Television Top Gear

People should really stop looking at it as a car show. Since the BBC is there to serve niche audiences to an extent, I would have no problem with them producing a show for the car nuts, but the answer to satisfy them isn't to change Top Gear.

Still have to catch up with last week's episode, but did see tonight's and for me it has been the best series in a couple of years (not saying an awful lot), but is still a long way from it's peak, I can't see it ever reaching those heights again.

I expect Clarkson will get into trouble with the retard comment, I'm surprise the producers let that slip by.
 
B Cantona said:
Those still complaining it isn't just a pure car review show anymore have just missed the point entirely. There's a reason it's hugely popular, nigh there's a reason they cancelled the previous incarnation of Top Gear

What's disappointing is that the current format is now stale, and say tonight, they've resorted to stuff they've already done before, only that much more obviously faked, and therefore that much more obviously unfunny

The last series was the worst by far, and I was hoping they'd come up with some new ideas to re-refresh the concept, but apparently not
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This. I personally wouldn't watch if it was just a car review show. I simply don't care that much about cars, even as a mechanical engineer. I find them interesting, but watching guys orgasm over expensive cars and roll off stat after stat about them is not something I would set aside time for.

Roll your eyes at me all you want. I suppose that makes me the type of viewer that's the source of the problem for you purists, but I enjoy this show because it's an entertainment show. I think car reviews would make more sense in a cable/satellite tv show or a podcast environment or a magazine or a blog.

Not that I don't respect the enthusiasm for people who are car enthusiasts, but the whole "I wish this show would do more of the stuff they used to do before they 'sold out'" argument is age old. Ultimately broadcast tv is supposed to cater to the masses so that shift is inevitable no matter how much we'd like them to resist it.

Edit: It appears my silly American experience with broadcast tv has caused me to completely miss the point of the BBC. But Force of Nature is right. I do think that it would make more sense to make a new show and shift some of the hardcore enthusiasts from Top Gear to a new show on the network rather than change Top Gear to appease them and lose a all of the casual viewers altogether.
 
the new Bugatti Veyron to be previewed in tomorrow's epi..not to mention that Captain Slow is going to be trying to break his old speed record with the Veyron too..
 
I thought it was a great episode too. Never followed F1 before so I'd never heard of Senna, but it's certainly raised my interest in the sport and the man.

Enjoyed the Diaz and Cruise interviews, the Bugatti and the Hammond piece aswell. All in all a bloody good episode.
 
Best episode in years in my opinion. No obviously faked stunts and disasters to garner laughs, just a fantastic couple of features, made in a very entertaining way, and the best feature I've ever seen them do with the Senna film.
 
Yep, superb episode. The Senna tribute was brilliantly made. Only bad part was Hammond doing that race, I never find them remotely fun.

And my god, that Bugatti is just nuts.
 
cina said:
Yep, superb episode. The Senna tribute was brilliantly made. Only bad part was Hammond doing that race, I never find them remotely fun.

And my god, that Bugatti is just nuts.
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Yep. Loved the tribute. And what a driver.
 
It was a great piece on Senna it didn't try to sugar coat his memory (taking out Prost) fitting tribute to a great driver.
 
esmufc10 said:
I thought it was a great episode too. Never followed F1 before so I'd never heard of Senna, but it's certainly raised my interest in the sport and the man.

Enjoyed the Diaz and Cruise interviews, the Bugatti and the Hammond piece aswell. All in all a bloody good episode.
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Mate you'd really never heard of Senna?!

Agree about the Top Gear ep, best in a long long time.
 
Diaz is still fit

Great episode, great senna tribute. Loved when Hamilton was genuinely giddy with excitement getting to drive the car! And Tom Cruise stint driving, and an insane time too!
 
R_Nick said:
Mate you'd really never heard of Senna?!

Agree about the Top Gear ep, best in a long long time.
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Of course he has, anyone with half a brain has heard of Senna even if they have no interest in the sport. It'd be like not having heard of Michael Jordan. Elvis is just an attention whore.

But, yes, great episode tonight.
 
Fantastic episode, the senna tribute was brilliant.

One of my first really clear memories is watching the san marino grand prix when senna died, was massivley into f1 at the time (because of my dad) and still remember watching the news that and my dad explaining to me the significance of all this. I was four when he died and I remember senna racing but would have loved to have truley understood what i was watching and appreciated it all.
 
As good as Senna was, Hamilton is far too kind. The tyres on those cars back then, were so soft that you could tear them apart with your bare hands and the cornering speeds were a hell of alot slower with half as much more width on the tyres. You give the current guys a few days and they'd be lapping close to those guys. On the other hand, it would take all but Senna a couple of months to come to terms with just the physical side of the sport in the current format let alone before dealing with the current tyre and aero regs. But that all effectively comes with the generational gap. I'm sure the likes of Fangio and Brabham would not believe the accuracy of the modern day cars compared to their power sliding days.


Check this out lads.

 
marchi-91 said:
As good as Senna was, Hamilton is far too kind. The tyres on those cars back then, were so soft that you could tear them apart with your bare hands and the cornering speeds were a hell of alot slower with half as much more width on the tyres. You give the current guys a few days and they'd be lapping close to those guys. On the other hand, it would take all but Senna a couple of months to come to terms with just the physical side of the sport in the current format let alone before dealing with the current tyre and aero regs. But that all effectively comes with the generational gap. I'm sure the likes of Fangio and Brabham would not believe the accuracy of the modern day cars compared to their power sliding days.


Check this out lads.

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Fantastic footage of Fangio there, thanks for that!

I missed the first half of Top Gear, but saw the Diaz/Cruise bit & the Senna tribute.

The Senna tribute was probably the best thing they have had on Top Gear for a very long time, done straight with no irreverent comments. Wish they'd do more of this sort of thing.

I rather think the new 'reasonably priced car' is a bit too expensive & a bit too easy to drive, the lap times seem to be tumbling. I find it difficult to believe that Cruise managed to do some gardening and finish on 2 wheels but still didn't loose any time, not sure I actually believe it TBH.

The Kia C'eed, at over £14K is probably too good, dare I say it, in comparison to the previous cars they have used, think they should have stuck to something a bit more humble, one of those dreadful Chevrolet abominations would have been more in keeping with the original idea.
 
Bread said:
Fantastic episode, the senna tribute was brilliant.

One of my first really clear memories is watching the san marino grand prix when senna died, was massivley into f1 at the time (because of my dad) and still remember watching the news that and my dad explaining to me the significance of all this. I was four when he died and I remember senna racing but would have loved to have truley understood what i was watching and appreciated it all.
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Best EP I have seen for a long time , the Senna tribute was excellent.
Remmber watching the race and knew sreightway that he ws dead , very sad day.
The bugatti veyron super speed was just fantastic ,if I had the money that would be my car .
 
Ive just watched it, it's a fantastic tribute piece, it actually brought a tear to the eye, that's the first time in maybe ten years I've watched footage of Senna. He wasn't my favourite back then, I obviously followed Mansell and my idol Damon Hill, but he was absolute class, the man you feared. The greatest tribute to him is that everything people say about him now, being the best, the most spectacular... I remember they said all of that at the time. He was the right man driving in the right type of car at the right time

I can still picture the day like Hamilton. My mum didn't want him to race, because he was clearly shaken by the death the previous day as they prepared. The accident happened, and it looked bad, but it wasn't that unusual back then, and you thought nothing too much of it (the BBC hasn't identified the huge pool of blood at the time). I went out to play being of a young age, and a few hours later the news came through. Didn't seem real. Murray Walker did a fantastic tribute to him at the time, I'd love to rewatch that

Anyway, I agree, best episode of Top Gear for a long long time. There was still a bit of nonsense, but it wasn't over the top. They should keep that balance
 
Brad, did you know that when the marshals got Senna out of his car they found an Austrian flag stuffed in near his seat which he'd planned to wave from his car after the race in honour of Ratzenberger?
 
Yes I knew about that. He was visibly shaken by it you could see. I don't think it would have made any difference, what happened sadly would have happened regardless perhaps

One of the darkest weekends of sport
 
B Cantona said:
Yes I knew about that. He was visibly shaken by it you could see. I don't think it would have made any difference, what happened sadly would have happened regardless perhaps

One of the darkest weekends of sport
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Definitely.
 
B Cantona said:
I can still picture the day like Hamilton. My mum didn't want him to race, because he was clearly shaken by the death the previous day as they prepared. The accident happened, and it looked bad, but it wasn't that unusual back then, and you thought nothing too much of it (the BBC hasn't identified the huge pool of blood at the time). I went out to play being of a young age, and a few hours later the news came through. Didn't seem real. Murray Walker did a fantastic tribute to him at the time, I'd love to rewatch that
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I remember that. The BBC cut to the pitlane when the ambulance showed up, not wanting to broadcast it, but Eurosport had no such qualms.
 
Mockney said:


Great ep btw.....From start to finish..And I hate both Clarkson and Hammond as presenters, so to say I enjoyed it is high praise (from me)
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He presented a special documentary tribute to Senna a few days afterwards, that's the one I was talking about

I'm not sad to see the back of Imola. What Murray said there was probably fair, but remember Barichello also had a huge accident that weekend and lost consciousness. Too many high speed corners with little run off and protection from the concrete, in cars not built to withstand that kind of force. They adapted it in later years, but to be honest I think they should have shelved it far sooner
 
R_Nick said:
Brad, did you know that when the marshals got Senna out of his car they found an Austrian flag stuffed in near his seat which he'd planned to wave from his car after the race in honour of Ratzenberger?
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At the next race they left the front grid spots empty and painted them with the Brazilian and Austrian flags didn't they, Monaco I seem to think it was.
 
B Cantona said:
He presented a special documentary tribute to Senna a few days afterwards, that's the one I was talking about

I'm not sad to see the back of Imola. What Murray said there was probably fair, but remember Barichello also had a huge accident that weekend and lost consciousness. Too many high speed corners with little run off and protection from the concrete, in cars not built to withstand that kind of force. They adapted it in later years, but to be honest I think they should have shelved it far sooner
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It was not the circuit that killed Senna but the machinery. Williams were very lucky not to be found guilty on man slaughter charges. The modern circuit reaches all the safety guidelines by the FIA so there is no problem with the layout and the safety aspects of the modern circuit. The reason it got shelved was due to extensive renovations made to the track. The only reason why its now not on the calender is due to Bernie trying to spread into a larger market reducing the number of double GP's in country's and bumping up the costs for hosting a race on the European circuits.
 
marchi-91 said:
It was not the circuit that killed Senna but the machinery. Williams were very lucky not to be found guilty on man slaughter charges. The modern circuit reaches all the safety guidelines by the FIA so there is no problem with the layout and the safety aspects of the modern circuit. The reason it got shelved was due to extensive renovations made to the track. The only reason why its now not on the calender is due to Bernie trying to spread into a larger market reducing the number of double GP's in country's and bumping up the costs for hosting a race on the European circuits.
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Imola has changed quite drastically since ayrton's death with several corners becoming chicanes etc...
 
phelans shorts said:
At the end absolutely, I'm too young to remember what it was like pre-senna so can't really comment on what it was like.
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Amazingly quick. Think the average speed was well over 120 mph.


What really killed Senna was the makeshift steering column. It snapped and sent him into the wall where the suspension piece speared him in the head.

It was quite simply, a freak accident. Many drivers have hit walls at speed or ripped wheels off without being touched by suspension pieces.
 
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