We're less than four months away from the premiere of the refreshed Top Gear with Chris Evans at the helm, and if there was an opportune time to change up the content, now is it. But with the popularity of the show it replaces being so high, is it too much of a risk to change format entirely, or did the prior show rely on the personalities of its presenters for its success?
Reports have 'ring taxi expert Sabine Schmitz and full-blooded petrolhead Chris Harris signing on as co-presenters as rumours swirl about Evans' ability to host a tv program, and certainly they won't carry with them the same chemistry of Clarkson-May-Hammond. And they shouldn't be expected to. Go back and review seasons 1-3 of the latest format Top Gear and tell me it wasn't awkward to watch at times.
Andy Wilman's Top Gear, some had argued, had grown stale and predictable, and I agree with that assessment, but it was still entertaining and enjoyable to watch every week. The greatest advantage Evans & co. have is the unpredictability. Whatever they do will be different simply because they bring new things to the table and each host has strengths unique to themselves that the previous hosts did not.
The greatest disadvantage, however, will be that Jeremy, James and Richard left a tremendous legacy behind and are an impossible act to follow. Watching Top Gear USA objectively, it's a good show and I genuinely enjoy the personalities, but they were always compared to the UK version, which was unfair, but bound to happen anyway. And it will happen with new Top Gear as well.
What we all need to bear in mind is that we haven't lost the old Top Gear, it's moving on to Amazon and we should bear no ill will against Evans or any of the new hosts for taking over what anyone reading this column would agree is a dream job. Nor should we hold it against them that they don't immediately effuse chemistry or seem comfortable with what they're doing. Texting while driving is outlawed in the states because driving requires so much attention. Imagine now trying to drive and remember and recite lines in a way that's funny and engaging, but doesn't make you seem like an arrogant knob. It takes practice and we need to give it time.
Ultimately, we're getting more motoring shows, for which we should all celebrate. Whether it will be more like this:
or more like this:
only time will tell. What are you looking forward to in the new Top Gear or Amazon show?