The Amazon Prime Not Topgear Show That From Now On Will Be Called "The Grand Tour"TV

[XJ40]

First of all: I am prepared to be wrong on this point I'm about to make.

I used to read evo magazine. There was a columnist in it called Richard Porter (to be fair I thought Sniff Petrol was pretty funny sometimes and I think he wrote for that site), I used to skip his column because I thought his writing was predictable and therefore weak because he would never (to me) surprise you or entertain you with his motoring observations. He would begin his column with a reference to a car, fill the middle with pointless fluff, then end with a reference to the car at the beginning. It seemed to be writing to a textbook expectation of what a column should be.

I see he is the script editor of this programme. Maybe he is the reason The Grand Tour is missing that final 10% of entertainment value for me.

 

[daan]

First of all: I am prepared to be wrong on this point I'm about to make.

I used to read evo magazine. There was a columnist in it called Richard Porter (to be fair I thought Sniff Petrol was pretty funny sometimes and I think he wrote for that site), I used to skip his column because I thought his writing was predictable and therefore weak because he would never (to me) surprise you or entertain you with his motoring observations. He would begin his column with a reference to a car, fill the middle with pointless fluff, then end with a reference to the car at the beginning. It seemed to be writing to a textbook expectation of what a column should be.

I see he is the script editor of this programme. Maybe he is the reason The Grand Tour is missing that final 10% of entertainment value for me.

He wrote the scripts for Top Gear too, (since 2002 according to IMDB.)

 

[Famine]

He wrote the scripts for Top Gear too, (since 2002 according to IMDB.)

He did indeed. And he didn't write for Sniff Petrol - he is Sniff Petrol.

 

[XJ40]

He wrote the scripts for Top Gear too, (since 2002 according to IMDB.)

He did indeed. And he didn't write for Sniff Petrol - he is Sniff Petrol.

Absolutely. But I think it should be part of his (or any) scriptwriters job to be part of a shows success without making it obvious that the show does indeed follow a script.

Frasier for example is a different type of entertainment show but I get the impression I'm watching two brothers in a scripted but funny setting. Acting talent plays a very large part which is something that Jeremy etc lack. But the initial relaunch of Top Gear didnt feel, to me at least, to follow a script.

I'll be honest and didn't know it even had a person doing that job until the later series. The reviews of cars and evolvement of challenges just seemed natural. Now with the latter series of Top Gear and second series of The Grand Tour it seems forced, like they are feeling a need to live up to the entertainment value that they feel they must deliver.

 

[Clark]

It's one thing to be unscripted, it's another to just not know how to use Google to look up places to go...

That ‘unscripted’ part was just as scripted as the rest of it...

 

[mustafur]

Easily the worst episode of grand tour, it's a shame because Croatia was a good location.

 

[MedigoFlame]

Easily the worst episode of grand tour, it's a shame because Croatia was a good location.

Next one isn't looking much better.

 

[NW48]

Well that was actually a pretty good episode. Only negative would be that the celebrity segment dragged on for so long. The rest of the show though seemed to go by really quickly and had some good laughs. Hammond's Ripsaw segment was balanced well, Clarkson's Gymkhana parody was great too, maybe a bit too long though, May's review of Up! wasn't too bad either. Good episode, not their best of the season, but at least it's somewhat of a return to form.

 

[imported_rik19]

Can`t believe people are moaning etc, but that's life i suppose , just look on amazon reviews for things like a basic hand tool, you've got loads of people saying how good it is and loads saying its rubbish..

Each episode has been brilliant for me.. Yesterdays with the rally driving bit was absolutely superb, could hardly see the tv for laughing..

 

[mustafur]

Episode was better, looking forward to that challenge with the jaguars in america.

 

[MUSC4EVER]

Thought the episode was pretty good but nothing special again, I really don't think the Amazon move has made any difference to the show, its not a 'new' show at all its basically like Top Gear but with one or two differences.

 

[Clark]

Promising start to this weeks epsiode but same old rubbish by the end of it.

 

[Famine]

Promising start to this weeks epsiode but same old rubbish by the end of it.

Hammond's Dubai shenanigans were pointless. The Up! GTI review was good (and right), Celebrity F Off was a decent one and Farmkhana was both better than Kenblock and actually funny...

... until they spent 10 minutes deconstructing it. They could have stopped at the fence thing quite easily.

 

[ProjectWHaT]

I'm not a fan of the celebrity stuff. I don't know any of the people they feature so I doesn't grab my interest. I wish they would just get rid of it all together.

 

[JKgo]

...Strangely enough, I liked Hammond's segment. That dune buggy, though. That thing was something else. Seeing it do wheelies and hearing Hammond cackle like an insanely happy ten year old, even I ended up giggling out inadvertently.

But have to say, the segment also kinda reminded me of Hammond driving around the streets of a certain South African city in a particularly large and red full-armoured truck thing way back when. Can't remember the name of the truck in question, but the resemblance between the Ripsaw and that truck segment was quite... uh, large.

 

[MUSC4EVER]

I believe the Red truck you mentioned was the Marauder (??)

 

[mustafur]

The celebrity stuff is complete rubbish, the show has international appeal and they ruin the segment with British focused celebs no one outside the UK even knows, the hoff is the only star I have recognised so far(apart from kevin petersen).

I have yet to watch one fully without skipping.

 

[Famine]

they ruin the segment with British focused celebs no one outside the UK even knows, the hoff is the only star I have recognised so far

Not seen many of the Avengers films or TV series then?

 

[Pagey279]

If anything I've found the celebrity face off one of the more entertaining parts from this series, and to be fair it's filmed in England, with 3 English presenters so I'm not at all surprised some guests are from these Isles. I've never heard anyone complain about that with Top gear when the trio were presenting it either, it still had international appeal then.
Plus looking at the guest list they've had international sportsmen, music stars and film/tv stars. Only half the guests have been British and all (I think) are known internationally.

I caved in and watched this episode, I'm glad I did as I hadn't really heard about the UP! GTI I'm seriously considering buying one now!

 

[Corsa]

I'm enjoying season 2 so far, although I did notice an oops with one of the Ford GT cuts.

I grew up in Niagra Falls/Buffalo and during one of Jeremy cell calls he says I'm 20 something miles away while the cut screen is showing Interstate 81.

81 runs North through Syracuse coming out of PA.
Syracuse is 170 miles east of Niagara.
Not a huge deal, but interesting the edit team missed that.

 

[SVT Cobra GT]

I'm enjoying season 2 so far, although I did notice an oops with one of the Ford GT cuts.

I grew up in Niagra Falls/Buffalo and during one of Jeremy cell calls he says I'm 20 something miles away while the cut screen is showing Interstate 81.

81 runs North through Syracuse coming out of PA.
Syracuse is 170 miles east of Niagara.
Not a huge deal, but interesting the edit team missed that.

Whilst I understand what you mean, the editing team probably weren't bothered by it as the vast majority of viewers won't recognise that that cut screen was 170 miles away rather than 20.

In this series, they film on a small airfield in the UK with some light aircraft. That airfield in particular is literally a 2 minute drive from my house. So when that episode airs, I'll be able to point out errors like the one you have. Whereas, the vast majority of other viewers (who don't live in Huddersfield) wouldn't be able to tell.

 

[polysmut]

Whilst I understand what you mean, the editing team probably weren't bothered by it as the vast majority of viewers won't recognise that that cut screen was 170 miles away rather than 20.

In this series, they film on a small airfield in the UK with some light aircraft. That airfield in particular is literally a 2 minute drive from my house. So when that episode airs, I'll be able to point out errors like the one you have. Whereas, the vast majority of other viewers (who don't live in Huddersfield) wouldn't be able to tell.

Much like in Top Gear when Jeremy Clarkson, driving from London to Edinburgh, entered Northumberland just before passing the Angel Of The North.

 

[XJ40]

Did anybody watch the Jag episode?

 

[coryclifford]

I did and thought it was the best of the season so far. Maybe the best of last season also. Laughed a bit.

 

[Joey D]

Driving a car, any car, down one of those ski runs had to be legitimately terrifying...even if they probably embellished it a bit.

 

[DesertPenguin]

They were probably on the bunny trails which are really wide so there's really no threat of anything but having to stop at the end. The bits when they were continuously slide drifting back and forth is like what real skiers do because going straight down would build up a dangerous amount of speed

 

[MUSC4EVER]

Really good episode, best of the series thus far.

 

[Tom]

Completely agree with the general census of this. Best episode of the season by far - genuinely laughed quite a lot throughout.

 

[DesertPenguin]

It's good to live in the US sometimes. New episodes air on Friday which means midnight which means 6pm for me in New York. For me The Grand Tour is a Thursday night right after dinner show

 

[RocZX]

It's good to live in the US sometimes. New episodes air on Friday which means midnight which means 6pm for me in New York. For me The Grand Tour is a Thursday night right after dinner show

Don't they air at 12am(GMT)? So it will be 7PM in New York.