Moving on ...

Moving on ... for move on we must.

So we have seen the last Real Top Gear episode. As expected reviews are mixed, the fans mourn and the haters crow. Let's leave all that behind now. There are better things to do with our lives than worry about silly comments in a newspaper or journalists writing reviews just to create a stir. What matters is the show. We have a fantastic catalogue of goodies to keep us going until ... well until ...

I for one enjoyed the show last night, lots of laughs and no tears but rather sad after. I haven't rewatched the whole thing again yet but I thought it had the makings of a classic show had it been allowed to be made as it should have been.  I particularly enjoyed James' jacket  (now half price!). And the elephant was particularly eloquent. An eloquent elephant.

So... now we have the long wait, what comes next? At least we know that James is making CotP and hopefully other projects to come too. I am really hoping for another Toy Stories for Christmas.

For my birthday (tomorrow!) I am hoping for a Sod Off. Fat chance but a girl can hope.

Anyway ...

It's hard to know where to start, but here goes. 

So today is the day we have never wanted to happen. The day the last brand new as yet unseen real Top Gear show will be aired. It feels silly to be so upset, yes indeed, upset, about the ending of a TV show 'about cars'. But it has meant a lot to so many people so I don't feel quite so daft. 

When I have really needed cheering up, it has never ceased to amaze me that I could just turn on the telly and be laughing, interested, entertained, and uplifted in seconds, all thanks to a 'poxy little motoring show'. Nothing else quite does the trick.  The whole team have all created something magical and very very special. I doubt that it's possible to understand just how gutted and heartbroken that Jeremy, Richard, James and Andy are at the outcome of all of this. As we now know, it's done, no going back. Today's article by Andy in the Sunday Times covers it well and helps us to understand just where they are at and an inkling as to how they are feeling.  Suffice to say, we all feel pretty gutted too. 


The Mirror is speculating about the future of an independently made programme to be shown on ITV against the TG that the ginger one plans to make, and maybe a showing on Netflix too for the international audiences. Who knows the truth of that so far, but at least we can be sure they will be making something new. We all hope they will once again be able to create that magic.


I have had the tremendous luck and privilege of attending the filming at Dunsfold and was there on 25th February this year. I had a funny feeling as I left at the end and wondered if I would ever go there again. So I went back and took a few photos of the hangar as the audience left and the crew dismantled the set for the last but one and a half time.  It felt very poignant even then, before the incident. So I have added a few photos here from that day.


Thank you Jeremy, Richard, James, Andy, Brian and all the other people involved in making the programme. Thank you seems massively inadequate but it's enough I hope.

I shall try to enjoy tonight's show. Remember also the tremendous catalogue of work they have created which we can continue to enjoy too, and who knows what the future holds. 

Sweet Sorrow ... no, more like Heartbreak Hotel

I have always been an optimist, but also try present a balanced view, and aim to be reasonable. I find it hard, even when presented with an awful situation, not to measure my thoughts. It repeats in my head, be reasonable. But today I think - why not be unreasonable and let others just make up their own minds.

Well, today I read the article in which Richard Hammond said the end of Top Gear broke his heart. Emotive words. And why not, because it sounds perfectly reasonable in the circumstances.

It's one thing us, the fans, being upset about it, but when it's your life and you create it that's another thing altogether.

It's hard to know what is really going on though, we only have the newspapers, the occasional interview or snatched words on a doorstep. What strikes me more than any other thing is that the newspapers are sometimes wildly speculative and off track completely. Other times they are spot on. How do you know what to believe? You have to wait and see to be sure. But let's take a punt on rumours and reports.

Go back a bit to earlier in the year. After all of the unpleasantness which has obviously been going on in the background, to cap it all someone at the BBC made a comparison with Jeremy and a particularly evil person whose name I don't even want to place on the page.

Jeremy has also said that recently he was asked if he would consider coming back. (This is my interpretation of newspaper articles, I doubt an actual formal offer was made but I suspect feelers were put out before a final commitment was made elsewhere.) Apparently Jeremy said he would rather eat his own head. And why not. Someone said something so vile (and I think it was said) and yet that person has never been named, the context never clarified, the person (presumably) still works at the BBC. And they must be pretty high up in the organisation. The fact that this person is still in place, to our knowledge there has never been an apology or investigation, the whole thing has been effectively muted. It is appalling.

It seems the BBC would rather keep the person who made the comment in place, loose the best TV programme 'in the world' and break the heart(s) (speculative 's' there as we only know for sure about one broken heart) of the presenters. Why? To be politically correct? Not to lose face? Because someone really really doesn't like someone else? Because that someone has a lot of power?  It feels very personal which is rich considering that the programme is made for us, the viewers and licence fee payer, the fans. And we don't have a say.

In my reasonable mind I had said I hoped the next TG would have presenters I liked and that the programme would be watchable (although we all know it won't be a patch on Real TG). I am gradually coming to the conclusion that I would like it to fail, big time. Not because of Evans who is really just mildly irritating. No, because that's what the BBC Meddling Department and A N Other deserves.

Yes I agree, Jeremy said it was all his fault. And I'm sure he feels awful about it and will do something new to make up for it all. But working in an organisation where some people (not all obviously) are against you is terribly stressful when you care so much about your work. There's more to all this I'm sure. I just hope that one day we will know it all, that someone will tell the truth of what went on behind the scenes and the person responsible is named.

To Clarkson, Hammond and May. For what it is worth, you have my wholehearted support for whatever you choose to do in the future. Just don't cock it up.




Here's the link to the short article where: Richard says that the end of the show broke his heart.

Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say good night till it be morrow.

So, it has happened. Top Gear has a new host.

Those who enjoyed the Clarkson Hammond and May version are, understandably, proclaiming loyalty to the previous host(s) declaring never to watch the new version of the show. But remember that the old show, although never as popular as the latest version, has a rich history. I certainly watched Old Top Gear  from  the very early days. I remember William Wollard, Tiff Needell, Quentin Wilson, Julia Bradshaw and James May's few appearances. (James made me laugh straight away, particularly when he reviewed the Jaguar S-Type, and the Mazda MX5 with Julia.) Strangely I have little recollection of Clarkson or Wilman's performances.

Stop and think a moment. There was a popular science fiction programme a few years back called Star Trek. I was a great fan and watched every episode and new incarnation with interest to see how it developed. The Original Series, TNG, DS9 and even parts of Voyager were excellent. Key players in the Original Series lent their support to the new actors, notably Leonard Nimoy's friendship with Zachary Quinto. Anyway, where am I going with this?

I think the future is uncertain, and still undecided. But we have the opportunity hopefully of two great new car shows.

The New Version of Top Gear will be made by someone who loves cars, who produces his own style of shows which are, generally, very popular. It will probably appeal to a rather different audience though. I know it's success will depend on the new team and mix of presenters. Evans will be a great producer I'm sure, but personally I have never been a fan of his programmes or of him as a presenter. If it's just Evans, Kidd and Guy Martin I doubt I will find it watchable. Evans, Suzi Perry and James Martin (or maybe Philip Glenister or even Paul Hollywood on a bike) would tempt a viewing. But it will need a completely different format. Start again, completely.

As for the other three, who knows what they are doing. It takes time to find the right direction so I'm happy to wait. I wonder if they actually have the harder job of the two. I don't think they can just churn out the same old format on a new network, even allowing for their wonderful chemistry. That would be lame. Maybe they will go to Netflix with a new format and, without the BBC Meddling Dept, there will be something fresh and really special to come. I hope so.

So all I can say is for now is, let's see how boldly it goes.