[c0nstant]

this is probably a repost, whatever

Top Gear’s Jeremy Clarkson has been told by BBC bosses to ditch £200,000 supercars and review budget models instead.

He and his co-presenters Richard Hammond and James May have been ordered to downsize because of BBC spending cuts.

Producers also want the show to reflect the changing interests of viewers hit by the credit crunch and show “more sedate cheaper, greener” models.

Plans to feature the likes of a Lamborghini, Ferrari and a Porsche have been axed.

Jezza, 48, Hammond, 39, and May, 46, could be seen behind the wheel of cars like the dinky £10,000 Toyota iQ and “unfashionable” classics like the Citroen Ami 8 and a Lanchester.

Clarkson had vowed to ignore the Beeb’s budget squeeze but executive producer Andy Wilman, 48, said last night that the show could not ignore the recession. He said: “This series we were going to film a road trip with a Lambo and a Porsche.

“Now it will be cars like the Toyota iQ because they’re smart and clever and you can sense the mood. We’re not that thick.”

He said BBC2 were thinking of screening a version called Boring Top Gear, featuring “down-to-earth” consumer advice rather than blowing up caravans or playing darts with scrap cars.

Earlier this year Clarkson said he would ignore the 30% cuts. He said: “We’ll keep going till the cash runs out.”

The presenters’ salaries have not yet been hit. Clarkson is believed to get £2million a year, while Richard Hammond and James May get £25,000 a show.

A BBC spokesman said: “You can rest assured that the supercars will still be there in the new series because those cars are about fantasy and escapism.

“But we realise money’s tight, so we’ll also be devoting screen time to smaller, cheaper cars.”

source:
http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/view...edit-crunched/

i hope this doesnt happen, the supercars and antics are what make top gear

[Splinter4784]

wow

like i really want to see the Toyota IQ or or a Nano Tata go around the track.

This is going to kill the show, I love top gear and how they test all the supercars and go on awsome trips.

What a Massive mistake on there part.

[ptack]

We'll see. It's very common to have these kind of tug o wars between the bean counters and the entertainers. In fact it's unheard of not to have them to some degree. What I like best about Top Gear is that they usually do a wide variety of things. I think a micro car derby would be a funny episode. Put Clarkson in the Tata.

[FStop7]

that doesn't make sense. they don't pay for the cars that are on the show, they're press fleet vehicles. i call BS.

[lib]

If Top Gear removes supercars from their lineup... I remove Top Gear from my PVR.

[InsaneSkippy]

What if at the start of the season, they each got one decent supercar (including the Stig)?

Then, each episode could have a segment with challenges, races, games, etc. This way it would help keep the story going throughout the season, and we'd still get to see the same expensive tomfoolery we all love so much.


EDIT: After reading through it again, it just seems like some publicity stunt. The cars get AMAZING advertisement by airing on that show, you'd think the manufacturers would be paying BBC

[Garduna]

sounds really depressing. top gear is known for their crazy antics..... if that's gone, a part of the spirit of top gear will go with it....

[MisterSkiMask]

More publicity shenanigans.

[Year's_End]

that sucks ass, but if they have more reviews like the Ford Fiesta i won't mind too much.

[ragingclue]

They've done plenty of crazy stuff in normal - even shitty - cars.

[flyinb501]

Originally Posted by FStop7

that doesn't make sense. they don't pay for the cars that are on the show, they're press fleet vehicles. i call BS.

I agree. Nobody cares about econoboxes... Especially not enthusiasts.

[ragingclue]

Originally Posted by flyinb501

I agree. Nobody cares about econoboxes... Especially not enthusiasts.

An enthusiast can have fun driving the wheels off of whatever you put him in.

[montreal red]

it would be a waste if top gear eliminated supercars completely... i love the crazy things they do in 500+hp cars... it just wont be the same with cars like a tata nano...

[TK-421]

Jeremy won't have it - he loves Ferraris waaay too much

[blue2fire]

Probably not right. The cars are only from the press fleets, why would it make a difference?