Top Gear

TV Insider Tells GQ Why The BBC Has Not Cancelled Top Gear

GQ magazine has recently posted an article by an anonymous TV producer. Who this producer is, we have no idea, but judging from what he or she has written… Well, I’ll leave you to make up your own mind on that.

The article circles his/her opinion on why Top Gear hasn’t been cancelled yet. They say:

“Simply put: it’s all about the Benjamins – and with Top Gear sales such a huge percentage of BBC Worldwide’s profits, we, the viewers and producers alike, are all forced to adopt a rictus grin and welcome another series of Top Gear back as if it’s the BBC’s version of Game of Thrones (a mega fan favourite that HBO are prepared to kill off while still in its prime. Take note BBC).”

So, to sum that up, they guess that the BBC won’t drop Top Gear as it’s making too much money, which they’re not going to say no to. We all know that the Top Gear viewership has dramatically fallen, especially with The Grand Tour starting alongside it, which viewers seem to compare it to. Lately, it’s almost become a trend to form a vendetta against this new series, as well as the presenters Matt LeBlanc, Chris Harris, and Rory Reed.

Yes, I completely agree that they still haven’t quite found their footing yet, but with each episode the chemistry improves. And individually they are brilliant presenters and journalists. Chris Harris has been an incredible motoring journalist since his early days on the /Drive Network and writing for well spoken motoring magazines. Matt is a major petrolhead and brings the entertainment factor to the show, and Rory… Well he’s my least favourite but he adds a certain je ne sais quoi, nonetheless.

They finish the article by saying:

“Couldn’t they bite the bullet and start again without the awful faux Clarkson bantz? Maybe that’s the trouble – Top Gear is a tired format that desperately needs a rest. Or to use a motoring analogy, Top Gear is a once loved car that needs scrapping to be replaced with a brand new model.”

Similarly to last time I read an article by GQ Magazine regarding the new Top Gear, it appears as though the writer hasn’t actually seen an episode of the current season, and I’d be surprised if he or she was a petrolhead at all. So why do they feel the need to comment on such things?

We have a great situation at the moment. We have The Grand Tour, a show where our favourite trio can play with cars, be hilarious and travel to amazing places around the globe, all while not being bound to the moral high ground of the BBC.

On the other hand, we have the new Top Gear. A show that is not what it once was, now being more similar to the pre-2002 Top Gear where the focus is on the cars and not the presenters.

Surely us motoring fanatics have the best of both worlds here. A funny, entertaining show AND an informative car show. And it’s not like we have to watch one or the other. Personally, I think the new Top Gear is great. It scratches an itch that The Grand Tour can’t reach, and vice versa.

I’m going to sum up this article in as much of a diplomatic way as I can:

If you don’t want to watch Top Gear, you’re not being forced to ‘adopt a rictus grin’ as GQ put it. If you prefer to watch the hilarious repartee between Clarkson, Hammond and May then be my guest. I don’t blame you, they’re hilarious. I watch both because they both scratch different itches. I laugh at The Grand Tour, and I’m amazed by the car nerdiness of Top Gear. Both are very good shows within their own individual niches. So, do whatever you want.

But to say that Top Gear is a ‘four wheeled cockroach that won’t die’ is just pushing it.

So to GQ magazine I say this… Stick to fashion and grooming, that’s what you’re good at (apparently). Or to use a motoring analogy, you’re like a Prius. You think you’re right, but in the end, you’re just producing a load of pollution.

Alex Harrington

Alex started racing at a young age so certainly knows his way around a car and a track. He can just about put a sentence together too, which helps. He has a great interest in the latest models, but would throw all of his money at a rusty old French classic and a 300ZX. Contact: [email protected]

Related Articles

2 Comments

  1. GQ just talks shit, as you said. I love the new Top Gear more then the old one BECAUSE its a lot like the first and second season of the original Top Gear…

Back to top button