Top Gear Australia- whatd ya think?

Subafury · Post by **Subafury** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 9:22 pm

for those who caught the first ep on monday night (7.30 sbs)

what do ya reckon? how did it compare to the british version?

i quite liked it, they seem to have got presenters to match the personalities of jeremy- older ex race car driver dude, hamster- the younger precision driver and james may-warren the cartoonist.

they have def put an okka spin on it. the only parts i didnt like was the fact that they had some similar lines and the set was exactly the same.
i wonder who the ozzie STIG is?

Outback bloke · Post by **Outback bloke** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 9:31 pm

I don't know what I was expecting but what I saw wasn't it. I didn't like the presenters. It came across to me that they were trying too hard. The show is basically the same as the UK one so that part is good.

Seeing some Australian scenery as they do it is a bonus. The next episode or two will govern how many I watch. At this stage it had better improve or I won't be seeing many of them.

Bumpty · Post by **Bumpty** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 9:34 pm

Was crap compared, but understanding that is what the UK version was like in the early days, hopefully it will get better. I thought the presenters did try a little too hard, their speach/jokes seemed forced.
Sucks how we have no idea how the test track goes either, agreed though, the aussie spin on it was cool. Like they couldn't give a ship and just seemed so laid back.

I've personally come up with -
Its early days, but hopefully it will get better and become unique in its own (have the same set/lines/camera people) kinda way..

Subafury · Post by **Subafury** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 9:47 pm

well theres alot of pressure on them to make it good- especially the first episode so im sure it will get better.

brumbyrunner · Post by **brumbyrunner** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 10:02 pm

I wondered how long this thread would take to materialise

Big shoes to fill aren't they? I thought the presenters were well chosen albeit a little too much like the 3 pommies. Might have been better if Clarksons copy (his name escapes me) had started with "Welcome to Top Gear Australia. I'm not Jeremy Clarkson nor do I want to be...". It might have got him off to a better start.
What about the Forester, X-Trail & Rav4 test? Why didn't they have a 4 cyl Rav? Where was the XT to even things up?
I'm looking forward to the next episode with the Ford/Holden thing. I think the writers will have a ton of feedback to deal with but it won't improve untill the second season. At least it's on at a time I can watch it.

AndrewT · Post by **AndrewT** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 10:09 pm

I haven't seen it yet but seen heaps of the UK one but it sounds to me like I don't like their approach very much already. Seems like a silly idea to try to copy the personalities and launch right into the same type of jokes etc. They should earn the audience's respect first by making decent car reviews and showcasing their knowledge like how the UK series started out - abit more straight. Think about how long it took the current UK series to get to where it is now. They can all be as flippent as they like and everyone loves it because of the presenter/audience "relationship" that has built up over so many years.
Hm thats how I feel so far ...but I don't have any real friends, just TV personalities. Plus I haven't even seen the Aussie show yet haha.

Suby Wan Kenobi · Post by **Suby Wan Kenobi** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 10:11 pm

I dont know weather i like or dont like it, i thought the first show was a bit flat. Also being a Suby fan why didnt the 3 test cars all have similar engines to 4 4cyls and a V6 ( i know the reason, it was to emulate Clarkson)

Matatak · Post by **Matatak** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 10:42 pm

twas not the greatest start.

that 'softroader' test was just weird

what conclusion did they even get out of it.

i will still watch it though

Bumpty · Post by **Bumpty** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 10:44 pm

You could be onto something there Andrew...
That might be why it didn't work too well, because the audience and presenters relationship, hasn't yet been formed. Something that needs to be done over a period of time, they can't just jump in with unfamiliar personalities and expect to pull off the same jokes as the UK version, No matter how funny the jokes.
There needs to be common ground found by the sounds, to bounce forward in leaps and bounds...

r00fi · Post by **r00fi** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 10:56 pm

The producers should stick photos of themselves to the "What were they thinking?" board.

OMFG!

The test track / reasonably priced shit box track was embarrassing. Please, please, please do not show that in the UK.

Post by **Alex** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 10:56 pm

i liked it.

will give it another go.

i like it when the dickheads thrashed the softroaders in the sand and the idiot almost flipped the rav4. cracked me up hahaha. The idiotic driving off-road cracked me up too! bhahaha

alex

brumbyrunner · Post by **brumbyrunner** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 6:56 am

Just to clear the air, and to let everyone who has emailed, phoned, texted & PMed me, or who was intending to;
I AM NOT THE STIG!
I'm not just saying that, it must be someone else.

vincentvega · Post by **vincentvega** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 7:10 am

BS.

your the stig

Wilbur · Post by **Wilbur** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 9:00 am

I thought it was like a home movie. Jokes were terrible and where did they find those blokes.....a used car yard ??? You can clearly see they are trying to be the same as the UK one

Pisses me off when they have something totally marketable to start with, ie UK topgear, then try to franchise it and tell us it's the same thing, only it's not, because you cannot replicate something like that in another country

I'm all for car shows, but it's just like having a real rolex or a cheap asian knock off. I'll find something else to watch.

Venom · Post by **Venom** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 9:16 am

I didn't mind it. I too thought the soft roader test was a bit wierd, usually the UK show atleast explains what rationale they're basing it on. Maybe these guys did, but i didn't pick up on it. Wasn't the V6 Rav like 10 grand more than the next car?

I think they could have made it more different to the UK show, instead of copying segments like the cheap car lap time, the studio looking almost identical, etc.

All up i felt it was just a B grad eversion of an excellent show.

YouTube · Post by **El_Freddo** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 10:46 am

I too have not seen it yet (SBS reception is best during storms - we haven't had many at their time slot lately

)- just wanted to drop in and say that on facebook there's already a group called "Hate the Top Gear (Australia) presenters... Dumb Bogans..." I haven't joined nor do I know how many members there are.

One things for sure, if this does take off, there will no doubt be spin off in the direction of America.

Without seeing it, I'd say this could be a good thing that becomes a truely Australian version of the show if the presenters are not forced to be like their UK counterparts. From what other members have said it seems that the producers of this "franchise" have forced a formula upon the oz version to kick it off...

And I reckon brumby runner is the stig

Shame if he really was, cos there's no way in the contract he'd be allowed to tell us...

Cheers

Bennie

Wilbur · Post by **Wilbur** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 10:58 am

The US already have their own top gear as far as I know...??

YouTube · Post by **El_Freddo** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 11:23 am

White_Lightning_Rex wrote:The US already have their own top gear as far as I know...??

Ah, news to me if that's the case...

fredsub · Post by **fredsub** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 12:05 pm

it was entertaining, but they were trying too hard,

pretend pomyerism, and overthetop ockerism in the same show is going to get tiresome though....

the softroader test !!, ah well shows what fun can be had at least, a lot of people have just no idea.
To think Subaru had this class all to themselves many years ago, look quite ordinary these days.
The vehicles could of at least be in the same price brackets for comparo.

AndrewT · Post by **AndrewT** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 12:35 pm

I've seen it now, thought it was alright, I rekon give it a chance to develop over a season.
heh, I'll have to double check but I swear one of them commented that one of the cars was "grouse"