[TV] Top Gear Australia

[inpitlane]

Just heard that SBS have bought the rights to do a local version of Top gear for 2008.
The only thing that makes the original one worth watching is the massive budget they have and the fact that on the BBC they can be 100% objective about the cars.
The same will definately not be the case here.

[Pro Racer]

i'll still watch it.

[Biggy G]

I think the hosts are also a big appeal of the british show, be interesting to see how an Australia crowd goes at replicating it

[RS500]

Please Not Grant Denyer

[Razor]

I reckon Mr Crompton, Mr McConvillie and Mr Seton with Mr Brad Jones as the tame racing driver will be good.

(BTW, with the Stig, what about these lines. "Some say he isn't the only person to be filled with obnoxious gas, and if he could be bothered, he could fix his back in 5 seconds. All we know is, he's called Bradley Stig )

[RS500]

JB will have some spare time next year he's not afraid to speak his mind

[Uncle Cranker]

Originally Posted by RS500

JB will have some spare time next year he's not afraid to speak his mind

You have all clearly missed the point of the BBC version of the show.

None of the presenters are motor-sport identities/personalities (exception being [Shuey/Johnny Herbert/Alain Menu/Mansell] the multi personaltied STIG)



The fact that it isn't based on Motor-sport makes it so much more appealing,
I mean even Auntie Cranker loves it, and she wouldn't know Mark Skaife from a horses ass......don't even think it...



The good writing, the amazing scenery, as Brett mentioned, the incredibly large budget.(careful Brett, they might poach your La Porchetta sponsorship from you, and the crew would have buy their own Tuesday night dinner !)

Imagine the first challenge they do in the Aussie version.(with an SBS sized budget)

A $200 70's 4 cyl 'supercar' challenge, and what do they buy ?


A UC Torana: a TD Cortina and a Chrysler Centura, all with at least $100 left over, which will pay the towing bill to get the **** heaps back to the studio.

As for 'a star in a reasonably priced car', I'm seeing a Kia..... with Ben Cousins driving it; hang on he'll park it 5 corners in and do a runner on foot.......

As much as I love the show, it will be like watching the American version of 'The Office': nothing but a cringe-worthy poor imitation.




All we can hope for is they use 'motoring' presenters at the end of their use- by; that way it will finish their career's.

Does anyone have phone numbers for Will Hagen, John Smailes, Mike & Andy Raymond, David Tapp, Darryl Eastlake, Wade Aunger,

Any others you'd care to add.....

[RS500]

Originally Posted by Uncle Cranker

As much as I love the show, it will be like watching the American version of 'The Office': nothing but a cringe-worthy poor imitation.
:

I cringed when i first read that sbs would be doing an Australian version.

I would prefer someone that knows something about cars (like Clarkson and co) instead of just random tv personalities.

[Denosaur]

Originally Posted by Uncle Cranker

None of the presenters are motor-sport identities/personalities (exception being [Shuey/Johnny Herbert/Alain Menu/Mansell] the multi personaltied STIG)

The Stig isn't any of these guys. The original 'Black' Stig was a former English F1 driver, can't remember his name at the moment, but when it got out who he was, well they took care of him and along came the 'White' Stig. If you want to know more, see if you can find Series 3 of the show.
The other Stig that they had, who happened to be The Stig's fat American cousin was Andretti Senior. That wasn't too hard to work out if you have seen Senior lately.




As for an Australian based show, I don't think it will ever take off unless they bring the boys out from the UK, film and package it up in a couple of weeks and send them back.

Unless SBS do a talent search, we don't have anyone in this country with balls like Clarkson to say what they really think about a car. Which probably has more to do with the fact that most of the car companies here prop the current batch of shows up. Not to mention, how the hell would the show get a car like the Lambo Gallardo Legerra when there's probably on one or two maybe even non in Aus at the moment. I don't see the owners throwing there keys over easily. And that's probably the highlight of most Top Gear episodes is when they drive these supercars.

[WebberForWDC]

Originally Posted by Denosaur

Unless SBS do a talent search,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7uPSotIhso

They did run a little video production challenge, the entrants ought to be quite pleased with a part-time television presenting job out of it...

even on a SBS salary .

On a side note, the black stig is though to be Perry McCarthy and the white stig is thought to be Ben Collins.

[db120176]

Originally Posted by WebberForWDC

On a side note, the black stig is though to be Perry McCarthy and the white stig is thought to be Ben Collins.

I heard Julian Bailey was the White Stig

[PVDA]

Originally Posted by Denosaur

The other Stig that they had, who happened to be The Stig's fat American cousin was Andretti Senior. That wasn't too hard to work out if you have seen Senior lately.

Not to mention Stig's African cousin as featured in one of the more recent editions in the UK which we should see here in about 12 months.

White Stig is several different people depending on what he is driving at the time.

[mayhem]

Hopefully if it goes well enough they can bring Clarkson, May and Hammond down to do a crossover show, I'd love to hear their views on some of our 'pieces of kit'.

[Uncle Cranker]

I've just thought of some more contenders for final job ever on OZ TV:

Dieter Kahsnitz.

Glen (Sue) Ridge

And if they want the female perspective Grace McLure or Peter Wherrett

[racer69]

If it's along the lines of 'Torque', it could be good (hell, just buy the rights to it from the ABC, providing the original film hasn't been buried, and air that instead)

It will more likely be along the lines of the stuff we've had lately like "The Car Show" (it had potential i guess) or 'Drive'.....

SBS would be better off putting the money into buying the rights to Tiff Needell's "5th Gear", and play that when they run out of Top Gears to show.

[db120176]

Originally Posted by racer69

SBS would be better off putting the money into buying the rights to Tiff Needell's "5th Gear", and play that when they run out of Top Gears to show.

5th Gear is carob to Top Gear's chocolate

[Chappelli]

350 Million viewers buys you a lot of attention from car companies wanting to flaunt their wares... 800,000 not so much.

If they're going to make it successful they're either gong to have to piggy back on the back of some (or a lot) of the UK's cars or be very very very very smart about the way they operate.

[db120176]

You know they'll have a woman who knows bugger all about cars (it's SBS after all)

[Buckshot]

This is just scary - I hope we still get the UK version and they don't chop them up and re-edit them with Australian bits. Then again what do I care, like most Top Gear fans I download all the episodes and I'm currently a series and a half ahead of SBS.

The Car Show, Test Drive and I think Channel 10 even tried one have been absolute rubbish. Just compare them:
Top Gear: Today on Top Gear we're gonna drive a Lamborghini Gallardo Legerra, Porsche 911 GT3 RS and an Austin Martin accross Europe looking for the best driving roads.
The Car Show:Today, Glen Ridge drives the new Toyota Echo and we look at sunglasses or some B&B in country Victoria somewhere.

Instead of producing a local show SBS how about getting the real deal here before the episodes are over a year old.

[mildura1963]

This show is already happening it is shown on Austar on the Community TV Channel

[SuperRoo]

Wasn't there a local show about 1-2 years ago that tried to replicate TG? I think on Ch9. I remember a BA XR6 doing a lap of, I think Oran Park. There was a studio audience standing and celebrity lap dashes and its own version of the stig. Can't remember the name of the show...

[DAVID PATERSON]

Originally Posted by SuperRoo

Wasn't there a local show about 1-2 years ago that tried to replicate TG? I think on Ch9. I remember a BA XR6 doing a lap of, I think Oran Park. There was a studio audience standing and celebrity lap dashes and its own version of the stig. Can't remember the name of the show...

I remeber that, i think it was on Channel 10 and it was called Drive. I think Michael Stahl was on it, and the Stig was the Chip and it was Warren Luff.

I agree with everyone else on here. This idea is doomed to failure. The appeal of the BBC Top Gear is the repartee between the hosts and the amazing stories that are enabled by the enormous budget. Clarkson's candour is brilliant, no Aussie motoring journalist would have the balls, it's too small a world and loose lips can end careers.

Deeks, I love your synopsis, that's Gold!

[dmcl]

well, no matter what happens, so long as i can find a torrent somewhere to make sure I get the "original and best" Top Gear with three middle aged blokes "cocking about with cars' I will be happy. Jeremy and his hatred of Porsche is most amusing - I went to a Porcshe Club meeting one night, and its fair to say they dont like him either.

One of the secrets to the show is the banter betweent the hosts, and there may be some car journos who might be able to make this work David Morley and Rowan Harmon used to have a faily good repartee year ago when they did something on the ABC, and on radio with RRR a lifetime ago. and Morleys hair is similar to James May.
Dieter Khasnitz of "C Word" fame would be another good possiblity, apparently he is back from his venture on the car show and preparing something that is suited to community TV, so you never know.

we should be grateful that its sbs that have the rights, imagine if one of the true commercial networks got hold of it, it would end up some sort of morphing of the "Car Show"'s advertorial style, mixed with a "footy show" type banter and no doubt a catriona rowntree type would be in there too.

Hang on, I think I have a pitch to write.

[WebberForWDC]

It's true that the people on Top Gear can't actually drive all that well and perhaps that's a positive, but on Fifth Gear they are all racing drivers and I can't see why you can't have a cast of three racing drivers provided that they can also be funny....

So JB, BJ, Cam McConville etc. could be good value.

If Glenn Ridge's show can get nice promotional examples seconded along I can't see why this show wouldn't. Sure there would be more HSV's and hot Veedubs than Ferraris and Lambos, but that's kinda more relevant anyway.

[deeks6]

SBS say they won't just copy the British show ... which should ensure it's an instant failure - and have lots of "local" content - YIPES.

I can see it now ... the hosts will be a monotone Asian woman, an Iraqi disabled refugee and a homosexual white man (because we have to cover all the cultural bases). The new Stig will actually be Ahmed, a Nigerian born Taxi driver.

The challenges will be interesting:

- can Ahmed find his way anywhere?
- interstate challenge Dandenong vs. Cabramatta to see which gang can completely dismantle a Commodore faster. Bonus points if they actually sell all the bits first.
- the local supercar challenge ... Week 1 HSV vs FPV, Week 2 FPV vs HSV, Week 3 well you get the picture
- the Greenie Challenge Bob Brown in his gas-guzzling, smoke belching 4WD vs Peter Garret in his gas guzzling stretch limo to see who can chain it to a tree first.
- the Pizza delivery challenge ... whose 1985 Camira is the fastest?
- the Japanese import "bling and extras" weigh-in test

Enough for at least 3 shows ...