What made Top Gear (original run) and The Grand Tour so great for you?
Posted by endangeredpenguin@reddit | thegrandtour | View on Reddit | 65 comments
I think the obvious answer is the presenters. They were the perfect blend of presenters who you could always rely on. But what made it great for you? Was it the challenges? Was it the cars? The wackiness? What made it must see for you?
Loose_Document945@reddit
The dynamic between clarkson, Hammond, and may. The arguments and pranks
BouncingBabyButton@reddit
Wit, knowledge and talent.
Agitated_Border_7321@reddit
Clarkson, May, and Hammond. It wasn't necessarily about cars, TopGroundGearForce was a great example of that.
themidnightgreen4649@reddit
I honestly loved the power tests. They were really cleverly written.
ValentinaSauce1337@reddit
light hearted but spirited. You know they were enjoying themselves but never too serious and pisstake was all in good fun. From a u.s point of view, British narrative direction/editing and the style in general was new/chic to me so that helped.
Dedward5@reddit
The original Top gear with William Woodard and Chris Gotffy etc loved it as it was on after Tomorrows World.
ElectronicActuary784@reddit
I discovered Top Gear after coming home from being deployed to Afghanistan.
Between watching as much of Top Gear as I could through Final Gear/Youtube, attending local AutoCross events and going on local road trips that in my mind was inspired by Top Gear it was something for me to fill the void and keep myself from getting depressed.
I’ve been thinking about Top Gear and Gran Tour a lot recently. I recently got back into cars and started watching old top gear.
I get a little sad after watching old top gear and knowing there will never new episodes and realizing how much things have changed.
Though I’m looking forward to going to autocross events with my son and I’m planing roads trips I want to do in my car.
Still kind of sad to think about the end of era with top gear and final gear being over. I don’t fault them, they done so much.
BraiQ@reddit
There will be others, unless it's something you want to do on your own you do have to be patient for others to come to the spotlight.
ElectronicActuary784@reddit
I’ve found a few YouTube channels that scratch that itch. TFL, Out Of Specs reviews, Mighty Car Mods along with Doug Demuro fill that void left behind by Top Gear and the Grand Tour. Roadkill adventures is another great one.
I love watching road trip challenges with cheap or obscure cars.
Reviews of high end cars is interesting but I never cared for it. To me it’s just filler, I want to watch people go on adventures.
Still makes me sad knowing the top gear/grand tour era is over. Hey we’re all getting old and you can only do so much before it get repetitive.
flyingshrimp21@reddit
You need to check out top dead center and all the gear too, those channels are also good watches if you like top gear/the grand tour. Definitely watch the TDC video with the Cadillac, especially the bit near the end with the bridge!
Vegeta9001@reddit
My friend from Poland got me into it, I think the first one I watched was when they had the battle between the Lancer Evo and the Subaru WRX. The show didn't even air in the US back then, had to find it through alternative means. The trio just made it way more entertaining than any other car show at the time.
williamg209@reddit
I dunno its been there most of My life, used to watch it with my dad, seen most tg episodes too many times for me to count, tgt I haven't watched as much and it never felt the same
TheCrymaxTheatre@reddit
The depth of the passion and respect for car culture. Production and presentation was spot on and the adventures were always exactly that, and adventure. I was so lucky to grow up watching these come out each Sunday night, I used to go to boarding school but during top gear seasons I'd stay at home on Sunday nights. It was an occasion seeing what weird and wonderful cars or challenges were awaiting.
Neverbethesky@reddit
It's the fellas and their connection to the part of us that associates cars with being a kid... I'll try and explain.
We almost all grew up playing with toy cars, even if we didn't grow up to be car enthusiasts. We almost all remember car journeys as a kid, going on trips, holidays etc.
From an early age cars make us feel safe, warm, they bring joy, fun etc.
So couple that with the fellas and their personalities, they themselves are who we all wished we could be when our dad's let us drive the car on the beach, or when we imagined building daft machines and doing wheelies in the sky.
You watch the trio and realise that they managed to keep that childhood spark alive and then share it with the rest of us.
We get to be kids again, through them.
----Ant----@reddit
The way they would bounce off each other, whatever the situation was they knew their part and played it well. It just so happens they were covering their favourite thing - cars.
sunnydaleubervamp1@reddit
The cutting edge of cocking about. Brilliant.
Girfex@reddit
It was always the lads. Clarkson, May, and Hammond worked exceedingly well together. I've watched every episode of Top Gear, each Special, each episode of Grand Tour. And I do not even remotely consider myself a car guy. I have no interest in car mechanics or performance. I still don't really care about cars.
They are so funny and great together, I've watched YEARS of a car show without any interest in cars.
Agent---4--7@reddit
You can't beat the OG but I think the last trio on Top Gear had good chemistry, Paddy, Flintoff and Harris. They had a good lads being lads vibe going but everyone before that was cringe imo
chandleya@reddit
It’s okay, they don’t have any interest in car mechanics either lol
AnonymousEngineer_@reddit
I'd say Hammond and May clearly do. Hammond wouldn't have started the Smallest Cog if he didn't have an serious interest in the subject.
Gr8twhitebuffalo91@reddit
For real you don't even have to like cars to like the show/shows.
The_Mellow_Tiger@reddit
I am a gearhead and even then it’s always been them that made it my favorite show. If you start from series 2 and watch forward from there, you can see an actual friendship and bond growing with them over the years. Mostly through spite, vitriol, and someone has a working A/C system and that will not do. But you can see them really become friends. Richard returning after the jet car crash you could really see how close they’d gotten
Battle-Individual@reddit
They all had a different option on every single car.that wasn't always the (bbc).the bbc would never say that Ferrari was garbage or over priced they had to agree on everything. Not them and they always had to insult each other. just like you would your mates. and with them anything goes.and it always ending in a two on one agreement in which jeremy usually lose but pull rank on them
scarlet_speedster985@reddit
Top Gear got me through a really tough time. It was just what I needed to take my mind off stuff. And I absolutely fell in love with it. I was devastated when Clarkson got fired and it looked like their run was over, but ecstatic when they announced The Grand Tour.
Ruttagger@reddit
The Trio plus Mr. Wilman.
ParaStudent@reddit
It was the dynamic, they complemented each other perfectly and I don't think that could ever be replicated.
Dry_Variation_17@reddit
Those 3 made it effortlessly fun. I’d pay so much to have all the BBC episodes on disc.
JoeSicko@reddit
Wilman's script writing and the art department.
maturin-aubrey@reddit
The specials!!
eagledog@reddit
The adventures that they went on. I never would have thought about driving through Botswana in an Opel Kadet or Vietnam on a Vespa, but somebody did for this show, and it was incredible
Left_Salary_304@reddit
I'm 73 female and i love love love these 3 guys. I Especially grand tour adventures. If I need a laugh I watch carnage a trois 🥰🥰🥰. I love cars and love these 3 guys. I cried so much at beginning of gt and harder at end of series. I will watch them over and over and over
shockwave_supernova@reddit
I preferred the (somewhat) more limited budget of TG. Obviously they could afford outrageous stuff, but the production was a bit more limited on some stuff and I think that added character and made the show feel a little less scripted. With the huge budget increase from Amazon, it felt a little too over-produced and I never got that "unscripted" feeling that TG could achieve
TheCraZZe@reddit
Thats what JC has spoken about before as well. He said because of the limited budget they had to really make use of it and make it as entertaining as possible.
Thats my gripe with TGT, it just feels too scripted a lot of the time.
nohurrie32@reddit
Captain slow yelling CLARKSON! Jezza just being a complete prick And the hamster being a horrible driver…. On a driving show!
The complete lack of celebrity and them being just genuine people
People I would like to hang out with have a pint or a gin and tonic
CaptainGreyBeard72@reddit
I think the level of professionalism helps make it easier to like, they had a great director and writers, some of the camera shots were epic.
How many shows showed so many different parts of the world on a human way? One doesn't always notice it at times but think of all the places that they visited.
WittyBannanaPants@reddit
No AI
Eastern-Bluejay-8912@reddit
For me it was kind of the characters/hosts and then also the way they were eccentric but passionate. Like they will listen to a car roar and then think “let’s see how far we can jump on a ramp in this” or there’s a new break system on these cars so let’s have a break stop race so they don’t hit the water. Like that fun to me. Also the travels using their cars was iconic. An the vs events were also great. Oh! An I loved the completion and rules they had, intro to the stig was always unbelievable and the line of celebrity jobs was something to always root for. Lol
IndianaJones_Jr_@reddit
There is an apalling lack of credit for Wilman & crew in this thread. They had a HUGE hand in making the show as good as it was. Would highly recommend the YouTube video from WAYMOE talking to Richard Porter, Too Gear script editor.
bozo-da-king@reddit
There interactions felt genuine
thepandaken@reddit
It had what I can only call "Britishness" to it. It's like an understated complexity, where on first blush it's a bit boring and muted to an American audience, but has a depth to its simplicity. I still watch back old episodes and find references I'd missed or noticed parts of a joke I'd not fully appreciated at the time. It was also my first experience of non-American entertainment. I'd always hated TV because it was just yelling, sound effects, and faked drama. Top Gear had yelling, and sound effects, and scripted drama elements, but it's like the volume is turned down while the overall notes are somewhat the same, and that was really refreshing.
Horbie1000@reddit
Had the BBC not been so pompous they would have realised Top Gear without Clarkson, Hammond & May was and was always going to be a complete and utter lemon.
Pottatothegreat1985@reddit
Same reason I think most people watch Jackass - the friendship on display. Maybe you watch Jackass to see people get hurt, maybe you watch Top Gear because you like cars, but the reason you stay is the cameraderie between the people on screen
sioux612@reddit
I can't tell what rehearsed, scripted etc most of the time
keyboy267@reddit
The obvious answer is the trio. They're great. Top Gear just didn't work without them.
But what set apart Top Gear for me, was the cinematography. It's easy to make a Ferrari look gorgeous, but they made mundane cars look desirable. Especially in the specials when their cars were Frankensteined together for comedic effect, the camera work was always top notch. Combined with breath taking scenery, the cinematography always made me feel immersed in the show. That was even before they went HD and 4K.
7ar5un@reddit
The connection the trio shared. Also it goes deeper (for me). Ive been watching them since college. After i graduated, while i was trying to find a career and while i was bouncing between random jobs, i watched the trio while i was dating, when i was engaged, when that failed (lol), when i was dating and when i found my wife. Ive been watching them when i became a father, when i bought a house, and when i found my forever career...
SO much of my life has changed but the trio remained the same. I could always count on them for their consistency; atleast something was constant in my life and that was a nice feeling.
geniusgravity@reddit
Holy trinity run. The original run was 1977 to 2001.
2SWillow@reddit
The 3 biggest boobs, nutcases, gearheads, international explorers and riot starters I ever had the pleasure of watching.
GenericUsername817@reddit
They had perfect chemistry and the "tests" they run. My 1st introduction to Top gear was catching Land Rover vs Tank and I was hooked
CommercialYam53@reddit
Yes it where the trio they had a perfect chemistry and I wish they would be still active it probably would be extremely funny to see them making fun off the cybertruck.
vabraten@reddit
The road trip chemistry
Lurks_in_the_cave@reddit
3 middle-aged idiots who were on the verge of declaring war on each other.
chandleya@reddit
It was multiple things. And nobody guessed it, they just got lucky.
longjia97@reddit
Good god where do I even begin? Obviously the presenters and their camaraderie were the main event, but that camaraderie was heavily enhanced and supplemented by the cars and the overall wackiness of both TG/TGT. I started watching these three through YouTube clips of TG back when I was a kid in 2008-9 (don't even wanna think about how long ago that was)--- the cars were the main draw at first, then the three guys messing about kept me around all these years later. Were it not for these three blokes and their friendship/bromance, Top Gear would've forever been a pokey little motoring show that never left the UK for greater heights.
It was truly a combination of all of the above, but with that special bond between the three ~idiots~ hosts being the glue that held it all together and turned it into the biggest TV show... in the world.
fifty50flip@reddit
The original run of top gear, when they did everything they could to destroy a Toyota truck, and it still started, was when I liked the show.
dpublicborg@reddit
They genuinely looked like they were having fun, like entirely unrestrained 14 year olds in the best possible sense.
Plus they were deeply passionate about what they’re talking about.
I can’t think of any other presenters on any other show that do that. And that’s why none of the other TG teams never worked for me. I always felt the director was angrily yelling “HAVE MORE FUN” between takes.
hardwood1979@reddit
The chemistry is an obvious one but I'd say it was the obvious passion they all had. Like chemistry, it can't be faked and I find that watching someone who is passionate about what they're doing is always worth watching, even if you don't care about the "thing" in question. The presenters absolutely loved what they were doing and it showed in every episode. Andy's passion behind the camera also shines through.
Also as a bit of of a photographer it was always nothing less than wonderfully shot and beautiful to look at.
Shout out to whoever picked the music too, ive discovered several unbelievable artists through watching top gear.
Active_Taste9341@reddit
i skipped the car reports/celebrity races and so on from the second time. its just them doing silly or crazy shit out in the wilds
ccReptilelord@reddit
Ultimately, it was the trio. Lots of other elements were great, but it was those three that felt like friends to me. I'm not here for the cars (in fact, the straightforward reviews held me the least), and I have no interest in other hosts. I did give later TG and even TG America a try, but soon lost interest. And that is why I'm here on this subreddit, more interested in news on Clarkson's Farm and James Gin than what's to become of The Grand Tour.
Klutzy_Insurance_432@reddit
Because at the time nothing else existed like that
3 friends going on a road trip with 3 bangers
PRSArchon@reddit
This! People who say it was just about the presenters are trying to rewrite history. The presenters has very little chemistry in the early years but clarkson and Willman came up with a brilliant format for a car show that simply did not exist at the time. They were ahead of their time while today there are dozens of YT channels etc doing the same thing.
HutchOne23@reddit
The camaraderie of the trio, the highs and lows of their actual friendships on full display.
Wilman’s editing and music selection.
Frankist1963@reddit
The entertainment, the subject was something I like and the presenters had great chemistry. They made me laugh.
SoyMurcielago@reddit
They are great but also my wife who doesnt much care for cars outside of how they look really enjoyed it too so its something we can watch together
kamarov2090@reddit
I always wanted to have friends who were into cars i never got that but the trio were the closest thing to that and in some ways even greater. Every time i watch the show it feels like im part of the gang
V_T_H@reddit
It was them. Those three could do anything mundane and I’d probably watch it. There’s a reason Top Gear was one of the most watched shows in the world. You didn’t need to care about cars to enjoy it. They made it simple enough for you to understand and fun to watch, their chemistry and banter is second to none, and they went to so many awesome places to do cool (and stupid) stuff. For as brash and ridiculous as they (Jeremy) could be, they tended to respect other cultures and people while they experienced them quite well. And none of them were afraid to look like the biggest moron of the moment if it meant making good television. Hell, they’d play it up even more. That’s why none of the follow-ups could capture that magic. It wasn’t the show. It was three eediots wearing hats.