Top Gear Host Chris Evans Steps Down After Poor Ratings (theverge.com)

A number of readers have submitted news coming out of popular show Top Gear. Chris Evans has announced he is leaving his role as a presenter on BBC Two's Top Gear after one series. His resignation comes amid falling ratings for the show -- which hit a series low on Sunday night, with an average of 1.9 million viewers. The Verge reports:Evans was brought in alongside Matt LeBlanc and host of other new faces to fill the positions left by Clarkson, James May, and Richard Hammond. The first series of the show had poor ratings, with fewer than 2 million viewers tuning into its series finale this weekend -- lower than any episode helmed by Clarkson.

Comments

of course

[Anonymous Coward]

Back when the Top Gear 2002 was (re)booted, I wouldn't have said it but after 20-something seasons - there's no team that can replace Clarkson, Hammond and May. Their charisma together was quite unique and I loved the show, for all of its faults.

Re:of course

[mccalli]

Clarkson,Wilson and Needell. But that was when it was about cars.

Re:of course

[monkeyxpress]

The other problem they have is that the old show hasn't stopped. It has simply moved to a new channel where it will get an even bigger budget.

Unless Clarkson and co really stuff up, it is hard to see how their *new* show won't be at least as popular as their old gig. With Amazon's budget, a break, a license to try some fresh stuff, and in some ways even, a 'don't care, nothing to prove' attitude, they will probably be pretty successful at keeping the franchise alive with its previous viewers. Whether they can broaden that base to the US market is another question, and probably the bigger challenge.

Personally I'm happy Evans has gone. I hadn't heard of him before the show was announced, but he just came across as a wannabee Clarkson with an extremely irritating voice (seriously, I would never have believed his job was in radio if I hadn't read it myself). Perhaps he does have an interesting personality, but I didn't see it on the show. Matt Leblanc seems to have been an inspired choice though. It will be interesting to see whether he gets the show traction in the US.

Re:of course

[somenickname]

Exactly this. It was a silly show but, you couldn't help but watch it even if your didn't give a shit about cars. It was *fun*. And had the added benefit of seeing insanely expensive cars that you'll never drive. Being driven by a mute gimp in a helmet. Brilliant.

Re:of course

[Anonymous Coward]

For nostalgia:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNTnrpL1Uw0

Re:of course

[umafuckit]

Personally I'm happy Evans has gone. I hadn't heard of him before the show was announced,

Yes, he's been broadcasting for years and years and he's always been annoying. He's had several talk shows on TV in addition to the radio work. For some reason a lot of people seem to like listening to him rabbit on about nothing in particular. I can't see the attraction myself.

Re:of course

[arth1]

The other problem they have is that the old show hasn't stopped. It has simply moved to a new channel where it will get an even bigger budget.

But not the clout of the British Broadcorping Castration.
I can guarantee you they won't be able to swing things like Spitfires or aircraft carriers or being welcomed at embassies.

Re:of course

[Anonymous Coward]

Clarkson,Wilson and Needell. But that was when it was about cars.

And there is a reason why pretty much nobody remembers the last two.

Re: of course

[bestweasel]

He hosts a breakfast radio show, I think because it helps to hurry people out of their homes in the morning.

Re:of course

[Dogtanian]

Clarkson,Wilson and Needell. But that was when it was about cars.

Yep.

It's easy to forget now, but the "old" Top Gear was itself pretty successful in its 90s heyday. Not to the extent that people banged on and on and on and on about it to the tedious extent they do with the post-2003 version. But still a well-known touchstone of 1990s television that was responsible for making Clarkson popular in the first place and strongly associated with him.

It feels strange to say in hindsight (given that nowadays it's clear that Clarkson is the epitome of the boorish, tedious, right-wing, middle-aged, Middle English tosser), but I actually enjoyed him during his time on the original show, possibly because he was actually doing his ******* job of reviewing cars in an entertaining manner. In fact, he was a good presenter on the other stuff I saw him in (admittedly car-related shows he'd obviously got because of his Top Gear fame). I'd even say Top Gear lost something when he left. (Along with some other changes, I clearly remember enjoying it less in the year or two running up to its cancellation).

Problem was that by the time he'd come back for the 2003 relaunch, he'd gone from being a presenter who said non-PC things that were often pretty amusing- such as the infamous "good enough to snap knicker elastic at 50 paces" description of one car- to someone whose defining characteristic was Professional Non-PC Merchant. Not in the service of being amusing, but for its own sake. And Clarkson was famous enough by this point that it was now about him; you can't watch him as a presenter any more because he isn't.

This brings me to the most fundamental difference in the relaunched show (even more so than the format change). Old Top Gear was a factual magazine show about cars that was presented in an entertaining manner. (#) The new Top Gear was- and is- an entertainment show that happens to revolve around cars, quite happy to sideline or twist any secondary factual aspects if it gets in the way of some stuffed shirt getting vicarious thrills or amusement through The Clarkson and His Two Mates in Car Porn Hijinks Show before he returns to work in his Vauxhall Astra the following day.

A lot of people obviously enjoy this- good for them. I don't have any time for it personally.

Re:of course

[Dogtanian]

One other thing- in hindsight it's also clear that Clarkson was more palatable on the old Top Gear because you got him in smaller doses. He was just one of a team of presenters and didn't appear on every bloody item; much better balanced. It wasn't All Clarkson, All The Time. It wasn't *about* Professional MegaBoor Clarkson (TM) And His Laddish Chums.

But then, as I said above, despite the similarity in name and nominal subject matter, the two incarnations are fundmentally different, so it's probably meaningless to compare them.

(#) Footnote that I meant to include in parent comment; Yes, I do give a lot of credit to this. I've seen clips of some early Top Gear from the late-1970s with Noel Edmonds (FFS) and it's needlessly slow, dry and tedious. Being factual doesn't mean you have to be *that* boring.

Re:of course

[Dogtanian]

And there is a reason why pretty much nobody remembers the last two.

Really? Yeah, I'm sure there are quite a few people who don't "remember" them and that's because it was 15+ years ago and a lot of the current fanboys wouldn't have been old enough to even be even watching then.

Anyone who actually watched Top Gear at the time would certainly remember Quentin Wilson and Tiff Needell.

(Pre-emption of snide comments about all three viewers or something; as I commented elsewhere at its peak in the mid-to-late 90s it was a very popular programme by ordinary standards- to the extent it got its own spin-off magazine- and made Clarkson into a well-known personality).

Re:of course

[Dogtanian]

Yes, he's been broadcasting for years and years and he's always been annoying.

He seemed to be reasonably likeable in his early career; first as the presenter of The Big Breakfast in the early 1990s, followed by the short-lived Don't Forget Your Toothbrush.

But something happened between "Toothbrush" and TFI Friday because he seemed to become very dislikeable to me at that point. Hard to say why, but I think there was a subtle but obvious shift from him giving the impression that he was having fun and doing indulgent things for the viewer's (vicarious) enjoyment to giving the impression that the whole thing revolved around Him.

This was shortly before his reputation for egotistical and diva-like behaviour (e.g. not bothering to turn up for presenting duties on his radio show, getting other people to do TFI, etc. etc.) started getting into the press.

To be fair, not everything I've heard about him has been bad, and some reports in recent years have led me to revise my opinion. OTOH, some of the news reports about Top Gear suggest the egocentric, diva-like behaviour is still in play. Though to be fair, he at least came across quite well when he announced his resignation.

Re:of course

[Fragnet]

Until he gets his cock out which, thankfully, is spared radio listeners.

Re:of course

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah, sure. You know what really happened between the 90s version and the 2003 re-launch, Dogtanian? You got old. You lost your sense of humour. I remember when you used to be cool.

Re:of course

[Dogtanian]

You got old. You lost your sense of humour. I remember when you used to be cool.

Damn, even *I* knew I was never cool!

Re:of course

[mrchaotica]

One other thing- in hindsight it's also clear that Clarkson was more palatable on the old Top Gear because you got him in smaller doses. He was just one of a team of presenters and didn't appear on every bloody item; much better balanced. It wasn't All Clarkson, All The Time. It wasn't *about* Professional MegaBoor Clarkson (TM) And His Laddish Chums.

Hammond and May did (enjoyable!) segments by themselves too, you know. I also like May in particular in some of his non-Top-Gear presenting (e.g. "James May's Toy Stories").

I've seen clips of some early Top Gear from the late-1970s with Noel Edmonds (FFS) and it's needlessly slow, dry and tedious. Being factual doesn't mean you have to be *that* boring.

You want to see boring? Watch Motorweek on PBS!

Re:of course

[stealth_finger]

Clarkson,Wilson and Needell. But that was when it was about cars.

And there is a reason why pretty much nobody remembers the last two.

Unless you watch channel 5 and they're both on 5th gear.

Re:of course

[stealth_finger]

Personally I'm happy Evans has gone. I hadn't heard of him before the show was announced,

Yes, he's been broadcasting for years and years and he's always been annoying. He's had several talk shows on TV in addition to the radio work. For some reason a lot of people seem to like listening to him rabbit on about nothing in particular. I can't see the attraction myself.

Yeah but they're the type of people that listen to radio 2 and thought big breakfast was cool.

Re:of course

[drsquare]

It won't be anywhere near as big because it's on an obscure subscription service instead of BBC2.

Re:of course

[Big Hairy Ian]

Ironically the Other Chris Evans news story that just broke is he's facing a historical sexual assault investigation http://www.telegraph.co.uk/new...

Re:of course

[mjwx]

Back when the Top Gear 2002 was (re)booted, I wouldn't have said it but after 20-something seasons - there's no team that can replace Clarkson, Hammond and May. Their charisma together was quite unique and I loved the show, for all of its faults.

The first season of Old New Top Gear was Clarkson, Hammond and a fat bloke from Cornwall named Jason Dawe. James May made his debut in season 2.

What you've got to remember is that Clarkson, Hammond and May (and Dawe) hadn't just worked together, they were mates for years before Old New Top Gear started in 2002 so the chemestry was well established before their first season together. The hosts of New New Top Gear were thrown together because someone at the BBC thought you could design that by committee, you cant. Chris Harris has a reputation for being a complete prat, so a lot of us are completely unsurprised by this.

Re:of course

[tehcyder]

Clarkson,Wilson and Needell. But that was when it was about cars.

And there is a reason why pretty much nobody remembers the last two.

Unless you watch channel 5 and they're both on 5th gear.

Both of its viewers thank you for mentioning them.

Re:of course

[tehcyder]

The problem with Chris Evans is that he has no real sense of humour. This is a bit of a disadvantage if you're presenting a light entertainment show.

Re:of course

[Anonymous Coward]

"historical"?

Re:of course

[10bellies]

Until he gets his cock out which, thankfully, is spared radio listeners.

Except when his Virgin Radio breakfast show used to be recorded by in-studio cameras and shown late at night on Sky One (a TV channel here in the U.K.) where he once stood up, dropped trousers/underwear, and shook his cock a couple of feet away from Holly Samos' face (one of his (then) acolytes, who would laugh at anything he did for the paycheck). "Funniest thing in the world to do" apparently...

Re:of course

[ihtoit]

all hail the Stig.

If I wanted to watch some old git talk about the capacity of the boot of a Ford Focus, I'd watch channel 5. Fuck that, I *want* to see people enjoying themselves, having a laugh, racing airport vehicles and bendy buses, turning VW campers into cross-channel ferries, strapping a Reliant Robin onto a large bottle of hydrogen for shits and giggles, turning a Transit van into a hovercraft... the kind of stuff you wouldn't even in a million years think of doing with an old banger but having seen would love to give it a go, and oh yes, flinging insanely expensive cars around an airfield in Surrey.

Not this:
"This is the four door model, with a five inch road clearance and a perky 12km per litre..." ::CLICK!::

Re:of course

[ihtoit]

historical? I saw him on TV once, my eyes are still fucked.

Re:of course

[Anonymous Coward]

Amen brother

To be fair...

[YuppieScum]

the last couple of shows have had to contend with being aired against Euro2016 football matches, and he was trying to fill some of the biggest boots in broadcasting. On the other hand, he is a charmless, loud-mouthed ginger twat, and I'm glad that he's gone. Now, if only we can get Matt Le Blanc to quit as well...

Re:To be fair...

[ArchieBunker]

Matt Le Blanc isn't a bad host but they really need someone dry and British. Eventually they're going to run out of jokes about him being American.

Re:To be fair...

[jonnyj]

...charmless, loud-mouthed ginger twat...

Try replacing the word 'ginger' with a pejorative term for any ethnic group other than the indigenous population of North West Europe and see how intelligent you sound.

Re:To be fair...

[Anonymous Coward]

Gingers aren't people.

Re:To be fair...

[Mashiki]

He's a loud mouth idiot who was screaming right up until last week that the "ratings have never been higher" and he was the best thing to ever happen to the show. Seems to me they might end up pulling a Rogers. For those that don't know, Rogers got the contract to Hockey Night in Canada and then replaced the old host(Ron MacLean who was host for 30 years) with George Stroumboulopoulos(another loud mouth hipster prick that grates on your neves) believing that he would be really good for the ratings, and they needed a fresh face to make it in the market. Well ratings have tanked through the floor faster then the Titanic going down, so they're now bringing back Ron MacLean to hopefully pull the show out of the ground.

Re:To be fair...

[thegarbz]

... because 'ginger' was the problem with the rest of that line, and he was actually going for a sugar coated complement.

Re:To be fair...

[max99ted]

But..but... where will I get my fix of grown men re-enacting hockey plays in skinny pants on a lit floor?

Re:To be fair...

[wonkey_monkey]

He's a loud mouth idiot who was screaming right up until last week that the "ratings have never been higher"

[citation needed]

Re:To be fair...

[RDW]

He's a loud mouth idiot who was screaming right up until last week

If they want to stick with the formula, I believe Nigel Farage is now available.

Re:To be fair...

[justthinkit]

they really need someone dry and British.

Jimmy Carr it is then.

Re:To be fair...

[damn_registrars]

they really need someone dry and British.

Jimmy Carr it is then.

I was actually quite surprised they didn't recruit him for it. He's been on both the top and bottom of the leaderboard for star in a reasonably priced car. He has the humor that would keep the show going even in the post-Clarkson era. To a global audience he's as British as the queen. And of course, his name is Carr.

I don't know what he's doing for work right now, but it certainly doesn't get as much TV time on this side of the pond as Top Gear.

Re:To be fair...

[Anonymous Coward]

The new Top Gear is a hit. OFFICIALLY. 23 % audience share. 12% MORE than the opening episode of the last series. These are the FACTS.

Re:To be fair...

[oobayly]

He said that after the first episode, not the penultimate.

Re:To be fair...

[Anonymous Coward]

he's busy making truck loads of money from netflix and live shows

Re:To be fair...

[Anonymous Psychopath]

Matt Le Blanc isn't a bad host but they really need someone dry and British. Eventually they're going to run out of jokes about him being American.

Matt only looks decent because he's standing next to Chris most of the time.

Re:To be fair...

[Anonymous Coward]

"Only a ginger can call another ginger ginger"

Re:To be fair...

[LynnwoodRooster]

No, no we're people. We don't have souls, but we are people!

Re:To be fair...

[ytene]

Matt has done OK in this short run - he's a big car fan and (as his piece on the Rolls in Episode 5 shows) he has a good sense of humour. I'm also a big fan of Chris Harris and desperately hope that the poor ratings don't dent his chances of having a crack at a second season. He's a gifted driver and lots of fun behind the wheel. Having said that, you could see that he was getting a bit irked at times, especially in some of the studio work for Extra Gear. Sabine is batshit crazy and worth keeping for that reason alone. That she's also an exceptionally good driver is pure bonus.... And Rory Reid made Extra Gear his own. So how about this:- Keep Matt, Chris Harris, Sabine and Rory. Sack Chris Evans, Eddie Jordan and "the Stig"... Instead of "the Stig", let Sabine and HarrisMonkey take turns doing the hot laps...

Re:To be fair...

[newcastlejon]

To a global audience he's as British as the queen.

And to quite a lot of the British audience he's an insufferably smug, unfunny git whose most recent claim to fame is being publicly shamed for tax avoidance.

I don't know what he's doing for work right now...

8 out of 10 Cats and not much else. I can't imagine why.

Re:To be fair...

[Jim Hall]

He's a loud mouth idiot who was screaming right up until last week

If they want to stick with the formula, I believe Nigel Farage is now available.

He wasn't always screaming - sometimes he was throwing up due to motion sickness after driving around in a fast car. That doesn't seem like someone who should host a show about fast cars.

Disclaimer: I haven't watched the show. Not interested.

Re: To be fair...

[Anonymous Coward]

But did Ron MacLean punch one of his colleagues in the face?

Re:To be fair...

[NotAPK]

"ginger twat"

Don't be such a racist cunt. You may as well have written "nigger". Why do some idiots believe that "ginger" is acceptable while euphemisms of "black" are not?

Re:To be fair...

[viperidaenz]

...charmless, loud-mouthed blonde twat...?

Re:To be fair...

[viperidaenz]

Hair colour isn't a race.

Re:To be fair...

[Dogtanian]

Is it just a bizarre (and unintentional) coincidence that the word "ginger" is a single letter swap away from the racial epithet people were obviously referencing? :-O

Re:To be fair...

[NotAPK]

Neither is skin colour you fucking idiot.

Re:To be fair...

[rikkards]

Oxford dictionary tends to disagree:
http://www.oxforddictionaries....
(too lazy to link)

Re:To be fair...

[MyGirlFriendsBroken]

they really need someone dry and British.

I'ld put Chris Harris into the studio, I think he has a sharp wit and could quickly gather a following

Re:To be fair...

[pipingguy]

Everyone's a racist now.

Re:To be fair...

[wwalker]

I don't think when someone is saying "charmless, loud-mouthed ____ twat" they are trying to sound particularly intelligent. That's the whole point. OP is sufficiently upset about the choice of the new Top Gear host to use fairly insulting words like "twat". Also, if we didn't have enough triggers already, a color of someone's hair is off-limits too now? What's next, I can't call someone "that bold fuck" or "that blond bitch" any more? How am I supposed to refer to Donald "The Hair" Trump then?!

Re:To be fair...

[NotAPK]

Wow, no wonder you have race issues in America.

So what do we call "racial discrimination" towards ginger people (or blond people, or black people, etc...) if you don't believe the word "racisim" is appropriate?

Do we have to invent a new word?

Re:To be fair...

[stealth_finger]

he's busy making truck loads of money from netflix and live shows

And 8 out 10 cats does countdown. That shit's on all the time.

Re:To be fair...

[drsquare]

Ginger isn't a race.

Re: To be fair...

[Anonymous Coward]

Because gingers have no soul.

Re: To be fair...

[Mashiki]

But did Ron MacLean punch one of his colleagues in the face?

Don Cherry did but there were no charges, both people involved just dropped the whole thing(back in the 70's). MacLean never has, and has never been charged with such.

Re:To be fair...

[Rakarra]

but they really need someone dry and British

Ok, fine, Piers Morgan it is. Are you happy now??

Re:To be fair...

[TangoMargarine]

Probably because nobody discriminates based on hair color? Is this really a thing? WTF?

Re:To be fair...

[NotAPK]

Yes my friend, it is a thing.

For exhibit A, see the GPPP post that started this whole thread of BS.

Re:To be fair...

[NotAPK]

*Obviously GPPP == GGGP ....so fucking angry right now!!!

Re:To be fair...

[TangoMargarine]

It's called an adjective. Not every adjective is an insult.

"It's a shitty blue car." -- is the word "blue" an epithet?

Re:To be fair...

[NotAPK]

"ginger twat" == "black bastard"

Neither have a place in civilized society.

Re:To be fair...

[TangoMargarine]

You're kind of proving my point. How would you feel about the following phrases:

white bastard
Asian bastard
Hispanic bastard

It's the "bastard" part that's offensive, not the phrase as a whole.

Re:To be fair...

[damn_registrars]

And to quite a lot of the British audience he's an insufferably smug, unfunny git whose most recent claim to fame is being publicly shamed for tax avoidance.

I was not aware of that. You probably know that if he were in the US, he would instead be publicly celebrated for tax avoidance. Perhaps he's been corrupted by too much western contact?

Re:To be fair...

[ihtoit]

oh no, you can keep him. We do not want him back.

Re: To be fair...

[ihtoit]

was Ron McLean served a fucking salad after a thirteen hour day during which he didn't even get a piss break?

Re:To be fair...

[Anonymous Coward]

Matt LeBlanc, I feel, was actually entertaining, believable, and well suited to the role. Likewise I feel Chris Harris should be co-hosting, probably along with Rory Reid. They probably work off each other well. Sabine is great, but maybe as an occasional cameo for extreme stuff. I reckon keep the Stig but certainly say bye bye to Eddie Jordan. It is such great news that Chris Evans has gone as now there will be much less fast forwarding, or yelling at the screen for him to shut up !!

Re:To be fair...

[HornWumpus]

What kind of moron is ashamed of 'tax avoidance'?

Tax avoidance is legal by definition. Anybody not doing it should be ashamed.

Re:To be fair...

[Anonymous Coward]

Adding black/white/asian in front of bastard implies their barstardness is related to that term. Yes, the phase as a whole is offensive (or at least can be depending on context).

FACT

[Anonymous Coward]

Chris Evans was cocky 5 weeks ago that he had massive viewers and was quoting FACT FACT FACT on twitter, now it's a FACT he was so crap he has shut the door and turn the lights off and gone home with his tail between his legs FACT

Re:FACT

[alex67500]

There are also reports that he's being questioned by the police regarding sexual assault claims made against him.

Re:FACT

[justthinkit]

Yup

Re:FACT

[stealth_finger]

Chris Evans was cocky 5 weeks ago that he had massive viewers and was quoting FACT FACT FACT on twitter, now it's a FACT he was so crap he has shut the door and turn the lights off and gone home with his tail between his legs FACT

I think it's probably more he was starting to smell. He had pretty much the same shitty outfit on every week. Blue jeans tucked into his fucking boots then that yellow top with scrappy black jumper.

Viewers hate political correctness

[jonnyj]

I never watch Top Gear. It's not my kind of thing. But I always had a sneaking admiration for the ability of Jeremy Clarkson, the wildly popular former host, to retain his job whilst thumbing his nose at everything the politically correct thought-police hold dear. When they finally find an excuse to sack Clarkson, the cheering and whooping from Broadcasting House could be heard all over the British Isles.

I always imagined that a politically correct replacement show would tank badly with its core demographic of non-metropolitan blokes. Viewers hate being told what to think, and I'm delighted to see they've rebelled in huge numbers.

Re:Viewers hate political correctness

[Anonymous Coward]

I think you're right, and it isn't isolated to just this case. The political left has gone way too far, and this has rubbed normal people the wrong way too many times. That's why there's low viewership in this case. That's why Brexit happened. That's why Trump is happening in the United States. The political left ends up being the biggest generator of support for the political right!

Re:Viewers hate political correctness

[ArchieBunker]

Firing him wasn't an excuse, he punched a co-worker. They had to fire him at that point. That said, I am a fan of him but had no idea he would get physical with anyone.

Re:Viewers hate political correctness

[PRMan]

In the old days, lots of people punched a co-worker. Was the guy hurt? Did they go have a beer afterward? People are too sensitive these days.

Re:Viewers hate political correctness

[Anonymous Coward]

Apparently an emotionally distraught and stressed out (over a potentially serious medical issue) Clarkson punched a coworker after a long day, much to the cheers of his enemies who cried "NOW WE'VE GOT HIM!"

Given that quite a lot of people wanted him sacked (oddly enough, not including the guy he punched, apparently), many within the BBC, yes, they probably had no choice. I do wonder what would have happened had he not been so reviled? Emotional counseling, reparations, fines, a public apology, and a change to the working conditions during Top Gear shoots?

Re:Viewers hate political correctness

[AmiMoJo]

The show would have been better if the other two stayed and he was replaced. Those two were quite interesting, he was just a twat.

Re:Viewers hate political correctness

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes, we need to get rid of all this political correctness and just laugh it off when TV presenters punch their staff. I'm sure you wouldn't mind at all if a rich person in a senior position punched you in the face, it's all just banter you know.

Re:Viewers hate political correctness

[Anonymous Coward]

Now, a reasonable staff member would punch back, and the issue wouldn't exist in the first place.

Re:Viewers hate political correctness

[Richard_at_work]

There's actually no rule or law which says an employer has to sack someone for a physical assault - they could have reprimanded him, fined him, put him on unpaid leave etc etc and left criminal or civil proceedings to the police and courts.

But its well known that Clarkson was disliked by the current BBC management.

Re:Viewers hate political correctness

[Anonymous Coward]

Were the BBC a for profit company, they would have hired him a producer specifically for him to punch. The guy was worth an absolute fortune to BBC coffers, and by extension the 10s of millions of licence fee payers. Firing him was always going to be a "political" decision.

Re:Viewers hate political correctness

[Anonymous Coward]

The show would have been better if the other two stayed and he was replaced.

Unlikely.

Those two were quite interesting, he was just a twat.

Twat, at times, yes. No disagreement there.

But the rapport between all *three* of them is what made it work. Any subset of them would probably fare a lot worse.

Re:Viewers hate political correctness

[hyades1]

And yet, Jimmy Savile spent half a century raping his way through nearly 600 children while the Beeb's management feigned ignorance of his depredations.

Re: Viewers hate political correctness

[Anonymous Coward]

It's not political correctness that killed Top Gear, it's a violent thug with a history of repeatedly assaulting coworkers.

Sure, he was good on the show, and they can't easily find a replacement, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't fire the fuck out of him.

Re:Viewers hate political correctness

[Anonymous Coward]

In the old days people knew that apostrophes aren't used to make plurals. Why did you write days, but right after you wrote doctor's? In both cases, you used a plural noun, but only one needed an apostrophe. Why? Then you wrote cigarettes just fine, and somehow lucked into using a possessive correctly (secretary's ass).
What's the logic here? It's just random?

Re:Viewers hate political correctness

[Anonymous Coward]

If it had simply been the punch, people probably would have been more lenient with the BBC's handling. They may not have enjoyed the new show, but they might have been more accepting of the loss of Clarkson. But it's been pretty clear that someone (or more than one someone's) up the chain has been dogging Clarkson for a while now. The punch was just the him giving them the best excuse they could have asked for to ax him.

Re:Viewers hate political correctness

[JustNiz]

Its not the political left, its the PeeCee Social Justice Warriror types who for whatever reason apparently mostly are all left-voting lesbians, or their mangina boyfriends/slaves.
We need to stop hiring dangerous idiots like that into any position of power, and especially make sure they have no control or platform in the media from which to spew their poisonous drivel.

Re:Viewers hate political correctness

[JustNiz]

I'd just punch him back and get on with my day. Seriously kids of today are such whiny little bitches that can't take care of anything for themselves and run and hide behind the system. This apparently includes not having the balls to post their own opinions as themselves, rather than AC.

Re:Viewers hate political correctness

[Anonymous Coward]

As opposed to today, where not saying the right words can get you blacklisted and being a "privileged" class is a career death sentence if there is literally any other alternative.

Every time has its faults. Sometimes those faults are from lack of knowledge. The current faults are about control and advantage via feigning oppressed status. People today are indeed too sensitive.

Re:Viewers hate political correctness

[roman_mir]

Firing him wasn't an excuse, he punched a co-worker. They had to fire him at that point.

- the society is sick when the system is set up in such a way that if a company doesn't fire somebody who punches somebody else, it is the company that gets screwed at the end.

Re:Viewers hate political correctness

[JustNiz]

Yeah the BBC management are all a bunch of PeeCee lefty SJW types. They were just hoping for any excuse to end TG, and any other show that celebrates men or even caters to men in any way at all. What they ultimately want is 100% of the airtime taken up with shows about female empowerment.

Re:Viewers hate political correctness

[Anonymous Coward]

LOL you'd be the first person filing a lawsuit if someone assaulted you at Burger King.

Re:Viewers hate political correctness

[Anonymous Coward]

You punch me without provocation, im going to HURT YOU IN A PERMANENT WAY as a reminder to control yourself. Fighting is not a fucking joke. I would have permanently disfigured Clarkson if he pulled that shit on me.

Re:Viewers hate political correctness

[Anonymous Coward]

If Clarkson is your example of a 'man' you can keep it.

Re:Viewers hate political correctness

[Anonymous Coward]

And hot man on man gay snogging -- they literally can't seem to get enough of that in their TV Shows over there

Re:Viewers hate political correctness

[barc0001]

> he punched a co-worker. They had to fire him at that point.

Clarkson should have bit him instead, then he would have made Director General of the BBC:

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2005/mar/24/broadcasting.bbc

Re:Viewers hate political correctness

[trailerparkcassanova]

John Ford punched Henry Fonda during the production of 'Mister Roberts'. Ford was canned before the movie was.

Re:Viewers hate political correctness

[Anonymous Coward]

The show would have been better if the other two stayed and he was replaced.

Unlikely.

Those two were quite interesting, he was just a twat.

Twat, at times, yes. No disagreement there.

But the rapport between all *three* of them is what made it work. Any subset of them would probably fare a lot worse.

And they had vowed a long time ago that it was going to be all three of them or none of them. Gotta applaud the other two for actually sticking to that.

Re: Viewers hate political correctness

[Anonymous Coward]

^^^^ that's what we did in my time. You fist fight and live to fight another day. After it was over, you shook hands. We had a mutual respect after that.

Now a days you can't do that. My son got into a fight at school. We had to go to court. Yes real court. For a simple shoving match.

The world is fucked.

Re: Viewers hate political correctness

[Anonymous Coward]

If that's is your definition of a thug I feel sorry for you. take a couple steps on the streets of Baltimore City for a few days. That will change your tone.

I forgot, you are probably well off, and have never once seen a thug in person. So you calling him a thug means nothing, because you've clearly never seen one.

Re:Viewers hate political correctness

[radarskiy]

Except they didn't actually fire him. He was suspended while the incident was being investigated, and the BBC declined to renew his contract which was already ending. They were no obligation to renew the contract.

Re:Viewers hate political correctness

[SvnLyrBrto]

Not to say that was acceptable behavior, because it's not. But in the category of "celebrity jackassery" that little scuffle was pretty low in the hierarchy of sins. And we routinely tolerate much worse from our entertainers. Just google, for example, for those lists of celebrities who have killed people (outside of military service, that is) and see how many are not only not ostracized and blacklisted, but have been forgiven and are still actively celebrated. ('ll go ahead and toss out Caitlyn Jenner, Mathew Broderick, William S. Burroughs, Howard Hughes, and Charles S. Dutton, to start that list.)

So yeah. I'm fairly inclined, as well, to believe that the BBC execs were just waiting for an excuse to sack Clarkson; which he unfortunately gave them.

Re:Viewers hate political correctness

[Anonymous Coward]

Why is that reasonable? I wouldn't blame someone for punching back, but it would be a response driven by emotion, not reason.

Re:Viewers hate political correctness

[Anonymous Coward]

Good for you, but what if the person punching you was bigger and stronger, or just a better fighter than you, and the result of you fighter back was just getting beaten more?

Re:Viewers hate political correctness

[CrashNBrn]

AC knows some mean Kung Fu.

Re:Viewers hate political correctness

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah God forbid someone can work without risk of physical assault from an entitled and unstable dick (go read why he punched him). Back in my day we settled or differences by drawing at the height of noon. We would have had a beer of we didn't die of some disease on the way to the pub. Those were much better days.

Re: Viewers hate political correctness

[Anonymous Coward]

In most workplaces in the UK punching a colleague would result in dismissal.

Re:Viewers hate political correctness

[Anonymous Coward]

I would have permanently disfigured Clarkson if he pulled that shit on me.

I have spotted the Internet tough guy of this thread.

Hey, Internet tough guy: No, you would not have done that.

Re:Viewers hate political correctness

[BasilBrush]

Yes he was bloodied and dizzy and had to go to hospital. And no they didn't have a drink afterwards. There's no workplace where it's acceptable to punch a colleague other than the boxing ring.

Re:Viewers hate political correctness

[BasilBrush]

It's got nothing to do with political correctness. People turned off in droves because Clarkson et al were entertaining and the new presenters weren't. There are plenty of ways of being entertaining other than testing the limits of political correctness.

Re: Viewers hate political correctness

[Anonymous Coward]

It's the vibe.

Re:Viewers hate political correctness

[Anonymous Coward]

You live in a strange little world Mr. I punched two people just today at work and another person broke my nose the day before. This is just normal office horsing around. There's absolutely nothing wrong with busting some skulls at work once in a while.(and yes, we all went out for dinner after work together)
Now, before I worked at the daycare, I was a regular office worker. Most the hitting there was smacking those little floosies from HR on the butt, we still broke some noses there too once in a while.
It's all good fun.

Re:Viewers hate political correctness

[Anonymous Coward]

You live in a strange little world Mr. I punched two people just today at work and another person broke my nose the day before. This is just normal office horsing around. There's absolutely nothing wrong with busting some skulls at work once in a while.(and yes, we all went out for dinner after work together)
Now, before I worked at the daycare, I was a regular office worker. Most the hitting there was smacking those little floosies from HR on the butt, we still broke some noses there too once in a while.
It's all good fun.

I better mention it wasn't really at daycare, we just called it that... oops.

Re:Viewers hate political correctness

[rikkards]

So? Just because they made a mistake before means they have to continue?
I would say they learned and obviously learned well.
Clarkson got what was coming. I liked him on the show (and absolutely hate Evans) and am looking forward to their new show and I assume he has learned his lesson.

Re:Viewers hate political correctness

[mwvdlee]

I believe if they had just Rory and Chris Harris with somebody actually funny as lead presenter and slightly altered the format, new Top Gear would have been a lot better. Their bits are actually interresting and they seem to know their way around cars.
Instead we were left with an annoying git as lead and a show which seems to actually double down on the crappiest part "some B-stars I couldn't give a fuck less about driving around in a car I couldn't give a fuck less about".

Re:Viewers hate political correctness

[stealth_finger]

Firing him wasn't an excuse, he punched a co-worker. They had to fire him at that point. That said, I am a fan of him but had no idea he would get physical with anyone.

Whatever happened to an apology and handshake? Nope, apparently nowadays everyone has to be fired for everything, especially if it something the PC/SJW brigade take particular offense to.

Re:Viewers hate political correctness

[stealth_finger]

You punch me without provocation, im going to HURT YOU IN A PERMANENT WAY as a reminder to control yourself. Fighting is not a fucking joke. I would have permanently disfigured Clarkson if he pulled that shit on me.

Woah, we got a badass over here!

Re:Viewers hate political correctness

[mjwx]

Firing him wasn't an excuse, he punched a co-worker. They had to fire him at that point. That said, I am a fan of him but had no idea he would get physical with anyone.

He was fired due to politics. Certain parts of BBC management had been gunning for Clarkson for years, in particular a man named Danny Cohen who was the BBC director of television at the time. Clarkson was untouchable because he (and Wilman) owned a part of Top Gear's production company up until 2015 where the BBC bought it from them. Remember the Enie Meanie Minie Moe video debacle, that never went to air. In fact someone had to steal that off the cutting room floor and release it to the Daily Mail.

So the punch was the perfect excuse for Cohen to get his way. However it wasn't long before Cohen got his comeuppance. The entire production team quit along with Clarkson, this combined with the BBC having money troubles and asking to raise the TV tax at the same time as gutting one of their biggest earners meant that Cohen was unceremoniously dumped (asked to resign) in October 2015.

Trying to take Clarkson down ultimately caused his downfall... Meanwhile Clarkson is laughing all the way to the bank.

Re:Viewers hate political correctness

[Anonymous Coward]

Firing him wasn't an excuse, he punched a co-worker. They had to fire him at that point.

- the society is sick when the system is set up in such a way that if a company doesn't fire somebody who punches somebody else, it is the company that gets screwed at the end.

What's the sickness that you call this then? Please give us a bit of reasoning to it.

You've provided conclusion without explanation.

Re:Viewers hate political correctness

[tehcyder]

In the old days, lots of people punched a co-worker.

Punched? You wimp. In my day we battered each other half to death with mattocks just to work up an appetite for breakfast.

Re:Viewers hate political correctness

[tehcyder]

You punch me without provocation, im going to HURT YOU IN A PERMANENT WAY as a reminder to control yourself. Fighting is not a fucking joke. I would have permanently disfigured Clarkson if he pulled that shit on me.

Woah, we got a badass over here!

He's almost certainly an ex-Navy SEAL.

Re:Viewers hate political correctness

[tehcyder]

There's actually no rule or law which says an employer has to sack someone for a physical assault

In the UK, it's pretty much covered under the general heading of "gross misconduct" which means you're liable to instant dismissal (same as for things like nicking the petty cash).

Re:Viewers hate political correctness

[Rakarra]

Even more reason NOT to punch a staff member, then?

Re:Viewers hate political correctness

[Rakarra]

In the old days, lots of people punched a co-worker.

Yeah, well, the old days sucked. It's better that they're in the past and you don't necessarily have to put up with the brute anymore, or the fake camaraderie of beer-drinking with an asshole.

Re:Viewers hate political correctness

[Rakarra]

AC, that is a very very well-put-together satire. It straddles the line perfectly, getting the point across without being ridiculously over the top or hostile. Bravo.

Re:Viewers hate political correctness

[Rakarra]

And hot man on man gay snogging -- they literally can't seem to get enough of that in their TV Shows over there

GDI, there's not nearly enough of that on BBC America.

Re:Viewers hate political correctness

[Rakarra]

And yet, Jimmy Savile spent half a century raping his way through nearly 600 children while the Beeb's management feigned ignorance of his depredations.

Are you sure the decision makers in both cases were the exact same individuals?

Re: Viewers hate political correctness

[Anonymous Coward]

that's what we did in my time

Now a days you can't do that.

The civilized world has a word for this phenomenon:

Progress.

Re: Viewers hate political correctness

[ihtoit]

There is another word for it, but it isn't "progress". It does start with a P though.

Pussywhipped.

Re:Viewers hate political correctness

[ihtoit]

the bigger they are, the harder they fall.

I mean, fucking SERIOUSLY?? Is size really the determining factor for you? I have two words for you: VIET NAM.

The NVA and their allies sacked French occupation then kept the United States covering their balls for TWENTY FUCKING YEARS. With STICKS COVERED IN SHIT and captured French rifles that didn't work when it rained. And the United States, through all of their might, couldn't deal with such a poorly-equipped army of half a million with oh what was it, 2 million plus mechanised units?

Re:Viewers hate political correctness

[HornWumpus]

What? It's not reasonable to be a pussy.

Study some history you twat. The best way to get hit repeatedly is to not do anything about it.

Self defense is reasonable.

Re:Viewers hate political correctness

[HornWumpus]

You don't have to win, you just have to _hurt_ the motherfucker.

Next time, he will find someone who believed his kindergarten teacher's lies and doesn't defend himself.

Re: Viewers hate political correctness

[Anonymous Coward]

We had to go to court. Yes real court. For a simple shoving match..

It didn't help the shoving match was next to a cliff.

Re: WHY IS THIS HERE?!

[Anonymous Coward]

News for Nerds - obv!

It is not like it was not expected...

[Anonymous Coward]

I mean the moment they announced the guy, almost everybody said he was a really bad choice. It is not only that he doesn't really know about cars, most important is the fact that nobody outside Britain finds him funny (we are talking about a show that is sold to many countries), and even the British are rather divided on this. Hiring Matt LeBlanc was a last-ditch effort, but I guess it was too little too late. Perhaps Rowan Atkinson might be persuaded to give it a go next year?

Re:It is not like it was not expected...

[hyades1]

If I had mod points, I'd give you one. I suspect not many people here know that Rowan Atkinson is a hard-core car fanatic who knows his subject.

If they managed to sign him up, I'd certainly start watching again.

Re:It is not like it was not expected...

[rl117]

Most people inside Britain don't find him funny either! I've never been a particular fan, and I don't know of anyone who is. I can only imagine he's connected with the BBC management, and is suitably PC. I doubt Rowan Atkinson would have the needed personality either. He's not a presenter, he's an actor, and is known for acting roles rather than being himself. One major change with this new series is that they hired actors rather than car nuts who can talk well. The old trio might have scripted parts of their show, but their banter came across as quite natural, and they all knew their stuff even if they didn't focus on it too much. They weren't acting, they were doing stuff with their mates, while being filmed doing it. I think LeBlanc could grow into that, and it would help if he had some more compatible personalities which complemented each other. Evans definitely wasn't that person! And regarding the "non-PC" attitudes of the old presenters, mentioned elsewhere in the comments. People watch Clarkson because he's an opinionated arsehole, or rather an entertaining and funny opinionated arsehole. It wasn't the sanitised and bland product which is the rest of the BBC's output, and his views likely resonate more with people than they care to imagine. Hell, I have plenty of friends in India and other countries who think Top Gear is the best thing on TV and absolutely *love* Clarkson. This is another demographic the BBC would like to pretend doesn't exist (they should be outraged by his non-PC opinions!), and while they all think he's an arsehole (as do we all), outraged they are not.

Re:It is not like it was not expected...

[Anonymous Coward]

If I had mod points, I'd give you one. I suspect not many people here know that Rowan Atkinson is a hard-core car fanatic who knows his subject.

If they managed to sign him up, I'd certainly start watching again.

However while Atkinson is a great actor with a script he admits himself that he's terrible at improvisation and rather boring in interviews. Playing characters vs being natural on camera are different skill sets.

Re:It is not like it was not expected...

[mrchaotica]

Sounds good. And Top Gear America needs Jay Leno.

Re:It is not like it was not expected...

[Anonymous Coward]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

Seems fine to me

Re:It is not like it was not expected...

[mwvdlee]

Luckily Top Gear is mostly scripted.
It seemed like improvisation, but that's mostly due to the script being very closely written for their real personalities; the old presenters basically played charicature versions of themselves.

Re:It is not like it was not expected...

[stealth_finger]

Luckily Top Gear is mostly scripted. It seemed like improvisation, but that's mostly due to the script being very closely written for their real personalities; the old presenters basically played charicature versions of themselves.

That was part of the problem, the script writers didn't seem to get the memo and you had evans reading lines that were clearly written for clarkson. Didn't help he wore the same outfit every week and ran around shouting like a teenager.

Re:It is not like it was not expected...

[Anonymous Coward]

Oh damn, Rowan Atkinson! That'd be hilarious! :D

With the right 3rd person (someone dry and sensible?) that trio might be able to come close to Clarkson, Hammond and May ... Close but not quite ... Unless Atkinson as well is as bad "mending" stuff and not very politically correct

Re:It is not like it was not expected...

[hyades1]

Excellent idea! Leno's another guy who can talk cars all day long, and make it interesting.

Re:It is not like it was not expected...

[hyades1]

With Atkinson, I think they could even have gone beyond just trying to clone Clarkson, May and Hammond. They could have gone for a completely different dynamic and had a reasonable chance of making it work.

The bonus is that then, with any luck, we'd have had TWO great shows to watch.

Re:It is not like it was not expected...

[hyades1]

You're right about skill sets, but Atkinson was being modest. I've seen him interviewed, and he was anything but boring. And just a little FYI: Top Gear was a bit more scripted than it seemed. It wouldn't have been a big stretch to provide lines for Atkinson, if he actually needed them.

Here's an example of Atkinson chatting with Jay Leno...about cars, among other things. He seems relaxed and easy-going, and amusing rather than drop-dead hilarious: https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

Re:It is not like it was not expected...

[Anonymous Coward]

Everyone was hoping it would be him, then all of a sudden he gets the job and everyone is hoping he'll go away. Seriously, every single new publication on Earth was proclaiming him to be the most likely person to be picked for the job.

Re:It is not like it was not expected...

[Anonymous Coward]

Top Gear America needs cancelling.

Re:It is not like it was not expected...

[ripvlan]

"Top Gear was a bit more scripted than it seemed" ? The last few seasons it was obviously scripted - I thought the Jerusalem special was too on-script, or the last crazy episode where they built emergency vehicles. The early days - sure it was all a setup - but they genuinely went off script. The script was a framework to help stay on track (like when they built their own caravans and Clarkson's was 3 stories tall and buffeted on the highway....cut to Capt Slow laughing his ass off).

Yeah the in studio stuff was scripted and sometimes it showed. But professional shows and humor needs that to be top quality. Listen to RadioLab - very engineered but considered to be one of the best radio/podcasts.

Good

[Anonymous Coward]

He sucked. The rest of the presenters (minus Eddie, of course), were loads more fun and way less annoying. Hell, Reid and Harris handled their time on both TG and Extra well.

CAPTCHA: Escorts. "He declined the use of the Escorts in preference for the Capris"

Quick solution

[Anonymous Coward]

the producer should have just punched Evans in the face.

Replacing Clarkson, May, and Hammond is like...

[Anonymous Coward]

Replacing the entire cast of Monty Python, and expecting the audience to like the shit that was just shoved down their throat. The only way Top gear is going to succeed is to get Clarkson, May, and Hammond back and fire the dumbass producer that Clarkson backhanded. The US version is crap too and was just cancelled.

Re:Replacing Clarkson, May, and Hammond is like...

[Feral Nerd]

Replacing the entire cast of Monty Python, and expecting the audience to like the shit that was just shoved down their throat. The only way Top gear is going to succeed is to get Clarkson, May, and Hammond back and fire the dumbass producer that Clarkson backhanded. The US version is crap too and was just cancelled.

I didn't even like "the shit" before they changed the cast.... on another note how is this 'News for Nerds'? Did they use a giant trebuchet to eject Evans from the BBC building and into that swampy pond in Hammersmith Park? ... because that would be (a) funny and (b) 'News for Nerds'.

Re:Replacing Clarkson, May, and Hammond is like...

[Anonymous Coward]

The reason I used the Monty Python similarity is because Top Gear reminds me of Monty Pythons Flying Circus. It was more of a comedy show than a show about cars, but just enough about muscle/sports cars to keep the piston heads interested too. Clarkson, May, and Hammond have already started their own gig, The Grand Tour, and will probably get the viewers that Top Gear lost recently.

Re:Replacing Clarkson, May, and Hammond is like...

[Anonymous Coward]

how is this 'News for Nerds'

The physics and engineering involved with automobiles is far greater than the science determining how much cheetos dust is staining your shirt.

Re:Replacing Clarkson, May, and Hammond is like...

[Anonymous Coward]

The physics and engineering involved with automobiles..

...barely got a look in on Top Gear even before Clarkson et al. left.

Clarkson et al...

[Anna Merikin]

might have been boors, but were never bores.

Yeah, didn't see that coming!

[Ecuador]

I was rather shocked at the announcement of Chris Evans - I am not British, but I currently live in the UK and he's one of the people on TV here that I don't get at all. Well, I thought, perhaps he is more versatile than I give him credit for? Then I saw them hiring Matt LeBlanc at the last moment, "oh, so he is not more versatile, and they realize it now... uh oh...". In any case I tried watching the premiere with my wife, who is not a big fan of Top Gear, but usually enjoys the good episodes (and is also a big "Friends" fan). Well, she left about 3 minutes into the premiere and I stayed a bit longer but gave up as well after a while... Maybe I'll give it another go next year with another presenter/format (or wait for another car show coming to a streaming service near you, wink, wink...)

Re:Yeah, didn't see that coming!

[JustNiz]

I totally agree. I never did get what anyone ever saw in Evans.Have no idea why the BBC ever hired him for anything,
GT (the old TG team) will be hitting Amazon Prime in supposedly 8 weeks or so with a budget per episode that makes what the BBC gave them look like pocket change. Just what the doctor ordered to get rid of the awful aftertaste of the first season of the new Top Gear.

Re:Yeah, didn't see that coming!

[Anonymous Coward]

Evans was, at one time, the star in the reasonably priced car on the real Top Gear. When Clarkson Interviewed him, it turned out he was quite a car nut. I'm assuming that's one of the main reasons.

Re: Yeah, didn't see that coming!

[Anonymous Coward]

I worry a bit about a big budget. The tight budget meant they had to be creative and rely on interaction. We'll see.

And for the record I'm a liberal but still find Clarkson funny. He's actually supportive of remaining in the EU so I do wonder how much if Clarkson's on-screen persona is real and how much us an act (cf. Al Murray's "Pub Landlord").

Re:Yeah, didn't see that coming!

[Anonymous Coward]

Evans used to be popular about 20 years ago before he started going all creepy by dating a 15 year old girl (Billie Piper) and buying her a sports car.

It's around then that people stopped giving a shit about him.

Apparently he has some wildly succesful radio show, the most succesful in Europe or something, but I've no idea what it is or where to find it, maybe it's popular with paedophiles or something.

USA 2, UK 0

[Anonymous Coward]

July 4, 1776: US declares independence from the UK

July 4, 2016: An American stays on as Top Gear presenter while a Brit gets kicked to the curb.

Happy Independence Day!

Re:USA 2, UK 0

[Dunbal]

You must be proud. But you realize no one watches that show anymore, right? That's what "low ratings" means. So go ahead, celebrate your "victory".

Re:USA 2, UK 0

[Anonymous Coward]

For all we know LeBlanc and whoever replaces the loud mouth will come up with a new format which will succeed, rather than just try to act as replacements for the former hosts.

Only time will tell how big of a victory this will be.

Re:USA 2, UK 0

[Anonymous Coward]

240 years is a bit of a gap to declare a double whammy....

Sounds like you've not done much of worth in the intervening years!

Re:USA 2, UK 0

[Anonymous Coward]

240 years is a bit of a gap to declare a double whammy....

Sounds like you've not done much of worth in the intervening years!

We waved hello to you from the moon, but you tossers didn't wave back, not even with your mouse-clicking hand.

Good.

[mustermark]

As a fellow unfiltered mouther, I'm glad that Clarkson's boot has had repercussions. The show was about cars, not politics and diplomacy.

PC BS

[megalomaniacs4u]

What the BBC forgot - Clarkson/May/Hammond Top Gear was basically Last of the Summer Wine with Cars & decent locations & slick production.

The got the cars/locations/production about right but got the chemistry wrong & went with Chris Evans purile humour. Matt LeBlanc seemed to get it, but was badly let down.

Re:PC BS

[Anonymous Coward]

What the BBC forgot - Clarkson/May/Hammond Top Gear was basically Last of the Summer Wine with Cars & decent locations & slick production.

That's best comparison I've thought of as well, I just don't use it often as few people in the States have heard of "Last of the Summer Wine."

Re:PC BS

[tehcyder]

Clarkson/May/Hammond Top Gear was basically Last of the Summer Wine with Cars

Except that Top Gear was funny.

It's Not His Fault

[Anonymous Coward]

It's not his fault, alone. The show sucks. Matt Leblanc sucks.

BBC failed to realize that the popularity of the show was due to Clarkson, Hammond, and May combined. Watch an episode where it is only any two of them and it sucks. Those specific three COMBINED are just the right chemistry for hilarity. Watch the American TopGear, it sucks. Australian TopGear, it sucks.

The whole of TopGear UK was greater than the sum of its parts. Here's hoping that Amazon's The Grand Tour, with the real TopGear crew, won't let us down.

Re:It's Not His Fault

[Ries]

Even thou most of it is "scripted", I watched it for their wild trips and screwing each other over. Don't care about cars at all.

Re:It's Not His Fault

[serviscope_minor]

BBC failed to realize that the popularity of the show was due to Clarkson, Hammond, and May combined

No, I expect they knew it well, but you know Clarckson punched his producer so they had little choice but to fire him.

Re:It's Not His Fault

[hyades1]

"Little choice" but to fire Clarkson? That's hilarious. A child-molesting pervert hunted on BBC premises for close to half a century, claiming nearly 600 victims. Their upper management claimed they had no idea.

So yes, they had a choice.

Re: It's Not His Fault

[bestweasel]

Just like the management and staff of the hospitals, children's homes, charities etc where Savile molested a lot of his victims. Maybe they were all in on the conspiracy.

Re:It's Not His Fault

[serviscope_minor]

Aah I see. So, because they majorly fucked up in the past, they should definitely keep on fucking up, because why try to improve?

Re:It's Not His Fault

[tehcyder]

"Little choice" but to fire Clarkson? That's hilarious. A child-molesting pervert hunted on BBC premises for close to half a century, claiming nearly 600 victims. Their upper management claimed they had no idea.

So yes, they had a choice.

The BBC upper management had no more idea than the rest of the country.

The idea that they were all involved in some sort of left wing/paedophile conspiracy is simply absurd.

Re:It's Not His Fault

[ihtoit]

bullshit.

They KNEW what he was doing, they just turned a blind eye to it because he pulled in the viewers away from ITV.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/new...

In 1969, a 16-year-old girl was molested by Savile while standing next to him on a podium during the filming of Top Of The Pops. She complained to a member of staff but was "ejected from the building and left on the street". That girl was Colleen Nolan.

In 1976, Savile molested a young girl on camera while filming Top of the Pops. She complained to an employee, who told her to get out of the way, as staff were trying to move a camera.

Douglas Muggeridge, then controller of Radio 1, launched an inquiry into rumours of Savile's behaviour in 1973 and also asked a press officer to investigate whether the rumours were known on Fleet Street. But Savile denied the allegations and the inquiry was closed. Police were not informed.

When a junior female employee at Television Centre complained to her supervisor that she had been sexually assaulted by Savile, she was told "keep your mouth shut, he is a VIP".

http://order-order.com/2016/02...

They knew. They didn't want to do anything about it because he was too well connected.

Do the smart thing BBC

[ttyX]

End the show for good, it was never going to top the original everybody knew it and it has happened. Waiting for the grand tour now.

Well of course! What did they expect!

[PRMan]

You can't put Captain AMERICA on a British show... (Yes, I know. It's a joke, guys...)

Here's an idea

[93 Escort Wagon]

Maybe they should bring Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry, and Courtney Cox on board to co-host the show. During the season, they could all share a London flat - maybe have some special episodes hosted from the flat.

Re: Here's an idea

[Anonymous Coward]

London flat? Sounds more like Spaced. Would Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Le Blanc work?

Re:Here's an idea

[Anonymous Coward]

I mean, shit I'd watch that. :)

Re:Here's an idea

[ThatsNotPudding]

Maybe they should bring Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry, and Courtney Cox on board to co-host the show. During the season, they could all share a London flat - maybe have some special episodes hosted from the flat.

With Jezza as Ugly Naked Guy.

Re:WHY IS THIS HERE?!

[InfiniteBlaze]

Probably because some people who frequent the site care about the show. It could very well be that this site wasn't designed with only you and your tastes in mind...nerds come in many flavors.

Hahaha! He was asking for it!

[Anonymous Coward]

He is as funny as a lame duck. Folks watch the show because of entertainment delivered by Clark, Hammond & May, those guys can be really genuinely funny merry. Chris Evans might be a good DJ, but one's voice does not replace one's own image. Which is that he is a wimp.

Re:WHY IS THIS HERE?!

[TigerPlish]

Because it's news for nerds. Oh, there are more nerds than you think they are. I think your definition of nerd is extremely narrow.

There are car nerds, computer nerds, aviation nerds, boat/ship nerds, literature nerds, and more.

So yes, an article about a controversial (and beloved) TV show that was about cars, politics and humor appeals to a broad spectrum of nerds and merits discussion on a board about news for nerds.

I rarely reply to ACs but this whole "DOES THIS BELONG HERE" faction is even screechier and irritating than SJWs.

GO away. If you don't like Slashdot, GTFO. Do I need to spell it out for you? OUT!

Top Gear 2.0 versus 3.0

[Anonymous Coward]

Back when the Top Gear 2002 was (re)booted, I wouldn't have said it but after 20-something seasons - there's no team that can replace Clarkson, Hammond and May. Their charisma together was quite unique and I loved the show, for all of its faults.

We're comparing LeBlanc's Top Gear 3.0 when it's just getting its legs against Clarkson's Top Gear 2.0 at its peak.

Maybe 3.0 will end up sucking in the long term, but remember it takes time to build rapport. The 2.0 hosts weren't close chums when things started.

Re:Top Gear 2.0 versus 3.0

[mrchaotica]

Nah, this is like 5.0 or something by now -- there's also Top Gear Australia and Top Gear America, at a minimum. None of them are as good as Clarkson/Hammond/May.

Re:Top Gear 2.0 versus 3.0

[ACDChook]

Don't forget Top Gear Russia and Top Gear Korea.

Wrong approach ...

[garry_g]

The BBC, the new Top Gear production team, or Evans (or combination of those) made one major mistake - they attempted to copy the original Top Gear team ...
When TG US started, they also tried to set up the format identical to the UK original - and more or less failed. Until they found their own way and just stuck to the format of doing their show ...
And unless TG UK tries to actually do their own thing (albeit that might take another season or two of learning), they will fail again ...

Re:Wrong approach ...

[umafuckit]

I agree, the lack of any real change was a big problem for them. Without a format shift it was Top Gear without Clarkson and Co and that just didn't work. Top Gear worked because of the chemistry the three presenters had; they obviously got on and were having fun, which drew you in as a viewer. There was no chemistry between Evans and LeBlanc so everything felt contrived. I think if the BBC want it to survive they should keep LeBlanc and just let him pick two other people who he really wants to work and go with that. If they fail a second time around the series is dead on the BBC.

Re:Wrong approach ...

[Anonymous Coward]

"...made one major mistake - they attempted to copy the original Top Gear team ...When TG US started, they also tried to set up the format identical to the UK original..."

Of COURSE they did! The FORMAT is the thing you copyright - it's the thing that's worth money. The BBC bought the format off Clarkson, who created it with his producer. Then they sold it to the US and Australia. When Clarkson went, they HAD to keep the same format. Someone had paid millions for it - were they going to say that it was worth nothing?

Of course, Clarkson had the last laugh. It is true that he had built up the format into the world's top-watched program. But the format only worked so long as he, Hammond and May were following it. It was tuned to them, It wouldn't work with anybody else.

Imagine a well-known comedy team - say, the Marx Brothers. Their films followed a pretty similar format, and they were hilarious. Now, imagine replacing Harpo, Beppo, Groucho and Chico and doing the same film. Would it still be as funny?

That's what the BBC have done. And that's why it won't work, and why the US and Aussie transfers didn't work...

They still make Top Gear?

[rossdee]

I thought they canceled that show when Clarkson got into a fight with the producer
and all 3 of them went on to make a show for Amazon

and the guy they had as a 'tame racing driver' (The Stig) hit a rock while sking and never regained conciousness

Re:They still make Top Gear?

[petermgreen]

Clarkson got fired after hitting a producer effectively ending the series in progress. There was a farewell episode some time after the incident which IIRC used already-recorded location footage, studio footage with just Hammond and May.and a voiceover recorded by clarkson. Hammond and May also left the show out of solidarity with Clarkson. The trio went to Amazon where they have been working on a new car show (which has not been released yet so it's yet to be seen how succesful it will be).

Meanwhile the BBC who still own the "TOP Gear" trademarks, distribution contracts etc started casting up a new iteration of the show. The first series of this aired recently to dissapointing ratings.

YAAAAAAAYY!!!

[JustNiz]

YAAAAAAAYY!!! what were they ever thinking choosing Evans in the first place? H'es such an irritating little twat who obviously knows nothing about cars (Yes I know he's bought a lot of very expensive cars such as GTO but clearly money doesn't also automatically buy skill or knowledge). Hopefully the BBC have finally come to their senses and will now put Chris Harris in charge.

"Monty Python"

[demon driver]

Yes, except neither of the Pythons was an arsehole or would have punched an underling because of not serving him well enough.

Re: "Monty Python"

[bestweasel]

Yep, neither Monty nor Python was known for being an arsehole.

Re:"Monty Python"

[Anonymous Coward]

if number_of_pythons == 2:
_ print "neither of the Pythons"
elsif number_of_pythons > 2:
_ print "none of the Pythons"
else
_ print "too few Pythons"

Re:"Monty Python"

[mwvdlee]

Ofcourse not, they would have used fish.

Re:"Monty Python"

[HornWumpus]

Chapman was a notorious asshole when drunk. Er, arsehole.

Medical issue?

[ArchieBunker]

Clarkson was mad that the pub wouldn't keep the kitchen open late to make his one meal.

Re:Medical issue?

[vux984]

You misread the AC. The AC claims that Clarkson was at the time stressed out by a potentially serious medical issue (a cancer scare); not that the 'medical issue' was the late meal itself.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/ce...

I'm not saying that excuses him, but assuming its true, it would have been a source of major stress.

Three men and some cars

[jrq]

The formula for Top Gear, after Clarkson completely revamped it from a very pedestrian ordinary car review show, was lifted, almost directly from Jerome K Jerome's Three Men in a Boat. A quintessential English novel that captured the relationship, in-fighting, sulking, and entertaining dynamic of three men on a boat trip. This theatre was played out week after week on Top Gear, when they went on their contrived, ridiculous, and entertaining adventures. By missing this enormous formula, the producers of the show delivered a turkey. Two hosts, do not give you the opportunity to pit two against one, with the teams always changing.

The signature segment, "star in a reasonably priced car" worked because the guests were driving cars that average people owned. The replacement with a super-charged mini on a part rally course misses this point completely. Top Gear was always silly, slightly annoying, superbly shot and soundtracked.

Chris Evans, who seems to only have one set of clothes in his wardrobe, was shouty, predictable, and seemingly incapable of interviewing anyone. Matt Le Blanc was surprisingly good.

Re:Three men and some cars

[michael_wojcik]

To say nothing of the Top Gear dog! (And we may ask, was Top Gear Germany based on JKJ's "Three Men on the Bummel"?)

I agree, though, that the three-hosts arrangement was indispensable to the TG formula, along with the "Ambitious but Rubbish" DIY disasters and general amateurishness, both of which are certainly features of "Three Men on a Boat".

Re:Three men and some cars

[jrq]

I only just found out about the TG dog, which makes the comparison even stronger, given that it was almost as fictitious as the dog in the book.

Re:Three men and some cars

[Anonymous Coward]

Top Gear was always silly, slightly annoying, superbly shot and soundtracked.

I'm not a gear head but I loved the show for the reasons you stated. It was much more than just a car show. It was just plain funny and shot in some of the most beautiful places on Earth. The filming and post production work was great.

Matt LeBlanc is why i stopped watching

[Anonymous Coward]

I can't stand Matt LeBlanc in this show, he's not even remotely funny or clever. who ever thought putting a has been american actor known for 1 successful show and a string of horrible failures was a good idea is beyond me.

Chris Evans was meh, but it was Matt that made me lose interest entirely.

Top Gear US already exists we don't need another.

Re:Matt LeBlanc is why i stopped watching

[viperidaenz]

Top Gear US doesn't exist anymore

Re:Matt LeBlanc is why i stopped watching

[mrchaotica]

That sounds more like "in limbo because the History Channel doesn't want it" than "cancelled because the BBC doesn't want it."

Re:Matt LeBlanc is why i stopped watching

[dysmal]

That sounds more like "in limbo because the History Channel is disputing the awaiting tests for that abomination" than "cancelled because the BBC doesn't want it."

FTFY

He's not even

[Anonymous Coward]

a real hamster

Re:You might want to call it 'political correctnes

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't think you've seen a single episode.

Always going to be the case

[Anonymous Coward]

I can't see why anyone would have put Evans in this anyway - did he put up the money? Does he have dirt on someone? He is probably the least likable media 'personality' of the past 20 years or so. That said, the amount of money that Amazon is throwing at Clarkson et al. makes me think seriously about cancelling my Prime account and not spending any money with them in the future.

Re:Always going to be the case

[viperidaenz]

Did Jeremy Clarkson offend you? You would like a tissue?

The BBC have succeeded

[viperidaenz]

Top Gear UK is now as popular as Top Gear Australia (Cancelled) and Top Gear USA (Cancelled).

Under investigation for 1990s sexual assaults?!?!

[edwartr]

Could it be that he was forced by the BBC to leave after it was announced that the police were going to investigate him for sexual assaults in the 1990s? This story has spread in the UK a lot and seems to push to a bigger reason why he left. OR it could just be more of a smear campaign; but his leaving sure does let the BBC off the hook with him and Top Gear. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new...

Chris is 50 years old...

[Anonymous Coward]

...yet he looks like he's 75.

Re:I never did get what anyone ever saw in Evans.

[Anonymous Coward]

Channel 4's Big Breakfast, 1992-1994. he was genuinely good. Can't think of anything great since then.

Stuff that matters

[andrewa]

And what does this have to do with tech news exactly?

Re:Stuff that matters

[Anonymous Coward]

er nothing, If you only want tech news you are in the wrong place

loser

Re:Stuff that matters

[andrewa]

says the anonymous coward... I mistakenly thought that /. might focus on tech news, but I've only been on this site for about eighteen years, so it's a forgivable error. Mea culpa...

The first of many

[Wuhao]

It is whispered that the Lead Presenter shall meet an untimely end every year, unless BBC once again appoints Lord Clarksomort.

Ego's

[seoras]

The whole thing stinks of BBC top brass ego's wanting to show Clarkson that they can do it without him.
You can imagine how much JC irked them over the years doing and saying what he pleased, a money earning brat they had to endure.
I felt Evan's was lost from the outset because he tried to ape Clarkson rather than bring something new to the show.
I suspect he wasn't given a choice and was forced to keep the formula the same down to the same cheesy lines and catch phrases.
Everyone could see it for what is was. Evans should have been given free reign.
LeBlanc did well as he brought something new to it. It'll be a real shame if he isn't retained.
It's a shame Ricky Gervais or Franky Boyle aren't petrol heads. ;)

I think I have a recommendation to offer...

[Mal-2]

Of course they'll have to work it around his (already limited) tournament schedule, but I think this guy would go over really well. He's famous, he likes fast cars, and he's got the necessary mixture of feigned modesty and self-deprecation the job requires.

Re:Under investigation for 1990s sexual assaults?!

[stealth_finger]

Could it be that he was forced by the BBC to leave after it was announced that the police were going to investigate him for sexual assaults in the 1990s? This story has spread in the UK a lot and seems to push to a bigger reason why he left. OR it could just be more of a smear campaign; but his leaving sure does let the BBC off the hook with him and Top Gear. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/new...

Protip, if you want any kind of credibility don't link to the daily fail. Every thing on there is misrepresented at best.

Who Ever Was To Replace Clarkson was Screwed

[cozytom]

It didn't matter who they picked to replace Clarkson, they were gonna suck. Maybe there were some good choices out there to host the show, all the smart ones said "No" because they would be judged as; Not Clarkson.

No one ever heard of Chris, at least in the US, but now they have. He may have more opportunities now. He may have less who knows. It was a gamble for him, certainly, and I don't blame him for trying.

Matt LeBlanc sort of pulls off a Hammond imitation. I don't think he could be the main host like Mr Clarkson was. If Matt was offered the main host position, he was smart to not take it.

Re: Americans

[Anonymous Coward]

Speaking of Americans, I think Jay Leno might be a good presenter for a show such as this. He knows cars and sometimes he can even be funny.

Top gear is still on?

[ebvwfbw]

I thought they buried that show long ago. Should have been. All scripted anyhow. Remember the slashdot article on the Tesla? Yea, what crap.

Clarkson et al...

[Anonymous Coward]

might have been Moors, but were never mores.

You made it political

[Anonymous Coward]

Typical conservative asshat. You are HAPPY someone else is suffering because you didn't get what you wanted. On top of that, you'd rather there be no Top Gear at all than to have anything different but most importantly, you can't stand seeing someone get one ounce of enjoyment from the show in any of its forms because if you can't have it the way you want, no one can. Politics and diplomacy pervade every second of our lives whether you choose to acknowledge that or not and you're the one who brought it up. You're thinking about politics constantly. Stop being a sore loser.

Good riddance. Now bring back the old team

[ihtoit]

It is NOT Top Gear without Clarkson, Hammond and May. At least THEY didn't have to use a laughtrack.

Re: Americans

[HornWumpus]

Jay Leno was last funny decades ago, before he had a TV show.

He's also too expensive.

But anybody would be better than the morons on American Top Gear.

I'd pick the host from 'pinks', the girl with the big tits from extreme 4x4 and Myth Busters and any retired popular NASCAR driver available (to get the rednecks watching).