[Updated] New BBC Top Gear trailer released

[alanbjames]

Have Boris Johnson and Prince Philip as hosts.

Originally Posted by denphone

Yes they do make a lot from sales of the show world wide but actual viewing figures in this country were in a six year decline until 2014 as its peak audience was in 2008.

l have no doubt they will keep it going but its going to be very hard for them to get someone with a certain aura and gravitas in my opinion.

As Osem says, you're ignoring issues like audience share and catchup.

Absolute figures have been dropping for all terrestrial channels for decades. Doctor Who was cancelled at the end of the 1980s for "low" viewing figures which many episodes of the new series have achieved, and are now considered average-to-good.

Even in the last 6-7 years there has been a marked decline, but the BBC has access to iPlayer stats that BARB does not.

Top Gear is immensely popular. It is shown in goodness knows how many countries worldwide and the format has been franchised and remade in others. It really is not past its sell by date and the BBC is going to try extremely hard to re-cast, re-invent and re-start it as soon as possible.

[Osem]

Originally Posted by Chris

As Osem says, you're ignoring issues like audience share and catchup.

Absolute figures have been dropping for all terrestrial channels for decades. Doctor Who was cancelled at the end of the 1980s for "low" viewing figures which many episodes of the new series have achieved, and are now considered average-to-good.

Even in the last 6-7 years there has been a marked decline, but the BBC has access to iPlayer stats that BARB does not.

Top Gear is immensely popular. It is shown in goodness knows how many countries worldwide and the format has been franchised and remade in others. It really is not past its sell by date and the BBC is going to try extremely hard to re-cast, re-invent and re-start it as soon as possible.

I'd love to be in on the internal discussions going on about this.

Some say the new presenter won't have testicles but will have a hairy face. Jo Brand comes to mind and 'on that bombshell...'

[GrimUpNorth]

Originally Posted by Osem

Yes, it'll be interesting to see the direction they choose - male or female for example? There'll be plenty of pressure from within (and without) the Beeb to mollify all the testosterone with a dose of oestrogen.

That set me thinking - with The Sun dropping page three there'll be plenty of now underemployed female 'talent' out there so the BBC could do a quick revamp and relaunch the show as Topless Gear .

Cheers

Grimmy

[denphone]

Originally Posted by Chris

As Osem says, you're ignoring issues like audience share and catchup.
Absolute figures have been dropping for all terrestrial channels for decades. Doctor Who was cancelled at the end of the 1980s for "low" viewing figures which many episodes of the new series have achieved, and are now considered average-to-good.

Even in the last 6-7 years there has been a marked decline, but the BBC has access to iPlayer stats that BARB does not.

Top Gear is immensely popular. It is shown in goodness knows how many countries worldwide and the format has been franchised and remade in others. It really is not past its sell by date and the BBC is going to try extremely hard to re-cast, re-invent and re-start it as soon as possible.

Yes l did forget about that so perhaps l have over estimated its demise a bit.

If they re-cast and reinvent Top Gear then it's worth remembering that it won't be the new presenter thrown into the current format trying to replace Clarkson. It will be a new show and they'll decide on the presenter on how they fit that new format rather than Clarkson 2.

It will be interesting to see what happens. I think this iteration of Top Gear is finished but that isn't to say the new version of it won't also be good in a different way.

[Osem]

Originally Posted by GrimUpNorth

That set me thinking - with The Sun dropping page three there'll be plenty of now underemployed female 'talent' out there so the BBC could do a quick revamp and relaunch the show as Topless Gear .

Cheers

Grimmy

Well I remember Topless Darts on Live TV...

[heero_yuy]

Originally Posted by Osem

Well I remember Topless Darts on Live TV...

And lunchbox volleyball.

They had a young blond Yorkshire lass who presented the banger racing. She'd do.

---------- Post added at 09:34 ---------- Previous post was at 09:14 ----------

Yay! I found out who she is:

Louise Brady

Seems to have the right credentials.

[MovedGoalPosts]

This gives the BBC the opportunity to revamp and re-invent the show. After all the basics haven't really evolved since 2002. Many parts of the show still worked, but some of it may have become a bit stale at least to UK audiences who have been watching since 2002, even if it remains fresh to the more recently franchised countries.

The presenters are just a part of the package. I suspect they were struggling sometimes to come up with new ideas of how to put three idiots in beaten up cars and somehow make those stunts seem fresh when inevitably the challenges became repetitive.

Yes they were amusing but even so the presenters as a team were starting to show their age - Clarkson has previously complained about all sorts of back troubles - and one wonder's how long they could keep up the physical punishment of bounding around in rutted unmade tracks.

What parts of the show really work, but should others get dropped? For example inevitably I'd record and fast forward the star in a reasonably priced car as I wasn't really interested in another chat show promotion thing, even if it had a slant to it.

Is even the studio and track location at Dunsfold still right?

[Stuart]

Originally Posted by Chris

Absolute figures have been dropping for all terrestrial channels for decades. Doctor Who was cancelled at the end of the 1980s for "low" viewing figures which many episodes of the new series have achieved, and are now considered average-to-good.

The problem for the terrestrial channels is that way back in the 80s and early nineties, we had 4 channels to watch. Sky added (IIRC) another 15, and Cable added some of those 15 channels, and others. However, due to the cost of installation, neither Sky nor cable were serious competitors at the time. As such, the big shows were getting 10 - 12 million viewers, and (in the case of Eastenders) went up to about 30.

Now, the population hasn't increased that much, but the average viewer has access to over 300 channels. Even Freeview owners have access to 50. Most viewers also have access (show they be willing to pay) to online video services such as Netflix, Lovefilm (whatever they call it now), blinkbox and Sky Now, as well as the various catchup services and sources of illegal streams/downloads.

Regarding Dr Who, I saw Micheal Grade being interviewed and the interview asked about Dr Who. MG did admit that the viewing figures for it were actually good at the time (bearing in mind it was up against Coronation Street a lot of the time), and the real reason he axed it was simply that he didn't like it.

[Osem]

Originally Posted by Stuart

The problem for the terrestrial channels is that way back in the 80s and early nineties, we had 4 channels to watch. Sky added (IIRC) another 15, and Cable added some of those 15 channels, and others. However, due to the cost of installation, neither Sky nor cable were serious competitors at the time. As such, the big shows were getting 10 - 12 million viewers, and (in the case of Eastenders) went up to about 30.

Now, the population hasn't increased that much, but the average viewer has access to over 300 channels. Even Freeview owners have access to 50. Most viewers also have access (show they be willing to pay) to online video services such as Netflix, Lovefilm (whatever they call it now), blinkbox and Sky Now, as well as the various catchup services and sources of illegal streams/downloads.

Regarding Dr Who, I saw Micheal Grade being interviewed and the interview asked about Dr Who. MG did admit that the viewing figures for it were actually good at the time (bearing in mind it was up against Coronation Street a lot of the time), and the real reason he axed it was simply that he didn't like it.

Well, if it's true, it's refreshing to know that he cared so much about the people who paid his wages.

[Sirius]

Originally Posted by Osem

Well I remember Topless Darts on Live TV...

[Kursk]

Originally Posted by heero_yuy

Yay! I found out who she is:

Louise Brady

Seems to have the right credentials.

Oooo every cloud has a silver lining. Despite what I've said before if the Clarkson incident is going to lead to his sacking and replacement by this dolly bird I have only one thing to say: "where is that Irish bloke, I'll punch him myself?!"

[denphone]

Originally Posted by Sirius

Now now we will have less of that old boy.

[cimt]

If they do re-invent the show then I wonder if they'll go more like the US version which is just a new challenge every week. The rest of the segments usually seem like filler anyway, especially when they review a car now that they only drive it round the track.