Top Gear on the Discovery Channel
I was hoping to head up my own production inspired by Top Gear in the U.S. and then these
Discovery Channel people come in and steal all the fun. At least others will be able to experience the enjoyment of Top
Gear on the Discovery Channel. Actually, they have already aired an episode on Wednesday night, but you can catch an
encore at 6 PM EST on the Discovery Channel on Saturday. This is the best automotive television show in the
world, period. You will be doing yourself a serious injustice if you don't watch it. In the current episode, Jeremy
Clarkson attempts to outrun an Apache helicopter's missile lock in a Lotus Exige.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Victor 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
sweet!
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Damian 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
Is this the same as the show "5th gear" that was (is?) on Speed?
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APK 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
These are older seasons, if you have not see them you really should. They are a little picky but have a love of cars and an ability to trash them that our media seriously lacks. I still prefer to download the current season but these are a start. Maybe next season they can air them in line with the BBC.
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Strom 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
It seems like they're taking some older footage (such as the Apache vs. Exige bit) and mixing it with some newer reviews. They also seem to mix in dialogue that is more American. I noticed that Jeremy Clarkson pronounced "coupe" in the American way rather than the British way.
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Shoefly 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
I saw the first episode this week. Had no idea it was going to be on. Nice suprise to see it on the screen instead of the computer for a change. Truly the best car show in the world.
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A_B 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
There's an error in the original post.
Randall wrote: "This is the best automotive television show in the world, period."
It should read: "This is the best television show in the world, period."
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Oz 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
I was waiting for this for a long time. Older or not Top Gear worth watching all the time. I loved the New 3 Series and Cadillac CTS review on the last episode. Wish I had Tivo/DVR.
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Oakmad 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
"This is the best automotive television show in the world, period."
What about 5th Gear! It shows on Speed every once in a while, this past week they had the best cars ever. And they have Vicki! Without a doubt the sexiest package on television.
http://www.vb-h.net/
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F1 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
Fifth Gear is ok. But Top Gear is the Best and better than 5th Gear. I know that next season Fifth Gear will be an hour long programm instead of 30min. Cant wait for this sunday's eps of top gear. i love the race between Jeremey and Richard/James, That DB9 was sure sweet
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Motorin' 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
I barely caught this when browsing through my guide on Tuesday night and promptly set up my DVR to record it. I was surprised it's on the Discovery Channel...I thought it couldn't be THE Top Gear when I saw it in the guide. It seems like it's the original series, but with new some new commentary/packaging just for the U.S.
Too bad all of the 5th Gear episodes have been reruns for months...I'm not sure if any new episodes are coming (or exist). Vicky is pretty hot...gotta love the accent. Then Auto Motor und Sport is also no longer on PBS, so the arrival of Top Gear stateside is more than welcome.
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TT 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
You can download some past episode from http://www.mininova.org/search/?search=uk+gear
Also be sure to check out the Top Gear and 5th Gear Discussions on http://www.finalgear.com
I saw the Discovery Channel version and was a bit disappointed. They cut about 1/2 of each of the "reviews". Usually the parts where the presenters give their opinions of the cars. That is usually the best part. When something is crap they say it's crap (Rubbish, actually). Unlike the American car shows like MotorWeek, and Motor Trend TV.
The 5th gears on Speed are similarly edited.
They removed much of what makes these shows really special.
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Dave Green 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
Amen on both Fifth Gear and Top Gear being so far above the typical American automotive themed programs. I love the way they spend precious little time reviewing the interior niceties and debating the fuel economy yada yada and can't wait to go out and thrash the snot out of everything. Old episodes, new ones, who cares. Its unabashed old car lovin' fun. I was channel surfing Wednesday night when Top Gear came on and could hardly believe the luck! Kudos to Discovery Channel especially as Speed further devolves into the NASCAR channel and we are forced to watch crap like some driver's Mom sharing favorite recipes on prime time (yes, this happened recently!). I'm heading out to get a DVR this weekend solely because of seeing TG this week!!
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AJ 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
Personally, I prefer Top Gear because Tiff Nedell is a better and more entertaining driver than Jeremy Clarkson, who seems to spend more time spounting weird hyperbole than actually driving the cars....this is a car review show jeremy!...not history of england trivia hour...Tiff is also more into really beating a car to pieces, whereas Clarkson seems to hesitate to push any machine to its limits...both shows are miles above anything on the Speed Channel though, thats for sure...
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Hyper 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
Top Gear on Discovery is still much better than 5th Gear, but do yourself a favor and get the UK broadcasts. They cut a lot out of the show, its a shame, but the UK broadcast is nearly a full hour, while an hour on Discovery is only 42+/-minutes.
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Kurt 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
I love Top Gear. Where else can you see Toyota Aygo Football, 1500 pound sportscar challenges, a "what's better to pack up women, a DB9 or a puppy dog?" segment, or Clarkson saying that Enzo owners most likely have to stand "unusually close to the urinal" and that the Caddy CTS-V was designed by someone who only had a ruler?
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Josh Wardell 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
Spectacular! Top Gear is one of my favorite shows, and now I have another means of watching it. Please, please don't chop it up Discovery. Even if the episodes are not the most current, they are still great fun to watch. Maybe they are testing and will soon be airing the new episodes for us?
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BrianS 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
Yes, Clarkson is alright, but what about Tiff and Vicki?!
Needles is the man!
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JG3 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
Cool. Thanks for the heads-up! The Porsche/BMW/Jag on the beach segment brought on some serious drool.
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Elias 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
Top Gear is definitely the best car show out there! They really do so much more than the American car shows (which just show the cars driving on deserted roads, real slow, and then just list the specs like a brochure).
The Range Rover Sport vs. Tank, Ferrari 612 vs. Trains, etc... all awesome little segments.
-- Elias
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JFM 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
#13 and #17 - I'm with you - Tiff single handedly makes 5th Gear better than Top Gear in my mind. Top Gear certainly has its moments though. Kudos to Discovery for bringing it over here!
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