It's still getting 7 million viewers a week, making it not only BBC2's top-rated show by a mile, but putting it up among the top shows on all channels, including the soaps. So BBC2 will definitely want to keep it going. The sticking point, I'd imagine, will be money. The BBC is desperately trying to cut costs (one of the reasons why it's shifting a lot of departments out of London to Manchester and wanting to sell Television Centre to property developers), and has already heavily implied that it means to cut the pay of much of its top talent. Clarkson, Hammond and May - Clarkson in particular, since he's apparently the highest-paid of the trio by quite a long way - will be on that list. If Clarkson goes, that will pretty much kill the show, since he's the 'star' and was instrumental in bringing it back in the first place. If Clarkson stays but Hammond and/or May go, they'd have to be be incredibly lucky in finding new hosts who can immediately recapture the team's chemistry. But to be honest, I think that the current presenters have become such a huge part of the show's appeal that if one went, Top Gear would end soon after. It's not just a car show any more: it's a show about three very distinctive guys who happen to do stuff involving cars. In an ideal world, of course, the Beeb would just dump whatever necessary to keep Top Gear running smoothly. They don't need seven national radio stations, surely?
I could imagine that Top Gear isn't terribly popular among the BBC suits despite bringing a lot of money and prestige for the network, with the never-ending controversies and generally "proletarian" nature of the program.
I don't think it's money i think it might come down to lack of new ideas. And anyone notice we have made it to ep 4 and the daily fail have not tried to cause shit storm. Is TG getting soft or as the DM grown up
Ha, I don't think it's either. The Fail have been too busy with the sex ed leaflets that talk about how fun sex is... Link
An orgasm a day keeps the doctor away', Good plan teenagers never listen to adults so if you have some middle aged man in a suit telling teenagers to go and have fun they will read a book instead. Notice from the comments people in the USA do not approve. [LEFT] [/LEFT]
May is quite a cultured fellow, I only saw a snippet of Oz and James but it was nicely timed, just to see May out-Oz Oz using classical music to describe the combination of wine and food he'd just had. Hammond much less so. I can't stand walking through Easons or WH Smiths, past all the Clarkson books then to come across Hammond's pensive little face peeping out of his own biography.
Got some of the translations for the ads on the car's. When Clarkson opened his doors it said... Les Bien Chat (chat translated is cat but also means pussy). Lesbian Pussy Phart (pee-fart) Industrie. When Hammond opened his doors his ads said... Merde is french for "shit" Norks = Breasts. http://forums.finalgear.com/top-gear-episode-discussions/13x05-july-19th-2009-a-37665/page-3/
If I'm not mistaken this is the first time we saw one of the boys' cars actually not make it through the challenges. I was absolutely shocked that the Marina won out of the three cars (coq yoghurt ). I was absolutely not shocked at the piano falling on it at the end.
Good episode. I do enjoy the cheap car challenges, looks like there's one next week too. Incidentally, I caught up with the previous two episodes this weekend - I'd been away. I thought they were good, even Michael Macintyre. This season has been really consistent.
Loved this episode, if only for the JAG talk. Also the cheap car challenges seem to be more due to the cost cutting, which is OK, just as long as they prove the boys wrong time and time again. If they keep the show, they probably won;t show it as much during the year...but they'll keep it around. The entire world loves it. Even us here in the States. That, and seeing the ticket was worth it! I never knew Veyrons were legal in the US.
No, no, you've got to say it right. It's Jaaaaaaag. I'm surprised they didn't name Terry-Thomas as the quintessential caddish Jaaaaaaag driver. Because he is.
I do not think the Morris man are very happy. And some Scottish dude did not find the speeding ticket joke very funny. But no completes about May's slip up drudging the news so not all bad.
Clarkson's in trouble again... This time for calling Gordon Brown a cunt during warm-ups for this week's Top Gear. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8168621.stm Warm-ups, remember, no cameras rolling, not intended for broadcast... yet it still got Jezza hauled up in front of the Controller of BBC2! What is this, are we no longer allowed to criticize Gormless Gordon in conversations among friends without Stasi snoops reporting us for holding disloyal opinions?
Yet more proof that people need to Lighten The Fuck Up. And another instance of something minor, dealt with internally but some idiot decided all the world's press had to hear about it and thus blow it all completely out of proportion. And the sole effect will be more people watch Top Gear!