I watched the first few minutes. Never heard of McGuinness, but don’t think I’ll be able to stand much of him. To almost start off by mocking Chris Harris for his height was banal and unimaginative.
By then my curiosity had evaporated so I found something else to do with the vague intention of watching it later if the reviews were encouraging. The ones I’ve seen were good, but I’m not looking forward to it!
Oh , you mean on stuff like Kenneth Clark’s Civilisation , Brains Trust , What’s my Line (with Lady Isobel Barnett) and The Jewel in the Crown? They talked of little else on my local High Street back then. And as for Monitor , with Huw Wheldon wanging on about Wagner …
Seemed to be a travelogue to me. I didn’t notice a news segment, star in a car, nor even a commentary of a car being driven around their course. Any cars were incidental to the scheme of things. But this reflects current interest in cars. Global peak car is epected by 2034, after that, sales of cars, ICE or EV will decline. The UK is already there; the number of driving licences among teenagers has declined by 40%. I suppose this reflects in the cars chosen in this episode; the Mk2 Escort and Mini only mean anything to old people. And it seems the majority of ND owners are old people. The car content will become more and more superficial, because less and less people are really all that bothered.
I have to say, I really wasn’t holding out any hope for this new series. I thought the line up sounded awful
But, I started watching it, and actually liked it. It’s probably the best episode since Clarkson and co left the building. Chris Harris seems to be the new Hamster in the pack. I don’t like the other two, but it did kinda work.
I think the BBC must have thrown everything at this one, in the last ditch effort to get the series going again. If this series is a flop I think Top Gear is dead
It was OK - certainly a lot better than a most of the rubbish I am forced to half watch.
Some dreadful program on before(recorded by other half) about people with loads of dogs/cats.
I lost interest in Top Gear with Clarkson some while before it finished - all the meaningless destruction and tired cliched humour wore thin.
There is a danger with Freddie Flintoff involved that the meaningless destruction could become a big part of the show again - I hope not.
Early days with the new crew but watchable in my opinion.
Top Gear may be a money spinner for the BBC compared with the initial showing of Faulty Towers, Dads Army, etc but I know what show will instantly disappear into obscurity or possibly DAVE and what shows will be played to an ever increasingly appreciative audience for the next XXX years.
And if you want a more measured, less populist sort of programme Jay Leno and Harry Metcalfe’s garages offer excellent stuff on youtube, as does Petrolicious. But no old tut such as best family hatch back for under 15k tosh though …
Well I was made up after watching the first show. I hate Chis Evans, so I refused to even watch it when he was hosting. Then there was that bloody smug yank. Why would you have a yank hosting what I always thought of as a very British program?
I wasn’t impressed when I heard the new line up, but I’ve always loved Paddy, and I think he makes it work as an entertaining Sunday night program.
I agree with earlier posters that the program has been flogged to death, and should have been pensioned off long ago.
But at least I can bear to watch it in this latest reincarnation, so I’m grateful for small mercies.
In my humble opinion, the best motoring program ever was “Driven” which managed to feature the mundane everyday cars, and the super cars.
Well I enjoyed last night’s show (for what it is) and so did the wife. I do think that the swearing needs to be curbed, as even though it was beeped out it was obvious what they were saying and it is before the watershed . Declining standards at the BBC?
I did stop watching it when Evans did it, but I thought the Septic turned out OK - an easy, witty style and less shouty.
So far I’ve only watched the first of the new series and I hated it. Paddy McLoudmouth, as somebody coined it, never shops shouting and I just wished he would shut up. Flintoff is clearly uncomfortable and probably trying too hard. Harris has become the butt of their tedious jokes despite being the only one who has any more than general knowledge of the subject matter.
Have you seen the programme that made McGuinness ‘famous’? The BBC has just joined the race to the bottom - this is lager-and-shots banter. Clarkson, May and Hammond weren’t exactly Oxford Union standard debaters but their badinage had a bit more wit in it.
Too much witless shouting for me. I wouldn’t be surprised if Harris bails, depending on how much he wants the money. I mean, could you work with those two?
Enjoyed last nights episode a lot. Love the banter between them; they genuinely seem to be enjoying themselves. The show is continuing along the lines of the previous series, which is fine by me. A much better show than the old TG with Clarkson and his sidekicks, although have good memories of when it was more of a serious motoring show.
I generally enjoyed the show but what I found interesting was the throw away comment towards the end that Paddy’s 2011 Nissan Leaf with 85k was effectively a write off due to its batteries failing (35 miles on a charge). If electric cars are the way things are heading - the cheap 2nd (or 3rd or 5th) hand banger is a thing of the past
presumably this comes down to battery tech improving and cost to replace those in older EVs. It would have been good to know more about the batteries and motors in the other two cars, they told us nothing did they, so we were none the wiser really. If the Brat still had the engine then exactly how was it being powered by electric, and at a guess all the batteries were in the back, under the blue cover?
Plus that throw away comment also condemns the whole car industry as EVs are nothing whatsoever about saving the planet and everything about keeping people buying cars that are the next new thing.
But on the other hand in defence of the Leaf etc. its probably largely made from recycled and recyclable materials so if its a write off, and the whole things is recycled, is that bad? Depends I guess on the energy used to do the recycling and turn that material in to the next new car.
Massive subject, here of course, of which TG never even scraped the surface, but it was a laugh.
You’re way off the mark John. Paddy first made it big on Pheonix Nights, then Max & Paddy. Both brilliant entertainment in my humble opinion. His inclusion in the Top Gear team had me worried at first, but could possibly be a master stroke.
Maybe you just don’t like northerners mate.
Not surprising, I’d never heard of him, googled him and came up with that.
It would be odd if I didn’t like Northerners. I’m from Brighouse and married a Halifax girl. That’s Yorkshire, mind;)
Phoenix Nights is a surreal classic…
I think the Brat is 4WD so I’d guess they kept the front wheels on the engine and drove the rear only with an electric motor, I agree it would have been interesting to see a little more. From what t’internet has thrown up, there seem to be a few electric Spitfires around but the cost is an eye watering £8000 or so.
Has anyone ever looked into an electric MX5?
That should quieten him down a bit.