# Is Top Gear UK as simple-minded as Top Gear USA? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 10, 2015, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-top-gear-uk-as-simple-minded-as-top-gear-usa/714715 "2015-03-10T19:08:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dstarfire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dstarfire/32/5762_2.png) [@dstarfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dstarfire)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-top-gear-uk-as-simple-minded-as-top-gear-usa/714715/1 "2015-03-10T19:08:41Z")
I like the UK version of Top Gear, but found the American spinoff to be rather childish and simpleminded. Are the shows actually targetted at completely different audiences (i.e. different societal/educational levels), or is this just a product of stereotypes\* and other perception-skewing biases? Ideally, somebody who’s familiar with both American and British culture has seen both shows and can offer a perspective. - Top Gear USA suffers from the Nascar stereotype (that Nascar is for uneducated, dim-witted, rednecks), while the UK version benefits from British accents sounding more intelligent to American ears. I know that stereotype and that perception are not accurate reflections of reality, but it’s hard to separate fact from bias when it comes to opinions about entertainment. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-top-gear-uk-as-simple-minded-as-top-gear-usa/714715/2 "2015-03-10T19:33:07Z")
I heard a comment about Monty Python once (may have been from Steve Martin); that they were stupid, but in a completely brilliant way. I think the same applies to the UK _Top Gear_. It’s an indescribable combination of dim-witted genius. They take some incredibly clever and creative ideas and then (and I’m convinced it’s mostly deliberate) make a complete shambles of them. I watch it and think to myself “I’d have never thought of that, but if I had I’d have done a better job.” It may be that there’s something in British culture that nurtures and appreciates that sort of thing. Or it may just be that the American version couldn’t find the right people to pull it off. ---
**Author:** ![mascaroni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dc4da7/32.png) [@mascaroni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mascaroni)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-top-gear-uk-as-simple-minded-as-top-gear-usa/714715/3 "2015-03-10T20:05:36Z")
Jeremy Clarkson has apparently been suspended by the BBC after a bust up with a producer. Given the earnings that _Top Gear_ makes for the BBC worldwide, I doubt if he will be suspended for too long. I’ve not seen the US version, but I’d doubt if you could replicate the piss-taking and camaraderie of Clarkson, Hammond and May. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2015, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-top-gear-uk-as-simple-minded-as-top-gear-usa/714715/4 "2015-03-10T20:22:17Z")
I tried watching the American version but found it boring. On the other hand, I enjoy the original UK series, partly for the chemistry among the three leads. Also, they feature car brands and models not available in the US and the field trips are usually to some place interesting. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2015, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-top-gear-uk-as-simple-minded-as-top-gear-usa/714715/5 "2015-03-11T03:00:32Z")
The place where the UK and US version really split, to me, is pandering. The UK version has ripped a new one in some very popular cars. The US one basically doesn’t even want to address actual makes or models for fear of alienating some possible manufacturer/advertiser. To keep away from possibly being offensive to someone the US version is not so much “dumb-ed down” and “bland-ed down”. I have followed four versions of the show to some degree - UK, US, German and Australian - and by far the US one is just plain entertainment with little of the informational or interesting details included in the others. But then again, look at our sorry choices in cars (compared to the UK or Germany) and ---------- what did you expect? ---
**Author:** ![busterpickle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@busterpickle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/busterpickle)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-top-gear-uk-as-simple-minded-as-top-gear-usa/714715/6 "2015-03-12T18:39:54Z")
The BBC version, is owned by the BBC and broadcasted by the BBC? So… maybe the influence of advertisers is not as prevalent? It could be just popular enough that they don’t need the associated auto-related ad revenue and use ad’s from other industries. Whereas the USA version is going to need someone to carry and fund it. It’s going to be towards an auto-related audience which will mean auto-related ad’s. There is also a temp difference between the two. USA is a little more drawn out between the parts and the UK is a little bit more snippy. Dunno, just my .02 ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-top-gear-uk-as-simple-minded-as-top-gear-usa/714715/7 "2015-03-12T19:57:49Z")
I’ve not seen the American Top Gear, but Tanner Faust was on the last UK Top Gear and did not impress as a presenter - though he lapped James May. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-top-gear-uk-as-simple-minded-as-top-gear-usa/714715/8 "2015-03-12T20:09:37Z")
> [@electronbee](#): > > The BBC version, is owned by the BBC and broadcasted by the BBC? So… maybe the influence of advertisers is not as prevalent? It could be just popular enough that they don’t need the associated auto-related ad revenue and use ad’s from other industries. The BBC doesn’t carry advertising in the UK. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2015, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-top-gear-uk-as-simple-minded-as-top-gear-usa/714715/9 "2015-03-12T20:11:32Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > I’ve not seen the American Top Gear, but Tanner Faust was on the last UK Top Gear and did not impress as a presenter - though he lapped James May. Tanner Foust. Top Gear started as a car show which became a comedy skit show with serious car talk in between. U.S. Top Gear started as a comedy show. It shows. It doesn’t take the car parts as serious and the camaraderie is manufactured and not developed over years. Adam Ferrara is a good stand up but he knows absolutely nothing about cars and can barely drive them. Basically its just very difficult for the copy to be as good as the original. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-top-gear-uk-as-simple-minded-as-top-gear-usa/714715/10 "2015-03-13T01:02:18Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > I heard a comment about Monty Python once (may have been from Steve Martin); that they were stupid, but in a completely brilliant way. I think the same applies to the UK _Top Gear_. It’s an indescribable combination of dim-witted genius. They take some incredibly clever and creative ideas and then (and I’m convinced it’s mostly deliberate) make a complete shambles of them. I watch it and think to myself “I’d have never thought of that, but if I had I’d have done a better job.” > [@BBC](#): > > Top Gear’s executive producer, Andy Wilman, put it this way in an interview with CBS News a few years ago: “It’s a journey into the male mind, which I believe, is a really, potentially very funny place - because let’s face it, nothing happens there.” Nothing, indeed. 😃 > **[How Top Gear conquered the world](https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-31843500)** > > It's hard to go anywhere in the world these days and not find that Top Gear has got there before you. For many people, it embodies Britain. ---
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Alex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atomic_alex/32/175_2.png) [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-top-gear-uk-as-simple-minded-as-top-gear-usa/714715/11 "2015-03-13T01:26:04Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > "Originally Posted by BBC > Top Gear’s executive producer, Andy Wilman, put it this way in an interview with CBS News a few years ago: “It’s a journey into the male mind, which I believe, is a really, potentially very funny place - because let’s face it, nothing happens there.” > > Nothing, indeed. 😃 > [How Top Gear conquered the world - BBC News](http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-31843500) I’m kind of confused about what exactly is meant by that comment (the quote I mean). ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-top-gear-uk-as-simple-minded-as-top-gear-usa/714715/12 "2015-03-13T03:51:13Z")
I assume that Wilman shares my low opinion of men as a class, but enjoys laughing at us for our limitations. Much (most? nearly all?) comedy–hell, entire careers (Will Farrell, Steve Carrell, and many, many others)–are built around what doofusses we are. ---
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Alex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atomic_alex/32/175_2.png) [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-top-gear-uk-as-simple-minded-as-top-gear-usa/714715/13 "2015-03-13T08:29:16Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > I assume that Wilman shares my low opinion of men as a class, but enjoys laughing at us for our limitations. Much (most? nearly all?) comedy–hell, entire careers (Will Farrell, Steve Carrell, and many, many others)–are built around what doofusses we are. Ah, well thats not a point of view I share, I don’t think men are any worse (or better) than women. ---
**Author:** ![bucketybuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@bucketybuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bucketybuck)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-top-gear-uk-as-simple-minded-as-top-gear-usa/714715/14 "2015-03-13T08:40:49Z")
> [@kopek](#): > > But then again, look at our sorry choices in cars (compared to the UK or Germany) and ---------- what did you expect? Can you elaborate on this? Do you mean the US top gear is limited to US cars? ---
**Author:** ![kiz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7feea3/32.png) [@kiz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiz)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-top-gear-uk-as-simple-minded-as-top-gear-usa/714715/15 "2015-03-13T11:52:40Z")
> [@mascaroni](#): > > I’ve not seen the US version, but I’d doubt if you could replicate the piss-taking and camaraderie of Clarkson, Hammond and May. They’re the only reasons why I’ve ever watched UK Top Gear. The car segments are interesting, but it’s their chemistry/delivery which nails it for me. US Top Gear doesn’t come anywhere close. It’s a very bland imitation IMO made even blander because of the manufactured camraderie between the hosts. ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-top-gear-uk-as-simple-minded-as-top-gear-usa/714715/16 "2015-03-13T12:17:01Z")
The BBC used to have a car show called _Wheelbase_ which was a serious show about recent developments in the car industry. _Top Gear_ started as a reworking of the format, but then it morphed into _The Jeremy Clarkson Show_. ---
**Author:** ![JerrySTL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e274bd/32.png) [@JerrySTL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerrySTL)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-top-gear-uk-as-simple-minded-as-top-gear-usa/714715/17 "2015-03-13T14:54:23Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > I’ve not seen the American Top Gear, but Tanner Faust was on the last UK Top Gear and did not impress as a presenter - though he lapped James May. He was very subdued compared to his USA Top Gear persona where he’s more of the Richard Hammond type. The UK version is much, much more entertaining than the USA version. Still the USA version is worth a watch. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2015, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-top-gear-uk-as-simple-minded-as-top-gear-usa/714715/18 "2015-03-13T16:06:26Z")
> [@JerrySTL](#): > > He was very subdued compared to his USA Top Gear persona where he’s more of the Richard Hammond type. And he is an actual competitive racer.