Art of Gears
Fansided

BBC Bets Top Gear Future On Celebrities Not Cars

By Martin Feigen

LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 17: The Stig poses next to a giant statue of The Stig during a photocall to advertise the new series of the BBC's Top Gear programme at BBC Broadcasting House on May 17, 2016 in London, England. Photo by Ben A. Pruchnie/Getty Images).
LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 17: The Stig poses next to a giant statue of The Stig during a photocall to advertise the new series of the BBC's Top Gear programme at BBC Broadcasting House on May 17, 2016 in London, England. Photo by Ben A. Pruchnie/Getty Images). /
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Much has been made of The Grand Tour not having celebrity guests, and actually killing them off. It seems the BBC sees Top Gear being celebrity driven in the future.

One of the most curious aspects of Amazon Prime’s The Grand Tour has been the killing off of celebrities on every episode. It might be coming into focus as to why the BBC has focused on this part of The Grand Tour. They famously put several restrictions on Clarkson and company to try and keep Top Gear unique.

After seeing the reaction to The Grand Tour, according to The Sun, the BBC has hired famous celebrity booker Tom Fenner. Fenner has a well-earned reputation of attracting A-List stars for shows that normally would not be able to. With all the negativity surrounding Top Gear’s first season without Clarkson, Hammond, and May, attracting guests became much more difficult.

For Top Gear, the celebrity guests are a staple of the venerable show. Most episodes are identified by who was the “star in a reasonably priced car” segment. Some of the most memorable parts of Top Gear involved a celebrity guest. Its worldwide reach came from its well know guests having fun on the show.

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Whether it was Tom Cruise taking Gambon corner on two wheels or Nick Frost telling us “I love the smell of burning rubber, it reminds me of my wedding night!”, the celebrity guest has helped carry the show. It was not just the A-list guests, it was guests that were the right guest for the show. That was a huge problem with the last series. It seemed that they were going after the level of celebrity no matter the personality. With so many shows stars now do, that is a flawed strategy.

It would seem that the executives at Top Gear are forgetting a big part of the celebrity equation. Jeremey Clarkson has a way of talking to them that made them open up. Unless he surprises me, Matt LeBlanc has no experience interviewing celebrities. Clarkson’s warmth and touch while talking with guests are what made the segments so memorable.

As we saw with Patrick Dempsey, a real car guy, he was stiff and very little came from his Top Gear appearance. Yet when Dempsey was on Jay Leno’s Garage, he came off so much more human and likable. Jeremy Clarkson does not get near the credit he deserves for his interviewing skills. Just another aspect the BBC underestimated, before letting him go.

I was one of the last people, it seems, that was rooting for Top Gear to succeed again. Getting rid of Evans was the right move. Cutting back on the number of copresenters was another smart move. I have hoped that the show would return to its low budget roots and fun. Now with the Top Gear track appearing to go away and a focus on celebrity, my hope is all but gone.

What made Top Gear the worldwide phenomenon was the heart and soul of the show. It was not that Hugh Jackman was on the show, it is what Clarkson got out of him. If the BBC is determined to turn Top Gear into a talk show, they are going to kill off the last of us that are fans. Of all the directions I saw Top Gear going, this was the last, and possibly the worst.

Next: The Grand Tour Surprises With Two-Part New years Special

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