Top Gear most watched program

[crabber]

Here in Australia the nine network is advertising Top Gear as "the most watched program in the world"
Can this really be true? I have hardly missed an episode and find J Clarkson hugely entertaining even when I don't agree with him, but what does this say about the intelligence of the world's viewing population ?
It is years since the program was informative, a bonnet is never opened and details of engines are limited to how many horse power.
As for the stunts, do they really expect us to believe they drove right to the north pole or that the BBC would allow cars to be "driven" into the sea with their sump still full of polluting oil?
What do you think?

[sonic1]

When I was in the Dominican Republic last year BBC America shows Top Gear non stop and I found myself watching the reruns most days ( when the wife was getting ready )

Even here at home I often watch reruns on Dave when there is nothing else on.

[crabber]

Yes I must admit I watch it on Dave as well, and I have read a lot of Jeremy Clarkson's books.
The program is hyped up here, "sold to over 100 countries" which must be good news for the BBC.
I am still surprised at it being so popular considering what it doesn't show.
as I have already said there is hardly any technical information given, and no motor bike tests.
Can you remember the episode "we are going to grow our own petrol" ? apparently they caused so much damage to machinery that no farms would let them do a follow up.

[mixer]

Top Gear is top class entertainment, but i wish they would test cars what i can buy or drive (ie VW Golf, fiesta, diesels, vans, HGVs etc)

[skomedal]

Continuiety is crap,,,, re the trip to the north pole,,, follow the sun shades.. one has a red something or other on the right,,, then suddenley was not there in the next shot.....

Query how many cars did they actually have to do that trip????

Regards

[xanadu]

Dave channel in the UK shows virtually nothing but repeats of Top Gear, so it's no surprise it's the most watched program.

[mrbleu500]

Wikipedia has a page devoted to complaints about TG, including:

# 2 Tree damage - Clarkson crashed a Toyota Hilux into a tree
# 3 Germany - "a sat-nav that only goes to Poland"
# 4 Homo***uality - described the vehicle as "ginger beer,"
# 5 Caravan fire - Mail on Sunday claimed the action had been staged
# 6 Dead cow incident - OFCOM received complaints
# 7 Train crash reconstruction - criticised due to train crash only 2 days earlier
# 8 Insensitivity to brain injury victims - Clarkson asked Hammond "Are you now a mental?"
# 9 Drinking while driving - the scene could "glamorise the misuse of alcohol"
# 10 Lorry drivers and prostitutes - MP wrote to BBC saying that Clarkson should be sacked
# 11 Environmental concerns - the Environmental Investigation Agency criticised the BBC for leaving tracks in Botswana's Makgadikgadi salt pan
# 12 Gestures towards policeman - Clarkson gave a U.S. police officer the middle finger gesture
# 13 Tesla Roadster road test - The BBC is still looking into Top Gear's journalism standards
# 14 Volkswagen Scirocco commercial - "Volkswagen Scirocco: From Berlin to Warsaw in one tank"
# 15 Pikey - The Guardian didn't like TG using the term


FFS - It is just a light entertainment program with 3 middle aged guys dicking about in cars... Sort of like the Last of the Summer Wine on 4-Star!!

[gorgan]

Although it is an entertaing program, I wish they tesy drive the cars as was indicated above.

I must say I preferred it the old days!

[crabber]

Quote: "FFS - It is just a light entertainment program with 3 middle aged guys dicking about in cars... Sort of like the Last of the Summer Wine on 4-Star!!"

Yes I think most of us realise that and enjoy it as such, but presumably the program makers must think that even having a section of the show devoted to genuinely informative tests would lower the viewing figures?
If so I find this a shame and an insult to the audience.

I googled "complaints against top gear" and found over 1.5 million results.
Most are absolutely hilarious and include ones I had not heard of before such as JC calling Gordon Brown a C**T in a not broadcast part of the show.

[mrbleu500]

I think Fifth Gear filled the gap where the old Top Gear left off, with more emphasis on hum-drum car tests and other motoring issues which are considered too mundane to get on TG.

However, the viewing figures for Fifth Gear are tiny in comparison to TG, and it has been reported (although not confirmed) that it has been killed off by Five.

TG - (guys dicking around) - The most watched on the planet
5thG - (serious motoring news) - Gets the chop

That's why TG does not mess around with it's successful format

[keith lard]

Top Gear is just a good laugh!
did anyone watch the one where they went to bolivia?

I spent 70 minutes just laughing....

Pure Quality in my view!


k.

[drahcirk]

stopped watching it back in the 70.s ,all they ever did was praise up foreign cars, any cars that were produced here were rubbished, ie, ford.v/hall. bl, all back handers i reckon,

[dajam]

stopped watching it back in the 70.s ,all they ever did was praise up foreign cars, any cars that were produced here were rubbished, ie, ford.v/hall. bl, all back handers i reckon,

Oh come on, your aving a laugh surely! british cars were crap in the 70's and 80's and not that brilliant in the 90's either. It was only when fords were made in europe that they became any good in the uk, the focus is a classic example, mine was made in germany.
Surely you cannot seriously believe our cars were better than euro/japanese cars then?

[noff]

Top Gear makes the BBC a maasive amount odf dough, and because of that is totally self funding.

So anyone that says "I pay for it with my TV Licence" actually doesnt.

End of the day its a laugh, and if some people dont like it they dont have to watch it. I am sure worldwide they wont be missed if they stopped watching.

[bcm2001]

Top Gear is Great good old laugh!
love it

[drahcirk]

Oh come on, your aving a laugh surely! british cars were crap in the 70's and 80's and not that brilliant in the 90's either. It was only when fords were made in europe that they became any good in the uk, the focus is a classic example, mine was made in germany.
Surely you cannot seriously believe our cars were better than euro/japanese cars then?

well ,if ur right, how come the datsun cherry, lasted 2 years b4 it had to b taken off the road, b cause there was no metal left on it,.
in any case, most of u brits were brain washed into exactly how u are talking, sad,

[mrbleu500]

In the 70's Alfas and Lancias used to arrive at the UK dealers already rusting away, I used to have a summer job picking up new cars and taking them to a body shop to get the rust treated, and rust proofing added (they didn't come with any at all).

[dajam]

Pretty much all mass produced cars used in the uk in the 70's and early 80's rusted away in a few years, the only real exception were german and swedish cars.
They were ****e really, I drove enough of them myself, the euro and jap cars I had were vastly superior, so not swayed by the media, my opinion is my own m8

[bonovox]

Top Gear is top class entertainment, but i wish they would test cars what i can buy or drive (ie VW Golf, fiesta, diesels, vans, HGVs etc)

Yep hardly do any decent test drives for £20,000 cars. Never even mentioned the VW Scirocco type R on the last series. I think they did a little feature on the normal Scirocco with the crappy diesel engine the previous series where they were trying to make a tv commercial for it. That was pretty funny though. I also think Clarkson does too much playing to the pretty girls in the studio audience. Its cringeworthy seeing how old and ugly he is hehehe

The Lancia Beta effectivly killed off Lancia made cars in this country. It was a rust box!

[crabber]

My son applied for some tickets to the show, I think I am right in saying they insist on equal numbers of male and female in the audience.
Even though I find TG great entertainment I still think it is a sad reflection on viewers that the popularity of the program is based on contrived stunts without any informative reporting.
I suppose I have to accept that is the way of the world, even do***entaries always seem to have a time limit to keep people interested, for instance a search always has to end "within two hours" or similar and needless to say the searched item is always found just before the deadline. do they really think we are that simple?