I didn’t mind it. Definitely not the worst special they ever did (India).
I didn’t mind it. Definitely not the worst special they ever did (India).
Yeah it was better than that and some of their efforts on Amazon, but you’re left thinking that they’ve well and truly run out of ideas.
There were barely any challenges, for example.
It’s basically a travel show now.
Forgot that this and the grand tour still exist.
James May has just done a six-part travel show for Amazon on Japan. Agree re Seamen, it smacked of Clarkson's longing to do something on the Vietnam war.
He should do more WW2 documentaries.
I'd seen the two more well known ones (Victoria Cross/St. Nazaire Raid) but only came across PQ17: An Arctic Convoy Disaster the other month.
All outstanding.
Didn’t know May’s one had landed on Amazon yet. Happy days.
I liked May's reassemble series.
I'll be watching May in Japan. His.solo stuff is generally ace.
Just finished the first episode and I could probably watch the Samurai swordsmith for hours.
This James May in Japan thing is pretty good, but if he lives another ten years I'll be astonished. He looks seventy.
I finished it the other day and thought it was great.
I’d forgot about it again. Going to stick it on now.
Just happened to land on it flicking the channels tonight and, though I didn’t see it from the start, that McRae thing was class. What a legend he was. Can’t believe that was 25 years ago.
It's been a really good series. They really need to drop the celebrity bollocks now that the guests are all shit, and there is probably room for more 'serious' items since all of the casuals have dropped off, but otherwise I think it's closer to what it was when it was good than either programme has been since it was good.
Top Gear has come back strong with the shitty celebrity bit falling victim to the illness.
I love the Jaguar XJ220. It's the best looking car of my lifetime, if not since the sixties, and the infamous 'Metro engine' is actually a work of art that a serious company, rather than those actually involved, would still be using today and breezing the emissions tests. I'm surprised they allowed that speed run after the first crash, since they have been known to spin themselves equally as easily, but they might have taken it easy through the gears.
Sabine Schmitz has died of cancer. Only 51
That's grim, I didn't know she had cancer.
That Sabine Schmitz tribute was nice. The famous van segment was 2004 fucking wot mate how long have I been alive.
I watched their new 'Lochdown' special with my Amazon Prime trial, and it is the worst thing they have ever done.
Fuck sake. I was really looking forward to that too.
So was I. 40 minutes in and it's awful.
Strange when Clarkson's Farm was so good.
I enjoyed S4. Will be tuning in.
I haven't watched it (haven't watched any Grand Tour stuff in a while) but I used to think the biggest culprit for the crap scripting bits was Clarkson but having watched their other shows it's actually Hammond.
Every individual show that May has done has been quality and Clarkson's Farm was brilliant but Hammond's The Escapists (with Tory Belleci from Mythbusters) was absolutely horrendous and I couldn't even manage to get through the first episode. It was all of the worst parts of Top Gear/Grand Tour with none of the redeeming qualities.
It's just not funny, and full of lol caravan fallen over stuff we've seen ten years ago. I know they were a bit limited with travel, but maybe the whole challenge angle has finally been exhausted (maybe it already was - I haven't seen the boat or treasure hunt specials) beyond just comparing three cars on a cinematic comparison test.
Richard Hammond has always been the worst one, but their overall product getting worse over the years as the car material has slowly dried up suggests that the three of them were probably never as brilliant as people thought. Top Gear was clearly ahead of the curve going down to six episodes (or whatever it is) a series now.
Even the specials during 'peak' Top Gear had started to go a bit shit. The India one was about as funny as a flesh wound.
That one was definitely bottom of the barrel.
Lewis wasn’t wrong anyway, absolute dogshit. What was the brief switch to the Charger and all about? Lasted until the floaty bridge and that was more than enough.
The most pointless bit was the destruction derby.
Vietnam special was peak Clarkson, Hammond and May. Grand Tour was long in the tooth before it even started.
I thought it was ok for something that clearly would have had to have been cobbled together last minute.
Take it to the controversial opinion thread.
The new episode of this is excellent - a road trip through Northern Scandinavia. Great japes, beautiful scenery, nice cars. Lovely stuff.
I hope Mika Hakkinen shows up.
Scenery and all was good but I found it all as tired as ever. I know they lean into some of it more these days but did they really need to do the “go to bed somewhere deserted, oh no wait it’s not” twice in the one episode?
With Giggles on this one. One of the times that happened Clarkson clearly hadn't slept in his shed either.
Have to say that didn’t really bother me. It’s been so long since anything they did seemed genuine that I can still lol at the ridiculous setups. And it helped that there were two actual genuine incidents in this one that clearly weren’t scripted.
Is the new Grand Tour (Eurocrash) any good? Came out yesterday.
I'm a twit
Did it? Happy days, evening sorted. It'll be staged bollocks but that's just what the brain needs on a Saturday evening.
It's fairly shit with a couple of laughs but usual fare really.
It’s rubbish.
Last time Jeremy’s car didn’t fit the criteria and this time James’ car is just pure garbage and ruins the whole thing.
I'm a twit
It's over, isn't it?
Yeah it was complete bollocks.
I turned it off when they got the bow and arrows out.
Has ‘titties and beer’ and ‘I am impotent’ been funny since Harry Enfield and Chums was around?
I'm a twit
I know they still have their moments but didn't they stop being consistently any good.... Christ, I dunno. A decade ago? I feel like that Top Gear India special was the tipping point.
Grand Tour briefly found its feet after a ropey first season of just being Not Top Gear but not for long.
They're better just driving around beautiful landscapes in supercars.
They are 63, 60 and 53 now and (Hammond aside, no idea what he does) now do better stuff on their own. Guessing Amazon can wring another five years out of it though.