ian_sadler

Oi Scud,

Don't be nasty about Hillingdon I work there....... hold I take it back you & Clarkson are right

Any way Katie Humble was much nicer than VBH

Ian

edited cos I canf spoll

[This message has been edited by ian_sadler (edited 26 September 2001).]

ScoobyJawa

I always remember Mr C's test drive of the mondeo when it first came out.

In true Clarkson style, "If this car was a vegetable, ............it would be a potato"

DavidRB

Tiff driving JC and Quentin around a race track in the Puma. Pure class!

SCOOP

Sad News . . . .
The BBC are to axe Top Gear- one of its longest running programmes, after a run of 23 years.
At its peak it attracted some of the highest viewing figures for BBC2, and was a launching pad for (love him or hate him) car mad, self opinionated Jeremy Clarkson

I bet there are certain episodes/road tests that stick in all our minds?

Although not to my taste there will still be other TV programmes like Pulling Power, Driven etc. But in my opinion these type of lightwieght/ uninformed programmes presented by people who don`t know the first thing about cars cannot replace good old Top Gear.
Lets hope the Beeb come up with a decent replacement so that we can still see top guys like Tiff Needell putting quick cars through their paces properly.

Just my views
SCOOP

KimA

Sad news - will miss the guys

However, TG tomorrow night is showing, I think, the UK300

neveryoumind

It's never been the same since they got rid of William Woolard. It lost it's "Blue Peter" air, and started going all "Tiswas"

The marina/vanden plas owners club meet was "fantastic" but was recently superceded by Jack Dee and the Capri OC on his happy hour show, and then there's tiff 360ing a focus with four or five in.
And you can't say Clarkson without saying Vectra

Nowucme

Sad news indeed. TG - RIP

However, Driven is quality with Brewer, JP and Penny. Although was it me or did last nights episode just feature a lot of cars that have been out for months??!!

Tim Taylor

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:<HR>Originally posted by neveryoumind:
<B>And you can't say Clarkson without saying Vectra[/quote]

I remember that episode, famous one or what.

I will miss my Thursday evening fix of airfield driving, tyres smoking, sideways action, ***** out driving test drives just like you do when you go to the shops.

RIP Top Gear

Tim Taylor

...and VBH. What will the world do without VBH every week...

Regacy

It's one of the highest rating programs on BBC2 so it would be a shock if it disappeared. Spoke to a friend of mine who works for beeb.com and they said the main concern from controllers is that it has turned into something that glorifies speed continuously and moved away from the original 'buyers guide' style. They are currently reviewing the format but have given categoric assurance that the brand is too valuable to dump.
So Top Gear will be back but wether Tiff and VBH make it remains to be seen.

scud8

iTrader: (1)

I'll never forget Clarkson's summing up after test driving a Range Rover with SATNAV from Kensington to Oxford (via a rather circuitous route).

IIRC "Overall it's pretty good, but it took me to Hillingdon - and that's unforgiveable."

SCOOP

lol @ scud8

SCOOP

mutant_matt

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:<HR>Originally posted by Tim Taylor:
<B>...and VBH. What will the world do without VBH every week... [/quote]

Be a <B><I>MUCH</B></I> happier place!!!!

Matt

davyboy

Just an excuse to use my smillie but if BBC axe top gear then.....



..'scuse french!

Mungo

Have to agree with neveryoumind re Tiff 360ing the Focus full of VBH, Quentin, Clarkson and Steve Berry. Fantastic stuff.

And the Vectra episode. Superb.

wheelwright

What carsource said

Love it or love to hate it, Top Gear may be an endangered species. For 23 years, the BBC's flagship motoring show has been zooming across our screens. Most recently it has become fused with the image of its wry, grinning presenter Jeremy Clarkson. Clarkson has become such a recognisable figure from Top Gear that he was even awarded his own BBC chat show.
Now it appears that Clarkson's creaking vehicle is to be wheeled into the garage, possibly never to re-emerge. According to alleged insider rumours, BBC2's controller Jane Root is not an automotive enthusiast and may commission a replacement series. The presenters - Clarkson aside, who now has an exclusive contract with the BBC - Tiff Needell, Adrian Simpson and Vicki Butler-Henderson have apparently not had their contracts renewed.

While die-hard fans of the show will be shocked by the rumours, the reported audience figures are hardly encouraging. The autumn series in 1991 pulled in an average of 5.1 million viewers. After a steady decline, the program now averages 2.5 million. If Top Gear was a car, one cannot help but feel that the twinkle-eyed Clarkson would give it a sniffy "Needs work".

^Gazzer^

What complete and utter tossers whoever decided to get rid of Top Gear. It's my favourite program.

TV is on a rapid decline towards American standards.

The Saint

Its PC gone frigging mad...



TV ruled by some lesbo, pinko,veggie-eating,
*****-sucking, bike-riding,eco****ingwarrior.

neveryoumind

That's a point, will the similarly titled magazine continue??????

sulli

Well I thing TG's gone downhill in the last couple of years, and Driven and that other one with Mike Brewer are a lot better.

They should keep it, but bin all the ****e cars, and concentrate and all modes of peformance car - it is called Top Gear after all.

CharlieWhiskey

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:<HR>Originally posted by ian_sadler:
<B>
Any way Katie Humble was much nicer than VBH

[/quote]

Yep! Must admit she looks great on a beach in a bikini but she knew f'all about cars!

VBH's grin when getting her hands on a proper motor - priceless!

JKJ2

Excellent, the programme has degenerated over the years into one of the least interesting motoring programmes on the box.

The presenters egos have increaased inversly in proportion to the programmes motoring information, with the only presenters worth their salt being the motorcycling guy, Steve Berry ?, and at a pinch, if only, VBH.

The magazine indicates the way they are going, with I suspect, product placement being the overall motivator for car tests and, more to the point, verdicts.

At least Clarkson when he left said, right I'm going to make c**p videos and you will pay me £12 to see me spend 10 minutes blowing up/throwing/crushing/catapulting/ejecting, a nonedescript car, interspursed with a bit of sideways action in alot of fast cars as long as I mention my Ferrari.

Long live Men and Motors, purely for the Cars you understand !!!

letdown

I would have to agree with JKJ2. I always used to get excited when TG came on......now whenever I watch it I wish I had'nt..........you have a series of say 8 episodes and 90% of it is utter tosh.

But saying that Im in Tokyo at the moment and they show repeats(really old ones) of TG on BBC World which are an absolute lifesaver !

Gimme M & M any day....at least the girls are better than VBH !!

Diesel

I must say I had kinda stopped watching it, too many producers being superficial and missing the core point of the prog - m o t o r s. It also lost it's way in employing too many Clarkson wannabees, and that irritating horsey blonde going on about irrelevances with little authority. They did seem to fix these issues latterly though, and Tiffany Dell was always a blast!

As someone said here (or implied) it's all about credibility - you need solid car journos first, and then fit a TV visual & style around it. They got too showbiz and egotistical - the brand dominated the content...

(I do have an axe to grind here as I got called in for a directing interview with them, but fell out with them after some tosspot cocky producer tried to corner me with a question on sub-micro compact super minis or something. I said my TVR was outside, Clarksonesque was becoming a verb, and that i'd gen up on dull motors as part of my professional duty! They then mentioned the rate and I headed back down the M1!)

Cathartic & I thank you counsellors!

D