Should Top Gear even return?
With Top Gear taking a break until 2013, we wonder if it's past its sell-by date
By Ginny Weeks
Many fans will be gutted to hear that there will be no more Top Gear this year.
Whilst talking to a South African radio station about Top Gear Live, Jeremy Clarkson said, "It is going to be, it better be absolutely fantastic, it's also about the only time the three of us are working together this year." Apart from a one-off Christmas special, there will be no new TG episodes until January 2013.
On his Twitter account, Clarkson explained the break further, pointing the blame at talent shows and their dominance on TV. He also lambasted Simon Cowell and Sunday night schedules that are ‘full of fat people singing’. If we are talking about a ratings war, let's not forget the small matter of the Olympics, which has got to be a contender too.
So, poor old TG is being ‘pushed’ off the air. But is this actually the point? Could it be the case that viewers are losing interest - after all TG has sat unthreatened in its Sunday evening slot for several years now.
While Richard Hammond is busy talking about lions in Kenya, and horse-mad May is delving into furlongs and tweed jackets, it seems like the presenters want to do different things. Apart from Clarkson, that is, who will no doubt be throwing his car and life related opinions about until his last breath.
Top Gear is a brilliant programme, but it needs a new lease of life. For the last few years the stunts have got progressively sillier and drifted further away from the original point of the car itself. Some of them are hilariously funny, but others are just like watching three middle-aged blokes messing about with roadkill and pick-ups. This set up can only appeal for so long.
A female presenter would really shake things up a bit. It would restore the balance and move the programme away from the dominance of Clarkson’s opinions.
I would love to see more of the stylish, creative film of the old episodes that made Top Gear so innovative and different. This has been lost in the world of stunts and record breaking.
Go on TG, be brave and do something different for 2013…
Clarkson's greatest ever moments
Clarkson: a life in pictures
Clarkson's cars
If the great British public enjoy low cost TV crap such as reality shows and "talent" (joke) contests then, because they are cheap to make and hyped up by the media, that is what they will get.
Top Gear is popular all over the world but is expensive to make and the constant anti- car rhetoric from the same luvvie media does not help. I think it needs a bit of a shake up and remember it is supposed to be about CARS. I hope it returns but please God no women presenters.
I like it. It is irreverent and not frightened of offending a few people. At least it has a backbone and the presenters are not afraid of making fools of themselves. No other programme on TV like it, as opposed to countless talent and reality shows. If it didn't put some peoples backs up, it wouldn't be doing a proper job. A litle bit of controversy is great. Who wants constant middle of the road safe?
Clarkson has never claimed to be the best driver in the world, far from it, he often points out his lack of skill.
You don't have to watch it. If you want to get more details about cars, buy Which Car or similar.
This is an entertainment programme and, as such, some will like and some hate.
Perhaps a regular professional driver guest presenter, like Sabine Schmitt, would add a little something :-)
It was a great program, it used to be funny, but now its just a way for Jeremy Clarkson to get paid an extortionate amount of money to lark about in expensive cars for his own amusement especially as it seems to be on every single day several times and in case you missed it the first time they throw in a show of the best bits!!!! What with all the reality rubbish and so called talent shows on the tv, I just think how the licence fee is totally wasted. Jeremy Clarkson and his gang have had more than enough to spend playing, and as for talent shows, which are for mostly singers bung em on the music chanels where they belong and give us some properly thought out, properly scripted and properly acted shows. While im at it, I know that soap operas are part of daily life for a lot of people, try cheering them up a bit. I feel much better now for a good moan.
Richard AucockSo committed to car journalism he is Guild Chairman of the Guild of Motoring Writers. He has been writing about cars since he was 15 and is living the dream.
CJ HubbardCJ is thoroughly enjoying fulfilling the ambition he's always had to become a motoring writer. Don't ask him about working in retail, though, or he may start to twitch...
Ian DicksonIan is the senior editor on MSN Cars, a job that involves planning, writing and editing content and generally keeping the site ticking over day-to-day.
