Czechlad Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 I typically skip the star part but I did watch it when Hiddelston and Aaron Paul did their laps. I mostly don't care for the celebrities unless I actually like them. I thought the cycling safety videos were funny. Also that porsche at the end. wow that was beautiful Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turnbull Posted March 3, 2014 Share Posted March 3, 2014 Not a Porsche fan by any means (old school though maybe), but that car was pretty impressive. Some of the tech in it and the McLaren is mindblowing. Less emissions than a Prius with that sort of performance? Wow, things are looking up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie Posted March 16, 2014 Share Posted March 16, 2014 (edited) Anyone else finding this whole Burma "special" cringingly bad from start to finish? Awful. Edited March 16, 2014 by Tamuff_Villa 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leviramsey Posted March 16, 2014 VT Supporter Share Posted March 16, 2014 It is a close shave... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted March 16, 2014 Share Posted March 16, 2014 Just watched the Burma special ... Very meh , don't think I even laughed once.... But stunning sceanary Knowing downtown Rangoon I could see where they had basically driven up and down the same stretch of road for the early segment Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regular_john Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 Thought that was comfortably the worst of the big specials they've done 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimzk5 Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 The India special from a few years ago was the worst, but the Burma one, its almost like it was a parody of top gear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MakemineVanilla Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 It was a really flabby piece of TV and was in drastic need of editing. The first episode was by far the worst and all that cause-mayhem-and-apologise stuff went on too long. There were one or two decent jokes and the best ones weren't forced. It was one of those TV programmes which could have been far more successful as a two-parter; the second being the 'making of' segment, where we find out how the support vehicle fixed May's transmission and who actually built the bridge. But maybe that would have exposed how much co-operation they got from the Burmese government and how important it was to them. Beneath it all, the reality is that that was Top Gear playing its part in rehabilitating Burma in the public's mind, as a reward for making the reforms and improvements in human rights, over the last few years. Jeremy Clarkson, international trade ambassador and PR man for formerly troubled nations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Rev Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 I didn't even watch it. I like the regular show but the specials are so formulaic that if you've seen one you've seen them all. The short film about their trip through Crimea earlier in the series is the length those films should be, not two hours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villaajax Posted December 28, 2014 Share Posted December 28, 2014 Those Argentinians, what a bunch of bad losers. They could learn a thing or two from Germany about being gracious in defeat. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avfc96 Posted December 28, 2014 Share Posted December 28, 2014 Bloody hell, those Argies are a bit touchy over something that doesn't belong to them aren't they? The second part of the special was the best although the first improved towards the end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa4europe Posted December 29, 2014 Share Posted December 29, 2014 They didn't really do anything, long drive through pretty scenery, shit roads that ruined the cars, bit of snow, rinse and repeat, didn't need 2 hours They could however have done an hour out of the last ten minutes, would also liked to have known where those 3 were during that chase, no doubt flown out of trouble Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie Posted December 29, 2014 Share Posted December 29, 2014 I still think they knew that the number plate was controversial before they went, especially given they were heading go a town where the British were not welcome. They planned for some 'incident' to make great TV but not on the scale they got. In the introduction JC mentioned they were made aware of the plate on the second day and had a plan for it before they arrived yet they never made any reference to it at all... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StanBalaban Posted December 29, 2014 Share Posted December 29, 2014 I still think they knew that the number plate was controversial before they went, especially given they were heading go a town where the British were not welcome. They planned for some 'incident' to make great TV but not on the scale they got. In the introduction JC mentioned they were made aware of the plate on the second day and had a plan for it before they arrived yet they never made any reference to it at all... I believe the plan was to swap the number plates for fake ones denoting BE11 END for the Porsche. I can't find the article, but those plates were found in the abandoned 928. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turnbull Posted December 29, 2014 Share Posted December 29, 2014 Well the last 10 minutes was fairly interesting, but up to then it was a pretty tired and formulaic effort. Time for a revamp methinks. They should knock these specials on the head if this is the best they can come up with. Maybe it needs to become a car programme again rather than just "entertainment". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie Posted December 29, 2014 Share Posted December 29, 2014 I still think they knew that the number plate was controversial before they went, especially given they were heading go a town where the British were not welcome. They planned for some 'incident' to make great TV but not on the scale they got. In the introduction JC mentioned they were made aware of the plate on the second day and had a plan for it before they arrived yet they never made any reference to it at all... I believe the plan was to swap the number plates for fake ones denoting BE11 END for the Porsche. I can't find the article, but those plates were found in the abandoned 928. Yes, I saw that, question is, when did they get those plates? In the UK before they left or after the first couple of days in Argentina when they realised there might be some offence caused...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Czechlad Posted December 29, 2014 Share Posted December 29, 2014 Just watched the whole special. Despite the majority of it was driving, I enjoyed it probably because this was the first top gear I have seen in months. The scenery was beautiful though. I really loved the night sky shots. The end was so silly. Why is a tv program subject to that kind of attack? Despite the moronic joke of a plate, top gear was not there to cause trouble or cause controversy. Throwing large rocks at those cars was very dangerous and the crew must have been terrified. I thought top gear were making a bigger deal out of the mobs and attacks, but it genuinely was an attack. I also think clarkson, hammond, and may were in the cars. Obviously the cameras were not going to film them while driving. They likely were crouched in separate cars between lots of producers to remain hidden. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimzk5 Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 In general, the whole top gear format has gone flat because they've gone from filming 3 blokes driving across country x in 3 shit cars and generally ad libbing it to filming 3 blokes reading off a script months in advance in 3 shit cars. Its turned into a parody of what it used to be, its a big sad now really. The Patagonia special would have been as disappointing as the india & Burma specials were it not for the controversy caused by the fiasco over the Falklands. On the argentina episode itself, I dont believe they (and by they I mean the crew/ production team, writers & not just Clarkson who has been blamed) set off with a number plate that they knew/thought would create a laugh for the viewers and create a stir for the locals. The best thing for top gear to do now is to cut the productivity, just do 8 or so shows a year & go back to what it was 8 years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Czechlad Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 I still quite like top gear. It's no longer just a car show. It's more of a comedy show with cars now, but it is still enjoyable. Series have to change as the times change. If they stuck to the same material for years, it likely would be off the air. I like watching them do their trips even if some of the situations are obviously scripted. I kind of wish they would just do away with the stars in the reasonably priced car part. Even when it's someone I like, it still bores me. I typically just skip that part of the show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mykeyb Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 Not one of the best specials was it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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