5th Gear axed

Mark_a · 18-10-2009, 5:08 PM

Pretty poor programme, but I'll miss it in an oddly masochistic sort of way.

Regards

Mark

Chanser · 18-10-2009, 5:47 PM

Source?

**Stuart Wright** · 18-10-2009, 6:23 PM

The Daily Mail here, so it's 50/50 whether it's true or complete rubbish.

Quote:

the latest series, which ended in July, never attracted more than a million viewers and Five decided it should be the last.

A source at the station claimed the decision had nothing to do with budget cuts. It is likelier its failure to make it on to the list of Five’s top 30 watched programmes had a negative impact on advertising revenue.

hums60 · 18-10-2009, 6:36 PM

Good can't stand that VBH
Tiff get yourself back to a propper car tv show
Long live TOPGEAR !!!

**Stuart Wright** · 18-10-2009, 7:21 PM

It's Tom Ford I don't like. Just... don't like him.
It's hard, as a laymen, to say why Top Gear is so much better than Fifth Gear. The presenters? Their banter? The mix of scripted/unscripted elements? The risqué references? The challenges? The mixture of eveything?
Some people complain that it's not a very good car programme because it doesn't review the cars most people can afford. But I think that people watch programmes to be entertained, and Top Gear is very entertaining. I mean I will *never* forget the reliant rocket. That was awesome.
[youtube]rrkJJjiszCE[/youtube]
I think the Gadget Show is similar. It aims to entertain more than be a dry gadget review programme, and I think it's successful because of that.
Fifth Gear has regularly failed to hold my attention.

*Wild Weasel* · 18-10-2009, 11:01 PM

It's a shame really. At least their car reviews consisted of more than 'how fast will it go sideways round an airfield'.

nwgarratt · 18-10-2009, 11:39 PM

I remember watching a programme when they tried to reach over 200mph on the cheap except they never showed the attempt.

Top Gear is much better.

Steve_P · 18-10-2009, 11:49 PM

A shame but I'm not surprised one bit... 5th Gear was actually quite a watchable programme when they were a half hour format many moons ago. That started to go downhill when they decided to increase the show to 45mins. The show became drivel when they increased that again to the full hour.

They screwed with the format for the last 3 or 4 seasons in a desperate attempt to revive the viewing figures and I think that was the killer. Who remembers the cringe-fest when the show was presented by VBH and A.Another from some cafe?

I thought the latest incarnation with the bearded hippy (Tom Ford?) and another A.Another was at least marginally better than the roadies/biker cafe version.

If the Gadget show carries on in the same vein then I can see that being ripe for the chop too.

Both became programmes that I could only watch recordings of instead of live so that I could f'fwd through all the crap bits.

S.

davidwatsonok · 19-10-2009, 1:39 AM

They were victims of their own stupidity by trying to mimic TG instead of being their own program. The presenters never had the wit, chemistry or presence to get close to TG, and the choice of presenters in recent years has been woeful. Jim Lovetoy was their biggest disaster, being a mum-friendly, dull as ditchwater, football pundit who knew sweet FA about cars or why exactly people get passionate about them. Similarly, the more recent hip, beardy DJ bloke bouncing off Tom Ford was just another waste of studio space, air-time and a pay cheque.

I've long moaned about VBH too, being irritated beyond comprehension by her plumy-mummy squealing giggly babblings and constant diatribe about her being a 'racing driver' whilst constantly displaying the clumsy, ham-fisted sort of vehicle control that would embarrass most learner drivers. I also never gelled with the googly-eyed geeky student

Plato was likeable, but never really got any better at the TV thing. Awesome driving prowess, and always a joy to see him and Tiff duelling, until it inevitably dissolved into an ego battle. The show could have got on perfectly well with one or the other, but both was an unnecessary extravagance. Which stayed would be a difficult choice, but seeing as JP still has a successful racing career my conscience would want to see the old boy smugly drifting exotica every week.

Tom Ford was the jewel which never shined in this show. He just doesn't seem to be able to carry the program alone as its front man, and yet his reviews were always funny, entertaining and informative, as was his anchoring with whoever was his current straight man.

If they'd ditched the silliness like recreating movie stunts, copying TG, attempts at comedy etc and concentrated on being informative in a light-hearted and humorous way they may still be around. It was the same story with C4's 'Driven', and as said above the Gadget Show is heading down that route. I only watch that these days to see how short Suzi's skirt is !

robcat101 · 19-10-2009, 6:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve_P

A shame but I'm not surprised one bit... 5th Gear was actually quite a watchable programme when they were a half hour format many moons ago. That started to go downhill when they decided to increase the show to 45mins. The show became drivel when they increased that again to the full hour.

Agree on this one. They've stretched out a 1/2 hour programme into a 1 hour slot. (How many times do they do "Coming up on Fifth Gear"?). I think it would work much better as a shorter show.

I personaly don't like Top Gear either. It's not really a motoring programme any more - it's more about stupid "challenges" with the presenters mugging at the camera and generally acting like parodies of themselves. In fairness I think they have changed their target demongraphic - it's not really a car programme aimed at your average petrolhead, it's more general entertainment aimed at kids/teens/families that happens to have cars as a general theme. (Just look at the number of celeb's who come on because "my kids love the show").

I think TG was at it's best in the 90's with Tiff and Clarkson - when he was a curious eccentric rather than a "personality".

Razor · 19-10-2009, 9:36 AM

I wouldnt be surprised if they canned this show. I normally only ever watch this show on fast forward. Most of it is crap with the odd interesting review.

Shame as it could be so much better.

domtheone · 19-10-2009, 11:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Razor

I wouldnt be surprised if they canned this show. I normally only ever watch this show on fast forward. Most of it is crap with the odd interesting review.

Shame as it could be so much better.

Aye. I would record it on the PVR so then it's down to 40 mins straight away. Take out the crap and you normally get a good 10 mins of decent stuff

Shame though, totally different to Top Gear and a car review programme (as opposed to light entertainment which is basically what TG is) is generally welcomed.

ITV's efforts are dire so no more from them please.

Maybe Driven will make a comeback

mrapbp · 19-10-2009, 5:47 PM

As others have said they tried to be TG and did a really bad job. If they had of continued with their own thing then maybe it would have worked?

The presenters were just too weak to carry it off as well and I bloody hated Tiff!! (and that scruffy new bloke, he isnt 'one of us' at all!!)

Shame really, dont much like the show but anything about cars is worth watching imo. If they just stuck to reveiws of decent cars and car related news it might have worked.

Jay J · 19-10-2009, 10:30 PM

That's a great shame. I actually prefer 5th Gear to Top Gear, because it was a motoring show and not an entertainment show! I trust the reviews of Tiff and Pluto better than I do Clarkson's.

I will miss the squeaking VBH, although she was not really on the last series, only the web TV. Vicki is way more attractive than the Hamster.

Jay J · 19-10-2009, 10:33 PM

Accoding to VBH (fans) website:

October 18, 2009
Fifth Gear
"There are reports that Fifth Gear has been cancelled by five, but presenter Jonny Smith says that nothing is official at the moment."

It's from here: Vicki Butler-Henderson Appreciation Site

JohnG · 20-10-2009, 5:51 PM

I hope it continues, but only if they stop trying to be like Top Gear. They can't get close to being as entertaining as them so they might as well go back to being a serious car show.

domtheone · 20-10-2009, 6:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jay J

That's a great shame. I actually prefer 5th Gear to Top Gear, because it was a motoring show and not an entertainment show! I trust the reviews of Tiff and Pluto better than I do Clarkson's.

Can't say I prefer FG more than TG (2 pretty different programmes with Cars being the only connection).

I do like Tiff and Plato though. Both can really drive. Love it when Plato get's to test the cars. His enthusistic mannerisms crack me up

jfsebastian · 21-10-2009, 5:30 AM

I sympathise with fans of Fifth Gear if it has been axed but personally I think the show went downhill years ago, starting with Tim Lovejoy who obviously knew nothing about cars. The present incarnation is even worse with all the weak banter in the studio. Tiff's the only good thing about the show now.

TheBoingoBandit · 21-10-2009, 9:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve_P

Who remembers the cringe-fest when the show was presented by VBH and A.Another from some cafe?

Sorry to be a bore, but the 'some cafe' was actually London's famous Ace Cafe.

Ace Cafe London - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

NookZ · 21-10-2009, 9:55 PM

The biggest problem with Fifth Gear is that straight car reviews are fundamentally boring.

Oh... and they seem to pick the most boring people to perform the boring reviews

If I want a straight car review I can head over to Whatcar.com
(actually I head there if I can't sleep also)