Top Gear Australia Episode 2 - The Verdict?

Mate. A show of this calibre should recognise that HSV and FPV are stand alone brands. You won't find 'Holden' on any badges or plates on a HSV - because its a HSV. If they wanted to do a Holden v Ford comparison then the SS-V and XR6T would have been the way to go. They should get it right - they are Top Gear!!!!

Same with the Navara - it wasn't a king cab - its a dual-cab. These guys are meant to know there cars aren't they. Its Top Gear not Top Chef!!!

All Charlie Cox wants to do is wave his arms around and wreck new cars. They should have more respect and the manufacturers should be smart enough to demand their cars come back without body damage. Tyres, and mechanicals you expect a bit of issue with but there is no need to abuse the panel work. Cox isn't funny at all, he has to wreck a new car to get a laugh, but I'm not sure that is even working for him.

Your comment is true, however, I would not want to watch Idol! Lord help us if that is all we have for TV options on Monday nights.

It is normal for people to comment on the show. They are healthy comments and the production team need to know what the viewing public want. If they are smart, they will take these comments on board. If they want their TGA to survive that is. Have a great day :)

The comparison issue of the UK show and the Australian show is one very difficult hurdle for the TGA team to over come. It may be the reason the shows fails, if nothing else. To be objective and avoid halfwit comments I think we have to look at the show as an individual presentation.

And on that basis, the Australian show is really not so bad. The guys are doing a pretty reasonable job with all things considered. Ask anyone that has stood in front of a camera and they will tell you how hard it is to project the image you want the audience to read. Think about why the top line actors are paid so much for their "image projections" and are also able to draw an audience to see a movie with little prior knowledge of what the film is about. Performing for the camera is a very difficult and skilled task.

Minor things like Cox's arm waving are really distractions from the real issues needing attendance. The real issue is with character development of each of the presenters. This is an area that only time will correct. I know of no other show or performance that I have watched or followed over time that has not had to deal with this. Considering this, all of the presenters are fairly sound in their early effort.

Some of the areas they I feel they need urgent development on are:

The airfield circuit is visually uninteresting and could do with a higher camera angle to "show off" the display more and heighten the driving performance. Currently it is too flat and non-distinct. The surface desperately needs cleaning as this is affecting the driving display

A bit more information being threaded into each segment to avoid the "skipping over it" approach being felt

More "wild stuff" that made the UK show a hit. Drop in some "reckless abandon" to make it more exciting

The speed of the shows delivery makes each segment presented feel like it is being "dispensed with' due to the lack of upcoming content.

The "greatest shows on earth" start with a drum roll and followed by an explosion, so to speak. This is something that the UK group are utilising almost every time they "knock us off our feet". Go back and look at your favourite segments of car testing. It usually starts with a driver exploding onto the screen with the car howling sideways with smoke billowing out from the wheels. Think circus act

A little less of "trying to perform for the camera" and a little more of "watching over their shoulder at a bunch of lads clowning around" would help somewhat I think. Same thing I said above about being a skilled actor for the camera

The stig needs development. His driving is not "wild and loose" enough to hold the viewers attention

More time for show development and more individual character development, telling everyone it was going to a"another" Top Gear was in some ways a mistake that would lead to likely failure

In summary. Go back and look at stuff like Glen Ridge's "The Car Show". It ran for some time and people watched it happily. They were not trying to compare it to anything. The show was dreadfully boring, but it lasted for quite some time.

There are many other adjustments required that would bore you if I detailed them here. The TGA show is basically a reasonable effort, given it's impossible task of being as good as TG UK.

cheers
neil

Obviously it was a set up car. The whole segment was an exaggeration to represent 'Toorak Tractors' and how they really do not belong in a tight area like Toorak. Backing into the car was simply showing it is much harder to park in a 4WD in those circumstances than it is to park in your average car.