What was the PC madness?

I'm not sure why the fact that Chris Evans thinks that MLB is the best person to front the show has made the news.

This is the man that thought that 'Chris Evans' would be good as the front man.

Top Gear should be left to die now. Bury it and remember the good times.

I always get a lump in my throat when I watch that. Every aspect of it so perfectly crafted and a poignant reminder that if we're not careful, we'll see the brave new world of technical and creative innovation that took us to the Moon and beyond recede further and further in the rear view mirror. A possible epitaph for the future. TG could have ended perfectly right there.

That's how I feel. it's all become a bit X-Factorish with the publicity surrounding it.

It will never be just a normal program again. We'll always be told to give it a chance and to give the presenters a few years to settle in. Where's the fun in that? It needs to be entertaining now.

They own the winning formula. They should have stuck to it.

LeBlanc was fine as a co-presenter/second banana. It wasn't the original formula, but that wasn't going to work again anyway.

The idea of LeBlanc as a main presenter/lead is the problem. And Evans acting like he would be okay is Evans scrambling to do damage control because he knows the audience liked LeBlanc and hated him.

It's simple. They need to promote Rory Reid, have him do roughly what Evans was doing--but frankly better--and LeBlanc can continue to be the irreverent second banana.

Anyone know why the repeats on Dave have now removed the SIARPC segments?

Top Gear: Tinie Tempah wants to replace Chris Evans as host

I know people aren't supposed to boost themselves and people will hate on him for suggesting himself, but I like the idea of Tinie for this. We saw he worked well with Matt, for example.

It will never happen though.

Why cant the BBC just bite the bullet and admit TopGear will never work without CHM? Sell the rights to ITV or chanel four if they cant employ Clarkson again and give the fans what they want.

He was perfectly watchable in that film with Matt, granted, but this is all assuming that they do actually need to replace Evans. They've said they don't and providing Matt re-signs, I agree. Rory is a rising star and will quickly grow into the role. What's more, there does seem to be some decent chemistry evolving between the other presenters. It wasn't too visible in the main shows but was far more obvious in Extra Gear, especially in the final show with RR, SS, MLB and CH bantering away nicely. Certainly some good potential there, so all is far from lost.


TG worked before CHM, albeit in a different format which then became tired and it can work in the future without CHM (see my comments above). Again, the format will inevitably evolve but the fact is that the CHM era is over. Gone. Dead. Buried. Anyone who is hankering after them presenting a car show, just needs to head over to Amazon later in the year. To think that they will ever contemplate doing a similar show on the BBC / ITV / C4 after having had near free-reign and a budget ten times the size of TG's, you have to be seriously deluded. It's not going to happen. (And I say all this as a big CHM fan.)

We've now got two car shows instead of one. Isn't that a good thing? Why do so many people have such a problem with that?

God, I hated that pseudo emotional, overblown crap he specialised in. Totally manipulative garbage. Surprised he didn't bring on "our brave lads" while he was at it.
Daily Mail level brain rot.

Sound, film and music all a notch up on the last series. Script and presentation numerous notches up.

Yes, it might be overblown and pretentious, but it gave me goosebumps on the day it was broadcast, and again today. There is no doubt what we were sold this series is just a shadow of real Top Gear.

Hurry along with TGT.

The BBC should just buy TGT off Amazon.

Like that's going to happen!

My thoughts exactly.

I did think fire would turn to MLB once Chris Evans had gone, and IMHO it's justified.
MLB looks nice (!), but very wooden I found with no ability to banter in the spur of the moment, like Clarkson - or Chris Harris.
Mr Evans supporting him is not a good recommendation is it!
CE admits he messed up on the programme (for Americans: "show") but still thinks he knows who should present it next? Doh

This film does "less is more" so well - Chris Evans does not understand this.

Chris Evans' Top Gear 'is bigger global hit than Jeremy Clarkson version'
https://www.theguardian.com/media/20...y-clarkson-bbc

“I am very happy with programme sales,” said the BBC Worldwide chief executive, Tim Davie. “[Chris Evans’s Top Gear] has sold into over 130 territories which is very strong and marginal growth versus the previous season [Clarkson’s last].”

Yeah, it may have sold OK, but just wait for the ratings

Yeah talk about spin. Those are surely contracts sold before Clarkson was sacked. The key will be how many new contracts after this last series and how many are being renewed etc. Oh and ratings.

I suspect the (small) increase in worldwide popularity is due to the significant ‘push’ BBC Worldwide gave this ‘revamped’ series. That alone must have generated more interest from international broadcasters than just another series from Clarkson, Hammond and May.
So, now that the new revamped series has been aired it’ll be interesting to see how it compares with previous Clarkson, Hammond and May series – I suspect international interest will drop, but we’ll see.

I’m also looking forward to seeing how Amazon sell The Grand Tour internationally, given that their Amazon Video service is only available in the US, UK, Japan, Germany and Austria. In other territories I suspect they’ll sell it to other broadcasters – some of which will undoubtedly be Top Gear broadcasters. So it’ll be interesting to see if these stick with Top Gear, switch to The Grand Tour, or do a deal with both.

No one really cares about Clarkson outside of the UK. They may know who he is, but they don't really care if he presents Top Gear or not.

So it doesn't surprise me that the new show has been a success outside of the UK. Whatever anyone here says, the new Top Gear was a very good show, and neutral people who just want cars and great photography, with some jokes thrown in, got everything they wanted and more with the new show.

The obsession with Clarkson, especially since the BBC sacked him, is as much to do with having an excuse to hate the BBC as anything else....Chris Evans has also become a hate figure to the Clarkson knuckle draggers........

However...the new Top Gear is a better humoured show, it was friendlier, and - for me - more fun than the old show, especially with Top Gear Extra. The old show perfected 'grumpy old men', but it's already starting to look a bit one dimensional now....

So it doesn't surprise me that the new show has been a hit abroad. And long may it continue...I for one am looking forward to next series....which will be better than this series, with confidence growing and new ideas fermenting as we speak...

My guess is that Rory Reid will co-present next series....and maybe also Sabine too....and I am sure that they will be looking into putting it on BBC1....something that Clarkson didn't want.

For those naysayers who want it to end...come over to the other side, the grass is much greener over here....

Really? On the foreign trip specials they seemed to cause quite a stir wherever they went; their arrival in Vicenza last week caused quite a reaction from the locals. I think you're wrong on this point.


Except it wasn't a very good show, it was badly scripted, badly edited, badly presented and badly done. How many times does it have to be said that car shows are dull and always fail? Good jokes? Everyone got what they wanted? Hmmm... I think you're wrong on this point too.


No it doesn't. It has everything to do with Evans repeatedly saying he was the wrong man for the job then accepting it anyway and even before he'd kicked a ball in anger [football metaphor Colin, please don't respond with something about there not being a football involved...] there was almost complete consensus that Evans was the wrong person. His rapid resignation after 6 shows rather confirms that tbh. So you're wrong again, and I see you've reverted to calling anyone who prefers Clarkson and his undoubted abilities as a wordsmith and a presenter as 'knuckle draggers'.. You really don't do yourself any favours with that childish / churlish attitude.


It's not. Did you ever actually watch old TG? I mean I stuck with new TG for 2½ shows before giving up. You seem to be relying on world of cliche for your view. CHM TG was a mix of high jinks, fun, quality scripts & delivery, and the occasional GOM. One dimensional Colin? Ooops. Wrong again.


It hasn't been a hit abroad. A similar number of buyers have opted to buy this series. The fun will be 6 weeks after they start to show it, and wonder what happened to cause a similar fall in ratings that the UK witnessed. Remember TG isn't a car show Colin, it was the CHM show. Confidence is based on ability. The lack of ability on the part of the presenters, script writers, script associates named Danny Baker who had a go but quickly left, and the BBC itself in hiding it against Euro2016 & some talent show I believe, doesn't inspire any sense that if the 'team' just had a bit more confidence it would all be ok. Wrong #5. Not going well is it Colin?


Rory Ried may well co-present. Clarkson didn't want to be on BBC1. Boom. Back of the net for Colin at last, but then I'm not sure what not wanting to be on BBC1 proves in this context.


We did. We gave the shouty annoying moronic juvenile idiot Evans a chance, we gave MLB a chance but soon realised he only looked good against Evans, and we looked at the way the challenges lacked any context, how the SIARPXC was just complete drivel from start to finish, and how the lack of The News section meant that the core of the show around which it all hung, was gone. I'll give it a look when it returns, but having only ever seen half a dozen Coronation Streets and a similar number of Eastenders in my life, I don't think there's a great need to keep trying to see if it's any good yet. It's no loss to me if I miss out on a second-rate pale imitation of a once great show, even if it's improved to being only second rate from an order of magnitude less - it'll still be a not v good tv programme that I don't really need to make time in my life for. You carry on Colin, being the lone voice in the wilderness shouting 'honest it really will get better, give it a chance everybody please, go on, oh please watch'.

Wrong again. Not a very good post then Colin, but it's big of you to try to keep your job at TG Towers by bravely continuing to post in the face of all the reality that we saw and laughed at (not with).

I would have to agree that there seems to be a common misconception in the UK that Top Gear, and Jeremy Clarkson, are huge international success stories. I’m quite well travelled, and in every country I’ve ever been in the programme and Clarkson have had nothing more than a (loyal) cult following, if anything at all.
This is particularly the case in the US, where our press often appear to suggest Top Gear and Jeremy Clarkson are household names. They aren’t. And the actual truth is that the vast majority of the US public have never heard of Top Gear or know who Clarkson is.

Don’t get me wrong, Top Gear (and to a lesser extent Clarkson) do have a global following, but I think it’s often overplayed by the UK press which results in the general public thinking it’s a bigger global success than it actually is.

Channel 5's Classic Car Show, although not going head to head with a show like Top Gear, is nevertheless an excellent and entertaining show for those who want a programme about CARS and can easily do without all the challenges and other nonsense that turned Top Gear into the drivel that it became before the three buffoons were removed.

Jodie Kidd and Quentin Willson work really well together .. we need that sort of chemistry on Top Gear, or I'll be joining the droves jumping ship.

Not sure that's a very good example. Bizarre really in that the studio links were awful - badly written, stilted and very cringy. However the films that they did together such as the Pacific Coast Highway road trip and the Monaco one in the DS were fine - natural and thoroughly enjoyable, yet simply incomparable to the forced studio pieces. I guess it shows that poor scripting and bad 'acting' doesn't translate to on-screen chemistry however well the people involved get on. A lesson there for TG perhaps?!

With May as the new PM, and Hammond as Chancellor .........
Clarkson in charge of the diplomatic corps?