Top Gear / The Grand Tour

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flyonthewall2983
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Re: Top Gear/The Grand Tour

#151 Post by flyonthewall2983 » Fri Apr 05, 2019 12:48 pm

The most recent episode, "The Survival of the Fattest", tops even the Columbia special from earlier in the season and ranks up there with the best stuff the three ever did on TG. Given the environment of the Mongolian deserts and forests they trundled through, there was less opportunity for the kind of put-on material they are infamous for, and you get more a real sense of the guys eking by.

If this is just a taste of what's to come next year and from now on, I think it will be worth the wait.

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TMDaines
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Re: Top Gear/The Grand Tour

#152 Post by TMDaines » Mon Apr 29, 2019 3:41 pm

I think the latest series has been the best that they have ever done. Way more killer, less filler. Just a focus on specials, featurettes and challenges.

The final episode of the series was a bit naughty, but I saw the bluff coming. Good that they are finally ditching the studio and just focussing on what people really tune in for.

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Re: Top Gear/The Grand Tour

#153 Post by flyonthewall2983 » Sun Jun 30, 2019 12:08 am

Back in Vietnam and back on bikes...

I am now giddy with anticipation for S4

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Re: Top Gear/The Grand Tour

#154 Post by flyonthewall2983 » Sat Jul 06, 2019 1:54 pm

TMDaines wrote:
Mon Apr 29, 2019 3:41 pm
The final episode of the series was a bit naughty, but I saw the bluff coming.
I just watched it and found the end of the episode very moving, seeing Jeremy get that emotional was a surprise. The studio/tent format had it's positives and there are things that I'll miss (especially them reviewing car-related products as potential Christmas gifts), but this new direction, on top of being ideal for me as a viewer is sorely needed.

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Re: Top Gear/The Grand Tour

#155 Post by flyonthewall2983 » Tue Aug 27, 2019 6:19 pm

Hammond and May try to build Lego cars while downing shots, from their (and Clarkson's) YouTube venture DriveTribe.

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Re: Top Gear / The Grand Tour

#156 Post by flyonthewall2983 » Mon Dec 09, 2019 4:59 pm


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Re: Top Gear / The Grand Tour

#157 Post by flyonthewall2983 » Wed Dec 18, 2019 2:34 am

The last 10-15 minutes of their latest special is perhaps some of the most harrowing footage they've ever produced. Hammond at one point looks like he's about to have a full-on nervous breakdown. Even knowing that they came out of it alive and okay, it was still hard to watch.

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TMDaines
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Re: Top Gear / The Grand Tour

#158 Post by TMDaines » Fri Dec 27, 2019 7:39 am

Yeah, they weren't enjoying that. Shame the episode as a whole kind of underwhelmed. It should have been an hour. Felt like they were struggling for footage.

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Re: Top Gear / The Grand Tour

#159 Post by flyonthewall2983 » Fri Dec 27, 2019 10:29 am

I was impressed and surprised at Clarkson building a PBR himself, because there weren't any left.

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TMDaines
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Re: Top Gear / The Grand Tour

#160 Post by TMDaines » Mon Feb 10, 2020 12:11 pm

I think Top Gear is better than TGT currently. Flintoff, Harris and McGuinness are all really good together on the rebooted show and it's delivering increasingly good viewing figures in the UK. Be interesting to see whether the next TGT specials are better.

Really enjoyed first four episodes of May's Japan show. The fifth felt a bit odd. Seems like May has been living in hotels for a while and lost his enthusiasm somewhat. He didn't partake in the sumo, nor want to enter the maid/cat cafe. Hopefully the final one finishes off the series well.

Edit: typo
Last edited by TMDaines on Thu Feb 13, 2020 10:26 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Top Gear / The Grand Tour

#161 Post by flyonthewall2983 » Wed Feb 12, 2020 5:03 pm

To my surprise I couldn't get much into the first episode of the Japan show. It speaks to the sneaking suspicion I have that Amazon isn't nearly the right place for them BBC was in terms of fitting their personalities to the format right. That or maybe they aren't as enthusiastic as they might have been before.
Last edited by flyonthewall2983 on Thu Mar 19, 2020 6:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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TMDaines
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Re: Top Gear / The Grand Tour

#162 Post by TMDaines » Thu Feb 13, 2020 10:30 am

The Peru episode of Top Gear was pretty good and delivered on of the best moments in the show's history early on.

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Re: Top Gear / The Grand Tour

#163 Post by flyonthewall2983 » Mon Jan 16, 2023 7:50 pm

Clarkson leaving Amazon next year, fulfilling his contract with them into next year. Guess he made some comments about Harry and Meghan, bad enough that he made a rather sincere apology on Instagram today

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Re: Top Gear / The Grand Tour

#164 Post by flyonthewall2983 » Sun Dec 03, 2023 5:10 pm

He acknowledged that with three episodes coming out in 2024, that it would be the final year for The Grand Tour, meaning that will be the end of Clarkson, Hammond and May on television. Between that and BBC filing TG away after another accident, it’s the end of an era.

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Re: Top Gear / The Grand Tour

#165 Post by Blutarsky » Sun Dec 03, 2023 5:56 pm

To be honest, I feel like the era had already ended when the trio departed the BBC back in 2015. I grew up watching the trio and towards the last few series on the BBC, I could tell they were getting a bit slower and some of the segments just felt lackluster (however, the last two filmed pieces they made and the Peugeot retrospective in Series 22 are some of the best work the trio made). The earlier series, particularly 8 through 14, always have a special place in my heart. While they are not free from problematic issues, you could feel how much they cared about the program and how they were making a show for themselves first and the audience second (see the Lancia retrospective or the Alfa Romeo challenge). That is why I never cared for The Grand Tour, as it felt they had thrown in the hat at that point and were just making a show for people and no longer themselves.

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Re: Top Gear / The Grand Tour

#166 Post by flyonthewall2983 » Sat Dec 09, 2023 11:20 am

I saw something on YouTube with the TG brand talking about the CyberTruck. I would honestly give away my Criterions if Jeremy, James and Richard were given the opportunity to drive it around.

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Re: Top Gear / The Grand Tour

#167 Post by flyonthewall2983 » Mon Mar 04, 2024 12:01 am

Sand Job had some fascinating things going for it, but runs too long at two hours and fifteen minutes. I appreciate how far flung these things get for the budget they’re at and this reminds me a little bit of that Mongolia special I mentioned up top.

Just as a contrast right after, I put on the TG Vietnam special and it felt a little night and day in terms of the energy, not just of the adventure but the filmmaking part of it too. It looks spectacular and the editing is just right (the needle drops in the BBC cut is choice too).

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Re: Top Gear / The Grand Tour

#168 Post by flyonthewall2983 » Sun Mar 24, 2024 5:09 pm

Noticing a trend of Youtube compilations like this which are more entertaining then even the old programs to a degree. I like some of what Hammond and May are doing on their own youtube channel now. Really should check out Clarkson's Farm now that I've got prime video again.

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