The Grand Tour is now available

[PrincessB]

The first five minutes are worthy of a Bond (or Mad Max) film.

The rest in places seemed a little forced, a delight after the BBC version but simply unable to retain the momentum of the first five minutes.

Incidentally, I managed to watch it on the main TV using a second hand Xbox 360 250GB console (with Wi-FI) I bought in an idle moment earlier in the year for about £100. I don't really bother playing games anymore, however it is perfectly happy to run BBC iplayer, act as a DVD player and hook up to Amazon without a single stutter while streaming over Wi-Fi.

On the off chance that you've sent one of the sprogs to uni this year and armed them with an expensive laptop, they might have left the Xbox in the bedroom and now you've got a use for it.

Watched the first episode of 'The Man in the high castle' last night, Not sure where we're going with that one?

Regards,

B.

[swill453]

I thought there was a lot of needless showing off that Amazon's got pots more money than the BBC. I bet the cost of the X-ray CGI on the cars, which was on-screen for about 5 seconds, would have been more than the budget for a whole episode of Top Gear.

And the celebrity guest (non) bit was just boringly wasteful.

Scott.

[poundcoin]

I enjoyed it and agree you can see how each episode is costing millions . Parts of it very funny but just hope its not all going to be supercars all the time .

I always enjoy Wheeler Dealers but even they now are migrating towards more exotic motors ....probably to please their American viewers .

[NomoneyNohoney]

I thoroughly enjoyed it. For a first show of new series which has 'history', I thought it was great. Not as good and smooth as The LemonFool, for making a seamless transition from a high-point past, but very enjoyable.

When I think of the comparison between this and Chris Evans' Top Gear, it just emphasises how much it's personalities that make the program so good. Yes, definitely looking forward to all the future episodes.

Jeremy Clarkson and The Grand Tour gets my rec for today.

[CatcheeMonkee]

A year's Amazon Prime is 20 quid off until midnight tonight ... (18th Nov.)

[wheypat]

Watched the first episode of 'The Man in the high castle' last night, Not sure where we're going with that one?

Regards,

B.

I watched the first episode 3 or 4 times before I progressed to the second episode - found it very hard going to start, but after 2 or 3 episodes I was hooked. Looking forward to series 2.

[redsturgeon]

I'm sorry but I thought the programme was distinctly average for the most part and highly cringeworthy in others.

First five minutes I thought was a great return for the trio but after that...

Two fat blokes and one short bloke standing on a stage reciting a rather poor script by way of introduction...not great

First look at the new tent...underwhelmed, I've seen better tents at an Essex wedding reception

The three supercars section was good as always

The new track looks frankly embarrassing, the average 'erbert probably has a better racetrack sorted out at his local Asda retail park

The "fight" with the audience should have been left on the cutting room floor as should the three celebrity "deaths"

I hope it improves.

I'd be happier if they just stuck to the real tours they used to do. Vietnam was a classic and the Deep South USA was hilarious, the South America and African trips were real adventure, I hope there's some more of those coming.

Still hoping for better things to come.

I'd give this maybe 5 or 6 out of 10

John

[stooz]

Its still the best car show on TV, and top gear is second. Simply because anything else is a long way short of being entertaining. Sure there are some very factual shows with a specialist niche, but they are not light entertainment.

For a car nut - Im enjoyed it. It's never going to please everyone - and I can live with that.

[Clitheroekid]

I'd agree with a lot of redsturgeon's comments. Overall, I did enjoy it, and I'd probably be rather more generous with my marking, giving it a 7 out of 10.

The best aspect for me was simply seeing the three of them interacting again, it was like pulling on a comfy old jumper. The sequences with cars were enjoyable enough, though such cars are so far removed from anything like normal life that they may as well be driving Formula 1 cars. Although I enjoy seeing exotic cars being driven fast as much as anyone I also hope they will test drive some rather more humble vehicles that we can actually aspire to own.

I'd never heard of the first two celebrities, but that's always been the weakest part of the show for me anyway, and it was also the worst part of the revamped TG, so much so that I always fast-forwarded through it. However, if they have to have celebrity guests causing their instant death on arrival would seem the best way of doing so!

The new track looks frankly embarrassing, the average 'erbert probably has a better racetrack sorted out at his local Asda retail park

I actually disagree, in that I'm quite happy for the track to be less than perfect. It's more akin to normal roads, and I'd rather see how a car reacts to being driven fast on something like a normal road than a race track.

For me the weakest aspect of the show was simply that it was set in the USA. The US audience seemed a bit roseate of neck, whooping with patriotic glee at every opportunity, and the team's attempts at interaction with them seemed rather unnatural and forced. This was entirely understandable, as the whole essence of the show is that it's specifically English, with all that implies in terms of English humour and culture as opposed to US humour and culture. It just sounds and looks completely out of place in the USA, like transporting an English country pub to Fifth Avenue. It's why I considered (and still consider) Matt LeBlanc to seem completely out of place on TG.

But with all its faults it was an infinitely more promising start than poor old TG, and shows like this generally get better as they bed in (TG being the exception that proves the rule!) Even if it only remains at this level I'd be quite happy to pay my Amazon subs.

But I bet the poor BBC producers of TG cried themselves to sleep last night.

[Generali]

I thought it was fun. I've been denied New Top Gear as it's only on Foxtel (Sky) in Australia so I can't compare it to that but as a standalone I thought it was pretty good.

The jokes about what the BBC allows them to do will get pretty tedious pretty fast if they go on too long although they were quite funny for a single episode and I agree that the fight and celebrity deaths weren't very funny.

I'm hoping that Amazon won't stand for any of their cringe-worthy casual racism we saw on the BBC. That was embarrassing, like talking to your tipsy 80-year old grandmother about immigration. It was heartening to see the international friendly banter with the audience that was amusing yet didn't cross a line into abuse.

I liked the track after all it's just a mechanism for comparing one car against another and the silly names and fake dangers were fun although again I hope that it isn't overplayed in future episodes. The silliness of the Dunsfold track (the Follow Through) didn't tire as they didn't harp on about the joke constantly so I am hopeful there.

I'll certainly be watching it again.

[Clariman]

I was an occasional watcher of the old Top Gear but haven't seen the new one. I watched Grand Tour yesterday with my son who is home for the weekend. The interaction between the 3 is entertaining, if obviously scripted. Overall I thought it was too long and the celebrity deaths bit cringe worthy.

It's basically a show about 3 blokes driving fast cars. As someone else said, this is pretty far removed from any car that I have ever driven or will own.

[DrFfybes]

Apparently it is on Youtube at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RGMVuqMXDY

not sure if it is official, or how long it will be there for.

I have some video download plug-in for Firefox saving it for me to watch at me leisure.

Paul

[Clitheroekid]

Apparently it is on Youtube at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RGMVuqMXDY

I wouldn't bother - the sound quality's dreadful and the video itself is tucked at the corner of the screen.

For the relatively modest sum involved I think the sub's worth it.

[DrFfybes]

Apparently it is on Youtube at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RGMVuqMXDY

I wouldn't bother - the sound quality's dreadful and the video itself is tucked at the corner of the screen.

For the relatively modest sum involved I think the sub's worth it.

Having sat through it, I'm not convinced it was worth the time spent watching it, let alone having to pay for it

Anyway, there's a new "project Binky" out too.

P

[Carcosa]

HD quality: http://fmovies.to/film/the-grand-tour-1.ll623/1q7n0w

[Clavain]

I watched....... not sure what i expected... So it was just Top Gear up to their last season anyway but maxed out. Half way through i had the horrible feeling i had grown out of it.

I really wanted to see the Holy Trinity film but as soon as it started i realised i had already seen it done better by Chris Harris on his Youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3YPTkBRaOk. Same track, same cars-same reg nos- think both films were done at the same time under the Pirelli banner.

I will keep watching but maybe the year break has just broken the spell, i was always more into the cars than the banter, although fun. The magic has left the building, at least my building anyway.

C

[doug2500]

Anyway, there's a new "project Binky" out too.

P

Now that's a class show.

I really hope they make some money from it. Not because they're doing it for money, just because they thoroughly deserve a decent reward for their efforts.

[NomoneyNohoney]

Episode 2 - sad to report, pretty boring

[redsturgeon]

Episode 2 - sad to report, pretty boring

I think I agree with you, I fell asleep after the Aston Martin bit, in the middle of the "conversation" slot...yawn.

I woke up to see JC getting shot several time at on the bombshell it ended.

I hope it gets better.

I think they just need to concentrate on the specials, like the Vietnam trip etc.

John

[Generali]

Episode 2 - sad to report, pretty boring

I thought it was okay, although boring isn't far of the mark either, and the kids really enjoyed it. The strong point is that they've clearly done their research into the local area and manage to get some banter going with the crowd. The weak point is that it just isn't very good.

Perhaps some of the focus has been lost, the BBC show was very much a British show that was sold abroad whereas this is a show that is meant to play just as well in Canberra, Cape Town, Cologne and Canterbury. I wonder if it's been killed by a huge committee of writers trying to make it all things for all people.

We'll see how it progresses, maybe it'll get better.