Agree with everyone else. The first episode was horrible. Matt LeBlanc was awful and Evans was definitely over compensating.

Sounds like the Grand Tour will be broadcast in 4k as well for those lucky enough to have 4k tv's!

Well I decided to watch it on iplayer and apart from the series 1 off road piece I watched for the LR not the presentation I was forced to skip or lose the will to live

I will probably watch the F pace on iplayer next week but can't see the point of watching another episode

Dreadful in every way  Wanted a Series 2 LR since childhood but previously owned MY16 Disco Sport HSE TD4 Auto, MY13 RR Sport Black Edition TDV6 Auto, MY10 RR Sport HSE TDV6 Auto, 2007 Freelander 1 Freestyle TD4 Soft Top, 2009 Freelander 2 GS TD4 Auto, 2007 Freelander 2 GS TD4, 2004 Disco 2 Metropolis Auto, 2002 Disco 2 GS, 2000 Freelander 1 SE TD4 SW

Still hoping for a S2 one day!

Last edited by muddywheels on Tue May 31 2016 6:59pm. Edited 1 time in total

dan_sadler wrote:

Sounds like the Grand Tour will be broadcast in 4k as well for those lucky enough to have 4k tv's!

Yes I can't wait, not just 4K but also one of the first series to be filmed in Ultra HDR, it's going to be great.  John

RRS MY12 SDV6 HSE. Sumatra Black/Ebony & Walnut + Dynamic Pack, + Cold Climate Pack + Memory Pack, Digital TV/DVD, Premium Leather, Cornering Lights, Cooler/Fridge Box, & most Options.

It was really dreadful.

Showcase car was a 24 year old Dodge Viper with a T-tray spoiler. Showcase story was a London to Blackpool hike in 2 three wheel cars and they tried to make Le Blanc getting there on the back of a tow-truck sound dramatic.

Happy to give the first one the benefit of the doubt but as the films have been produced over the past several months - maybe even since the start of the year, I am not sure how it will improve.

A huge missed opportunity and like some of you my mind went back to the early days of Edmonds, Ripon and Goffey. Yes they were a bit dull but reasonably informative. Surely it can't be that hard to produce an informative motoring programme that is also entertaining?

Oh and thinking about the original Top Gear also reminded me about Gill Pyrah who still makes me cringe recalling her test drive of a Ferrari Mondial and how wonderfully agile it was - parking in a supermarket car park


Jas Current RRS: MY18 SVR
Previous RRS: MY15 RRS 5.0L Autobiography

Last edited by Violetpiano on Wed Jun 01 2016 9:59pm. Edited 1 time in total

Sadly have to agree with all the above negative reviews - it was truly dreadful.

Noted that Danny Baker was credited as a script writer. Nothing gets me rushing to the radio to hit the off switch faster than hearing his awful wining tones on his puerile Saturday morning 5 Live show.

Why did they call that mini a 'rallycross car'?; it's not.

The only positive reviews heard were from (a) the BBC themselves and (b) z rated motoring journalists such as the ghastly slimeball Quentin Wilson and that other long thin streak of p*ss who is instantly forgettable - just like his name.

Clearly the motoring journalists were just thinking about the implications of saying anything negative with regard to any future work for the BBC.

Despite all the flack I have no doubt the BBC in their usual arrogant fashion will take no notice and continue to pollute the airwaves with this awful show - along with all the other tosh they waste our licence fees on. 2008 MY Java Black TDV8 HSE

It was dreadful. Leblanc looked lost, Evans jumping around shouting 'we got custody' in reference to the stig was truly embarrassing. The fake hand shakes etc making it look like they are best buddies. It was car crash tv.

Top gear extra was nearly as bad, with the only saving grace being Chris Harris. The other fella was useless and looked like he forgot his questions. Let's hope they get better as time goes on, as there is little else on.

I do think they made a mistake centring the entire episode around Evans and Leblanc. Sabine and Harris doing some car reviews might break it up. Maybe it was like that because it was the first episode....

Either way, clarkson et al will not be shaking in their boots...... 2010 TDV8

I fell asleep...

Might also have been something to do with having driven from London to mid-Wales and back that day.

decided to watch it last night on iPlayer

Chris Evan was well Chris Evans

Matt LeBlanc was cardboard reading his autoqueue like a Dalek

They just tried too hard to make it work as Old Top Gear, they just didn't gel together and jokes bounced back on to the floor

The Series 1 v's Jeep was ok, bar the dragging around the robin, blackpool Drag races etc

Well finally got around to watching top gear, after reading all the reviews on bothe and the D3 site and I was fearing the worst. Now have to confess, haven't seen the first episode which is what seems to have got people's back up, but guess what I liked it so much better than the other three clowns who at times gout on my t**s.
I also don't have any problems with CE or any of the other presenters, they like, talk and drive cars and up till now don't carry on like its a rerun of the A team cupping and hacking cars apart then rebuilding them with a hammer, screw driver and a packet of crisps. So to the new team, carry on regardless and to those who don't like it, tough !! 2008 G4 RRSport TDV8 current
2009 TDCi 90 current
2018 Discovery 5 HSE lux current
1994 Dakar current

Well the second episode on Sunday lost a further third of its viewing audience, now down to 2.8 million viewers, blamed by the BBC on the football on other channel. The ginger haired nutter said the figures are fine and nearer 8 million when you add on recordings/catch up etc etc, he did rather rabbit on. (Official figures estimated at 3-4 million).
Evans wants the show on BBC1, something the old team always fought against, but the reply today from Corp house says they are not interested in the Top Gear program and it won't be appearing on that channel.

I haven't bothered to watch the latest show live, but seems same wooden format, thank god you can play at various fast speeds to find anything you may be interested in.

The Top Gear magazine sales have also lost 50% of their normal sales and many cancellations of subscriptions which means they get a refund for undelivered issues. This program was the BBCs biggest foreign seller, now several countries are cancelling and paying to show the new Amazon show with old three when started. Looks like Amazon might not have made such a big mistake.

This isn't going well, early days, but can he hang on? John

RRS MY12 SDV6 HSE. Sumatra Black/Ebony & Walnut + Dynamic Pack, + Cold Climate Pack + Memory Pack, Digital TV/DVD, Premium Leather, Cornering Lights, Cooler/Fridge Box, & most Options.

Episode 2 last night was better than episode 1, at least Chris Evans didn't run around screaming and shouting and behaved more maturely than the 5 year old of last week's broadcast.................. I did have a chuckle at the Extra Gear bit about the MacLaren F1 when Chris Evans told us that he wasn't insured to drive it at more than 70mph because the car was valued at £9million............... Pocket money for Evans, he could have paid his own insurance to drive it faster surely. 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
2018 Melting Silver Mini Countryman PHEV - soon to be replaced
2015MY Corris Grey SDv6 HSE Dynamic, the best car I have ever owned, totally reliable only a cou0le of rattles in 3 years, now no longer in my care
Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW

Episode 2 was less shouty from ShoutyMcShoutface, but I felt that it was even more contrived, with some mind numbing examples of forced humor. Putting the `lets make Eddie Jordan look dumb`aside, the examples of off road driving was lame to say the least. Driving cars to destruction for the sake of entertainment was a big turn off. I fear that this series is going south already. The production team is as slick as ever, with beautiful overlays and production quality, but the rapport of the presenters isn't there yet, and on the evidence thus far it feels like a stretch. MY 2012 SDV6
1996 300TDI Discovery - Expedition prepared and blooded
1952 Land Rover 80 inch

I thought it was much better. Evans calmed down a bit, and it was fairly good viewing I thought. The problem is, that at the time when clarkson and co left, it was getting a bit stale with the same challenges etc. And I watched it mainly for them. To do the same now seems like flogging a dead horse. Still, a vast improvement on episode 1. 2010 TDV8

Well another winner for me, haven't stopped drulling over the AM Vulcan yet. Not sure about the stars in the car bit but didn't like that in the old show either ! 2008 G4 RRSport TDV8 current
2009 TDCi 90 current
2018 Discovery 5 HSE lux current
1994 Dakar current

Official viewing figures show more loss of viewers, just under 2 million now. 😊😱
"Top Gear" magazine sales and other items all bottomed out to. BBC loosing money now, due to change over. John

RRS MY12 SDV6 HSE. Sumatra Black/Ebony & Walnut + Dynamic Pack, + Cold Climate Pack + Memory Pack, Digital TV/DVD, Premium Leather, Cornering Lights, Cooler/Fridge Box, & most Options.