Top Gear being neutered
A sad day for television and a good time to ask the leadership at BBC WTF? - I mean seriously...
From the
UK Telegraph:
Top Gear: popular BBC show to 'cut back on the comedy stunts'
James May, who presents the motoring programme alongside Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond, said there would be a more serious tone to the new series, which begins on Sunday.
The decision to alter the BBC Two show follows repeated criticism of Top Gear's sillier stunts.
�The keen observer will see a subtle change this series, a slight retreat from the Last of the Summer Wine tomfoolery. It�s easy to get carried away � it�s like drinking, you start to believe you�re funny and other people might not," May told the Radio Times.
�I don�t think anybody would say a TV programme has got too big � everybody wants their programme to be the biggest in the world. But it opens you to accusations of dumbing down, all that sort of stuff. It possibly makes it more difficult.�
And of course, this is all to do with ratings -- the viewing audience is just not into watching them smash things up:
Top Gear is BBC Two's most-watched programme, regularly drawing audiences of over five million. It is broadcast in more than 100 countries and is said to be one of the most illegally downloaded programmes in the world.
The Telegraph, in a second article, has compiled their top ten video excerpts of Top Gear.
Check out
Top Gear's 10 best and most destructive stunts
Posted by DaveH at June 28, 2010 10:38 AM