Photo: Screenshot from YouTube
Oh, dear, the woes of the new Top Gear show are far from over. The second episode aired this Sunday and the audience was less than impressed. Well, at least those who saw it, because a lot of people decided not to turn in on BBC2 this time around.
If the first episode had worse audience figures than expected, the second one was always going to be the real test. Everybody was curious about the new team, so it was natural for the to watch the relaunch in high numbers.
Well, at least that's what you would have thought, but the reality was quite different. An average of 4.4 million people watched Chris Evans and Matt LeBlanc host the first episode of the new era, a lower number than the last episode featuring the old three presenters.
This Sunday, though, it was even worse. The average sat at 2.8 million viewers, with the number continuing to grow as the show went on, peaking at 3.3 million. That's still one-quarter fewer people than the average from a week before. If these numbers were to continue to drop at this rate, then you'd probably be the only one watching by episode five. Of course, the number of viewers will have to settle down at some point, but the question is where?
Well, if the fan's reaction after this new episode is something to go by, the audience figures aren't done declining just yet. And the main reason for their disgruntlement has remained unchanged: he's ginger, he wears glasses, he shouts a lot, and he's name is Chris Evans. But the fans don't just see problems, they also point towards solutions, and a lot of them took to Twitter to make sure BBC hears them out.
Evans did try to be funny by announcing from the intro that he was going to be even more shouty, but while some self-deprecation is certainly welcome, it doesn't do any good if you continue to be just as obnoxious for the rest of the show's 59 minutes. Well, it is pre-recorded, so it's not like there's anything he can do about it now.
Which is also why, regardless of how many people complain about Evan's shouting on the web, we're still going to see and, worst of all, hear him throughout this whole season. That's just how things work. And it's not like BBC would be so eager to admit they were wrong and drop Evans after just two episodes - that's not how the honorable British media works.
But, to be honest, after watching the show (just now, I have to admit), Jenson Button was indeed excellent in it. He was so good, in fact, he even managed to make Evans bearable. Jenson, if that Formula One thing doesn't work out for you, you can always host Top Gear as far as we're concerned. And after hearing how Chris got a McLaren 675LT - the one model Jenson's collection lacks - he might just hate the guy enough to not have a moral problem with taking his job.
Well, at least that's what you would have thought, but the reality was quite different. An average of 4.4 million people watched Chris Evans and Matt LeBlanc host the first episode of the new era, a lower number than the last episode featuring the old three presenters.
This Sunday, though, it was even worse. The average sat at 2.8 million viewers, with the number continuing to grow as the show went on, peaking at 3.3 million. That's still one-quarter fewer people than the average from a week before. If these numbers were to continue to drop at this rate, then you'd probably be the only one watching by episode five. Of course, the number of viewers will have to settle down at some point, but the question is where?
Well, if the fan's reaction after this new episode is something to go by, the audience figures aren't done declining just yet. And the main reason for their disgruntlement has remained unchanged: he's ginger, he wears glasses, he shouts a lot, and he's name is Chris Evans. But the fans don't just see problems, they also point towards solutions, and a lot of them took to Twitter to make sure BBC hears them out.
Forget this shout clown and hire @JensonButton for the #BBC #TopGear ! He has everything that is missing from this show
— Utkarsh Mishra (@UtkarshBhp) June 6, 2016
What a #legend #JB22
Evans did try to be funny by announcing from the intro that he was going to be even more shouty, but while some self-deprecation is certainly welcome, it doesn't do any good if you continue to be just as obnoxious for the rest of the show's 59 minutes. Well, it is pre-recorded, so it's not like there's anything he can do about it now.
Which is also why, regardless of how many people complain about Evan's shouting on the web, we're still going to see and, worst of all, hear him throughout this whole season. That's just how things work. And it's not like BBC would be so eager to admit they were wrong and drop Evans after just two episodes - that's not how the honorable British media works.
But, to be honest, after watching the show (just now, I have to admit), Jenson Button was indeed excellent in it. He was so good, in fact, he even managed to make Evans bearable. Jenson, if that Formula One thing doesn't work out for you, you can always host Top Gear as far as we're concerned. And after hearing how Chris got a McLaren 675LT - the one model Jenson's collection lacks - he might just hate the guy enough to not have a moral problem with taking his job.
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