Top Gear

[arsenal]

TG series 1 is pretty brutal. At least the first few episodes. The movies they do aren't very good, the production quality is bad etc. At least compared to what they have now. Series 2 when James comes it, things start getting better.

Series 14 starts on sunday! I am fricking excited.
Also, don't watch the BBC Canada version. You can find the proper BBC 2 versions on the interwebs, and the quality is much much better. Plus there are no commercials, so you get the full hour long episode. Not so for the BBC Canada version. So you actually miss part of the show.

Clarkson also just released a video called "Duel". Which is pretty good. It's classic Clarkson. I would recommend watching it.

Also.. TG America never got off the ground, mainly due to the UK teams misgivings of the ability of the show to stay true to the TG formula. That formula being provide unbiased opinions of cars. They can do that in the UK and on BBC because it is fully publicly funded. The american version would require sponsors, advertisements, etc, and the hosts wouldn't be able to give a full unbiased opinions of the vehicles.

[COGENT]

Originally Posted by arsenal

They can do that in the UK and on BBC because it is fully publicly funded.

The CBC should do the American version then.

[Akai-Sesui]

And speaking of shows by the individual presenters, if you haven't watched James May on the Moon, go and catch that.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by @theCBE

I think they filmed a pilot but it never aired. The main host was the guy from the Man Show (not Jimmy Kimmel, the other one).

Ugh, if Adam Carolla was supposed to be the host I'm glad they didn't do it. TG isnt about bringing in comedians to talk about cars, it's about having car-guys who also happen to be funny. There's a English quirkiness that works so brilliantly that just couldn't be matched by anyone else. The American cast would probably be made up of a wise-ass comedian, some tough but pretty "bad boy", and a some blonde bimbo.

If I did have to pick someone, the one guy who I think would be good for a show like this might be Mike Rowe. Not sure how much he knows about cars though, but hes got that everyman appeal with a sense of humor that most guys can relate to.

[speede5]

Originally Posted by Table 5

Ugh, if Adam Carolla was supposed to be the host I'm glad they didn't do it. TG isnt about bringing in comedians to talk about cars, it's about having car-guys who also happen to be funny.

Not that i like Adam Carolla, but he is actually a car guy. He owns some rally cars and races. I saw him on Rides or something like that.

[d_phaneuf]

Originally Posted by arsenal

TG series 1 is pretty brutal. At least the first few episodes. The movies they do aren't very good, the production quality is bad etc. At least compared to what they have now. Series 2 when James comes it, things start getting better.

Series 14 starts on sunday! I am fricking excited.
Also, don't watch the BBC Canada version. You can find the proper BBC 2 versions on the interwebs, and the quality is much much better. Plus there are no commercials, so you get the full hour long episode. Not so for the BBC Canada version. So you actually miss part of the show.

Clarkson also just released a video called "Duel". Which is pretty good. It's classic Clarkson. I would recommend watching it.

Also.. TG America never got off the ground, mainly due to the UK teams misgivings of the ability of the show to stay true to the TG formula. That formula being provide unbiased opinions of cars. They can do that in the UK and on BBC because it is fully publicly funded. The american version would require sponsors, advertisements, etc, and the hosts wouldn't be able to give a full unbiased opinions of the vehicles.

Ya if you like the show it is best to download it

on the BBC Canada version they almost always take out the news, and usually a little bit of another segment as well

plus you have to wait a few months

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by speede5

Not that i like Adam Carolla, but he is actually a car guy. He owns some rally cars and races. I saw him on Rides or something like that.

Huh, didn't know that. Thanks for making me look stupid....I usually don't need the help.

[d_phaneuf]

if you know where to look, and you dont need to look very hard, you can download this weeks episode now

[3 Justin 3]

www.finalgear.com

[@theCBE]

Belfast Giants make an appearance in tonights episode.

Seriously.

[Akai-Sesui]

Jeremy Clarkson (Top Gear) - 2m Roughing

[Hack&Lube]

It's unfortunate that this series wasn't filmed in 2006 or we could have seen Theoren Fleury.

Other than that sequence and the ferry jump, this last episode was complete garbage. Top Gear isn't very entertaining anymore. They are running out of ideas and neat cars to review although it is turning into a good travelogue show instead of a car show

Perhaps if any of the cars on Top Gear were actually available here it would help but most of them are not.

[Barnes]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

It's unfortunate that this series wasn't filmed in 2006 or we could have seen Theoren Fleury.

Other than that sequence and the ferry jump, this last episode was complete garbage. Top Gear isn't very entertaining anymore. They are running out of ideas and neat cars to review although it is turning into a good travelogue show instead of a car show

Perhaps if any of the cars on Top Gear were actually available here it would help but most of them are not.

The BBC is under some serious budget constraints right now. That's why they haven't had a big finale since the scooter trip in Vietnam. This series has been much better than last though. They hardly did anything crazy like the blimp caravan or building the Hammerhead Eagle i-Thrust.

[Table 5]

I wonder what the most expensive episode has been to date. My money's on the one where they built a frickin SPACE SHUTTLE out of a car....and almost succeeded.

[I-Hate-Hulse]

Weak Top Gear is still better TV than 75% of the shows out there.

While I don't doubt the awesomeness of the big dollar episodes (ie Vietnam, Veyron vs Cessna, Polar Drive), a new batch of inspired writers could easily over come this. Some of the best episodes of the series came from relatively cheap budgets.

- Cheap Italian Supercars.
- Trash a Hilux

I think their budgets have gone up a bit.... hot air caravans can't be cheap.

[Meelapo]

I'm a huge Top Gear fan but I've found this series to be a bit silly. I know they've had scripted scenes in the past but this series it seems like there are far too many. I wish they would go back to reviewing cars and doing their cross continent races. But I guess those are expensive to make and produce so we might not see them.

Best Top Gear still is the Polar Drive. Excellent work.

[d_phaneuf]

I read that their budget got cut but instead of doing it over the whole season they just decided to do the last episode on the cheap. So the budget shouldn't be affecting anything.

My favorite episode is the one in Africa, I loved Oliver

[Bill Bumface]

When I was in South America last month a few people spotted them in Bolivia. They said they were there for "vacation" (sure... vacation in Bolivia with your coworkers..) but my guess is an upcoming "World's Most Dangerous Road" episode.

[3 Justin 3]

Originally Posted by hulkrogan

When I was in South America last month a few people spotted them in Bolivia. They said they were there for "vacation" (sure... vacation in Bolivia with your coworkers..) but my guess is an upcoming "World's Most Dangerous Road" episode.

That is one of their specials this year. They have done Africa, America, Vietnam and the next one is South America.

As for,

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

It's unfortunate that this series wasn't filmed in 2006 or we could have seen Theoren Fleury.

Other than that sequence and the ferry jump, this last episode was complete garbage. Top Gear isn't very entertaining anymore. They are running out of ideas and neat cars to review although it is turning into a good travelogue show instead of a car show

Perhaps if any of the cars on Top Gear were actually available here it would help but most of them are not.

No offense, but I don't think your a fan of Top Gear. Top Gear is and foremost a car show, they didn't start cocking about until series 8.

All Top Gear is good.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by 3 Justin 3

No offense, but I don't think your a fan of Top Gear. Top Gear is and foremost a car show, they didn't start cocking about until series 8.

All Top Gear is good.

What is that supposed to mean? It's like saying: "oh hey, you're criticizing the Flames, I don't think you're a fan of the Calgary Flames"

Sorry, that's totally "bollocks". No offense, but I don't think that you've even watched enough Top Gear to realize how it's changed over the years. I've watched Top Gear from before it's previous incarnation as it was from the 60s to late 90s and when Tiff Needle and Clarkson were both on the show and it was actually trying to be an informative motoring show before Clarkson quit, the BBC cancelled it, Needle moved to Fifth Gear, etc. I've even watched Clarkson's first ever bit as a presenter on the show from back in 1989 when he presented a segment on swap meets for car parts. That's when it was first and foremost a car show. It hasn't been that since Clarkson came back and reinvented it in 2001.

The entire concept of the current version of the series since 2001 is about 3 mates (well there used to be the other creepy guy before May came in Series 2) who love cars and love cocking about and providing entertainment. That is a good thing. The show is heavily scripted and much of it is prepared and not spontaneous like you would imagine. Even the studio scenes are reshot over and over again (the audience is asked to laugh again, etc.) and heavily edited. There's nothing wrong with that, it makes it more entertaining. Go look online and sometimes you can find uncut videos of this or uncut segments of "The News" (usually the best part of most episodes).

Also, everybody go watch the South America episode. It's an hour and sixteen minutes and probably the one redeeming good episode of this series as BBC has had some major budget cuts. You guys seriously don't think that quality of the show has dropped this series? Most of the episodes are much lower budgeted due to cuts and it shows. I don't mind that, as long as they manage a travel show or epic race episode per series. The episode is also brilliant as BBC is now in HD and you can find 720p versions. It's too bad this wasn't available for last year's Vietnam episode.

My dream life has always been to be a presenter on Top Gear or even to just work on the show or something similar. The sheer adventure and fun of doing all those things, or even the hard work of setting everything up behind the scenes seems like it would be so rewarding (of course Clarkson, May, and Hammond don't actually build the things they are filmed building - or completely rebuild an exploded diff with basic tools in the middle of South American desert).

If you are on shaw, you have access to their newsgroups, go for this nzb. It downloaded the 3.44GB HD version in under 30 minutes.
http://binsearch.info/?b=top.gear.s1...vee%29&max=250