An overheard conversation on the subject of Top Gear...
Ok, as promised,
*is slightly worried that, having hyped this more than it deserves, people are going to be disappointed*
The scene: a Thai restaurant in Shanklin on the IoW. The boyfriend and I were enjoying our dinner, and three very loud thirty-somethings on the next table were bitching at length about various celebs they'd worked with, including Cilla Black and Les Dennis. Then they mentioned TG. So, naturally, I hissed "shush, you! I'm trying to listen!" at the boyfriend and set about my eavesdropping...
TG Production team guy: (Random stuff about budgets, and how the Beeb are willing to chuck silly amounts of money the way of Top Gear)... And, actually, it happened in the Arctic. We got stuck in Resolute on the return because of the bad weather coming in. The last plane for two weeks was about to leave, and Hammond had to get back for his radio show. So they went round trying to bribe tickets out of people, and when that didn't work the Beeb paid [he either said "£12,000" or "£25,000", I didn't quite hear] for a plane to Yellowstone, then one on to London for Hammond. I went with him actually... (waffle about what a crucial member of the TG team he is... the guy was clearly a bit full of shit.)
Female companion, also BBC employee: So what's Hammond like, then?
TG guy: He's really insecure. He's incredibly jealous of James' career taking off the way it has. I mean, what's he (Hammond) had since the golden handcuffs thing? And Top Gear's always been Clarkson's baby...
Woman: Yeah, but Hammond gets all the girls.
TG guy: But he's really insecure. [the guy seemed really determined to stress that point] He keeps threatening to walk. He did it, like, 10 times in the Arctic. He had to be talked into staying. Complete toys out of the pram type of thing. Happens all the time.
Woman and third Beeb guy: (General surprise, many protests about how wonderful Hammond seems on TV.) ... So, what's James like?
Tg guy: He's a really good guy... He's actually pretty hilarious. (... Back to the subject of budgets, then they start bitching about a colleague who works in Light Entertainment.)
After which, I was admittedly pretty unsubtle in telling the boyfriend that we could now resume our conversation.
So, there you have it. I'm not sure why I was so excited by it, having read it back. It was just interesting to get a slightly more informed take on the dynamics of the TG3. And a bit of Hammond-bashing never hurt anyone. Even though it did sound like a fair amount of professional jealousy came into the guy's willingness to slag off all the celebs he's worked with...
Also, it really saddens me to hear 'Space Dementia' on a Dior perfume ad. There's just something... wrong about it :(
*is slightly worried that, having hyped this more than it deserves, people are going to be disappointed*
The scene: a Thai restaurant in Shanklin on the IoW. The boyfriend and I were enjoying our dinner, and three very loud thirty-somethings on the next table were bitching at length about various celebs they'd worked with, including Cilla Black and Les Dennis. Then they mentioned TG. So, naturally, I hissed "shush, you! I'm trying to listen!" at the boyfriend and set about my eavesdropping...
TG Production team guy: (Random stuff about budgets, and how the Beeb are willing to chuck silly amounts of money the way of Top Gear)... And, actually, it happened in the Arctic. We got stuck in Resolute on the return because of the bad weather coming in. The last plane for two weeks was about to leave, and Hammond had to get back for his radio show. So they went round trying to bribe tickets out of people, and when that didn't work the Beeb paid [he either said "£12,000" or "£25,000", I didn't quite hear] for a plane to Yellowstone, then one on to London for Hammond. I went with him actually... (waffle about what a crucial member of the TG team he is... the guy was clearly a bit full of shit.)
Female companion, also BBC employee: So what's Hammond like, then?
TG guy: He's really insecure. He's incredibly jealous of James' career taking off the way it has. I mean, what's he (Hammond) had since the golden handcuffs thing? And Top Gear's always been Clarkson's baby...
Woman: Yeah, but Hammond gets all the girls.
TG guy: But he's really insecure. [the guy seemed really determined to stress that point] He keeps threatening to walk. He did it, like, 10 times in the Arctic. He had to be talked into staying. Complete toys out of the pram type of thing. Happens all the time.
Woman and third Beeb guy: (General surprise, many protests about how wonderful Hammond seems on TV.) ... So, what's James like?
Tg guy: He's a really good guy... He's actually pretty hilarious. (... Back to the subject of budgets, then they start bitching about a colleague who works in Light Entertainment.)
After which, I was admittedly pretty unsubtle in telling the boyfriend that we could now resume our conversation.
So, there you have it. I'm not sure why I was so excited by it, having read it back. It was just interesting to get a slightly more informed take on the dynamics of the TG3. And a bit of Hammond-bashing never hurt anyone. Even though it did sound like a fair amount of professional jealousy came into the guy's willingness to slag off all the celebs he's worked with...
Also, it really saddens me to hear 'Space Dementia' on a Dior perfume ad. There's just something... wrong about it :(