NEW SEASON OF TOP GEAR IN UK

[magnum]

I notice the new season of Top Gear has commenced (or about to commence) in the UK and I understand that they have an article (and driving impressions) of the ALFA Romeo 8c, see http://www.bbc.co.uk/topgear/.

Anyone know how we can access this here in Australia, I have Foxtel too? I cannot access it from the UK Top Gear website.

All we get now is the Top Gear Australia in SBS, which I faithfully watch every Monday night.

Magnum

[Brad M]

Series 11, Episode 4 had the art critique on the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione which I think you are referring to.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Top_Gear_episodes#Series_Eleven

Pretty sure it had already been televised on SBS earlier this year, in fact there was a thread discussing the Challenge (less than £1000 Alfa Romeos) from the previous episodes.

Patience, Series 12 it will be on soon enough.

[branko.gt]

....

Patience, Series 12 it will be on soon enough.

no patience needed, the 12th series started showing in UK on Sunday 

[Nick Shardey]

no patience needed, the 12th series started showing in UK on Sunday 
[/quote]

I downloaded it last night (available every Monday), back to their standard absurd challenges and tyre shredding action. They raced 18 wheel Semi's, the new Lamborghini V's Porsche GT2 etc...

There is another DVD (2 weeks old) titled "Clarkson's Thrillers". He test drives a bunch of high end stuff, new Zonda, GTR, 997 Turbo, Maserati, 8C, CLK63 Black, through the Swiss Alps I think. He did not have high praise for the Alfa aside from the looks; quote "possibly the most beautiful car ever made".

[Paul Gulliver]

Friend of mine just fowarded this to me

SBS Program Publicity
Thursday, 6 November 2008





TOP GEAR RETURNS WITH SERIES 11
Mondays from 24 November 2008, at 7:30pm
   

SBS's most popular program Top Gear returns this month with an all new six-episode series commencing Monday 24 November at 7:30pm. 

Doing what they do best hosts Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, James May and The Stig return for Series 11.

Top Gear fans will get a summer full of motoring entertainment on SBS with the network catching up to the UK and presenting back-to-back new Top Gear, with the eight-part Series 12 following Series 11, from Monday 5 January 2009.

"We know Top Gear fans have a real thirst for the latest antics from the British Top Gear team and so SBS has an action packed summer planned for our audience," Director of Content, Matt Campbell said.

"This will bring Australian viewers up-to-date with Top Gear UK after a successful introduction to the local lads from Top Gear Australia."

In Series 11 you can expect to see double the celebrities, Jeremy test drive the latest cars and a race across Japan with the ultra efficient Japanese public transport system taking on the high tech Nissan GTR. The hosts are asked to purchase old Alpha Romeos for under £1000 and are then challenged by the producers to put them through a track day, calendar shoot and car show. Richard competes against two skiers in the Alps, Jeremy and James show off their large ageing luxury cars through the streets of London and a bunch of men wearing tight pants chase Jeremy through a forest. 

Episode 1 – Monday 24 November, 7:30pm

Top Gear looks at fuel economy and, in an important and useful test, find out how far five supercars can go on one gallon of petrol. The hosts are then presented a challenge – to buy old bombs and turn them into modern police cars before putting them through a number of challenges including a spectacular car chase test with The Stig driving the getaway car.  Jeremy compares the Toyota Prius and BMW M3, of course, and test drives the Ferrari Suderia. Alan Carr and Justin Lee Collins from The Friday Night Project are the Stars in the Reasonably Priced Car.

All new Top Gear on SBS, from Monday 24 November at 7:30pm

For more information on Top Gear, publicity images or preview copies, please contact Heidi Packer, Communications Specialist, SBS on 02 9430 3319 or heidi.packer@sbs.com.au.

[Paul Gulliver]

Bump

The contact details on the bottom of this press release may be of use to someone on the committee for future reference.  (ie: i think we were scrambling a bit on this  with times & dates of SBS coverage of the east coast challenge)

"For more information on Top Gear, publicity images or preview copies, please contact Heidi Packer, Communications Specialist, SBS on 02 9430 3319 or heidi.packer@sbs.com.au."

[alfagtv58]

The hosts are asked to purchase old Alpha Romeos for under £1000 and are then challenged by the producers to put them through a track day, calendar shoot and car show.

Alpha......Grrrrrrrrr 

[1750GT]

Mate, how do you watch the new Aussie series of Top Gear religiously? It's like watching my granny nit for an hour, watching grass grow etc. etc. the grating voices of these guys who know 2 tenths of five eigths of you know what but the more seethingly grating thing is that they think they are funny? These guys need to be put down and some staffers from Wheels/Motor/Street Machine, funny guys who actually know something about cars, should take over.

I mean tonight I tuned in to see how badly they would stuff up a test with a Porshe, Lambo and Aston and you have three guys just repeatedly saying "Gee how good this car" and "Gee it takes the bumps well" What the! The Pommy guys are cool, funny and more to the point they know how to tell a story, when to shut up and let the car tell the story and their funny, bring it on, I'll be taping every episode of the pommy gig as it's going to be more enjoyable watching repeats during the Aussie show season than watching this bunch of Aussie idiots.

1750GT

[alfista]

in case it already hasn't been mentioned, next Monday 8 Dec Top Gear UK has a special on Alfa Romeos: http://www.sbs.com.au/television

[Davidm1600]

Hey 1750GT, damned easily.  I settle into the couch after dinner, turn the telly on to SBS at 7.30 and settle in!

Seriously though, despite Steve and Charlie being painful to endure, I thoroughly enjoy Warren's comments. As to the cars, yes well I have had enough of crapadores and Fowlcans (aka chooks), and ditto utes, and sure the test track appears dull or perhaps the camera angles are just plain stupid but to me its still Topgear, just with an Australian slant. 

Lets face it Clarkson is an overtop bigot, Hamster is a pretty boy and Captain Slow is well...a nurd.  The point being is that they have established over many years a good connection. The Aussie guys havn't had the time yet to do this.  Secondly, UK Topgear has been running for over 10 years, has a huge budget per episode and they can get to drive not just all around the UK but Europe, Iceland, the US etc. The scenery etc is simply more grand and spectacular.

The Aussie Topgear crew do need to be more creative with what they have, since there is a lot more that could be made out of it.  Handing it over to journos from Wheels/Motor and are you serious Street Machine (surely the most bogan of car magazines around) wouldn't make the slightest bit of difference.  The real thing is that the scripting needs to be improved, camera work more creative and less shake and the guys need to stop shouting. I agree that they need to be more critical in their tests of vehicles, since that is what we want to know about.  The one other thing though I will give credit to the Aussie guys is that both Steve and Warren are actually damned good behind the wheel.  Just as good as Clarkson and Hamster.  Warren is probably on par with Captain Slow.

As to taping it, why bother, when you can go down to your local ABC shop and buy all the DVDs.  Sounds a lot easier to me, if you could be bothered in the first place.  Remember, its just an opinion.  Dave

[1750GT]

Remember its just an opinion Dave but it looks like you agree with me, you've just totally pulled apart the quality of the show? but you still watch it? The tape thing was only a figure of speech, watching the tape machine beats watching Aussie top gear.

1750GT

[alfagtv100 (Biggus)]

Though I am a huge fan of Top Gear (U.K), a Youtube search on Alfa 159, revealed an alternative from Eastern Europe – Oktan.

Excluding the language barrier, many of you may agree it has a certain appeal.

Test of Subaru Imprezza:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXX4t-Iq1Tc

Test of Alfa 159:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eI-x40dUFEI

Enjoy.

Cheers,

Marco

[Davidm1600]

Well yes in a way you are partly correct, but somehow I still managed to enjoy it.  I think though all I was trying to say is that its not all bad despite the flaws.  Now as to watching the tape machine, yes well don't forget to bring me a nice hot cup of milo and my slippers

[1750GT]

Thanks Dave, but I'll pass on the Milo and slippers bit. I think we all wanted to enjoy it but in my opinion it has substantial flaws. I think they have just tried to copy a formula thats been in the making for over 20 years. To do this sucessfully they need to get their production right and get the presenters right. Fundementally the presenters are just not funny but more disappointing is that they just dont know what they are talking about and it shows repeatedly in their lame commentary.

Perhaps a couple of seasons in the saddle may see them blossom but I just can't see us warming to these guys. On the production side they are going to have to spend alot more money and time to get it up to the UK show standard.

1750GT

[Brad M]

The budget just won't be available to make Top Gear Australia any sort of equivalent of the original.

http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/story/0,26278,24766231-10229,00.html

... I thought using the Astras for lawn bowls was quite original, yet I'm not sure Holden were laughing.