TV Week: Top Gear, MeeBOX and The Culture Show
By Dan Owen
TOP GEAR (BBC2, SUN 8PM) Three middle-aged men yakking about road signs, congestion charges and speed cameras, while ogling cars nobody can afford.
It really shouldn't work, but Top Gear's become a global favourite after a successful revamp in 2002. An American version's on the way, the Polish love it, it takes up half of Dave's schedule, is the most-watched series on iPlayer, and dominates YouTube after each episode.
I'm no petrolhead, but even I enjoy the show. It's a welcome burst of unashamed, non-pretentious, light-hearted banter between three blokey mates, just before we all go back to the daily grind on Monday. Sure, it's a bit manufactured and the trio's escapades are edited for maximum effect, but I don't care. Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May are alchemically brilliant together, and the production values are beyond reproach. It's the world's most expensive car show, and one of our better TV exports. Va-va-vroom!
MeeBOX (BBC THREE, SUN 11:45PM) Comedian Adam Buxton creates a pilot that plays to the Beeb's newfound adoration of the 'net -- manipulating videos and news reports to surreal, hilarious effect. A YouTube-style "sketch show" that's funny, inventive, rich in content and perfectly exaggerates the Web 2.0 boom. It also featured characters and ideas familiar to fans of Buxton's oeuvre: the return of "Baadad", vapid film critic Ken Korda, and digitally-tinkered footage like his contributions to Time Trumpet. It's good, silly fun, nicely performed by the likeable Buxton. I particularly loved his face-value translations of TV sign language, the incorrect subtitling of a hymn in Songs Of Praise, a website to create a film script (if only it were that easy!), the "10,000 Things That Are So Crap" pastiche of talking-head shows, and cockney sci-fi epic "They Crashed From Space There". The fact BBC Three sat on this for 7 months and aired it close to midnight, while dirge like Scallywagga has a primetime slot, proves how out of touch they are with their audience.
MeeBOX (BBC THREE, SUN 11:45PM) Comedian Adam Buxton creates a pilot that plays to the Beeb's newfound adoration of the 'net -- manipulating videos and news reports to surreal, hilarious effect. A YouTube-style "sketch show" that's funny, inventive, rich in content and perfectly exaggerates the Web 2.0 boom. It also featured characters and ideas familiar to fans of Buxton's oeuvre: the return of "Baadad", vapid film critic Ken Korda, and digitally-tinkered footage like his contributions to Time Trumpet. It's good, silly fun, nicely performed by the likeable Buxton. I particularly loved his face-value translations of TV sign language, the incorrect subtitling of a hymn in Songs Of Praise, a website to create a film script (if only it were that easy!), the "10,000 Things That Are So Crap" pastiche of talking-head shows, and cockney sci-fi epic "They Crashed From Space There". The fact BBC Three sat on this for 7 months and aired it close to midnight, while dirge like Scallywagga has a primetime slot, proves how out of touch they are with their audience.
THE CULTURE SHOW (BBC2, TUE 10PM) I'm pleased this has earned itself a decent weekday slot, together with an ad campaign that tries to make people less afraid of "the c-word". Whisper it: "culture". Sure, there's still twaddle about modern art and ballet that holds no interest for me (and never will), but I'm sure someone's lapping it up. Like all good magazine shows, there's something for everyone and you might pick up an interest, or at least an understanding, of various artistic endeavours. As a fan of film critic Mark Kermode and the agreeable wit of pretty Lauren Laverne, I enjoy slipping in and out of The Culture Show for an hour. Karl Pilkington's recent report from the set of Ricky Gervais' new film was amusing, and I the interview with Peep Show creators Sam Bain and Jesse Armstrong was interesting. But I'll channel-hop the moment Tracy Emin, the Tate Modern, or Shakespeare is mentioned. Does that make me a philistine?
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Dan Owen is a self confessed TV "obsessive" and passionate film buff. Check out his blog at danowen.blogspot.com
Dan Owen is a self confessed TV "obsessive" and passionate film buff. Check out his blog at danowen.blogspot.com
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Didn't know we were getting our own version (US)
I have been watching on youtube since going to London a couple of years back. great show.
Yes, the US version's line-up is: comedian Adam Carolla, stunt driver Tanner Foust and DIY expert(!) Eric Stromer. It's only a pilot at the moment, but they hope to make more. It'll be exactly like the original, although there's some debate about whether they'll be allowed to criticize things as readily -- as US TV relies on advertising, unlike the BBC.
I have no interest what so ever in cars but I find Top Gear great fun to watch. They could be talking about anything and I think I would tune in.
I was never quite sure how they won an Emmy in the non-scripted entertainment category a few years back though.
It is about as unscripted as an Aaron Sorkin show and I can't imagine him just letting the actors make it up as they go along.
Anyway I love that show, but would someone please tell Richard Hammond to get a hair cut - I think since his crash he hasn't let anyone get near enough to cut it.
Bye.
J
It's very scripted, yes. Clarkson's said on many occassions that he writes a lot of what May and Hammond say, so even their "banter" might be honed on a word-processor the night before. But, it's never ruined the show for me. And as for Hammond's hair -- it's his understandable loss of weight that I remember noticing post-crash.