[trian1]

Yes, they are simply doing what is best for them -- and that means bucking the easy money and sticking with the discarded Alpha Male.

BBC2, learning that dudes spend money, are open to advertising, but despise being told what to believe. Good.

Gear's Richard Hammond and James May to refuse £4MILLION return, opt for show with Jeremy Clarkson

[CactusCat589]

It's great to see loyalty prevail, but James May and Richard Hammond are replaceable, while Clarkson isn't. Top Gear would just be another car show. It's Clarkson that makes it unique. They know it wouldn't work.

[Guitarman]

The ""new"" Top Gear without Clarkson, May and Hammond won't be any good. It will be like 5th Gear. A naff car show trying desperately to be like Top Gear.

[kmhour]

I wouldn't be surprised if they made more money going to Netflix or Sky anyway. It's about money as much as it is about loyalty. The BBC was never going to pay big money anyway since their budget comes largely from public funding.

[Foolsgo1d]

Anyone who says May and Hammond are replaceable have never truly gotten into Top Gear nor have they watched it from the start when they came together.

All three of them made Top Gear and Clarkson was the top dog who made IT special. The fact he can still mess with people and make them look stupid and pathetic makes people like him even more but because it isn't fashionable to like the guy openly and go with the PC crowd it makes him look unpopular.

[Atlantic]

The BBC had a great product and as such should have taken care of the talent that makes it possible (even if Jeremy was in the wrong). They should have had Jeremy's corner no matter what he was doing.

Netflix has a better company vision and will back them to create an even better show with bigger global distribution.

The three guys get improved freedom to create what they are clearly passionate about, a better platform, increased wages and their own show with an even bigger budget. Fans will stick with wherever the guys go and the BBC will be left with a pale imitation of a once great show.

It is a great lesson is having a personal brand, building a loyal fan base and sticking to your principles.

[Phoenix]

I'd enjoy it more without May. That guy probably has less testosterone and personality than a middle-aged female tax accountant. I assume he and Hammond are just there as a punching bag for Clarkson, which I get, but there must be someone who can fulfil that role equally well without being as dull as dishwater.

[Foolsgo1d]

The reason May is there is because Top Gear needed a nerd angle to appeal to those who like being nerds about cars. You can't have three guys jumping up n down screaming about the next flash car and what it can do. May is the anchor of them.

[Harvey Specter]

(06-08-2015 02:12 AM)CactusCat589 Wrote:  

It's great to see loyalty prevail, but James May and Richard Hammond are replaceable, while Clarkson isn't. Top Gear would just be another car show. It's Clarkson that makes it unique. They know it wouldn't work.

I don't understand why Brits like him so much. I don't think he is funny at all. I do enjoy the show though.

[Akula]

what about the Stig is he going with Jeremy too?

[MikeS]

(06-08-2015 01:02 PM)Harvey Specter Wrote:  

(06-08-2015 02:12 AM)CactusCat589 Wrote:  

It's great to see loyalty prevail, but James May and Richard Hammond are replaceable, while Clarkson isn't. Top Gear would just be another car show. It's Clarkson that makes it unique. They know it wouldn't work.

I don't understand why Brits like him so much. I don't think he is funny at all. I do enjoy the show though.

Not just the Brits. The show was hugely popular in many countries (I'm surprised you enjoy the show if you don't like the humor, it's a rather big part of it after all). I'm a big fan myself (from Denmark), even though Clarkson doesn't have a personality type I get along particularly well with in face to face situations.

[TheMan]

Good for them. I liked the trio before, I like them way more now.


As a side note I heard that BBC are replacing him with some radio 2 D.J. Personality. An accurate reflection of how out of touch they are IMHO.

[kmhour]

I don't think May is necessary a "nerd". You don't really see him rattling off 0-60 statistics or anything of that nature. He's the pedantic foil to Clarkson, the "Captain Slow" to Jeremy's "POWER!" personality.

[Phoenix]

I like Clarkson because he speaks his mind and is anti-PC, not because he is funny.

[Pride male]

Thread title is a bit vague. Still Top Gear was one of the most masculine/alpha shows out there. Heck, I dont care about cars but I still watched the show.

[Porfirio Rubirosa]

What was the BBC thinking? Top Gear is nothing without Jeremy Clarkson; just look at the unremarkable American version.

[Guitarman]

Money is not the factor here. I think that the three of them are genuine friends and the chemistry/banter between the three friends is what makes the show. Hard to recreate that with three BBC chosen presenters. The "alpha ness" in the show comes from Clarksons DGAF attitude - he says what he likes regardless of the trouble it gets him in. In fact it would not surprise me if the whole incident that led to his sacking was not set up by the BBC.

Clarkson has never sat well with and has often openly mocked the BBC PC/ liberal left Eco ethos.

[liberman]

I was hoping that they would do this. Having watched the show since 2006 and seen every episode from season 3 onwards I would not have watched any more if Jeremy wasn't in it. Not necessarily because he is the main presenter but because of the humor that comes from the dynamics between the three presenters. This is best shown I think in one of my favorite episodes. The second hand 1980S BMWs.

That forensic test scene is genius

The show would have been terrible with one or any of the presenters missing so its great they are sticking together again.

[malakaix]

^ I laughed so hard at that clip.. this is why it would never work with new presenters. The dynamic between these three is very solid.

[Hotwheels]

(06-09-2015 02:11 AM)Porfirio Rubirosa Wrote:  

What was the BBC thinking? Top Gear is nothing without Jeremy Clarkson; just look at the unremarkable American version.

The American version is quite frankly a joke. Rutledge Wood, an effeminate hipster fag, in Clarkson's place?

I'll pass.

[Porfirio Rubirosa]

(06-09-2015 07:52 PM)Hotwheels Wrote:  

(06-09-2015 02:11 AM)Porfirio Rubirosa Wrote:  

What was the BBC thinking? Top Gear is nothing without Jeremy Clarkson; just look at the unremarkable American version.

The American version is quite frankly a joke. Rutledge Wood, an effeminate hipster fag, in Clarkson's place?

I'll pass.

A few months ago I tried to watch an episode but couldn't get through it. It was astonishingly boring.

[Praetor Lupus]

Chris Evans (not the one who played Captain America) has been confirmed as the new host, with co-hosts yet to be announced, as part of an 'all-new lineup'.

[Foolsgo1d]

The new line up will have a younger guy, a woman (Jodie kidd I bet) and Evans.

Jodie Kidd is soul-less and Evans is just a BBC lackey. No idea about the young guy but it will crash and burn or become mediocre. The press will have a field day however!

[KofiKingston]

What those BBC executive goons in suits fail to realize is that it wasn't the flashy cars or the racetrack that made top gear what it is(was), but the presenters they had on the show. Unfortunately it will crash and burn in a mere season or 3(at best) and soon forgotten about.

R.I.P Top Gear

[Class-8]

I loved top gear because they way those 3 men acted towards each other; there were jokes toward each other, and the way they had fun making laughs at the expense of one another. Can these guys joke about the woman the way Clarkson made fun of Hammond's teeth? or can the joke about each other's personalities? will they have nicknames for each other, such as captain slow? Can they make ribs in interview like Clarkson can?

That is why it won't be any good. The new show will lack the spirit and lightheartedness that the original had.

This show will become worse than 5th gear.