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And On That Bombshell The Grand Tour is with us what do you think ?.

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  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 14,928
    Thunderpussy wrote: »
    I found it funny last week reading a few stories that in the early days of
    The new Top gear, the BBC asked Clarkson Back ! ( sorry don't have the links )

    I doubt they did!
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384
    OK, so I'm a liar.
  • George_KaplanGeorge_Kaplan Not a red herring
    edited February 2021 Posts: 559
    He claimed they did.

    From DriveTribe:
    He said in an interview, "I had a meeting with a BBC executive last week and they asked if I’d come back to Top Gear. Too much has gone on. After I’d been compared to Jimmy Savile by someone from the BBC and it was splashed all over a Sunday newspaper, how could I go back?"
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited February 2021 Posts: 14,928
    Heh, I'm sure he did claim it :) And the BBC put out a statement denying it, I see (this is five years ago right after they ditched him): somehow I can't quite believe they sacked him (for assault on set, no less) and immediately asked him back before they'd made any episodes without him.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 17,783
    I suppose (like most things that are dusputed) it's a case of one person's word against another's. It all comes down to who you believe more, short of written documentary proof or, better still, a recording of the actual conversion.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited February 2021 Posts: 14,928
    Indeed it does, but when a person who was sacked says that their bosses actually changed their mind and asked him back immediately and he turned them down, it does slightly smack of self-aggrandisement and an attempt to save face to me.
    It's like something Jay from The Inbetweeners would say: "yeah she was desperate for me but I told 'er I was too busy" :D

    I suspect if there's any grain of truth to it at all, it's that someone may have suggested that he just do that final episode which ended up being presented by May and Hammond in an empty studio. But even then I doubt it.
  • GerardGerard
    Posts: 5,801
    Meanwhile, at the BBC :



    With some very familiar-looking cars...
  • RevelatorRevelator
    edited February 2021 Posts: 2,895
    The likely scenario is that the BBC allowed an executive to put out feelers to Clarkson about renewing his contract after the controversy had died down. The BBC's comment "We haven't offered another Top Gear contract" is technically true, since an official offer was never made, but it's not an actual denial that someone from the organization approached Clarkson to discuss the idea.
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384
    I agree @Revelator the early New Top Gear shows were badly received, with low
    viewing figures, I'm sure the BBC wouldn't want to see one of their most successful
    programmes disappear, So I would say it's not unreasonable to think a suggestion
    or two ,Official or not could have been made to see if a compromise could have been
    worked out. It is a business after all ;)
    As for the latest team, I do enjoy their banter, it can at times be a little to Laddish,
    but it's fun and I do enjoy a good Car show. I've discovered several on YouTube like
    " Car Throttle" which has many of the same ideas, Can you buy a 150 mph car for £1,00
    that sort of thing.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited February 2021 Posts: 14,928
    Thunderpussy wrote: »
    I agree @Revelator the early New Top Gear shows were badly received, with low
    viewing figures, I'm sure the BBC wouldn't want to see one of their most successful
    programmes disappear, So I would say it's not unreasonable to think a suggestion
    or two ,Official or not could have been made to see if a compromise could have been
    worked out. It is a business after all ;)

    Well, it isn't a business, not really. It's aim isn't to make profit, which is what a business is mostly for. Unlike BBC Studios, the BBC proper isn't a commercial enterprise.

    And this was before a single post-Clarkson episode had screened, so nothing to do with how the new TG shows were received either. As far as they knew at this point, Chris Evans was going to be a big hit.
    Revelator wrote: »
    The likely scenario is that the BBC allowed an executive to put out feelers to Clarkson about renewing his contract after the controversy had died down.

    I think when someone who has publicly embarrassed themselves tells a story where they come off really well, and somehow in that story manage to get one over on the people who have (rightfully) sacked them and reversed it so that it somehow becomes him turning them down, the likely scenario is that it's just not true.

    The flak the BBC would have got for getting him back after he'd broken some pretty massive rules in the safe workplace book just wouldn't have been worth it.
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384
    With the new team, I was sorry to see Rory Reid go. I always enjoyed
    his reviews and found him very funny. Although he can still be seen on YouTube for Autotrader.


    Toyota Supra 2.0 Review: LESS Is More Fun?
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 14,928
    I like those Supras. And 5.3 to 60 doesn't sound slow to me!
    He's right though, for that money I'd have an Alpine every time.
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384
    I don't think my car could even reach 60 ! ;)
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    edited March 2021 Posts: 13,384
    Just a quick reminder that Top Gear starts again tonight at 8pm BBC 1 and
    Next week it The best Bond cars. :)>-
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 14,928
    It's quite impressive that they'll be featuring a Mk4 Cortina for two weeks running: that being Jaws' car of course :)
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384
    Might help the used price listings with all the coverage ;)
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 14,928
    Yes I can certainly imagine a few people looking to buy one of those BMW 323s after tonight's episode. I know I did!

    Pleasingly Chris Harris did buy that very car he was driving.
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384
    Plenty of life left in it. I guessed the top speed of the Fiesta would be around 60.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited March 2021 Posts: 14,928
    I did start to tire of the dad car thing slightly; it really needed one more feature in it, but I won't judge them too harshly as it can't be easy making a show in COVID times.
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384


    Jeremy Clarkson reveals details about future episodes of The Grand Tour, Big American
    Cars in Scotland and Hammond seems to have yet another accident.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 14,928
    Very sad news that Top Gear presenter Sabine Schmitz has passed away at only 51.
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384
    Very sad news indeed RIP Sabine.
  • GerardGerard
    Posts: 5,801
    Confirmed by all the medias in the world :

    https://www.bbc.com/sport/motorsport/56420308

    It's really too bad. She was simply great. She'll be missed. A lot.
  • GerardGerard
    Posts: 5,801
    Top Gear France will be back on april the first. No, it's not a prank :

  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 14,928
    Heh, that looks fun. I'd like to see more of the overseas versions: BBC Three showed Top Gear USA while that was running and it was a pretty decent show I thought.
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384
    I loved the American Top Gear, there is a rumour it's coming back but with a new
    team.
  • RevelatorRevelator
    Posts: 2,895
    From one of Clarkson's recent columns:

    wR1Z0RX.jpg
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384
    :))
  • valentinzukovskyvalentinzukovsky
    Posts: 503
    There’s a tribute to Sabine Schmitz on iPlayer , on tv in the uk on Wednesday night.
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384
    Watched it last night, very good and touching to see the old cast
    Now on The Grand Tour adding to the Tributes.
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