Missed it last night - is there a repeat? As in one nearer than next month on Dave?

iPlayer? :/

Saturday, 8pm on BBC3

Friday night on BBC2 as well I think.

Jon

Quite right - 9pm, so we can all watch it three times a week. I see our licence fee is still being well spent

I would probably watch it again anyway. I've often watched re-runs on Dave.

Besides, the Beeb simply cannot afford to create more new programmes and pay executives expenses. Something had to give.

As I originally posted, I very rarely watch TG, and so I was coming somewhat "fresh" to this "new" series. I watched to see the new Lotus Evora.

Not only do I not have to watch it, mostly I don't. I didn't watch it last night....

It has hardly changed over the years, the format is not so much familiar and friendly, but trite and hackneyed. As others have said the "light" has gone out of their eyes as they grind-out another series of loveable naughtiness (cf. Benny Hill, OK?).

Not that its not intrinsically my "cup of tea" I'm no more po-faced than the next petrol-head, but I do admire originality, verve and lightness of touch, all of which are lamentably missing in TG.

I was in stitches when they were '17 yr olds', made me laugh so much, some of the other stuff good, just wasn't THAT good. I think it just seems too scripted sometimes though.

Still, I'll watch it on the iPlayer on Sundays

Meanwhile, next week, sober and mature Fifth Gear are reviewing the Lotus Evora.. by seeing how many contortionists they can fit in it then driving it round a track. Maybe you consider that a much more authoritative treatment?
Can I perhaps suggest you find a thread subject to post about that you are generally interested in? Top Gear aren't going to feature the Evora again, so I assume you're not going to watch it again. You made your opinion of the show very plain last week. It patently hasn't changed. Why bother to repeat yourself?

Jon

I told you that the Ferrari tested last week was not board-legal. Slicks! I ask you.

Very, very funny this week. Classic stupid TG with James's stereo and Jeremy's hill climbing particularly amusing, not to mention Jeremy's Volvo running away from him. If that kind of thing is rehearsed, they are certainly convincing actors as I thought JC crapped himself. Similar incidents that I have always wondered about are the caravan fire and the burning car wash. Do they really do this kind of stuff by accident???

I had noticed the Stig around the photocopier, but I thought that he was doing his classic- confused by anything not car related- routine. I certainly didn't notice the other extras.

I definitely remember allegations about the caravan fire...

Clicky

Well that's the caravan fire confirmed. I didn't think that it was real as they had wrecked the nearby caravan when they arrived and no-one had come to remonstrate with them.

The car wash I am still not too sure about and can't find an obvious admission that it was faked.

I have a feeling at least anything involving fire or destruction on a grand scale has to be staged, because legally they would be liable should anybody be hurt and I'm sure the producer wouldn't take the risk. Anything involving flame, they'd need to have the emergency services around just in case it got out of hand. Minor bits of destruction however - like JC dismantling the shed with his Volvo - probably are spontaneous.

All the evidence suggests the three of them (particularly Clarkson, to be fair) have very little in the way of common sense. I have no doubt whatsoever they have just as many minor calamities off the set as they do on it.

Jon

I always understood the 'accidents' to be staged anyway. It doesnt make it any less entertaining for me though.

Nah, it's pretty much all scripted and staged, the races are filmed over a number of weeks, the News section really highlights their "waiting for my line" amateur dramatics. But that doesn't matter when they get everything right.