Originally Posted by
ollie_
The show had its moments, I don't think its been the same in years since they really struck a chord as a presenting group and had the winning combination of writers and producers behind it.
Don't forget, the writers, researchers and producers are the ones that really make this show - they come up with the concepts and do all of the legwork to make it happen. I'm sure the presenters had a role to play in this process but to say JC was the sole contributor would be a little simplistic and naive.
They £150M a year figure being banded around by the media is nothing but a headline - Yes the show made loads of money, yes its sold the world over blah blah blah. All of the finances are far more complicated than that, with BBC Worldwide and the Bedder6 buyout years ago I can't help but feel JC felt like he was being given the heave-ho, sold up his stakes and has jumped ship at an opportune moment (created perhaps unwittingly by his frankly ****ing ridiculous ego) to ride a wave onto the shoulders of whoever is stupid enough to think spewing cash into his pockets will net them a good return.
I think the characters that developed up to their crescendo a few years back, when the specials were interesting and the general chit chat and tasks were entertaining totally solidified their position as TV gold. What happened after that is hard to say - I always felt that some TV executive keen for financial success demanded they egg JC's "character" on to be more of a grumpy outspoken old man, keeping just the right amount of 'banter' - it just got weird and the harder they all tried to play their roles (Outspoken JC, excitable midget Hammond and captain slow) the more lame it became. None of it felt genuine at all and then when it got a bit too real the BBC would backtrack and try to distance themselves from it. You can see why that might end up with the cast getting a bit frustrated.
This most recent series was alright, the features were better and i genuinely laughed at some of the ambulance stuff - for the most part it was still too 'try hard' and stilted but I guess the mainstream audience were happy to watch it unfold like some sort of vaguely car focused pantomime. I liked the premise, i loved the show, I even liked the presenters for the most part but more and more I found myself groaning at the predictable outcomes and opinions of the cast, the ****ing god awful news section and the tedious challenges.
A new cast, some fresh thinking and return to unscripted genuine caravan racing, hilux bashing mayhem and I'll welcome the new era of Top Gear. Otherwise I'm happy to let it slip into obscurity, Dave reruns and exports to Saudi Arabia on BBC Worldwide.
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