Aussie Top Gear

[jape]

Well I watched the second one too ... in hope and it is just as bad, no, it was worse than the first! These guys are totally lacking in personality, understanding, ability and their utter lack of class is terminal, not watchable. I shan't bother watching any more.

[Waldo]

From Adnews:

SYDNEY: After debuting last week with the highest ever ratings for a locally produced show on SBS, Top Gear Australia returned last night to find a third of its audience missing.

A total of 940,000 viewers tuned in for the second installment of the eight-part series, down 400,000 on the debut episode's record-breaking 1.34 million viewers, according to OzTam figures.

Despite the drop in numbers, Top Gear Australia was still the top rated SBS program in week 40 - well ahead of second ranked South Park, which achieved a 2008 audience high of 434,000 viewers.

The most recent Top Gear UK series, on air from June to August this year, averaged 893,000 viewers in the five mainland capital cities.

Top Gear Australia is a crucial part of SBS's strategy for increasing its audience share in 2008. Last night's 5.6% prime time share of metro viewers extended the broadcaster's audience gains for the year to date.

SBS's people 25 to 54 audience is now 9.1% higher than at the corresponding point in 2007, while its overall audience is up 3.6% this year.

Be interesting to see next weeks figures.

[Shedhand]

Missed the first one but watched tonights... wont bother again... total waste of bloody effort!

TOTAL CLONE of the original... Wendy had the right idea give it TRUE AUSSIE flavor instead of copying everything!... stage same... stig dipstick same... same celebrity race shyte... same stage presentations and move throughs... even the way that dropkick with the blonde hair played his "role" was Clarkson all over... three wannna be wankers trying to be the original... waste of bloody time

Yeah a MOMENT of humor amid the rubbish.

Why not an aussie accent among them?... why not some bloody information on the bloody cars theyre showing? If theyre gonna be "hooligans" strewth at least use the RIGHT WORD for it here if your gonna behave badly when driving its called a HOON!! YER DROPKICK!!

And that crap at the superpit?? WHAT WAS THAT SHYTE??? proved absolutely nothing except how stupid they all are.

Nope wont bother again.

Hey Ding...took the whole155 words outta me mouth mate. A load of old rubbish.
Cheers

[FRB Design]

He must be having a quiet laugh or vomiting !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[corbs]

I though two was better than one so will watch again next week to see what happens. I didn't mind the pit challenge "he must be cheating because I am cheating and he is beating me" The smart car bit wasn't bad either. I do have to agree that the blond git is pretty annoying.

[fubar]

Top Gear started in 1977 as a local programme made by BBC Birmingham (Pebble Mill) who offered it to BBC2.^[2][3] Presenters included Noel Edmonds and William Woollard, with contributions by Peter Burgess, Frank Page, Sue Baker, Tiff Needell, Tony Mason and Chris Goffey. The show's theme music was "Jessica" by the Allman Brothers, although remixed versions were used after 1999. For much of the original series' lifespan, Elton John's instrumental "Out Of The Blue" (from the Blue Moves album) played over the closing credits. According to its original producer, David Lancaster, the idea for the name came from the unrelated radio series Top Gear.^[4]
Originally, Top Gear was a magazine show reviewing new car models and other car-related issues such as road safety. Other features included classic car events and motorsport, the latter often rallying with Tony Mason, Roger Clark's co-driver. Between 1988 and 1991, the programme organised a competition each year to find a new rally driver with the prize being entry into that year's RAC Rally.^[5] In 1987, Jon Bentley (now a presenter on Channel 5's gadget show) became producer and editor. Bentley added former Formula One driver Tiff Needell to the programme, and then-Performance Car Magazine journalist Jeremy Clarkson in late 1988^[6] and the programme saw a massive boost in its audience as it became a more humorous, controversial, and unashamedly more critical show. In 1991, William Woollard left the show. Around the same time, Quentin Willson, a former used car salesman, joined. The 1990s also saw the addition of a new female presenter, Michele Newman, who still appears on ITV's Pulling Power. Other presenters included Steve Berry, whose speciality was motorbikes, and racing driver Vicki Butler-Henderson, who joined in 1997.
Among the show's producers were Phil Franklin, Brian Strachan, Jon Bentley and Ken Pollock. Executive producers were Derek Smith, Dennis Adams and Tom Ross.
Despite enduring criticism that the show was overly macho, encouraged irresponsible driving behaviour ^[7] and ignored the environment, under Clarkson's presentation the show pulled in huge audiences. It became hugely influential with motor manufacturers, since a critical word from the Top Gear team could have a severe negative effect on sales. One such example is the original Vauxhall Vectra about which Clarkson said: "I know it's the replacement for the Cavalier. I know. But I'm telling you it's just a box on wheels." However, even more critical statements have not affected sales of the Toyota Corolla, and extreme praise did not help the Renault Alpine GTA/A610.

[edit] Demise

Following Jon Bentley and Jeremy Clarkson's departure in 1999 the Top Gear audience fell from a peak of six million to under three million.^{[citation needed]} Initially, James May took over Clarkson's spot, presenting reviews of the Rover 75 and Lexus IS200, for example. Following Clarkson's departure, the programme was jointly presented by Quentin Willson and Kate Humble, who ran an ongoing test throughout the programme between reports. Brendan Coogan (who had joined in 1998), left the show a year later after being convicted of drunk driving.^[8][9] In 2000, Jason Barlow joined from Channel 4's driven, and took over presenting for the final 53 episodes.^[10] During Barlow's time at Top Gear viewing figures dropped dramatically. With low viewing figures, the BBC decided on cancelling the programme in 2001.
In 2001, Five launched Fifth Gear, a car show featuring many of the former Top Gear presenters including Tiff Needell, Quentin Willson and Vicki Butler-Henderson. The show was produced by former Top Gear producer, Jon Bentley. While the entire production team moved from the BBC to Five to create Fifth Gear, Jason Barlow's involvement ceased. The name change was required as the BBC would not relinquish the rights to the Top Gear name (the corporation was (and is) still publishing Top Gear magazine). ^[11] After the first series of Fifth Gear was completed, the BBC decided to relaunch Top Gear, but in a new studio-based format as opposed to the magazine format used until the cancellation. The show was again presented by Jeremy Clarkson, joined by Richard Hammond, and Jason Dawe. James May replaced Jason Dawe from the second series onwards of the current format. The pre-cancellation show is referred to as "Old Top Gear" when mentioned on the new show due to the differences in style.






thats why the english show is so polished i have seen some of the early shows and it is a wonder that the show was ever reborn in 2002 so i think that the aussie show will need some time to find its legs heres hoping that sbs and the critics will give it time .

[damian]

The problem is that SBS has a long and proud history of producing truely awful shows. They have always bought great stuff, and I had been a huge fan of the station since it's inception until thee last few years, but nearly everything they make in house is awful, especially when they are doing a local rehash of an overseas idea.

I had hoped they would find their feet after a few weeks, but I don't think they will, and if they don't get it together before the end of the first series there will be no second series.

Still bitter about the fake open casting call.

[Rossluck]

I'm starting to like it

[DuncanH]

I'm starting to like it

Wash your mouth out

[Cliff Rogers]

I only saw the last little bit this week... I liked the comment from the old black fella.

[Gingermick]

What was that dill doing driving at 250kph with no safety gear?

[dzcook]

well think its been announced that second series will be made has got a little bit better this week than last week but still not sure i will watch regular thought lawn bowls with cars was not as much fun as the pomey shows scoccer with cars but maybe sbs budget dosent run to that sort of expense

[Rossluck]

well think its been announced that second series will be made has got a little bit better this week than last week but still not sure i will watch regular thought lawn bowls with cars was not as much fun as the pomey shows scoccer with cars but maybe sbs budget dosent run to that sort of expense

One of the things I like about the pommie version is the quality of the filming. The landscape images in last night's show were pretty good. OK, they're into the filters and post-shoot computer enhancement like the poms, but still, you have to have the eye, and whoever was filming those outback images is top drawer as far as I'm concerned. The bowling segment was crap, but the presenters didn't grind on me too much. One of the main problems initially was that we just didn't know who the hell they were. But as we get to know them they seem all right. They are very Australian.

[FRB Design]

You can dribble on about this an that all day, it's still a very poor atempt at recreating the UK TOPGEAR and has, and will fail!

[corbs]

Keep the little fella with the beard, get a new host and would love to see a smokin hot woman in the other role who knows cars and drives them hard. Still a bit clunky and scripted but moving forward.