Top Gear Host Chris Evans Steps Down After Poor Ratings (theverge.com) 251
A number of readers have submitted news coming out of popular show Top Gear. Chris Evans has announced he is leaving his role as a presenter on BBC Two's Top Gear after one series. His resignation comes amid falling ratings for the show -- which hit a series low on Sunday night, with an average of 1.9 million viewers. The Verge reports:Evans was brought in alongside Matt LeBlanc and host of other new faces to fill the positions left by Clarkson, James May, and Richard Hammond. The first series of the show had poor ratings, with fewer than 2 million viewers tuning into its series finale this weekend -- lower than any episode helmed by Clarkson.
of course (Score:5, Insightful)
Back when the Top Gear 2002 was (re)booted, I wouldn't have said it but after 20-something seasons - there's no team that can replace Clarkson, Hammond and May. Their charisma together was quite unique and I loved the show, for all of its faults.
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Clarkson,Wilson and Needell. But that was when it was about cars.
And there is a reason why pretty much nobody remembers the last two.
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Clarkson,Wilson and Needell. But that was when it was about cars.
And there is a reason why pretty much nobody remembers the last two.
Unless you watch channel 5 and they're both on 5th gear.
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Clarkson,Wilson and Needell. But that was when it was about cars.
Yep.
It's easy to forget now, but the "old" Top Gear was itself pretty successful in its 90s heyday. Not to the extent that people banged on and on and on and on about it to the tedious extent they do with the post-2003 version. But still a well-known touchstone of 1990s television that was responsible for making Clarkson popular in the first place and strongly associated with him.
It feels strange to say in hindsight (given that nowadays it's clear that Clarkson is the epitome of the boorish, tedious, ri
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You got old. You lost your sense of humour. I remember when you used to be cool.
Damn, even *I* knew I was never cool!
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Hammond and May did (enjoyable!) segments by themselves too, you know. I also like May in particular in some of his non-Top-Gear presenting (e.g. "James May's
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The other problem they have is that the old show hasn't stopped. It has simply moved to a new channel where it will get an even bigger budget.
Unless Clarkson and co really stuff up, it is hard to see how their *new* show won't be at least as popular as their old gig. With Amazon's budget, a break, a license to try some fresh stuff, and in some ways even, a 'don't care, nothing to prove' attitude, they will probably be pretty successful at keeping the franchise alive with its previous viewers. Whether they c
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Personally I'm happy Evans has gone. I hadn't heard of him before the show was announced,
Yes, he's been broadcasting for years and years and he's always been annoying. He's had several talk shows on TV in addition to the radio work. For some reason a lot of people seem to like listening to him rabbit on about nothing in particular. I can't see the attraction myself.
Re: of course (Score:5, Funny)
He hosts a breakfast radio show, I think because it helps to hurry people out of their homes in the morning.
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Yes, he's been broadcasting for years and years and he's always been annoying.
He seemed to be reasonably likeable in his early career; first as the presenter of The Big Breakfast [wikipedia.org] in the early 1990s, followed by the short-lived Don't Forget Your Toothbrush. [wikipedia.org]
But something happened between "Toothbrush" and TFI Friday [wikipedia.org] because he seemed to become very dislikeable to me at that point. Hard to say why, but I think there was a subtle but obvious shift from him giving the impression that he was having fun and doing indulgent things for the viewer's (vicarious) enjoyment to giving the impres
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Personally I'm happy Evans has gone. I hadn't heard of him before the show was announced,
Yes, he's been broadcasting for years and years and he's always been annoying. He's had several talk shows on TV in addition to the radio work. For some reason a lot of people seem to like listening to him rabbit on about nothing in particular. I can't see the attraction myself.
Yeah but they're the type of people that listen to radio 2 and thought big breakfast was cool.
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The other problem they have is that the old show hasn't stopped. It has simply moved to a new channel where it will get an even bigger budget.
But not the clout of the British Broadcorping Castration.
I can guarantee you they won't be able to swing things like Spitfires or aircraft carriers or being welcomed at embassies.
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It won't be anywhere near as big because it's on an obscure subscription service instead of BBC2.
Re:of course (Score:5, Insightful)
Exactly this. It was a silly show but, you couldn't help but watch it even if your didn't give a shit about cars. It was *fun*. And had the added benefit of seeing insanely expensive cars that you'll never drive. Being driven by a mute gimp in a helmet. Brilliant.
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Nah, this is like 5.0 or something by now -- there's also Top Gear Australia and Top Gear America, at a minimum. None of them are as good as Clarkson/Hammond/May.
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To be fair... (Score:2, Troll)
Re:To be fair... (Score:4, Informative)
Matt Le Blanc isn't a bad host but they really need someone dry and British. Eventually they're going to run out of jokes about him being American.
Re:To be fair... (Score:4, Interesting)
Jimmy Carr it is then.
Re:To be fair... (Score:4, Insightful)
they really need someone dry and British.
Jimmy Carr it is then.
I was actually quite surprised they didn't recruit him for it. He's been on both the top and bottom of the leaderboard for star in a reasonably priced car. He has the humor that would keep the show going even in the post-Clarkson era. To a global audience he's as British as the queen. And of course, his name is Carr.
I don't know what he's doing for work right now, but it certainly doesn't get as much TV time on this side of the pond as Top Gear.
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To a global audience he's as British as the queen.
And to quite a lot of the British audience he's an insufferably smug, unfunny git whose most recent claim to fame is being publicly shamed for tax avoidance.
I don't know what he's doing for work right now...
8 out of 10 Cats and not much else. I can't imagine why.
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he's busy making truck loads of money from netflix and live shows
And 8 out 10 cats does countdown. That shit's on all the time.
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Matt Le Blanc isn't a bad host but they really need someone dry and British. Eventually they're going to run out of jokes about him being American.
Matt only looks decent because he's standing next to Chris most of the time.
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they really need someone dry and British.
I'ld put Chris Harris into the studio, I think he has a sharp wit and could quickly gather a following
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...charmless, loud-mouthed ginger twat...
Try replacing the word 'ginger' with a pejorative term for any ethnic group other than the indigenous population of North West Europe and see how intelligent you sound.
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... because 'ginger' was the problem with the rest of that line, and he was actually going for a sugar coated complement.
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...charmless, loud-mouthed blonde twat...?
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I don't think when someone is saying "charmless, loud-mouthed ____ twat" they are trying to sound particularly intelligent. That's the whole point. OP is sufficiently upset about the choice of the new Top Gear host to use fairly insulting words like "twat". Also, if we didn't have enough triggers already, a color of someone's hair is off-limits too now? What's next, I can't call someone "that bold fuck" or "that blond bitch" any more? How am I supposed to refer to Donald "The Hair" Trump then?!
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Ginger isn't a race.
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He's a loud mouth idiot who was screaming right up until last week that the "ratings have never been higher" and he was the best thing to ever happen to the show. Seems to me they might end up pulling a Rogers. For those that don't know, Rogers got the contract to Hockey Night in Canada and then replaced the old host(Ron MacLean who was host for 30 years) with George Stroumboulopoulos(another loud mouth hipster prick that grates on your neves) believing that he would be really good for the ratings, and th
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But..but... where will I get my fix of grown men re-enacting hockey plays in skinny pants on a lit floor?
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He's a loud mouth idiot who was screaming right up until last week that the "ratings have never been higher"
[citation needed]
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He said that after the first episode, not the penultimate.
Re:To be fair... (Score:5, Funny)
He's a loud mouth idiot who was screaming right up until last week
If they want to stick with the formula, I believe Nigel Farage is now available.
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He's a loud mouth idiot who was screaming right up until last week
If they want to stick with the formula, I believe Nigel Farage is now available.
He wasn't always screaming - sometimes he was throwing up due to motion sickness after driving around in a fast car. [dailymail.co.uk] That doesn't seem like someone who should host a show about fast cars.
Disclaimer: I haven't watched the show. Not interested.
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Hair colour isn't a race.
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Oxford dictionary tends to disagree:
http://www.oxforddictionaries.... [oxforddictionaries.com]
(too lazy to link)
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Wow, no wonder you have race issues in America.
So what do we call "racial discrimination" towards ginger people (or blond people, or black people, etc...) if you don't believe the word "racisim" is appropriate?
Do we have to invent a new word?
Viewers hate political correctness (Score:4, Insightful)
I never watch Top Gear. It's not my kind of thing. But I always had a sneaking admiration for the ability of Jeremy Clarkson, the wildly popular former host, to retain his job whilst thumbing his nose at everything the politically correct thought-police hold dear. When they finally find an excuse to sack Clarkson, the cheering and whooping from Broadcasting House could be heard all over the British Isles.
I always imagined that a politically correct replacement show would tank badly with its core demographic of non-metropolitan blokes. Viewers hate being told what to think, and I'm delighted to see they've rebelled in huge numbers.
Re:Viewers hate political correctness (Score:5, Informative)
Firing him wasn't an excuse, he punched a co-worker. They had to fire him at that point. That said, I am a fan of him but had no idea he would get physical with anyone.
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There's actually no rule or law which says an employer has to sack someone for a physical assault - they could have reprimanded him, fined him, put him on unpaid leave etc etc and left criminal or civil proceedings to the police and courts.
But its well known that Clarkson was disliked by the current BBC management.
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Except they didn't actually fire him. He was suspended while the incident was being investigated, and the BBC declined to renew his contract which was already ending. They were no obligation to renew the contract.
Re:Viewers hate political correctness (Score:4, Informative)
And yet, Jimmy Savile spent half a century raping his way through nearly 600 children while the Beeb's management feigned ignorance of his depredations.
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So? Just because they made a mistake before means they have to continue?
I would say they learned and obviously learned well.
Clarkson got what was coming. I liked him on the show (and absolutely hate Evans) and am looking forward to their new show and I assume he has learned his lesson.
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> he punched a co-worker. They had to fire him at that point.
Clarkson should have bit him instead, then he would have made Director General of the BBC:
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2005/mar/24/broadcasting.bbc
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Not to say that was acceptable behavior, because it's not. But in the category of "celebrity jackassery" that little scuffle was pretty low in the hierarchy of sins. And we routinely tolerate much worse from our entertainers. Just google, for example, for those lists of celebrities who have killed people (outside of military service, that is) and see how many are not only not ostracized and blacklisted, but have been forgiven and are still actively celebrated. ('ll go ahead and toss out Caitlyn Jenner,
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LOL you'd be the first person filing a lawsuit if someone assaulted you at Burger King.
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Re:Viewers hate political correctness (Score:5, Informative)
Yes he was bloodied and dizzy and had to go to hospital. And no they didn't have a drink afterwards. There's no workplace where it's acceptable to punch a colleague other than the boxing ring.
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You punch me without provocation, im going to HURT YOU IN A PERMANENT WAY as a reminder to control yourself. Fighting is not a fucking joke. I would have permanently disfigured Clarkson if he pulled that shit on me.
Woah, we got a badass over here!
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You misread the AC. The AC claims that Clarkson was at the time stressed out by a potentially serious medical issue (a cancer scare); not that the 'medical issue' was the late meal itself.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/ce... [mirror.co.uk]
I'm not saying that excuses him, but assuming its true, it would have been a source of major stress.
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The show would have been better if the other two stayed and he was replaced. Those two were quite interesting, he was just a twat.
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It's got nothing to do with political correctness. People turned off in droves because Clarkson et al were entertaining and the new presenters weren't. There are plenty of ways of being entertaining other than testing the limits of political correctness.
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I believe if they had just Rory and Chris Harris with somebody actually funny as lead presenter and slightly altered the format, new Top Gear would have been a lot better. Their bits are actually interresting and they seem to know their way around cars.
Instead we were left with an annoying git as lead and a show which seems to actually double down on the crappiest part "some B-stars I couldn't give a fuck less about driving around in a car I couldn't give a fuck less about".
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Now, a reasonable staff member would punch back, and the issue wouldn't exist in the first place.
Re: Viewers hate political correctness (Score:4, Informative)
^^^^ that's what we did in my time. You fist fight and live to fight another day. After it was over, you shook hands. We had a mutual respect after that.
Now a days you can't do that. My son got into a fight at school. We had to go to court. Yes real court. For a simple shoving match.
The world is fucked.
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There is another word for it, but it isn't "progress". It does start with a P though.
Pussywhipped.
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I'd just punch him back and get on with my day. Seriously kids of today are such whiny little bitches that can't take care of anything for themselves and run and hide behind the system. This apparently includes not having the balls to post their own opinions as themselves, rather than AC.
It is not like it was not expected... (Score:5, Interesting)
I mean the moment they announced the guy, almost everybody said he was a really bad choice. It is not only that he doesn't really know about cars, most important is the fact that nobody outside Britain finds him funny (we are talking about a show that is sold to many countries), and even the British are rather divided on this. Hiring Matt LeBlanc was a last-ditch effort, but I guess it was too little too late. Perhaps Rowan Atkinson might be persuaded to give it a go next year?
Re:It is not like it was not expected... (Score:4, Interesting)
If I had mod points, I'd give you one. I suspect not many people here know that Rowan Atkinson is a hard-core car fanatic who knows his subject.
If they managed to sign him up, I'd certainly start watching again.
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Sounds good. And Top Gear America needs Jay Leno.
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Luckily Top Gear is mostly scripted.
It seemed like improvisation, but that's mostly due to the script being very closely written for their real personalities; the old presenters basically played charicature versions of themselves.
Replacing Clarkson, May, and Hammond is like... (Score:2, Insightful)
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Replacing the entire cast of Monty Python, and expecting the audience to like the shit that was just shoved down their throat. The only way Top gear is going to succeed is to get Clarkson, May, and Hammond back and fire the dumbass producer that Clarkson backhanded. The US version is crap too and was just cancelled.
I didn't even like "the shit" before they changed the cast.... on another note how is this 'News for Nerds'? Did they use a giant trebuchet to eject Evans from the BBC building and into that swampy pond in Hammersmith Park? ... because that would be (a) funny and (b) 'News for Nerds'.
"Monty Python" (Score:2)
Yes, except neither of the Pythons was an arsehole or would have punched an underling because of not serving him well enough.
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Ofcourse not, they would have used fish.
Clarkson et al... (Score:4, Insightful)
might have been boors, but were never bores.
Yeah, didn't see that coming! (Score:2)
I was rather shocked at the announcement of Chris Evans - I am not British, but I currently live in the UK and he's one of the people on TV here that I don't get at all. Well, I thought, perhaps he is more versatile than I give him credit for? Then I saw them hiring Matt LeBlanc at the last moment, "oh, so he is not more versatile, and they realize it now... uh oh...". In any case I tried watching the premiere with my wife, who is not a big fan of Top Gear, but usually enjoys the good episodes (and is also
Re:Yeah, didn't see that coming! (Score:5, Insightful)
I totally agree. I never did get what anyone ever saw in Evans.Have no idea why the BBC ever hired him for anything,
GT (the old TG team) will be hitting Amazon Prime in supposedly 8 weeks or so with a budget per episode that makes what the BBC gave them look like pocket change. Just what the doctor ordered to get rid of the awful aftertaste of the first season of the new Top Gear.
Good. (Score:3)
As a fellow unfiltered mouther, I'm glad that Clarkson's boot has had repercussions. The show was about cars, not politics and diplomacy.
PC BS (Score:4, Interesting)
What the BBC forgot - Clarkson/May/Hammond Top Gear was basically Last of the Summer Wine with Cars & decent locations & slick production.
The got the cars/locations/production about right but got the chemistry wrong & went with Chris Evans purile humour. Matt LeBlanc seemed to get it, but was badly let down.
It's Not His Fault (Score:4, Insightful)
It's not his fault, alone. The show sucks. Matt Leblanc sucks.
BBC failed to realize that the popularity of the show was due to Clarkson, Hammond, and May combined. Watch an episode where it is only any two of them and it sucks. Those specific three COMBINED are just the right chemistry for hilarity. Watch the American TopGear, it sucks. Australian TopGear, it sucks.
The whole of TopGear UK was greater than the sum of its parts. Here's hoping that Amazon's The Grand Tour, with the real TopGear crew, won't let us down.
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BBC failed to realize that the popularity of the show was due to Clarkson, Hammond, and May combined
No, I expect they knew it well, but you know Clarckson punched his producer so they had little choice but to fire him.
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Aah I see. So, because they majorly fucked up in the past, they should definitely keep on fucking up, because why try to improve?
Do the smart thing BBC (Score:2)
Well of course! What did they expect! (Score:3)
Here's an idea (Score:5, Funny)
Maybe they should bring Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry, and Courtney Cox on board to co-host the show. During the season, they could all share a London flat - maybe have some special episodes hosted from the flat.
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With Jezza as Ugly Naked Guy.
Wrong approach ... (Score:4, Insightful)
The BBC, the new Top Gear production team, or Evans (or combination of those) made one major mistake - they attempted to copy the original Top Gear team ... ... ...
When TG US started, they also tried to set up the format identical to the UK original - and more or less failed. Until they found their own way and just stuck to the format of doing their show
And unless TG UK tries to actually do their own thing (albeit that might take another season or two of learning), they will fail again
Re:Wrong approach ... (Score:4, Interesting)
YAAAAAAAYY!!! (Score:2)
YAAAAAAAYY!!! what were they ever thinking choosing Evans in the first place? H'es such an irritating little twat who obviously knows nothing about cars (Yes I know he's bought a lot of very expensive cars such as GTO but clearly money doesn't also automatically buy skill or knowledge). Hopefully the BBC have finally come to their senses and will now put Chris Harris in charge.
Three men and some cars (Score:5, Insightful)
The formula for Top Gear, after Clarkson completely revamped it from a very pedestrian ordinary car review show, was lifted, almost directly from Jerome K Jerome's Three Men in a Boat. A quintessential English novel that captured the relationship, in-fighting, sulking, and entertaining dynamic of three men on a boat trip. This theatre was played out week after week on Top Gear, when they went on their contrived, ridiculous, and entertaining adventures. By missing this enormous formula, the producers of the show delivered a turkey. Two hosts, do not give you the opportunity to pit two against one, with the teams always changing.
The signature segment, "star in a reasonably priced car" worked because the guests were driving cars that average people owned. The replacement with a super-charged mini on a part rally course misses this point completely. Top Gear was always silly, slightly annoying, superbly shot and soundtracked.
Chris Evans, who seems to only have one set of clothes in his wardrobe, was shouty, predictable, and seemingly incapable of interviewing anyone. Matt Le Blanc was surprisingly good.
The BBC have succeeded (Score:2)
Top Gear UK is now as popular as Top Gear Australia (Cancelled) and Top Gear USA (Cancelled).
Stuff that matters (Score:2)
The first of many (Score:3)
It is whispered that the Lead Presenter shall meet an untimely end every year, unless BBC once again appoints Lord Clarksomort.
I think I have a recommendation to offer... (Score:2)
Of course they'll have to work it around his (already limited) tournament schedule, but I think this guy [dailymotion.com] would go over really well. He's famous, he likes fast cars, and he's got the necessary mixture of feigned modesty and self-deprecation the job requires.
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There are also reports that he's being questioned by the police regarding sexual assault claims made against him.
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Chris Evans was cocky 5 weeks ago that he had massive viewers and was quoting FACT FACT FACT on twitter, now it's a FACT he was so crap he has shut the door and turn the lights off and gone home with his tail between his legs FACT
I think it's probably more he was starting to smell. He had pretty much the same shitty outfit on every week. Blue jeans tucked into his fucking boots then that yellow top with scrappy black jumper.
Re:WHY IS THIS HERE?! (Score:4, Interesting)
Because it's news for nerds. Oh, there are more nerds than you think they are. I think your definition of nerd is extremely narrow.
There are car nerds, computer nerds, aviation nerds, boat/ship nerds, literature nerds, and more.
So yes, an article about a controversial (and beloved) TV show that was about cars, politics and humor appeals to a broad spectrum of nerds and merits discussion on a board about news for nerds.
I rarely reply to ACs but this whole "DOES THIS BELONG HERE" faction is even screechier and irritating than SJWs.
GO away. If you don't like Slashdot, GTFO. Do I need to spell it out for you? OUT!
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Did Jeremy Clarkson offend you? You would like a tissue?
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Top Gear US doesn't exist anymore [roadandtrack.com]
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That sounds more like "in limbo because the History Channel doesn't want it" than "cancelled because the BBC doesn't want it."
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Clarkson got fired after hitting a producer effectively ending the series in progress. There was a farewell episode some time after the incident which IIRC used already-recorded location footage, studio footage with just Hammond and May.and a voiceover recorded by clarkson. Hammond and May also left the show out of solidarity with Clarkson. The trio went to Amazon where they have been working on a new car show (which has not been released yet so it's yet to be seen how succesful it will be).
Meanwhile the BB