stig Archive

Random ideas for the evolution and survival of Top Gear

By
Ryan Morrison
Published: January 14, 2010Posted in: GeneralTags: , , , , , , , ,
Random ideas for the evolution and survival of Top Gear

After an article in the Daily Mail this morning (since removed) randomly suggesting a Top Gear movie involving the lads going around the world in 80 cars.

It looks like this was taken from a suggestion originally posted in an ‘ideas for Top Gear’ thread on Digital Spy a while ago – but the idea is interesting.

I’m not saying a Top Gear movie would be the best of ideas of all time but there is more that could be done with the format.

Especially as it might be useful/interesting for Top Gear to do a Doctor Who/Torchwood and cut things back for a year.

The DW team took a year off from a normal series of the show and instead had a number of bigger budget specials.

Top Gear could do a similar thing – take 2011 off (I’m sure a lot of planning/work/money is already invested in 15/16 for this year) and instead of two series which is about 14 episodes – have four specials.

One could go out around Easter, one in the summer, one around October and another at Christmas – I’m sure a Christmas Day Top Gear special would do well.

Then, with car news, information and ideas brimming from a year of having to come up with fewer ideas – the lads could start again properly with series 17 in 2012.

In fact I think they’d do well taking the same approach as other BBC shows and maybe having one 8 episode series a year (maybe running from May) and then a special around Christmas.

I love Top Gear and there has been some great stuff over the years but spreading the money and ideas over fewer episodes I think would help keep it going for longer.

Top Gear 100: Missed it

By
Ryan Morrison
Published: June 22, 2009Posted in: General, Media, iPlayer PicksTags: , , , , , , , , ,
Top Gear 100: Missed it

Previously on my Top Gear obsessed blog – I wrote suggestions for Top Gear 100 – that was last series and it came and then went away.

Not that the Top Gear team noticed – Andy Wilman, show executive Producer, asked the crew to work out the number of episodes and tell him when it gets to 100.

He said: “Count up how many shows we’ve done since we came back on air with Top Gear because that has got to be a landmark show and we don’t want to miss the bugger.”

Andy then went on to explain that: “I’ve just worked out that the actual 100th show was the really shit one with the Renault Avantine so I’m sorry.”

So there we have it – no leaping over caravans, burning caravans – in fact no caravans at all – just a poor to middling, if not utter turd car. Oh well.

Here is a link to a great behind the scenes video from Top Gear 13×01 to take your mind off it. I can’t embed it though. You can watch what I think is episode 100 here.

However, something I can embed for you is Top Gear 13×01 as my tip of the week.

Embed code generated using the Up Your Ego PIP tool.

And to finish off a few words on this weeks Top Gear ratings – a pretty impressive one for Top Gear and BBC Two – but not the highest of all time.

The opening episode of Top Gear 13 saw an audience of 7.1 million and a share of 30.4% reaching a peak audience of 7.8 million by 8:45.

It was hte most popular show on BBC Two by a long way – with James May on the Moon taking the second spot with 3.2 million and a 13.8% share.

In fact Top Gear also gets the award for most watched show of the day by some margin – with BBC News at 10 getting 5.2 million in second and Stephen Fry’s Kingdom on ITV 1 getting 4.6 million in third.

Related articles by Zemanta
Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Top Gear back 21 June

By
Ryan Morrison
Published: June 9, 2009Posted in: Entertainment, General, iPlayer PicksTags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Top Gear back 21 June

Everyones favourite motoring based televisual entertainment programme featuring three middle aged men returns on 21 June 2009.

The 13th series of the iconic BBC Two show will be pretty much business as usual – but when that usual business leads to some of the best television in the world – I say keep on keeping on!

Top Gear producer, Andy Wilman said in a BBC Top Gear Blog Post: “I’m trying to distract viewers from what the title of the actual film would be, were this new series an actual film.

“It would be Top Gear 13, which sounds like something with Dolph Lungdren in it, or bad hotel porn.”

The next series will have seven episodes and will feature a mix of all the things we’ve grown used to over the last few years.

Andy said: “Over the coming seven-week series run a race or two will occur, supercars will slide from the left of your telly screen to the right of your telly screen in a cloud of tyre smoke, and a man in a white coat bearing a gold envelope will trigger a series of comedic and juvenile adventures.”

tv_preview_two2I don’t see anything wrong with that. And for more details the BBC Top Gear Magazine Transmission Blog will be publishing a daily preview.

Some of the highlights from that blog and from the Final Gear Forum so far seem to suggest the following will, may or may not appear in series 13 of Top Gear.

The boys buy some old cars and join a group of beardy enthusiasts on a classic car rally – I’ve been to a couple of these for the Beeb and the smell – oh god the smell!

From the Mole blog post: “The twist? The office chose their co-drivers too…”

So these are the confirmed features

  • Train vs Car vs Bike [more]

That’s the only preview from the official blog so far – but what has been suggested on the rumour mill that is the Final Gear Forum?

To avoid spoiling your surprise – just in case you stumbled across this hunting for a start date (although I put that in the title), I’m just going to give you the headline for the feature and a link.

You choose if you want to follow that link to find out more.

NOTE: These are not all proven to be true and some are probably not. Just a taster to wet your Top Gear appetite.

I’ll add more to this page as I find them – in the meantime take the above with the pinch of salt they may require – nothing should be taken as gospel until you read it on the BBC Top Gear Blog or see it on the show.

Related articles by Zemanta
Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Top Gear back in June?

By
Ryan Morrison
Published: February 9, 2009Posted in: General, MediaTags: , , , , , , ,

Top Gear series 13 returns to BBC Two on Sunday 21 June 2009. Find out more…

A post by Sonyxxx16 on the FinalGear forums – showing a photo of the latest Top Gear magazine seems to confirm a June return for everyones favourite entertainment show featuring forms of transportation.

Or – Top Gear.

The first place to find out about new Top Gear always seems to be at the end of the presenters columns in the TG mag.

I’ll post a scan as soon as I can. No confirmation on topgear.com yet though – so could change and they DID get the date wrong last time.

But who will be the Stig.

Related articles by Zemanta
Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Absense of journalists? Unmask the Stig!!

By
Ryan Morrison
Published: February 2, 2009Posted in: General, NewsTags: , , , , , , ,

Ok so lets kick this blog post off with a list of headlines and their associated links. Then I probably won’t need to write anything else as you will have worked out what I’m talking about already.

The Sun: Stig Identity is revealed

The Sun: Clarkson names Top Gear’s Stig

The Sun: Fans blitz net in search of Stig ID

The Sun: Top Gear’s FOUR Stigs

The Mirror: The secret identity of Top Gear’s Stig revealed

Daily Mail: EXCLUSIVE: The eight drivers behind Top Gear stunt driver The Stig’s famous racing whites

Daily Mail: The Stig(s) unmasked: Top Gear use FOUR different mystery test drivers

The Guardian: Top Gear’s Stig: the truth is out there

The Independent: Top Gear’s Stig is unmasked

Telegraph: Top Gear: Rumours that Ben Collins was The Stig started on YouTube more than a year ago

Telegraph: Top Gear staff dress as The Stig

Telegraph: Stig unveiling could spell end of TV career

Telegraph: Stig mystery reignited amid claims he is played by four actors

Telegraph: The Stig’s true identity is still a mystery, claims Top Gear’s James May

Telegraph: Stig mystery reignited amid claims he is played by four actors

Telegraph: Top Gear’s The Stig ‘played by eight drivers’

Telegraph: The Stig mystery: Top Gear’s James May says ‘harmless fairytale’ like Harry Potter and Dr Who

Telegraph: The Stig: Jeremy Clarkson’s new revelation

Identity of Top Gear’s The Stig revealed as B———

Have you got the idea yet? I was going to write a long winded piece about how the lack of journalists, or at least the increase in workload for journalists has led to an increase in silly quick hit stories.

I’ve fallen foul of it myself – having written a number of stories for the sake of ‘filling the gap’ until I’ve been able to properly research and write up a full original feature.

But I decided that the subject had been covered to death so would pick a single ‘quick hit make word story’ and link to all the newspapers that have covered – the Telegraph seem to have really sunk their teeth into the juicy, pointless morsel.

Do I want to know who the Stig is? does it really matter who the Stig is? Do fans really care who the Stig is? No – not really.

But it has got lots of people talking about it, I’ve just linked about eight times to The Telegraph and other newspapers thus increasing their Google Juice and a number of forums, blogs and twitteres have been doing much the same since the story first broke weeks ago.

Still – last word to TopGear.com – who’d have thought Graham Hill was the Stig!

Related articles by Zemanta
Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

I was wrong about TG sale

By
Ryan Morrison
Published: November 11, 2008Posted in: GeneralTags: , , , , , , , ,

Top Gear on iTunes

So a long time ago I wrote a blog post saying that we will never see Top Gear box set DVDs – this was based on a chat with someone responsible for commissioning BBC DVDs.

Basically the argument was that it can’t happen because of music rights – to sell it they would have to re-negotiate all the music rights and some couldn’t be cleared at all – so it was better to not sell it.

I also seem to remember saying – proudly and loudly – that we will probably never see Top Gear on iTunes. Well that happened a while ago in the USA with the release of Series 10.

I wasn’t worried then because this was the the cut down BBC America version – with different music.

Well – although we don’t have a DVD box set it does look like you’ll now be able to buy Series 12 of Top Gear, in full as broadcast on BBC TWO – eight days after the BBC TWO broadcast on iTunes.

This seems to be done as part of the same deal that BBC Worldwide has in place to put other BBC shows on the Apple digital media store.

Basically it airs – it goes to the iPlayer for seven days (although Top Gear is stacked so is actually up on the iPlayer for about 10 weeks) and then after eight days makes its way to iTunes where you can buy it for £1.89 – or £14.99 for the season pass.

As there are ten episodes it makes sense to get the season pass – or find alternatives ways of downloading TG – but I didn’t tell you that and think you should go out and spend £14.99 RIGHT NOW on the legal version from iTunes.

Top Gear returns 2 November

By
Ryan Morrison
Published: October 22, 2008Posted in: MediaTags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Also known as The big and shiny pre Top Gear series 12 post.

Can I just say, before I go ANY further ‘TOP GEAR IS NEARLY BACK’ WHOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOO

OK I appreciate your patience in letting me get that out of my system. Now lets get on with the post and talk about Top Gear instead of screaming in anticipation.

Series 12 (Sunday 2 November 2008)

I do have a full and detailed post planned that will look at some of the things we know will be in the next series of Top Gear – will include lots of fan love and man crushing and will hopefully be very exciting and informative.

I’ll even post about the new website when it launches later this week AND the fact that you can now buy Top Gear series 10 on iTunes – but only in the US and in a cut down form with different music.

While you’re waiting why not check out the Transmission blog on topgear.com or the Final Gear forums – that’s where I’ll source my info from anyway.

In the meantime here is the trail that’s been doing the rounds on BBC One, BBC Two and BBC Three for the past few days.

Related articles by Zemanta
Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Further milking of the cash cow

By
Ryan Morrison
Published: October 6, 2008Posted in: GeneralTags: , , , , , , ,

Stig CowChristmas is coming and the Stig is getting stuffed. Actually its just a doll version but the message is still very much the same.

I’m still not 100% certain of the timing of the start of series 12 of Top Gear – it’s either at the end of this month or the very start of next – either way it will finish near Christmas.

On the flip side the timing of a new licensing partnership between BBC Worldwide and Wow! Stuff that will see a range of new TopGear toys released by Autumn 09 – is well planned.

The deal will see a doll of the The Stig made as well as other toys, gifts and gadgets for the already very well milked hit show.

But I would rather this than advertising. It’s better that the BBC fill any funding gap, and help keep the licence fee low by selling fringe marketing materials for its hit shows – than demand to carry advertising or go subscription based.

Initial product line plans include remote control cars, novelty gifts, desk top toys and a hotly anticipated doll of the Stig – all due to hit retailers in Autumn 2009.

Other new deals include a toy and game range for Marks & Spencer licensing to Peter Black Holdings, which will hit shops this October.

Apparently there is also a deal with Kinnerton Confectionary that will include celebration cakes (from January 2009) and childrens lunch bags/water bottles.

What this really proves though – other than the fact that JC has clearly and obviously just signed a new deal giving him more of the TG Wordlwide profits – is how many kids actually watch the show.

I know I sit down every Sunday and watch it with my five year old lad.

I guess we can now look forward to ‘the amazing adventures of Stiiiiig’ on CBBC within the next six months.

Top Gear 100

By
Ryan Morrison
Published: August 26, 2008Posted in: General, TelevisionTags: , , , , , , , , ,

Top Gear Cake If you’ve read my blog anything near occasionally you may well have noticed a fascination I have with Top Gear, ok obsession (my wife insisted I put that). Well in November Top Gear (the new format) will reach 100.

Read the rest of this entry »

« Older Entries