TV Show of the Week: Top Gear – Series 24 – Episode 1

This is a tough article to write, I’m only now discovering. Last night, when the opening titles began, I thought to myself, “I don’t want to touch the previous series with a ten-foot pole.” This series is, once again, a reboot of the show, meaning a few things have been twigged, and a couple of these changes has proved that they BBC has listened to some of the complaints they received from fans during the previous series. The challenge had a strong premise that actually was original and intriguing. As I was watching the episode, however, I found myself comparing it to the previous series, which was something I didn’t want to do, nor did I want to compare it to The Grand Tour, or the Top Gear that was before Chris Evans got his hands on it… see, I almost did what I didn’t want to do.

However, I finally found a way I could write this article without straying too far off the beaten track, and that’s by answering a question. If this was the first series in the rebooted Top Gear, does it hold its own? I will accept that I do need to stray into the slimy depths that was series 23, because generating a coherent opinion forced me to, and I struggled to shake of its grip.

To answer the question, I believe that if this was the first series of the rebooted Top Gear, a lot more people would tolerate it. No matter what the BBC would have done, there would always be people complaining that Top Gear is now ruined and would only ever watch The Grand Tour. However, there would be a lot more people compared to the previous series that would have sat down and gave it a fair chance. They would have gone through the process of being surprised with the casting choice, and they would be fearful of any chances that would come, because the slightest different from something they enjoy ruins it, but I do believe this series does hold some considerable strength.

The first challenge of the series saw the three presenters, Matt Leblanc, Chris Harris, and Rory Reid. Chris and Rory were hosts of Extra Gear, a BBC Three exclusive mini-episode that could only be accessed either via the Red Button or the iPlayer. They were an instant hit among fans and they were asking for them to be the in the main show. They are good presenters. They know their stuff, they have a natural chemistry, and it was a change that definitely needed to happen to keep people interested.

Unfortunately, that means Matt Leblanc is the odd one out, because he wasn’t an automotive journalist beforehand. There was a lot more chemistry between Chris and Rory, because they had similar backgrounds, and so connected more, but that doesn’t mean Matt shouldn’t be kicked off the show. He has definitely stepped up his game, and I do believe that, as the series continues, it will seem as if it does come naturally to him – is that too harsh… I feel as if that’s too harsh. Matt wasn’t standing in Chris Evans forced shadow, and bumping him up to main host allowed him to have a lot more freedom that before, and that has also allowed him to be a lot more entertaining than before. He knows his cars, he knows how to present; I do believe that will make for some funny and entertaining episodes in the future.

The other major change that has occurred is resetting the track. They’ve taken away the unnecessary off-road section and reverted back to the one we all know and love, and the Star in the Reasonably Priced Car has been changed to the Star in the Reasonably Fast Car, and the celebrity guest comes in and has a much longer interview than before. Instead of having a section dedicated to the celebrity alone, they brought them to the main couch and they talked about car related stuff, and watched a film together. It wasn’t a formal interview, more of a casual chat, but does it work? Well, yes, I think it does. The celebrity interviews were the parts of Top Gear where I went off to make myself a sandwich or something with them talking in the background. By taking away that section and sprinkling it over the course of the show, it does have a nice sense of freshness.

The main film of the episode was the challenge, and as I said before, it had a strong premise. Matt, Chris, and Rory were tasked by the producers to find and buy three cars that have driven to the moon and back, metaphorically speaking. In other words, they needed to find three cars that have driven upwards of 450,000 – 500,000 + miles in its lifetime, and the three challenges would centre around reliability. They went to Kazakhstan with their chosen cars and take a road trip in the hope of seeing a rocket launch at one of the oldest launch sites in the world.

I can see what they wanted to do – start the series off with a bang, and go big, and they certainly achieved that. The film was split into two parts, and the challenges were reasonable and the editing was nice, and the chemistry between the three presenters was entertaining. It had all the elements that made it a good first episode. Except, instead of viewing the film with all the pros and the unwanted cons force their way in by themselves, I struggled to not see them, but then maybe I am still venting slightly over the previous series.

The next important question I want to answer is, will I be watching more of the series? Well, yes, I will. The BBC has made a good portion of the changes the viewers were complaining about, and the episode was entertaining. It wasn’t laugh-out-loud funny, more not-wanting-to-turn-it-off-because-I’m-actually-enjoying-this funny. I do hope it gets better as the series continues, and I do believe it can and will.

Thanks for reading

Antony Hudson

(TonyHadNouns)