Upsetting folk, that is.
Thoughts?
I know what I think of that and the show, but I can’t express it on here.
The goons who run the show, not the hosts, have no morals. What should we expect from the BBC?
Of course, there is no such things as bad publicity of which they have now had an enormous amount, in the papers, online and tv news over last 5 few days, driving Ken Blocks Hoonicorn Mustang around London, including a mock wedding at St Pauls. So we are all now eagerly awaiting the new show…
A carefully planned strategy me thinks to let us know the show has not lost its edginess with the demise of Jeremy…
I find the attitude of posters ( so far ) in this thread a little surprising. The format of childish but harmless hooning about has been very successful for Top Gear and I don’t see anything wrong with entertaining us in that way even though almost everything they present must be taken with an enormous pinch of salt.
There are few if any other BBC programs which dare to challenge the establishment of the great and good.
I remind you that we drive a vehicle which is entertaining, faster than really necessary, and far from being the most practical form of road transport. So please cut them some slack and allow the program to defy the political correctness which prevails on almost every other program.
It is disgusting behaviour.
Having lived and worked in the Capital and saw first hand the (Then apparently) Zero tolerance approach
to Dangerous Driving of the Metropolitan Police (And thats what it is, Make no Mistake) I was appalled to see this on public roads
regardless of the old excuse well, we are filming.
Doughnutting, Handbrake turns,spinning wheels etc should not be done on public roads.
I am not a misbag but theses things should be confined to Curcuits /Track days etc
As for the senotaph, yes silly and someone will be scapegoated but I doubt it will be the former US Soap Star and his idiot driver.
Had that been two young males in a modded car they would have been arrested, charged, and the car seized for crushing.
We have enough Psychopathic driving to contend with on a daily basis and this just encourages it with those who cannot seperate entertainment from reality.
As a paramedic and after retirement Funeral operative I lost count of lives cut short or changed forever due to dangerous driving.
Rant over. (I have no to grind with people who engage in track days, or motorsports, I had 15 happy years supporting the 2 wheel and fourwheel folk)
A big publicity stunt, film crews etc., large crowd, national monument, illegal driving, central London on high alert. NO POLICE? Come on, this was ORGANISED!
Clarkson, May and Hammond used to get a lot of flack for the things that were done in the name of Top Gear, I know there is a saying that “any publicity is good publicity” but I am sure there are plenty of opportunities that do not involve upsetting people who are sensitive about a place of memorial such as the Cenotaph.
I just hope the show is entertaining and not just a celebration of the “new stars”
I am as big a petrol head as any one but am utterly appalled at the childish antics of those who SHOULD know better and a have respect for a national monument! the fools who allowed this ,I presume Westminster council and the metropolitan police , BBC etc should be publicly reprimanded and told that it will not happen again!
Its called a road closure order, ergo, no illegal driving. Police outriders were in constant attendance. The Cenotaph is slap bang in the middle of a busy public highway. If its meant to be hallowed ground 365/366 days of the year, why maintain it as a throughfare? Storm in a teacup.
Yep! Precisely my point!
Having worked in the City of London for over 20 years hardly a month goes by without a film crew turning up to film something or another. In every case I have witnessed the roads are closed to normal traffic, the pavements are blocked off and pedestrians rerouted or escorted through the closed section. Police are always on site as well as fire and ambulance crews.
Sometimes the film crew are looking for people to be in the background of the scene and if that is the case and you want to be involved you get a full briefing before proceeding.
I can assure you that with the current focus on terrorism in London at the moment this sort of thing is choreographed to within an inch. Nothing will happen without the appropriate permits being in place and risk assessments galore being completed.
The “wedding” at St Pauls was a fake wedding put on for the show I believe. The cenotaph is on a public road and looking at the pictures on the internet it appears that the vehicle was stationary at that point and the BBC seem to have confirmed that the memorial will not be shown on the screen anyway.
I have seen a number of Bond films shot in the City and whilst the driving looks hairy it is all done by professionals and there is more than an element of camera trickery in play. Many a time I have witnessed the shots being taken and it all looks tame. By the time it appears on the screen it looks anything but…
I have no view one way or the other about the programme, which is mass entertainment and hasn’t been a car show for years, but this story seems to have been blown up out of all proportion.
^^^ I would never have known that.
As said, save it for the track, disused airfield etc
Film crew blew up a bus on Westminster Bridge recently for a forthcoming film about the troubles, created a lot of on-line noise then too.
“^^^ I would never have known that”
Don’t be sarcastic, you asked for other people’s thoughts and opinions.
And on a serious note, I don’t know of any disused airfields adjacent to St. Paul’s Cathedral or the Cenotaph.
And you have the nerve to accuse others of being sarcastic.
Said with tongue firmly in cheek! Which denotes a sense of humour/the ridiculous!
Pity you can’t say the same!
^^^ I think a few on here can be accused of being sarcastic, I don’t mind that.
We aren’t that stupid to think it’s not been an organised stunt though.
Sorry Mick. My original post was not a dig at you. You asked for opinions. Mine was a general general comment/rant because there are people out there who do think it was an “off the cuff” stunt.