Top Gear, Evans version, starts Sunday....

[srw]

I watched the last 5 minutes or so of the show. It looked like silly Sunday evening entertainment - which is what it should be, but what Clarkson had veered away from - and at some stage I'll watch the rest.

We watched the whole thing tonight. Not fantastic telly, but fun after a couple of glasses of wine. It's certainly not the dreadful car-crash that others have suggested. Evans and Le Blanc need a couple of shows to settle down, but I think they will. There were enough sly jokes about the previous presenters to keep the in-joke flying, and although the whole thing was a bit boyish it wasn't unpleasantly so - if nothing else the presence of Sabine Schmidt gave a bit of diversity. While Gordon Ramsey was a classic Clarkson guest, the other chap wasn't, and his presence nicely deflated the pomposity of assuming that everyone worth talking to has a very large budget to splash out on fast cars.

 

[Brandane]

Did anyone bother watching episode 2?
I genuinely forgot it was on.

 

[outlash]

I did, and as I hoped, it was better. It's less reliant on having presenters and scripted 'banter' and tilting it toward having more celebs (not necessarily a bad thing) as the Africa film showed. I liked it. Matt le Blanc is proving quite a revelation IMO.

 

[summerdays]

Yes it was voted better in this household too!

 

[Levo-Lon]

I forgot all about it... last week was enough

 

[fossyant]

Episode two was better. I liked the bit with Jenson Button giving the new Maclaren the beans and messing it up, but bloody Evans has bought one. He is more smug than Clarkson.

Matt is good. They are still trying the same format though, and it needs to change. "The Stig is this/that" - nooo that was the arse that is JC, change it...

I was bored with the old episodes, other than the specials. There has yet to be any format change.

I don't like Evans though. Never have !

 

[DCLane]

Episode 2 was better - it looks like they're getting into their stride. Or that they knew the South Africa film was good.

 

[Seevio]

Much better. However it was the guests that made it rather than Evans and Leblanc, although they were better. Eddie Jordan was great and Jenson Button had a good cameo. Special mention for Seasick Steve "If we actually see a Rhino I'm going to **** myself".

 

[Starchivore]

Evans is so irritating.

I'm not into cars, and had no love for Clarkson.... but even I could see that he was entertaining. His fault he was ditched but Evans... someone at the BBC must just LOVE him. No idea why.

 

[mustang1]

I saw it yesterday. Seemed alright to me. Would be better if they went for a new format but at least the Mini went off road.

 

[PaulB]

I've got no idea how this compares to the previous one as I refuse to watch anything with the odious Clarkson in so never saw even any portion of Top Gear featuring that shile of pite. I do enjoy Top Gear featuring Chris Evans though. I think it's quite good.

 

[Joey Shabadoo]

Audience down a third for last night - 3.3 million

Antiques Roadshow - 4.2 million

 

[Dayvo]

Audience down a third for last night - 3.3 million

Antiques Roadshow - 4.2 million

Fiona Bruce v Chris Evans (aka fuc*wit).

Right, and you're going to watch the program about cars?

 

[Brandane]

Having just watched episode 2 on the BBC i-player, I have to say it was a massive improvement on the opener. The challenge in Africa was pretty spectacular, and the guests were much better too. Evans still trying to dress like a teenager and shouting all the time though; nobber.

 

[captain nemo1701]

Not much into cars myself, but had a peak and thought it was OK. I mean, Clarkson was even more annoying than Evans, the only fun to be had in watching that version was for Hammond & May as they were the intelligent straight guys to Jezzas fool. I laughed at the one where Hammond, keen on cycling in his off-screen life, beat Jezza to London City airport on a road bike.

anyway, the new version is only two episodes old, so should be given a chance. unfortunately, in todays instantaneous digital world if something isn't awesome in the first 60 seconds, it'd deemed to be a failure.