Top Gear v Grand Tour

[Asimo]

BBC dream team: Harris, Saville and Edwards.

[hairnet]

goffey ftw

[High Jetter]

Just now, hairnet said:

goffey ftw

Woolard, tho?

[bunglebus]

38 minutes ago, Asimo said:

BBC dream team: Harris, Saville and Edwards.

They'd need a medium for 2/3rds of them

[High Jetter]

2 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

They'd need a medium for 2/3rds of them

And a large for the other? 😀

[gadgetgricey]

13 hours ago, HMC said:

IIRC jimmy carr was one of the better celebs on the track in the 2000s 

Was top of the leader board for a while, but sure some comment was made that had no driving skill and went off multiple times. Only managed the one timed lap where he stayed on, which seemed to be a total fluke.

[HMC]

Jimmy Carr

Guy Martin

+1

 

[gadgetgricey]

12 hours ago, MrGTI6 said:

 

Was a producer on early early top gear and is credited for giving Jeremy Clarkson his first gig on top gear. Possibly why when Top Gear came  back with JC ,Hammond, May etc one of the corners on the track was named after him.

[N Dentressangle]

12 hours ago, lesapandre said:

Legacy entertainment format using legacy technology appealing to a diminishing demographic.

Any TicToc or YouTube-er can out-antic them on content.

I mean axing Blankety Blank in favour of Top Sneer 😂

This every time. It's not 1996 any more.

Not sure that kind of TV is really still a thing.

[Dick Cheeseburger]

I genuinely can't see the appeal of either any more. There's a plethora of excellent youtubers producing quality, regular car content - much more 2026 to be honest. 

[inconsistant]

Jimmy Carr, Princess Andre and Allegro Stratton?

[horriblemercedes]

Just looked up that Francis Bourgeois. I don't like to judge a book by its cover, but 

 

"Luke Magnus Nicolson (born 9 July 2000), known as Francis Bourgeois, is an English trainspotter, social media personality, model, and author. He is most known for his videos on the topic of trains, posted to TikTok and Instagram."

 

 

Already I'm just thinking I won't bother

[motorpunk]

Chris Evans. There, I said it. I like him. Fight me. 

[lesapandre]

9 minutes ago, motorpunk said:

Chris Evans. There, I said it. I like him. Fight me. 

You Richard?

[motorpunk]

It's easier to find a reliable presenter to serve up some scriptwriters words on cars, than it is to find a genuine car guy who knows how to present in a BBC-friendly way. It absolutely starts there. That's why whoever they come up with will never meet the expectations of the likes of us. It'll be a line up of two Claire Balding, Romesh, Rylan, Graham Norton types, plus one Harris-type car guy. This is why you'll never see Guy Martin, because he's only good when he's genuine, which is rattling on about the nuts and bolts which excite him, or any other character that we'd find acceptable. Do not underestimate how nailed-down every line is, how every camera angle is checked and double-checked, and consider the cold fact that such professionalism will inevitably suck the colour out of the resultant show, sadly.

[Metal Guru]

12 hours ago, Asimo said:

BBC dream team: Harris, Saville and Edwards.

Nothing over 15 years old would feature.

[Metal Guru]

2 hours ago, HMC said:

Jimmy Carr

Guy Martin

+1

 

VBH. 

[lesapandre]

15 minutes ago, motorpunk said:

It's easier to find a reliable presenter to serve up some scriptwriters words on cars, than it is to find a genuine car guy who knows how to present in a BBC-friendly way. It absolutely starts there. That's why whoever they come up with will never meet the expectations of the likes of us. It'll be a line up of two Claire Balding, Romesh, Rylan, Graham Norton types, plus one Harris-type car guy. This is why you'll never see Guy Martin, because he's only good when he's genuine, which is rattling on about the nuts and bolts which excite him, or any other character that we'd find acceptable. Do not underestimate how nailed-down every line is, how every camera angle is checked and double-checked, and consider the cold fact that such professionalism will inevitable suck the colour out of the resultant show, sadly.

But do consumers of entertainment want that any more? Isn't just a bit dull?

Personally* I'd favour a  East/South Asian presenter in the  mix - given where the industry is going. Countries like Morocco also make more than a million cars pa these days. The whole motoring landscape has changed - something a bit more international.

[EyesWeldedShut]

12 hours ago, Asimo said:

Harris, Saville and Edwards.

Along with Clarkson these are about the only names in this thread that I recognise  (Just call me a giffer).

I've dipped in and out of both TG and GT over the past couple of years and both have not entertained - maybe I grew out of them - or they grew out of me? 
Both have a somewhat tired, down at heel feel to them (like a wet winter's day at a failing UK beach 'resort' town)  and should, maybe, just be allowed to die quietly.

But, no! We've still got Strictly, I'm A Nobody Get Me Out of Here and The Bake Off - why should TG and GT not be the same? Milk that cashcow until it gets BSE and has to be bumped off. That'd just be five programs I don't watch instead of three (so my opinion is moot I guess)

[EyesWeldedShut]

3 minutes ago, lesapandre said:

But do consumers of entertainment want that any more? Isn't just a bit dull?

The Jam tried to nail that with "The public gets what the public wants" but they never let us in on the secret that it'll only come their way if there's a profit in it, someplace, for somebody.

I've read that a lot of modern TV is now made for 'background noise' so that you can dip in and dip out of it at will whilst doom-scrolling and making the dinner. Having watched a bit of daytime TVShite* of late - fuck me, it is so banal that 'a bit dull' actually sounds entertaining. 

Be a shame if they take TG down that road too.

[lesapandre]

This is what French film maker Jean Cocteau said in the 1950's:

"Film will only become an art when its materials are as inexpensive as pencil and paper." 

Substitute TV for film - and the meaning is the high cost of equipment and production held TV back from being as purely personal as writing or drawing.

We have now reached that point of personal TV.

As Warhol said now everyone can be famous for 15 minutes.

[flat4alfa]

1 hour ago, lesapandre said:

But do consumers of entertainment want that any more? Isn't just a bit dull?

Personally* I'd favour a  East/South Asian presenter in the  mix - given where the industry is going. Countries like Morocco also make more than a million cars pa these days. The whole motoring landscape has changed - something a bit more international.

Gok Wan is available

[DavieW]

2 hours ago, Metal Guru said:

VBH. 

😍

[Metal Guru]

I think “Star in a reasonably priced car” should become “Stars in completely shite cars”. Nothing under 30 years old, no MOT, bald tyres, dodgy brakes. Not one at a time but 2 or more celebs racing each other. 

[lesapandre]

28 minutes ago, flat4alfa said:

Gok Wan is available

I like Uncle Roger - but he don't do cars.

[lesapandre]

29 minutes ago, flat4alfa said:

Gok Wan is available

Ken Hom?

[hairnet]

1 hour ago, lesapandre said:

 

"Film will only become an art when its materials are as inexpensive as pencil and paper." 

 

completely rather watch tony hart than the grand tour

[hairnet]

42 minutes ago, flat4alfa said:

Gok Wan is available

 

12 minutes ago, lesapandre said:

Ken Hom?

madhur jaffrey or delia smiff ftw

[horriblemercedes]

15 minutes ago, Metal Guru said:

I think “Star in a reasonably priced car” should become “Stars in completely shite cars”. Nothing under 30 years old, no MOT, bald tyres, dodgy brakes. Not one at a time but 2 or more celebs racing each other. 

I'd love to see it, but I don't know what insurer would be happy to cover two normal people doing that, let alone Tom Cruise and Eddie Murphy (just picked two random celebrities) 

[Spiny Norman]

3 hours ago, horriblemercedes said:

Just looked up that Francis Bourgeois. I don't like to judge a book by its cover, but 

He was pretty good in the show with Chris Harris about restoring an old Deltic loco. He's a 'works on the TV' kind of weird, I think he'd do well. 

2 hours ago, lesapandre said:

Personally* I'd favour a  East/South Asian presenter in the  mix - given where the industry is going.

Jackie Chan. 

TBH I'm a bit meh about the whole thing, modern cars don't interest me one bit and I find Jimmy Carr to be only slightly less annoying than Ricky Gervais and Piers Morgan. 
We'll see.