After the disappointment of The Grand Tour and the widely detested Evans stepping aside, I was really looking forward to Top Gear’s second stab at a reboot. Evans’ departure allows Chris Harris and Rory Reid – two people who actually know what they’re talking about – to move into the limelight and I’m pleased to report, it went well.
After a brief glimpse at the flashy new studio, we were treated to a trailer (see it for yourself at the bottom of this post). A slightly wooden introduction to follow but then we dive into a classic Chris Harris film. Cinematography was of course amazing and Harris, true to form, drove the sh*t out of a 2 million pound plus Ferrari FXX K. Although Chris was understandably less detailed than his internet reviews; Chris’ piece was still informative, entertaining and at several moments just outright jaw dropping.
Next up was the celebrity segment. Unlike TGT, Top gear actually got a celebrity parked on their sofa for a natter, rather than the time wasting, frankly dire “accident” sequences we had to endure throughout the first series of The Grand Tour.
The main feature of the show was better than most of The Grand Tour’s features too. It actually had a challenge, a journey and most importantly, a point to it all. You really can buy cars that have gone to the moon and back. The chemistry between the trio was much better than the previous season too. Still not as polished as Clarkson, Hammond and May, but those three have had over a decade together.
All in all, while I don’t think it’s quite as good as the old TG, I believe it has a very good chance of developing into a show that’s every bit as good. I’ll definitely be tuning in again this coming Sunday.