# Sign this petition to not water down Topgear for american audiences...



## bmw325 (Dec 19, 2001)

http://www.petitiononline.com/dbtg2006/petition-sign.html?


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## brkf (May 26, 2003)

Water it down?

I wrote to Discovery Channel asking what happened to the show and they wrote back that a new season will start in the not too distant future. Good enough for me and my Tivo.


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## EdCT (Mar 14, 2002)

A certain amount of reformatting is necessary as the british show would have a different running time and commercial break pattern etc.

The worst thing is what Speed did to "Fifth Gear", segments promoted at the top of the show were simply snipped out of the body of the show to fit the 19 to 20 minute format.

I'd like to know more about the petition, it's rife with grammatical errors and cites as its source a "personal correspondence", this is hardly the stuff that causes me to jump up and sign.

Ed


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## LA525iT (Oct 27, 2003)

They do delete out segments with less flashy cars we dont get in the US. So while I enjoy the piece on the Pagani, I would also like to see the test of the Fiat Panda.


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## jaydoc1 (Mar 20, 2005)

I just need it back. I'm in withdrawl.


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## iateyourcheese (Sep 9, 2004)

I heard they cut out the anti-American jokes. I can take a joke, I wish they were included.


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## Nick325xiT 5spd (Dec 24, 2001)

iateyourcheese said:


> I heard they cut out the anti-American jokes. I can take a joke, I wish they were included.


 They also cut out portions of the reviews they do show.


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## FenPhen (Jan 13, 2004)

A full episode of Top Gear without commercials runs about 58 minutes long, which cannot fit in an American-format 1-hour time slot. 

Consequently, they re-order segments between episodes, cut out Star In A Reasonably-Priced Car, and they re-record some in-studio segments.


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## BlackChrome (Nov 16, 2003)

jaydoc1 said:


> I just need it back. I'm in withdrawl.


Same here.

It was bad enough to lose Fifth Gear, now this???


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## Test_Engineer (Sep 11, 2004)

they cut out the "Star in a resonably Price Car" segment from every show. And they cut some of the American wise cracks.... I think they are funny. And I don't recall if they showed the review of the Ford Mustang or the Chrysler Crossfire....those 2 are the best!


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## bmw325 (Dec 19, 2001)

Test_Engineer said:


> they cut out the "Star in a resonably Price Car" segment from every show. And they cut some of the American wise cracks.... I think they are funny. And I don't recall if they showed the review of the Ford Mustang or the Chrysler Crossfire....those 2 are the best!


The corvette one was also pretty funny-- althoguh pretty ignorant and unfair.


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## 528i (May 1, 2004)

Unless Discovery Channel runs it with no commercials, or spreads it to an hour and a half, they are going to have to cut something out. Top Gear is a full hour of runtime, as BBC has no commercials.

Though the laps of the "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" are usually hilarious, they are usually B-list British celebs (with some exceptions, and a few Americans here and there), that most Americans wouldn't know about or be able to see (ie promotion of their new BBC show, or what have you) so it makes sense that the interview is cut.

Do they cut out any of the news as well? Lately they have been talking a lot (read: b*tching) about speed cameras and the British Dept. of Transportation, which is interesting, but has no positive or ill effect on an American's road use. I haven't caught Top Gear on Discovery, so I don't know how old the shows are.


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## bmw325 (Dec 19, 2001)

528i said:


> Unless Discovery Channel runs it with no commercials, or spreads it to an hour and a half, they are going to have to cut something out. Top Gear is a full hour of runtime, as BBC has no commercials.
> 
> Though the laps of the "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" are usually hilarious, they are usually B-list British celebs (with some exceptions, and a few Americans here and there), that most Americans wouldn't know about or be able to see (ie promotion of their new BBC show, or what have you) so it makes sense that the interview is cut.
> 
> Do they cut out any of the news as well? Lately they have been talking a lot (read: b*tching) about speed cameras and the British Dept. of Transportation, which is interesting, but has no positive or ill effect on an American's road use. I haven't caught Top Gear on Discovery, so I don't know how old the shows are.


Good points-- you're right, that stuff isn't such a big deal. I do hope they keep the Anti-American jokes though, they're pretty funny (and sometimes spot-on).

I believe the discovery version is the current season delayed by about 6 weeks from when it aried in the UK.


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## Lanc3r (Sep 5, 2004)

All the Discovery shown episodes are cuts of the 2004 Top Gear season. It is cool to see an entire episode. And the few times i heard them make fun of Americans, it was funny. And I swear Jeremy likes to think of himself as an American Cowboy, at least thats the accent he tries to portray. But I have to admit I didnt recognize hardly any of the stars on the reasonably priced sedan laps. And their news portions can get boring as nothing pertains to U.S. driving.

I think we just need more entertaining automotive journalism here. Most of the T.V. jouralists we get are monotone. And it just seems that the Brits can get away with a lot more on there networks. Top Gear has some funny adult jokes that happen. I would have to wonder how well that would fly here. Especially on NASCAR T.V.


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## andy_thomas (Oct 7, 2002)

iateyourcheese said:


> I heard they cut out the anti-American jokes. I can take a joke, I wish they were included.


The gags are usually wisecracks about US suspension tastes (either marshmallowy or - in the case of the Z4 and Corvette - back-breakingly stiff) or of course SUVs (although the spark seems to have gone out of that paricular love affair). Then occasionally a leaf-sprung relic like a 'Vette comes along and posts an all-conquering time on the lap board, and it's fun to watch them squiem .

There was some talk that the watering down would mainly affect the lingo, such as petrol, boot, bonnet (for which read "fuel", "luggage compartment" and "engine compartment"). I doubt there's much they could do with the editorial; if they started to test US-only products which aren't available where the show is filmed, the studio audience would eventually evaporate.

Star in a Reasonably Priced Car occasionally has well-known Americans and Canadians and the comedy value is very high, watching these guys (Lionel Richie, Christian Slater)pedal a thrashed-out Suzuki 1.6 around a disused airfield in Surrey.


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## TeamM3 (Dec 24, 2002)

people ar signing petitions?  It's just a TV show :dunno: 

whackadoo :loco:


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## WileECoyote (May 7, 2003)

TeamM3 said:


> people ar signing petitions?  It's just a TV show :dunno:
> 
> whackadoo :loco:


Dude, every person that signs it is representative of a Billion people. So, when 20 people sign it, 20 BILLION PEOPLE agree. :familyguy:

Seriously, requesting the "pure" version shows Discovery that 1, there are people watching it, 2, people want to see more of the show, and 3, there are people watching it!

I, for one, would prefer if they repeated it so I could catch it at another time on my Tivo, in case something else was on that took priority (currently, TG on Discovery is my #2 priority show, IIRC). If we're unlucky and they bail on the show, Discovery should replace it with the Side Boob Hour :thumbup:


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## Lanc3r (Sep 5, 2004)

I swear Top Gear is my favorite show right now. New season starts on Nov 13 in the U.K.
But WTF is this Fifth Gear business?


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## 528i (May 1, 2004)

misterlance said:


> I swear Top Gear is my favorite show right now. New season starts on Nov 13 in the U.K.
> But WTF is this Fifth Gear business?


BBC cancelled Top Gear a few years ago, and everyone but Clarkson went on to make a show called Fifth Gear. They have pretty good car reviews (the new M5 flying around the track in France is from Fifth Gear), and Tiff is a MUCH MUCH better driver than Clarkson, Hamster, or May.. But those are its only selling points.


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## FenPhen (Jan 13, 2004)

528i said:


> They have pretty good car reviews (the new M5 flying around the track in France is from Fifth Gear), and Tiff is a MUCH MUCH better driver than Clarkson, Hamster, or May.. But those are its only selling points.


Tiff is a former professional racer, including Formula One, and here he is in another Fifth Gear clip:
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=117998&highlight=m5+f1


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## avalys (Oct 14, 2003)

You guys do know that you can download unabridged Top Gear episodes from the net the night after they air in the UK, right?


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## Lanc3r (Sep 5, 2004)

No.
http://www.torrentspy.com/search.asp?query=+top+gear&submit.x=0&submit.y=0


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## WileECoyote (May 7, 2003)

avalys said:


> You guys do know that you can download unabridged Top Gear episodes from the net the night after they air in the UK, right?


I also got the 2005 season of Doctor who that way :thumbup:

I recently watched the ep with the Ariel Atom in it, and the 'celeb drives a car' segment had the two women from What Not To Wear, which was kinda funny. It made me want to track down the episode of WNTW with Jeremy on it. I couldn't find it, unfortunately. Got any leads?


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## Lanc3r (Sep 5, 2004)

WileECoyote said:


> I also got the 2005 season of Doctor who that way :thumbup:
> 
> I recently watched the ep with the Ariel Atom in it, and the 'celeb drives a car' segment had the two women from What Not To Wear, which was kinda funny. It made me want to track down the episode of WNTW with Jeremy on it. I couldn't find it, unfortunately. Got any leads?


No. But in last seasons episodes they have Damon Hill and Mark Webber on to drive the reasonably priced car. That was cool. Mark Webber is in episode 6x10, forget which Damon is in.

Where do I get an " I am the Stig " T-shirt?


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## Lanc3r (Sep 5, 2004)

.


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## andy_thomas (Oct 7, 2002)

misterlance said:


> No. But in last seasons episodes they have Damon Hill and Mark Webber on to drive the reasonably priced car. That was cool. Mark Webber is in episode 6x10, forget which Damon is in.
> 
> Where do I get an " I am the Stig " T-shirt?


"The little Suzuki that could".

It would have been great to be a passenger with one of the F1 drivers at the wheel, just to find out how quick you can make a 100 bhp car go. David Soul broke its gearbox going from 5th to 2nd, a wheel came off when Lionel Richie was in it, Johnny Vegas drove it most of the way round on the rev limiter in 2nd (he doesn't have a driving licence), Michael Gambon got it onto one (!) wheel, and one of the others (a lady) buzzed the engine when she missed a shift. It's also got quite a few slightly different coloured panels. I bet it's run it, though.


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## Mr. Bimmer (Apr 8, 2003)

As long as they give us Jeremy Clarkson, I'm complacent, although I absolutely hate the idea of "watering down" Top Gear for us Americans, but suppose there is no other option.


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## 528i (May 1, 2004)

Well, Top Gear is back on in Britain, and I finally watched the ep Tuesday evening.. .And I have to say, it was one of the best I've seen. The M6 vs baby Aston vs 911 S test on the Isle of Mann was so funny 

They had a montage of reviews later on in the season, and that looked great as well. Expect a race with something vs the Bugatti Veyron (a la fast car vs train, plane, or boat).


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