Fifth Gear

[oscarkim1]

Anybody know why they have cut this down to half and hour (other than the usual cost cutting excuses) this is by far the best motoring programme on TV, and yet the rubbish Clarkson gets an hour on BBC,come on Channel 5 get a grip.

[TTG]

Must admit I am getting fed up with the Top Gear antics. Just review cars not have them trying to beat a speed-boat, blow up a few caravans etc etc.

[Count-A-Strong]

Some interesting discussion here:
http://www.pistonhead...&f=204&t=858931&mid=0
but no conclusion.

[Whickerman]

I LOVE Top Gear. Frankly I don't mind it if they refer to it as a motoring show, a comedy epic, whimsical flight of fancy or rivetting rom-com. They can call it what they like so long as they keep showing it

[Richard1966]

I agree that you really have to see Top Gear as an entertainment program rather than a car review show. Bloody good entertainment though.

[Coobeastie]

Its probably down to cost cutting on the part of 5 and the fact that its audience figures have been going down.

As comparison Top Gear can easily pull in 7 million viewers whereas Fifth Gear just about musters a million.

Top gear was also losing its audience when it was just a car review show. That's why the BBC puled the plug and since its reinvention by Clarkson and his business partner Andy Williams its gone on to huge successes.

Fifth gear is ok provided you enjoy watching Tiff Needell acting like a lecherous old man trying to scare various attractive young women by driving fast and doing burnouts/powerslides.

There are plenty of magazines around if you want a bare to the bones review of an average car.

[Ankou]

i love top gear, brilliant entertainment show. i like to see the odd car review, but its more the antics and whacky challenges that i enjoy.

as an overview of last night, the top gear show probably is only about half an hour long as well. thats if you take out the unnecessary and tedious 'star in a car' bit which drags on for at least 20 minutes (yawn, zzz). i actually watched something else whilst alistair campbell waffled on about his new book (i presume??). and the review of the new porsche was a bit dull too.

so more daft challenges and plain tomfoolery suits me just fine. i could watch an hour of that every week.

sorry, don;t watch much 5th gear for the reasons given above.

[Davethedog]

I agree Top Gear is an entertainment show I can't remember the last time they actualy reviewd a car that I could afford that I would want to drive.

They don't do ordinary.