Last night’s episode of Top Gear Australia capped off what has been an interesting and challenging first season for Charlie, Steve, Warren and the viewing public alike. Love it or hate it, ‘Season 2′ is on the way, with SBS committed to bringing us a new season of Aussie Top Gear next year.
Last night’s episode had such potential, but the subject being discussed at many an office water cooler this-morning was, how did they manage to get a trip to Tassie in some of the world’s best GT cars so horribly wrong? None of us doubt how amazing a trip like that would be, but where was the entertainment value? Where was the adventure? It was like a movie without a plot.
The middle portion of each episode (’What were they thinking?’, ’Star in a bog standard car’), continues to be overly long (and painful) so it was a very welcome change of pace when Charlie managed to follow it up with a half decent review of the XF Jaguar. The Jag might be old news now but the review itself wasn’t a bad one.
Round two of red vs blue (Holden vs Ford) actually produced a winner this time with the boys going out on a limb to select the FG Falcon XT as the superior of the two large family hacks. Sure they could have put in some more real-world family oriented tests, but at least they had the backbone to award a clear victory this time around. Do we really need a ‘Round 3′ anytime soon?
Episode 8 came to a close as Charlie turned up the patriotism and implored viewers to support our local manufacturers, a worthy message, but one obscured by its rather over-the-top delivery (what WAS he thinking?).
You just wouldn’t see Jezza carrying on like that…
Top Gear Australia definitely needs some work. It’s also no secret that Top Gear UK needed plenty of work before the Clarkson, Hammond and May freight train found the right track.
It’s not all doom and gloom for the Aussie series either, with the viewer base proving to be reasonably consistent throughout the season (check the stats below) but it could all come to a screeching halt if Season 2 doesn’t show signs of improvement early on.
We’re all for an Aussie Top Gear but let’s be honest, we all know it can be done better. So tell us what you think, what needs to be done to make Top Gear Australia Season 2 a ratings winner for all the right reasons.
Weekly Ratings For Top Gear Australia
- Episode 8 662,000 viewers Ranked 25 Nationally
- Episode 7 612,000 viewers Ranked 27 Nationally
- Episode 6 653,000 viewers Ranked 24 Nationally
- Episode 5 435,000 viewers Ranked 32 Nationally
- Episode 4 598,000 viewers Ranked 25 Nationally
- Episode 3 668,000 viewers Ranked 24 Nationally
- Episode 2 674,000 viewers Ranked 26 Nationally
- Episode 1 933,000 viewers Ranked 13 Nationally
Thanks again Ian!
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I think it has improved, as you would expect, but Charlie needs to stop waving his hands around. I think Warren is a definite find though, and seems the most natural on TV, Steve is just dorkey looking, although his driving skill and interpretation is obvious and a plus, just needs dedorking.
OK, i am watching last nights episode…
1. When did Lambo start making a Gayardo?
2. Why does Steve drive like an old woman, close to the wheel hands at 10 and two.
Oh, and include power figures in HP as well as Kw.
I found the Falcon v Commodore comparison very enlightening. Apparently the main criteria for selecting a car are acceleration, braking and drifting.
I agree that the supercar test was odd. It almost seemed like there should have been a 3rd part to it and I couldn’t agree more with the comments about Charlie’s rant at the end. Good sentiment poorly delivered.
I think that the whole series has been an utter disappointment. This show was never going to be as good as the pommies and they made it worse by trying to imitate it so closely e.g. Charlie Clarkson, Steve Hammond and Warren May. Can they get it better? I doubt it/ It would appear that they have settled into an audience averaging in the 600,000’s but how many of them will hang around when they run out of ideas on comparing Ford and Holden.
There was one thing about the final episode that I think they got 100% right and I agree with 100%. Steve’s ‘What were they thinking’ topic. What were Clarkson and his mates thinking when they let those 3 no hopers loose on the Top Gear concept!
1) Hah, yeah what’s the deal with that? Gayardo… I hope that’s not how it’s really pronounced =\
2) Because that’s how Pro’s drive. Have you watched a V8 supercar race lately? There’s a reason they all sit close and use two hands.
what’s the deal with Charlies comment about ‘the well designed handbag’ when refering to the 911 interior ??!!??
The one thing they did get right was the pronunciation of Gallardo as ‘Gayardo’. That’s how it’s said by Lamborghini themselves. But they got a lot of other stuff wrong in the series. Charlie Cox for starters. If they lose him and his ranting and lift their game in a whole bunch of other ways as well, they might get some viewers back next time round.
I’d rather see the show getting better than see it get dropped completely.
“You just wouldn’t see Jezza carrying on like that…”
First people say that the show hosts were too much like the TG-UK ones, now we are criticising them for being different. Bloody hell guys, make up your mind for what you want. I’m glad Charlie delivered the message as he did, our car manufacturers are in trouble and they need help. The more emphasis the better.
And yes, Gallardo is pronounced gay-ar-do.
Oh hell no… next you’ll be asking for fuel consumption to be given in rods to the hogshead…
I agree with Bazza 100 per cent, if Charlie wants to put his point across like that by all means do so. I think the real issue is that like Warren’s ‘What were they thinking?’ deliveries, it wasn’t performed well enough.
Although you could see an actual Charlie personality coming through in this episode especially in his final speech there.
Episode was poor.
Not different, just a bit ridiculous. The message regarding buying local cars would have been an important one about three years ago - the horse has bolted for our local manufacturers - and not many (any) Aussies will take much notice.
Charlies delivery on the other hand was just wierd. He looked like he was being electrocuted. I wished he was, it would have put me out of the mysery I felt watching him flop about like a fish out of water.
Well, Lets be honest, its best if we dont rate it at all. It needs alot of work. There will be thousands of people saying ‘give us the UK show anyday’ me included. I beleive Charlie is probably the best of Aus show host but monday nights ending scared me to bits, He just destroyed his reputation. warren needs to stop flicking his hands around and pull his ears back. He’s trying to someone he’s not. Charlie, well, as Lee said in his comments, the guys’s a dork. He might know his stuff but that face needs a change (make-over). There have ben planty of times that I have fast forward it and even let it run while i’ve gone to the dunny. Let me just say I never did that with the UK show. Give it time and hopefully they tone down there comedian egos and maybe more aussies will sit up and watch.
Ok I am the Biggest Critic to Date, I’m sure of it, maybe.
The last episode where Charlie introduced the Stig was one of the funniest of the season. The only humorous intro actually, all the other episode had sympathetic laughs.
What pisses me off though is that Charlie the hypocritical skirt does a big speech on how Holden & Ford is the bread and butter and so forth but he drives a Porche. He’ll probably go out and buy one of those cars soon enough though, that goof.
That also includes Clarkson that bum who is always on about British heritage of Aston Martin and goes and buys a GT40!? Would any one practice what they preach!?
Want to improve top gear Aus, simple.
Drop Coxson, and get some better writers, and producers on the show!
There are atleast 2 segments in each show which are extremely unimaginative.
I forgot to mention , GET RID OF THE “”"”WHAT WERE THEY THINKING”"” segment. its a pathetic excuse of the cool wall used in the UK.
The whole show is a pathetic excuse!
Coxson! - That’s gold!
Believe it or not, that *IS* actually how it is pronounced…
I also read somewhere during the launch of the Murcielago that the ‘c’ is not pronounced like a “ch” as you might think, but like a “th” as if you have a lisp. Sounds ridiculous I know.
And then there’s the “Rebenton”…
Why does everybody pick on the Australian Top Gear? So what if it’s a copy of the English show? If the English show ain’t broke then don’t bloody fix it. And I’m glad there’s an Aussie version so it can show off the Aussie cars and he Aussie landscape. I think you all should put your egos to one side, be grateful hat we are the only other country in the world besides England to have it’s own Top Gear, and whinge about something that really is shit. And if you don’t know how to pronounce makes and models then you’re obviously not as inot cars as you make out to be. I think he last episode was one of the best so far and I even told my mate to start watching it early on and he thanked me the next time he saw me.
Oh he thank me, hahah, you and him must of watched brokeback mountain and thanked each other afterwards
Drams per furlong per fortnight?
Yeah buzz, really funny call there, just go back to school thanks. I agree with 69Racing, people just need to take a step back, negative feedback won’t do anything to improve it.
wtf?
Don’t think it’s a matter of ego, mate… I’ve honestly tried to give it a go but almost every ‘joke’ they make makes me cringe. *Some* aspects they can fix or hone, but others (like Cox’s personality) I think are going to be very hard to overlook (or rectify) for Season 2.
And the USA is getting their own Top Gear as well (http://www.autoblog.com/2008/06/16/top-gear-usa-hosts-announced/).
If there was no UK Top Gear, and/or the Aussie version of TG didn’t try to mimic the UK version so much, it would be by far the best car show we’ve ever had in Australia.
Hi all, everyone I have spoken to watched the complete season. Plus we all agreed it does need a lot of work by the writers, presenters and with entertainment value. Several gals I know would like to have seen lady presenters. OOOH well TG Downunder will be back next year. Maybe it may improve!
Hi all, poor TG Downunder. Have lost nearly a third of viewers WHAT WERE THEY THINKING. Well maybe they thought it may work, only time will tell.I hope it does get better.Also thanks to all pitching together in Brissie clean up after big storm on sunday THANKS.
people can step back from here to the other side of the planet, TGA will still be crap and the presenters will still be hopeless. We are the consumers here, why shouldn’t we give negative feedback? Who is it going to benefit if we all put on brave faces and pretend it is good?
i don’t know if it got better or i got used to it. the hosts bother me. theyre still trying way too hard. i seem to go against popular opinion but warren annoys me the most. his segments have mostly been pointless and his “what were they thinking?” just makes me want to scream (when he introduces it).
too much more i want to criticise but i don’t have the time and it would be too long and no one would read it.
so i’ll put it this way - the aus TG show sux. i watch it because i love cars. i wouldnt watch it if i didn’t love cars. whereas i would still watch top gear UK if i didnt like cars.
They should all get drunk before going on stage, I think that would make them all more interesting and also make them less tense at the same time.
To all fellow petrol heads,
Lets hope in season two, SBS can respect the format and brilliance of the British Top Gear, by developing a separate and original format for the Australian Version,
Differences may include – for example
· More presenters – then cull the ones that don’t cut the mustard, you are either naturally funny or not – scripts really can’t hide that.
· Quarter mile power times – rather than track times for some cars, given Aussie cars don’t go around corners
· Develop a course at Lindsay Fox’s proving ground for 4wd’s – soft Roader’s etc
· Perhaps a segment on our weekends and the Aussie dream of dragging crap around behind our cars, shagged bent trailers, Leaky boats etc
· Or a look at the old classic metal we still roll around in as compared with today’s composite cars and indeed the rest of the world
· A revealing of the diesel cost saving myth, when looking at purchase price, servicing costs and resale valve against the same petrol variant
· A new name for the Stig or a whole new character – what about a female? Ms Stig if branding requires you keep the Stig
· Change the set, it need not look exactly the same – then perhaps we won’t expect the same
· Introduce some old school racing cars “Mobil 05” VK Commodore to the set get it an Australian feel – even a Leyland P76, Mad Max knock off
Apologies to all for the negative feedback, but alas as I work for an automotive company, about 10 or so of us enjoy our religious top gear experience every week, but this season the reaction from the troops wasn’t favorable.
Best of luck season two
Hope it all works out
To all fellow Top gear lovers please Go to http://www.hessmo.com and enjoy current british season
Regards Jason
Darren you irrelevant numb nut, I need to go back to school? to realise that the Aussie top gear is sh!T? You’re an asswipe like 69racing because of your fascination with 69. Any hows Ozzy TG should of had the studio/set entirely different with minute relation to the British version. Viewers associate that studio with hamster and the other two clowns.
Plus who cares about the landscape as long as it’s a race track who takes notice. Why don’t you go camping with each other in a fourby. Sure they should show case the Aussie cars but in oz we know how good it is. Ain’t the point of the cars is to benchmark it on international level? Those cars should be in a different continent compared to other cars instead of the same of V8 between two manufactures over and over again.
Piss it off.