I can't bear them.

Don't forget Alan Carr.

Please add Bruce Forsyth to this list. Well past it and no longer the slightest bit funny.

I just stopped watching it a couple of series ago. Missed one or two by mistake and realised I wasn't bothered.
If you look under "formulaic" in the dictionary, you'll see the definition of formulaic. But dictionary compilers could use Top Gear as a good example.
I have certainly grown weary of Clarkson's incessant (and probably deliberately self-parodying) comments and jibes at anyone he perceives as holding a different opinion from his own. His increasing tendency to "challenge PC attitudes" (another calculated tactic to pander to those who want to be able to express views that are sexist/racist/etc and are fed up of being told that it is unacceptable) by making more frankly offensive remarks is now just dull. I get to have that level of debate with my 13-year-old stepson.

Good old Jeremy is certainly "irreverent and controversial", but of all the aspects of TG that have become threadbare, that is the one that grates most with me; OK, we get it, he's a fearless defender of free speech and therefore anyone who criticises him is a "namby-pamby liberal sap" (to coin a recent phrase).

I do understand that this is partially what makes him and the show so popular, but personally I prefer James May...

What about suggestions for who you'd like to present TG?

Shane MacGowan, David hasselhoff and Pingu.

Good shout. I'd be happy enough with that.

Huh? I thought you wanted a change?

Arf arf.

One bullet, which of the current three?

Mr Hammond, your time is up.

Good grief guys lighten up. I thought I was cynical. It's only telly after all.

I like it and make a point of watching it, yes sometimes the same cars come up audi, merc, bmw but what do you expect with clarkson!
the trials they have to do are very funny at times and one has to wonder how the hell they get away with certain things but its light hearted and if you dont't like it then thats fair enough but for me watching richard hammond makes up for the boring bits!!!

With all things this has a shelf life. Its getting a little old but still qualifies (especially considering the competition) as good TV imo.

Good few laughs in the episodes.

Nick

Top Gear.

Some nice camera work in some fantastic locations with some georgeous cars.

Such a shame it has to be punctuated with such contrived content. All of the jokes and japes are clearly scripted down to the last detail. It will always include the "we don't agree" element, the "one of us has the wrong car" element and the "at least one of us will suffer some big problem on the way" element.

Granted some of it can be funny, they obviously employ script writers so it should be. That said, content edited and served up in an "As it happens" style is evident in a lot of TV nowadays (X-factor etc). It has become tiresome to watch. For me you could sack the three idiots and just have the images & sounds of the cars being driven through the exotic locations....

I know this topic has been done to death but I really got my hopes up that Top Gear had returned to its former glory days.

IMO the first episode of the new series was fantastic, no crap, no messing about, just amazing cars being driven with lots of facts and figures.
A Proper "car" episode.

2nd episode, (obviously not all espisodes can be like the above) was as well a great episode, showing off the Jap crap that we will be driving in the future. again very little crap or messing about, a great episode.

Today's 3rd episode and its all gone back to crap. Messing about, things blowing up, and generally all the idiotic tales that Top Gear has been getting ridiculed for over the last years.

Such a shame as they got off to such a good start to the new series.
I can only hope that they get enough good feedback from the first two episodes to realise what people really want from a car show.

Call me plain ld boring, but I want to know about the cars not the stunts and crap that goes with it.

missed tonights episode , so not worth watching then ?

Nice to see fiat moving the twin air engine over to the panda

im not going to lie about it, i'm not going to get excited about the new fiat panda lol.

...however interesting it might be.

I completely agree with Karl on this, literally word for word. The first episode was bloody brilliant! Second was still good and tonight I was almost getting bored, they were just being too stupid and like had already been said, blowing things up and too much play acting trying to be funny.

The first episode still had some humour in it but just enough and not too stupid either, really good balance.

Anyone else notice the 'role reversal' between Clarkson and Hammond in the film shooting sequence?
Agree with all the above statements about the 1st episode being done well,however I feel they started with a bang and have increasingly declined with the second and third episodes.I hope there.s not a general decline with the rest of the series...yet I know i'll still end up watching it...

They probably will have received a phone call "hi, we're doing this film and we still have a couple of cars spare having done all shoots. If you want you can come and blow 'em up".

Personlly I found lastnights episode abit boring and much more staged than usual...which is saying something !

I prefer 80% car info and 20% top gear 'banter'...lastnight's episode was the reverse I think....

Last night's episode was definitely less about cars and more about dicking around with a vaguely car related theme

However, when viewed as a clearly-staged bit of tomfoolery, it was amusing - I laughed more at last nights's than usual, particularly when the "wrong" caravan exploded. I thought Ray Winstone was superb (as always) and the "Bob Hoskins" gag was particularly amusing.

However, for me, the best bit of the episode was James' revelation that a small, underpowered car with skinny tyres can actually be more fund that a hot hatch.

Enjoyed it, low expectations and all. The bit about the panda was interesting and speaks true. I wish they could have done a little more about the twin engiend panda as its something that a) I can afford b) was informative to an extent.

The filming bit was funny but contained little substance, Star in the car was ok as well.

Accepted it for what it was and was happy.

Slept through it all until the last couple of minutes, something about an angry man and a caravan, so figured I must have slept for at least six months since that gag was done!

Sounds like I didn't miss much?

I very nearly turned it off. It was obvious though that all the film stuff was going to have a 'happy' ending.

Did anyone else think the focus looked better when it had been rolled? Bit of a focus coupe....

I'm with you, Nobby - the rolled Focus looked pretty good. Needed some light cosmetic repairs to the front-end, but other than that it looked much improved.

Rest of the show was a snooze-fest.

I recommend watching it dosed up with cold meds - for some reason I found myself laughing at the wrong caravan blowing up. Enjoyed the SiaRPRC bit too - no idea who he was but liked him.

Who am I and what have you done with the real MRS?!!!

I quite liked it. This series has been better than the last couple in my opinion. So far at least...

Spelling MRS, spelling! Jeez!

Luckily I was watching it 20 minutes late so could fast forward the truly awful cringe-inducing bits. Which, considering I caught up with 'real time' very quickly, was most of it.