Grand Tour (Amazon's Top Gear) - anyone else bothered yet?

[SAVORY100]

Anyone else steamed/downloaded/watched the new Clarkson, May and Hammond program available on Amazon?

I must admit I did enjoy Top Gear for a long time and although I lost my appetite for it in the last two series or so, basically due to the over the top ladish stupidity of the specials. I grew ever frustrated by the silly manner of 'lets pull a prank on each other' to make their lives horrible while we try to complete, what generally, were very impressive challenges or epic journeys., I still persisted with the weekly shows because about 50% of it was better than watchable.

This new show though... oh my God, on first watch, I have to call it as utter bollocks.

Starting off with what is supposed to be a funny 'leaving' the BBC (I must have missed the joke) and then presenting themselves as lords, maybe even deities... as they tell us how Clarkson has never been sacked... another dig at the BBC... yawn, grow-up. Such arrogance knows no bounds, but the sycophants will lap it up I'm sure... I've not though given up, I actually hope that now the opening episodes shouting, chest expanding and general posturing is out of the way the next episode may actually have some content... who knows.

 

[steve obi wan]

I am going to watch tomorrow , looks good !!

 

[weasel]

The missus was talking about getting a Prime trial membership just to see if the grand tour was any good. I told her to wait until a few episodes were available. So let me know if it gets better, if not we may not bother.

 

[stormcab]

Interesting you should have this reaction, as everything I've read and reactions suggest it was mind blowing, so was chomping at the bit to see it. Calmed down a bit now I've read this.

 

[SAVORY100]

Interesting you should have this reaction, as everything I've read and reactions suggest it was mind blowing, so was chomping at the bit to see it. Calmed down a bit now I've read this.

I guess it comes down to how much in love one is with the three presenters or the concept of 'old Top Gear'. As I say above, I was falling out of love with the buffoonery and the fact that they had become so self absorbed to believe their own hype. I grew ever more irritated as they grinned at each other slightly moronically at each exchange of naughty school boy banter, long before it was pulled and they all left the BBC.

I still watched it though as 50% was still good(ish) TV.. this has a bit of that about it too... it could and really should be so much better.

I've read a lot of reviews too online and an awful lot do say that it was brilliant; rose tinted Clarkson glasses maybe, or maybe just different tastes. Each to their own, its what makes life more fun!

 

[mr_palitoy]

Loved the new show.

Just confirms that the new Top Gear with now departed Evans and Joey from friends is a crock of ****.



Jason

 

[x-pack]

I would watch it. These shows are a bit contrived and a lot is obviously staged, but its good entertainment. The India one is my favourite.

Did anyone see the old Clarkson video specials? They were before Hammond and May came along. Stuff like destruction testing a Porsche 911 and blowing up a corvette with a helicopter gunship thing. I used to get one for Christmas every year. They were the real beginnings of new Top Gear.

 

[edd_jedi]

I watched it last night. I agree the intro is cringe, skip it. But generally I enjoyed the rest of the show. I won't spoil it but although yes it's clearly all scripted, the three of them do have a good chemistry and the production was as good as Top Gear. Worth watching IMO, I certainly enjoyed it more than the Chris Evans TG.

 

[weasel]

Just confirms that the new Top Gear with now departed Evans and Joey from friends is a crock of ****.

Ehh surely 30 seconds of watching Chris Evans and feeling a growing uncontrollable urge to smash your TV was enough to confirm that the Beeb royally ****ed up. Chris Evans has always been marmite. I think more people find him annoying than like him, but I'm the first category so I'm probably biased. Either way he was a woeful choice to take over a show that traded so much on the chemistry between the three presenters. You'd can't create that sort of bond overnight.

 

[stormcab]

Loved the new show.

Just confirms that the new Top Gear with now departed Evans and Joey from friends is a crock of ****.



Jason

To be fair, I thought the last few series were losing steam. Same stuff every time. I watched it as one of the few things on TV that was sort of up my street. I found the new series with Evans on the same level, it was a watchable program. What other direction can you possibly take a car review show that actually really doesn't do that many reviews, at least on cars most of us can afford to drive.

 

[mumbo]

It was fun to watch and if you enjoyed TG previously then this won't disappoint, they really do work so well together and yes it's mostly scripted but it's still funny in places and I don't feel like I've wasted an hour of my life.

 

[steve obi wan]

Watched it , I thought it was good

 

[edd_jedi]

I thought the last few series were losing steam. Same stuff every time

Yes agreed, there was a period where it was magic but towards the end it was becoming too obviously scripted and over the top. GT is the same. But still better than nothing.

 

[weasel]

I thought the last few series were losing steam. Same stuff every time

Yes agreed, there was a period where it was magic but towards the end it was becoming too obviously scripted and over the top. GT is the same. But still better than nothing.

I agree with Stormy and having watched the first episode, I agree with Ed.
I watched it mainly because, outside of live sport and the news, it was about the only programme on TV I actually liked. GT looks like old TG but with a more international theme.

 

[SAVORY100]

I watched the second episode yesterday.
I'm sticking with it, I may not be overly enjoying it, but I refuse to give up on it! Mainly because despite TG becoming a parody of itself in the end, it still had moments of greatness... I hope this will be the same eventually.

My verdict was that episode two was far worse than episode one, I note though that a bunch of you liked episode one much more than me, so did episode two appeal more or less to the majority out there?

 

[mumbo]

Having progressively got worse from Ep1-3 have to say I really enjoyed ep 4 & 5. Same scripted TG format but I found that these episodes were actually really funny without it being too forced. If they can carry this on for the next episodes then overall I'd say it's been a successful return, well at least for my own personal opinion.

 

[lejackal]

I gave up after a very tortured 1,2 and some of three but might try another couple before the free trial runs out.

 

[x-pack]

Our young lad loves it. I only really like the TG specials like the Burma or India shows. Not into the studio stuff, but what i've seen of GT looks ok.

 

[weasel]

I gave up after a very tortured 1,2 and some of three but might try another couple before the free trial runs out.

Yeah, I watched 1 and 2 and haven't watched any since. It's not bad, it just feels very scripted (even more than old TG) and it feels like it drags on too long. A decent editor could have cut 20mins out of each episode easily. They would have had a much better flow. Not sure about the now very monotonous killing their guest every week gag. Funny once, but by the 5th guest it's just padding.