Top Gear

[Atticus]

Contrived blokiness with an awful whiff of 6th form banter.

I find myself watching it and then just as with fish chips, immediately self loath after consumption.

[Otta]

On this we are in total agreement.

Except I manage to avoid watching cos the wife can't stomach it.

[maxxi]

A few years back (actually quite a few now I think about it) they stumbled on a popular format, of which blokiness was an essential ingredient.

They have been replicating it ever since and upping the blokiness, to the detrement of anything else, thus providing the best demonstration of the law of diminishing returns (quality-wise as they say in Iowa) on tv.

I am waiting for the episode in which Clarkson's japery extends to putting a rotting corpse in May's car while Hammond drives a car made of skin.

ETA: I shall still probably pounce on the new series like a vegetarian on a bacon sandwich. That's Simon Cowell for you.

[Annette Curtain]

Have you seen the episode with the Reliant Robins- It gave me an Asthma attack, which I loved

After that it just could't get any better

Did you know Clarkson et al own the rights to the merchandise.

There you go, you do now !

Still, if i'm bored at home i'll watch it on Dave, beats Poirot re-runs IMHO.

Lastly, If you fancy cooking Squirrel " Granma's style" , here's a great site

http://trishgood1.tripod.com/wildsquirrel.html#Grandma%27s%20squirrel

[Loz]

It should be retained whilst it still annoys the Guardian. And boy, does it annoy the Guardian.

[woodrot]

its a big income generator the BBC, esp worldwide

Clarkson is a pro - he plays to the crowd and I have to admire his tenacity.

The prog is an entertainment, as Greene desribed Our man in Havana - it should be judged as such - sometimes the Guardian lot seek things to be outraged at. This thread is blates not about the Guardian, but their weekend magazine , with its dull as shit encrusted ditchwater regular simpering columnists make me want to remove my eyes with an HIV infected fork.

An ability to view the programme for what it is and be able to filter out the Clarkson cartoon jibes is something your tutting so called liberals seem to be unable to do.

More cupcakes to go with your camomile tea anyone ?

[Jeremy]

I like it. You have to realise that the three of them are all playing characters, you don't have to agree with what they say to find it amusing. Anything "offensive" in there is tongue-in-cheek, and deliberately calculated to provoke a reaction from the habitually offended.

[????]

My misses and me (neither of us even remotely petrol headed) used to like it way back - when it was actually quite different. But It's only to a few jokes and they wear thin, quickly, and it has, like Alan Hansen, become a pastiche of itself. Way, WAY, past it sell by date for me but the rest of the world don't seem to think so. I think it's the BBC's biggest overseas earner.

[Huguenot]

Lads mags are still big news elsewhere in the world, the UK has moved on a bit thank God.

It's also worth bearing in mind that 'light entertainment' television in most other places in the world is truly shocking. So Top Gear's slick brand of 'real people' is marvellous in comparison.

Annette, the Top Gear merchandise and so on was owned by a separate independent production house owned by Clarkson and Gilman (the producer), but it's since been sold back to the BBC, so strictly speaking the BBC own it all again now.

However, it's still a useful vehicle to sidestep the scandal the BBC suffers over presenter salaries. So although Clarkson received only ?350k from the BBC last year, he actually took over ?3m from Top Gear ;)

[katie1997]

Jeremy Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I like it. You have to realise that the three of

> them are all playing characters, you don't have to

> agree with what they say to find it amusing.

> Anything "offensive" in there is tongue-in-cheek,

> and deliberately calculated to provoke a reaction

> from the habitually offended.

What Jeremy said totally!

And I (mostly) love it, though it does get a bit silly at times.

But the fact it annoys so many people is what is appealing (for me anyway). Weirdo that I am.

[steveo]

Annette is right. I once owned a Bond three wheeler which would simply fall on its side when you went round a corner. Why can't we make cars like that any more?

[Otta]

Good point about quality of telly the world over. Australian telly looks like it's filmed in the living room with a camcorder.

[bon3yard]

They seemd to have ditched any pretence at reality now in favour of more and more juvenile and contrived set pieces. Shame really because I quite liked it for the first few seasons of the reboot and really enjoyed the Xmas specials. Clarksons a charmless, crass oaf and Richard Hammond has become increasingly irritating with each new series. James May still seems like a rather nice chap...if a little woolly.

[RosieH]

Nope, categorically not.

Clarkson is a cunt.

May is a cunt.

That teenage-haired-it's-a-cocking-knockout midget is a cunt.

As in many things, Stewart Lee says it best:

[Mick Mac]

Jeremy Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I like it. You have to realise that the three of

> them are all playing characters, you don't have to

> agree with what they say to find it amusing.

> Anything "offensive" in there is tongue-in-cheek,

> and deliberately calculated to provoke a reaction

> from the habitually offended.

Jeremy - you seem to be very defensive about this - and have the same name as one of the presenters, anything to declare? Do you have a dodgy haircut, jeans with creases, brown leather jacket and act a bit of a twat ;-)

[Loz]

RosieH Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Nope, categorically not.

>

> Clarkson is a @#$%&.

>

> May is a @#$%&.

>

> That teenage-haired-it's-a-cocking-knockout midget

> is a @#$%&.

>

> As in many things, Stewart Lee says it best:

>

There are actually very few, if any, things that Stewart Lee says best. The man is a smug cock and should be done for false advertising for using the description 'comedian'. I've had funnier bouts of 'flu.

[bon3yard]

...blimey everyones a critic innit.

[????]

Stewart Lee may speak the truth, but he never does it funnily...

[RosieH]

Funnier bouts of flu you say? Ahh, there's a shame.

There is not a single rude thing that I wouldn't do to Stewart Lee. Not a one.

[Loz]

I can think of somewhere into Stewart Lee I'd like to shove a hot poker that's rather rude.

[*Bob*]

Come on, let's have a pointless comedy debate

He's not funny

Well he makes me laugh

He's not funny

Well he makes me laugh

Time well spent.

[Ted Max]

Can we start posting YouTube clips? It goes:

Stu does Top Gear (50% think funny, rest "meh")

Clarkson Island (80% agree Paul Whitehouse was the funny one)

The one where Hammond drills his head into the ground at rocket speed (thread unity)

[Otta]

Mick Mac Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Jeremy - you seem to be very defensive about this

> - and have the same name as one of the presenters,

> anything to declare? Do you have a dodgy haircut,

> jeans with creases, brown leather jacket and act a

> bit of a @#$%& ;-)

He's not Clarkson, but other than that you're pretty close.

[PeckhamRose]

Don't have a car, love Top Gear. Loved the episode where they asked how fast we thought a caravan could go, then zoomed up to one hanging up very high from a crane, then let it go. ooooh it went fast! I love the editing and the silliness and just can't get worked up about the occasional offensiveness.

[Ridgley]

Just a couple of old farts trying relive their youth and sometimes Clarkson would say something offensive just to make ratings.