TOP GEAR - Gone?

[mk1]

So, The Beeb have just announced that they won't be completing series 34 of Top Gear, after Andrew Flintoff's crash which occurred just before Christmas.

I can't say that it comes as any surprise, I have thought that the show was on borrowed time ever since the original 3 stooges went off after Clarckson's hissy fit.

We did, as a family return to watching TG in the last year or so, and I usually hated it. Too much shouting, too much "forced excitement" & I must say that we all noticed that the "danger level" of a lot of the stunts seemed to have gone up greatly.

One episode that stuck in my mind was when they were doing a drag sprint, I think it was in an old Jag. Flintoff kept his boot in long after the marked out breaking zone & ended up sliding across a grassy area totally out of control, only narrowly missing an impact. This wasn't down to lack of H&S it was down to driver stupidity. I can't help but wonder if this latest "show finishing" accident has a similar cause.

Do you think the show will survive or die a death?

[Pete]

All went abit lad-ish didn’t it. Dumbed down telly as we usually expect nowadays, not that the three Amigos were everybody’s cup of tea but they knew what most of us wanted (entertaining!), delivered it and have held their own on most of the stuff they’ve done since.

[Exminiman]

We stopped watching it after Clarkson etc…left….

The BBC need revenue, I would guess the TG franchise brings in a lot of money from around the world. They have to find the money to subsidise the wokish agenda some how.

But the BBC are not pro car, I would expect many within the BBC would like to drop TG and replace it with a wacky, ethnically and sexually diverse show, hosted by drag queens about riding bicycles….…..

Am allowed to write this …….these days ?

[mk1]

No you aren't!

Oh, wait a minute, you just have

Personally, I reckon the BBC is still the best broadcaster & program maker in the UK. Yes, they have to try & make something for everyone, and by definition that means that most people won't like some of their output.

If they replaced TG with a really interesting / exciting "Adventure travel Program" something like the TG specials, I reckon a lot of people would be very happy indeed.

The problem they have is that no one really knows what will & will not be successful, who in their right mind would commission a program if it was described as 3 old (ish) blokes messing around with cars & doing stupid things in foreign countries. I doubt anyone would.

The revamped TG was a slow burner, it took 2 or 3 series before it really started to gain a following, after that it went from strength to strength. This was the case for MANY programs that people now think of as classics, Dad's Army, Only Fools & Horses etc. In such a fraught industry where things move so fast, it is rare to allow something to flounder for 2 or 3 year to see if it will really work, its far easier & safer to make another series like "The One show" or "The Repair Shop" that go out of their way to not offend (or entertain) anyone too much.

[Costafortune]

I cannot abide the BBC and have neither a licence or a TV.

[Polarsilver]

Would rather have Wild Isles on Sunday at 7pm ... where i will learn something.. rather than BBC showing me their contrived crap such was the later TG.

[Exminiman]

Enjoy watching Clarksons farm, thing is though, its not on the BBC, so it dosent have to be OTT PC and woke……..which is ultimately what will do for TG and maybe the BBC

[Herbert]

To be honest the BBC should replace Flintoff with Lineker,one clown replaces another. Then shut the show down and you saved £1.5 million in one fell swoop

[arnie]

BYE BYE

[AndyB72]

Can't say I'll miss it to be honest but I know my 13 year old nephew will, he found it highly entertaining.

[mk1]

I suppose, the thing is I REALLY don't see the "Woke" BBC that so many people witter on about so much. I reckon, opinions & norms change & this should be reflected by "Our National Broadcaster". There are lots of things I find hard to stomach about the world today, but a lot of people much younger than me seem to think that these things are perfectly acceptable, who am I to argue. When I was a kid, I'd go to a concert & see the band dripping in Phlegm by the end of the night, I don't see that as any better than accepting people with willies wanting to wear a frock, as far as I am concerned it's their choice.

I have always thought that if the BBC are getting accused of being too Left wing by the right & too right wing by the left, they are probably steering a fairly OK course. I'd certainly rather watch a channel like the BBC than totally partisan crap like GB or Fox News anytime.

If any broadcaster is showing something I don't fancy, I either go & do something more interesting or hit the change the channel button.

Not too difficult

[mab01uk]

Not watched Top Gear for years, even the later years with Clarkson it became the same old and very repetitive in the end. Every show has its day but it was a good earner for the BBC while it lasted. Back in the day all viewing figures were much higher and based on a captive audience with only 2, 3 and later 4 channels. Now with hundreds of channels and online choices it is hard to launch any new series which is a slow burner. As in the USA if viewing figures are not high from the start now, a series is cancelled after the first season especially if advertisers also loose interest on commercial channels.

Sad the once impartial and respected BBC has gone completely woke (in my view) and become so clearly bias (in my opinion) on many things and is alienating older viewers who mainly pay the licence fee and still watch 'linear TV'....I would not mind if we did not have to pay a TV tax to support agendas I disagree with and pay the extortionate wages of 'presenters' like Gary Lineker (£1.35m). Amazing really so many people still pay the licence fee but the BBC has aways been careful to confuse matters, so viewers think you need a TV licence to own a TV. Not true...if you don't watch any live TV channels or anything recorded off a live channel or BBC iPlayer you DON'T need a TV licence. ie. You can watch any other channels catch-up TV service, Netflix, Amazon, other streaming services, etc. There are lots of helpful videos on you tube showing how to deal with any Capita licence inspectors who may knock on your door once you do cancel your TV licence....basically always ask for ID, politely say nothing and then close the door, never engage in a conversation or invite them in as they have no right of entry.

Do I need a TV licence? 20+ TV licence fee tips:-
https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/broad ... v-licence/

[Costafortune]

The BBC news chooses what it announces.

The BBC employs race baiting idiots like David Olusoga.

Question Time is a farce.

It commissioned a series of Doctor Who where our Dalek battling time lord is black and gay. When you start turning a children's programme into a socio-political circle jerk, it's game over.

Finally, there was the utterly disgraceful episode where they attempted to be the judge, jury and executioner of Cliff Richard.

The BBC is corrupt filth with an agenda. Remember how it used to be with Robin Day, John Pilger et al. The sooner it goes down the toilet the better.

[mab01uk]

Not to mention turning a blind eye to Jimmy Savile for years...

[Mini-geek]

They have just paused filming...

It's very popular today just with a different generation. I personally think it's terrible though. IMO it's not going anywhere..

Clarkson's farm is terrible this year.. it's not about farming it's about planning and Clarkson wanting a Clarkson theme park

[Costafortune]

Clarkson wanting a Clarkson theme park

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMuO-8S_0Wg

[Exminiman]

Really In the end, for me, it’s not whether it’s right, left or woke, it’s because it’s become agenda driven. Those agendas, what ever they be or however obscure they are then financed by the good old uk public !
Anyway, over to our resident correspondent in Timbuktu

[Costafortune]

Replace the BBC with something that has to wash its face with revenue earned via content, not just pilfered via some ludicrous tax.

Then we'll see......

[Exminiman]

If they had to “wash their own face” then it’s doubtful they would of pushed Clarkson out.

Amazon’s seemed quite keen to put it mildly

Even if he had of stayed though, the ideas were getting a bit thinner, so maybe they were just marking time anyway…

[Polarsilver]

On occasion i catch that BBC Sunday Morning program where Viewers can ask questions or make complaints to the BBC about their Programs & News reports from the prior week .. Seems to me that very often when the BBC is getting a Hard Time from incoming public questions the BBC Presenter tells us " the BBC have No One Available to respond" .. (then presenter tells the viewer ) however the BBC has responded with a written Reply that the Presenter then reads out
Draw you own conclusion.