indeed so far ahead prior to the crash that he would have won easily.
The other point they made in the studio was that in the last cross-city race, the car was third and the cyclist won. I think it was scripted this time to let the car "win". There was no urgency in Hammond trying to procure a replacement bike, it was all fairly calm.
But it is done pretty convincingly to suggest it was a race.
There was no urgency in Hammond trying to procure a replacement bike, it was all fairly calm.
Not much that could have been achieved by any sense of urgency or panic though (even allowing for post-production edits). That would have got him nowhere.
Comments
Your forinner doesn't have the sophistication of the British public so they'll laugh at anything.
In Mexico, the highest rated TV show, below Top Gear, is nothing but 30 mins of a solitary three legged dog, falling over all the time. Its called "Peligro perro discapacitados"
Most of our press have it in for TopGear for a variety of reasons, the right wing bell ends because they hate the BBC and the left wing bell ends because the show is highly successful yet hasn't got any female, gay, disabled or Muslim presenters an sticks two fingers up to political correctness.
Why is Top Gear loved in Iran where the guy who dubs Clarkson is seen as a star in his own right.
TG is brilliant for what it is 60 minutes of nonsense and pratting around.
I think it's safe to say that the bike crash was scripted beforehand - Hammond at the end said the crash had cost him 20 minutes and he supposedly arrived at the finish not long after May and Clarkson, so if we were led to believe this was a proper race then the cyclist would have won by some distance had there been no delay.
Whether they let Hammond crash the bike himself or whether there was a stunt-person involved, it's not clear. Perhaps there wasn't decent footage of the crash to show what happened, or perhaps there was incriminating evidence to show what actually happened but there is a definite edit break between seeing "Hammond" cycling along and us seeing him pick himself up off the tarmac.
Maybe I'm just analysing it too much.
In the end we didn't see how much May won by and only have Hammond's claim he'd have won if he hadn't crashed. My guess is clarkson sent ages faffing about getting under bridges which made him as late as Hammond and as a result May won by a street. We'll never know if he'd have won if Hammond hadn't crashed.
I can't find any channel here in Germany that is broadcasting it. Anyone know which channel it's on, or indeed if at all?
In Poland, the first episode is going out next Sunday, 1st February, because on that day "BBC BRIT" takes over from "BBC Entertainment". On its first day, BBC BRIT is showing May's Toy Stories from 6:30, then Top Gear virtually all day, with season 22, episode 1 at 19:40 followed by episode 2 more or less live with the UK at 21:00 (8pm in UK). I say more or less because judging by the 80 minute time slots, there will be advert breaks.
The most unlikely thing for me was May not knowing what the streets of central St Petersburg were like. He is a meticulous planner and a little research would be all he'd need to know it was mostly wide boulevards.
Overall I enjoyed this episode. It seems to have got some of the old freshness back. TG was getting rather tired so hopefully this is a good sign.
But they did what they do and are famous and popular for it.
Some funny moments. Some overly scripted stuff. Nice looking girls in the background.
Enjoyable enough.
Didn't Wilman post a blog or something a few series back saying that he understood some of the (constructive) criticisms of the show and they were looking to involve new ideas?
But that was exactly the point that he made at the end in the studio - he was indeed so far ahead prior to the crash that he would have won easily.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/worldwide/2015/top-gear-series-22-simulcast
It's almost as if he crashed for dramatic effect...
(I try not to think about the obvious staging issues, just sit down and enjoy it!)
I'd be more gutted if a simple tumble cost me a new frame or a replacement rear mech.
The other point they made in the studio was that in the last cross-city race, the car was third and the cyclist won. I think it was scripted this time to let the car "win". There was no urgency in Hammond trying to procure a replacement bike, it was all fairly calm.
But it is done pretty convincingly to suggest it was a race.
But, like you, I simply accept it for what it is, without the earnest over-analysis.