The visuals:
As far as the camera work and editing goes the new show is, as the previous ones have been, brilliant. There’s nothing like watching a McLaren power slide in slow motion around a corner with smoke bellowing from its rear tyres. The music used is great and the way everything fits together is noteworthy of keeping your petrol-pumping heart beating extra fast.
The crew both behind the camera and in the production office are genuine professionals - to say the least. Watching it, you get a true sense of excitement as has been the way with the show for the last ten years. So, top marks there BBC!
The studio audience:
I have noticed that the studio is not as jam-packed as it was before. This might be because the layout has changed slightly or it’s because they’re struggling to fill the hangar where the show is being shot. Another issue I have is, it feels as if the audience has been instructed to laugh after jokes. It seems there could be an applause light somewhere. It simply feels fake - prompted even. I don’t like that very much. Before, when Jeremy told a joke or said something funny, the audience would laugh with a more natural feel, as if they actually found the jokes funny.
The presenters:
I feel that this is the show’s biggest downfall. Chris Evans, as high-energy as what he is, misses the mark of being a motoring presenter. Evans is renowned for hosting a radio show as well as a few TV chat shows, but these are different to a car show. The first episode saw him running around the studio shouting every time he opened his mouth. This is how he conducts himself on his chat show, which is fine, but, not here Chris.
As for Matt LeBlanc, well the Friends star does bring with him a dry sense of humour, which I like. I do foresee an issue though. As Matt is an American, the show plays off of the fact that he pronounces words differently or that he has no clue where places in the UK are. It’s funny now but how long can they keep that going before it becomes annoying and someone throws an atlas at him?
The show’s producers have also acquired a few other presenters who will feature alongside Chris and Matt in various inserts. Sure, they got some impressive names like Eddie Jordan, who once ran his own Formula One team. After watching him in last week’s episode, I just feel that he’s not strong enough to present, partly because I couldn’t understand him with his accent and secondly because he comes across as a granddad trying to keep up with his grandsons at a rave club.
They also have Sabine Schmitz, the Nrburgring queen. She can drive, that’s for sure, but after appearing in a rather scripted race around an airfield, I don’t think her ability to act is quite up to scratch. As a guest she’s pretty awesome.
The real Top Gear presenters:
Probably the best thing about the new Top Gear is a show called,Extra Gear, which airs just after the main show. In Extra Gear, Chris Harris and equally popular YouTuber, Rory Reid, show us some behind- the-scenes from the main show. The thing is, these two guys are the only two actual motoring journalists on the show. Both have a huge YouTube following as well as many years of reviewing cars. Within the first few minutes of watching Extra Gear, I found myself enjoying them more that the presenters on the main show. Their inserts don’t come across as scripted; they aren’t actors, they’re car-testers.
Verdict:
I feel, the biggest mistake everyone made was to try and pick up where Jeremy, Richard and James left off. They should have changed the format of the show to try and adapt it to the new presenters but they didn’t. I feel strongly that Top Gear - as we’ve come to know it - is dead and the show is losing more viewers than the ANC is losing voters. Get rid of the studio audience and start doing proper car reviews with epic camera work. Forget about having an overly-scripted and rehearsed challenge in every episode and start becoming factual. Become the Top Gear from ten years ago. Unleash Chris Harris and Rory, throw Matt in there as well, but leave the other presenters at home.
