Dare I mention....Top Gear....?

[ChinaTom]

By some magical trickery a firend has done something to my laptop that lets me watch BBC Iplayer from China. It is amazing how good BBC is compared to China's CCTV network - 1,000 channels of bugger all. I have just watched all of the TG's back to back (slow day) and on the whole, they are pretty entertaining. as with most things, I guess it is better on TV than to be there - the audience always looks so bored in the studio - the yawning woman in the 5th (I think) episode a chuckle highlight.Did anyone read Andy Wilman's column in July's (p124) TG mag? From his attitude it would appear that TG need a new producer. He doesn't really come across as the kind of chap you need for this kind of programme.I now going to check out the XJ40 forum to see how people felt about the explosion.

[Richard]

I'm not sure what was going on with that explosion, the car in the foreground had the same registration as the one that exploded.

[Pete-M]

I'm not sure what was going on with that explosion, the car in the foreground had the same registration as the one that exploded.

They were fucking about. It's what they do (and what I'd do in their position). If they get a load of militant beards complaining about Marinas being blown up they're going to go out of their way to wind them up more. Every time they blow something up / drop a piano on something or fill something with water they get thousands upon thousands of £££s worth of free internet advertising in threads marked "Top Gear". They're in a win/win situation, because no matter how much old car fans complain we're a tiny minority of the viewers. They annoy a tiny number of people and get about a billion quids worth of adverts in exchange. Ok, the adverts mainly call 'em a bunch of wankers, but if you were from Alpha Centauri and had never heard of Top Gear (although I suspect it's prime time on Alpha Centauri 3) you'd have to have a look to see what all the fuss was about - and if you're not an old car apologist then you're likely to find it entertaining and fun, and learn about cars at the same time.I love Top Gear. In fact, if they're reading this and want to do something silly with a P5 Rover I'll gladly sell 'em my one.

[MrRegieRitmo]

I have just watched all of the TG's back to back (slow day) and on the whole, they are pretty entertaining.

Ooo how did you do that? I thought you could only watch the most recent episode using iPlayer & all episodes previous to that were not available to view? I didn't end up watching any of the current series or a lot of the last series, so any way I can catch up would be most welcome!?

[MrRegieRitmo]

I love Top Gear. In fact, if they're reading this and want to do something silly with a P5 Rover I'll gladly sell 'em my one.

The one you rescued out of a garage not so long ago?

[Pete-M]

I love Top Gear. In fact, if they're reading this and want to do something silly with a P5 Rover I'll gladly sell 'em my one.

The one you rescued out of a garage not so long ago?

Nah, that's my P4.

[Richard]

They were fucking about. It's what they do

I'd gathered that much, but it looked a bit unreal and there were two cars with the same registration in the shot.

[Lankytim]

I wasnt bothered in the slightest about the XJ40, there still seems to be loads of tatty ones about.

[STUNO]

Try living in this part of the world ,TG is on every week, last nights episode included the release of the NEW Citroen C6 (May said it would be a flop). Last week they had the Toyota in the sea etc. bit. We got a few current episodes a couple of months ago when the TG mob were here for their stage show. I thought they had left Hammond here because he has been advertising a phone network every bloody night.

[ChinaTom]

I have just watched all of the TG's back to back (slow day) and on the whole, they are pretty entertaining.

Ooo how did you do that? I thought you could only watch the most recent episode using iPlayer & all episodes previous to that were not available to view? I didn't end up watching any of the current series or a lot of the last series, so any way I can catch up would be most welcome!?

There are 7 on there at the moment - a series catch-up option. I think they do eventually disappear though.

[pompei]

Am I imagining this or did Andy Wilman have a short spot as a TG presenter?

[STUNO]

I tried the China Tom trick with BBC Iplayer . Was told to bugger off in a nice BBC way

[vicsmith]

I'm not sure what was going on with that explosion, the car in the foreground had the same registration as the one that exploded.

They were fucking about. It's what they do (and what I'd do in their position). If they get a load of militant beards complaining about Marinas being blown up they're going to go out of their way to wind them up more. Every time they blow something up / drop a piano on something or fill something with water they get thousands upon thousands of £££s worth of free internet advertising in threads marked "Top Gear". They're in a win/win situation, because no matter how much old car fans complain we're a tiny minority of the viewers. They annoy a tiny number of people and get about a billion quids worth of adverts in exchange. Ok, the adverts mainly call 'em a bunch of wankers, but if you were from Alpha Centauri and had never heard of Top Gear (although I suspect it's prime time on Alpha Centauri 3) you'd have to have a look to see what all the fuss was about - and if you're not an old car apologist then you're likely to find it entertaining and fun, and learn about cars at the same time.I love Top Gear. In fact, if they're reading this and want to do something silly with a P5 Rover I'll gladly sell 'em my one.

It is you who can`t leave the topic alone, even when no-one is talking about it.The Marina thing provoked outrage from some, sneers of delight from others and a whole variety of more moderate opinions in between, but for the most part the matter is forgotten.

[ChinaTom]

I tried the China Tom trick with BBC Iplayer . Was told to bugger off in a nice BBC way

You need to fool the BBC site to think you are in UK. There is a bit of software that does this (IDC.exe?). If it is illegal then so what. I have a TV Licence in UK that I only use for a few weeks a year. Despite the TV Licence definition - I have paid to watch the BBC.Couldn't sleep last night so watched the entire Hotel Babylon series so far and in an attempt to get the z's, I followed this with a documentary about Grwych Castle.

[STUNO]

Thanks China.. was only trying and not as desperate as you could get in remotest China Quite enjoyed the devious bastards in Hotel Babylon when it was on here And lastly..Utes from Great Wall Motors have gone on sale here, at about $15,000 less than a Toyota. Are they any good ??

[ChinaTom]

Great Wall are shockingly poor quality and perhaps the shonkiest pick-up / ute to hit the road since the days of FSO and Dacia. They are only justified here because they are amazingly cheap for what they are. I have a couple of them both ultra long wheelbase versions. Neither of them cost me more than NZ$9,100 brand new including options (extra thick PVC seat covers and rear fog light).

 

The first one I bought was for the business I had at the time and it used to transport 5 of us on huge trips throughout the nearby provinces - we once shared the driving and drove 1,720 miles stopping only to eat and tighten up stuff on the car though very rough mountain terrain. It became obvious that these cars are not built for this kind of life, but they are so easy to repair they become reasonable value for money again. Popularity here means that every village has a shop that sells spares for them.

 

We have two spec levels here - Deer and Sailor. The latter is only "better" as it has electric windows and fake wood dashboards. Both are available in standard, long and extra-long wheelbase - only the former doesn't bend in the middle when you have people in the back.

 

Here are mine:

 

 

notice the missing back window in the third photo - ultra twist on bad roads pops these out in a flash

 

 

Another one I bought for Father-in-Law. He looks after it better than I looked after mine but it still needs fixing every day.

 

Look forward to seeing some photos of NZ versions.

[j-j]

My god, that's shite! love it.LWB version must have an epic turning circle too!

[ChinaTom]

My god, that's shite! love it.LWB version must have an epic turning circle too!

yup. Drive there - reverse back...What I didn't add was the engine: Petrol 2148cc 4 pot putting out 70 bhp, but a surprising 160Nm torque. Pulls away in 3rd with no problem - only need 1st when 5 up and more than 4 large pigs in the back.In a variety of uses, mine has been a hearse to take expired Grandfather-in-Law back to the mountains, a bus (12 crammed in the back once), a lorry (unfeasible quantity of beer crates storage), illegal (with a 350kg payload certification, transporting 800kg worth of 250kW motor and gearbox was a challenge) and a good alternative to very poor hotels.

[MrRegieRitmo]

It became obvious that these cars are not built for this kind of life

You might think that chinese built vehicles might be produced with China travel in mind, the same way that Ladas are built to handle hard winters!

[ChinaTom]

To be honest Regie, the life I subjected it too was too extreme for any kind of LWB pickup - serious 4x4 territory (hence I later bought a G Cherokee and a Pajero). For pottering around the A and B roads, they will be OK. The city I currently reside in has bought hundreds of these for the flower duties. Every morning all the bridges and major roads here are lined with fresh flowers and they go back and forth to the farms to collect. F-i-L puts his to slightly heavier duty pootling across the mountains to the coast to collect polystyrene crates of fresh shrimp for his mate's restaurant. Farmers have turned to them from the old Beijing Jeep pick-ups and the notoriously dangerous blue plastic lorries to get stuff to market and the next biggest demographic is driving schools who use them in order to get 10 students out at a time - drive for a bit, then sit in the back and give someone else a turn. For £3,600 brand new o-t-r, can't complain.

[outlaw118]

Grumblings from the Top Gear site, as Clarkson has apparently driven a Twingo (new) into Belfast docks.

I wonder if the same people were complaining about the Marinas, Capri 2.8's Volvo 760's etc etc that have previously been wasted on this show??

 

http://transmission.blogs.topgear.com/2 ... -accident/

[dollywobbler]

If the BBC really want to save money, they could combine Top Gear with Last of the Summer Wine, the format is very similar, every week 3 old blokes get up to some hilarious japes in nice scenery. Richard Hammond as Compo, James May as Clegg and of course Jeremy Clarkson as Foggy. All they need is VBH as Norah Batty and Penny whatshername as the woman from the cafe. They'll need to keep Burt Kwouk though, he's got class.

[vicsmith]

It`s a bit of a guilty pleasure reading "have your say" comments boards like that - loads of berks going on about how great Clarkson is, some poor bastard trying to be the voice of reason, only to be washed away by another tide of berks going "yeah, one less Renault, well done Clarkson" etc. The whole thing is a bit like watching a Water Buffalo getting picked clean by Pirhanas on Wildlife on One. Thoroughly compelling.

[Station]

I'm starting to find Hammond pretty unbearable. He ought to just stick to doing kids tv or whatever.

He never used to be like that, now it appears he's stopped taking his Ritalin, has borrowed my mum's hair styles and blouses from the 1970's, and just seems to put himself down all the time just to get a single laugh. Seeing him whoring himself on nearly every advert makes it worse.They should try running the whole thing unscripted, I believe every word they say is contrived, it'd be awesome then. And get rid of 'Star in reasonably priced car'. Too much 'Parkinson' style interviewing, too much arselicking, and it was well past it in the second series.I otherwise like it, but could do less of the supercars, dare I say it!

[FredTransit]

I would love to see a whole motoring programme about shite. Driving, bodging, motoring on the cheap, keep it real!! Can I be the commercial correspondent? :lol:Shite Gear anybody?

[Guest]

It`s a bit of a guilty pleasure reading "have your say" comments boards like that - loads of berks going on about how great Clarkson is, some poor bastard trying to be the voice of reason, only to be washed away by another tide of berks going "yeah, one less Renault, well done Clarkson" etc. The whole thing is a bit like watching a Water Buffalo getting picked clean by Pirhanas on Wildlife on One. Thoroughly compelling.

There's a very interesting exchange supposedly between two people from the Twingo Owners Club. Think the IP addresses would make interesting reading.The best comments are the people who are desperately trying to sit on the fence with ones that start off along the lines of "What a complete waste of a new car, that's a disgrace, I wish Top Gear would stop wasting cars" and then hastily retreat to "but hey I'm looking forward to the new series I love Top Gear it's great, everyone in it is brill, it regularly makes me laugh my cock off, Clarkson for PM". Lots of that going on, very clever way of distancing yourself from the "saddos".Hope one day it gets replaced with some boring costume drama, at least then I wouldn't have to put up with people assuming I regularly watch it and have to hear all the third-hand comments about what happened on their CRAZY show this week. DULL. I dread flicking through channels and inevitably catching a repeat of it where they're all sat on their chairs having a good old titter whilst some empty-looking people in the background stand around like useless smirking ragdolls. You know all the dreary X-Factor/Strictly Come Dancing/Dancing On Ice type shows? That's Top Gear, that is.

[Mr H Sceptre]

I would love to see a whole motoring programme about shite. Driving, bodging, motoring on the cheap, keep it real!! Can I be the commercial correspondent? :lol:Shite Gear anybody?

Great idea.Could drive a Citoren GS, Marina & 120Y to Monte Carlo.Then there would be the Star in a Reasonably f**ked Car.The Shite Wall (where the 'ice cool' equivalent would obv be 'Autoshite').And we would drop grand piano's on Lambo's & Ferrari's & the like. And save caravans.Baggsy be James May.

[FredTransit]

And banger race anything that was registered after 2007. Drifting Volvo 240sThe top bodge guideHow to cross europe in a veg powered transitThe list is endless........

[Mr Lobster]

It really is time the BBC knocked TG on the head or something. I've given up with it now as whilst there is the odd occasional really good item theres just too much of this sort of 'hilarity'. It'd be nice to actually have a TV show aimed at car enthusiasts - which TG isn't.Anyway, if they want to destroy cars to get viewers then thats upto them at the end of the day. Personally I don't agree with it but thats just me. The one thing that does grind a bit is that here we are in the midst of a recession and the BBC spends a lot of money on chucking a £15k car into the sea plus the cost of recovery etc. Doesn't seem quite right somehow.And as Hirst says, I get fed up with people assuming that because I'm into cars I must watch TG and worship the ground the presenters walk on. (actually, I do like the none TG stuff James May has done and some of the stuff Clarkson writes in his Sunday Times articles are pretty good but everything Hammond does just annoys me.)

[Station]

You really want to get the OLD (88 - 92) Top Gear's off the internet. These aren't available now, but I downloaded them all a while ago. I'll try and get round to putting them all on DVD if anyone wants them if I have time.