Car SOS

[smallfry]

I saw half of a new episode of Car SOS tonight.

Tim Shaw was driving a new Defender on his contrived parts acquisition jaunts. Same tedious formula.

Interesting that the workshop was using Hobbyweld gas, but not surprising.

  

[Escape]

A lot of it is staged of course, but I think it's one of the better car programs out there. My favorite is flippin' bangers.

It does seem a lot of them use a Land Rover as a tow vehicle. 😎 

[FridgeFreezer]

11 hours ago, smallfry said:

Tim Shaw was driving a new Defender on his contrived parts acquisition jaunts. Same tedious formula.

Agree, but...

3 hours ago, Escape said:

A lot of it is staged of course, but I think it's one of the better car programs out there. My favorite is flippin' bangers.

Also agree with this - they (OK, Fuzz) seem to actually do stuff properly and thoroughly and - within the limits of a popular TV show - they do actually show technical stuff where they can.

 

Tim is a tedious ar5e though and his "bits" are excruciatingly awful, as is the "Here's your car, please cry for the cameras" reveal.

[reb78]

2 hours ago, FridgeFreezer said:

Agree, but...

Also agree with this - they (OK, Fuzz) seem to actually do stuff properly and thoroughly and - within the limits of a popular TV show - they do actually show technical stuff where they can.

 

Tim is a tedious ar5e though and his "bits" are excruciatingly awful, as is the "Here's your car, please cry for the cameras" reveal.

I sometimes wonder if they should do a youtube channel of some of the actual technical bits - a bit like Binky. Probably no money at all in it for the time it would take but would be interesting to dip in and out of some of the detail of the technical bits.

[FridgeFreezer]

7 hours ago, reb78 said:

I sometimes wonder if they should do a youtube channel of some of the actual technical bits

I have a feeling they do some stuff on social meeja but since I don't do that I've not seen any.

Agree a more in-depth "behind the scenes" channel on Youtube would be interesting.

[Snagger]

15 hours ago, reb78 said:

I sometimes wonder if they should do a youtube channel of some of the actual technical bits - a bit like Binky. Probably no money at all in it for the time it would take but would be interesting to dip in and out of some of the detail of the technical bits.

It might work if you get good presenters, like Richard and Nick - because they are long term friends, their relationship and banter is clearly genuine and so doesn’t grate against the dryer subject matter, and I think a lot of people, especially men, are getting fed up of the fake fly on the wall emotionally manipulating scripted carp.  Look at the figures for those shows and it’s declining (though fast enough) while a lot of streaming is increasing.

I enjoy car SOS, but agree the whole emotional reveal and sob story bits are a turn off.  Just find a deserving candidate, tell them you are going to do a good job on their beloved car and get it done without a stupid fake deadline so you can do a better job without the amateur dramatics of the deceptions and stress.

[Happyoldgit]

2 hours ago, Snagger said:

It might work if you get good presenters, like Richard and Nick - because they are long term friends, their relationship and banter is clearly genuine and so doesn’t grate against the dryer subject matter, and I think a lot of people, especially men, are getting fed up of the fake fly on the wall emotionally manipulating scripted carp.  Look at the figures for those shows and it’s declining (though fast enough) while a lot of streaming is increasing.

I enjoy car SOS, but agree the whole emotional reveal and sob story bits are a turn off.  Just find a deserving candidate, tell them you are going to do a good job on their beloved car and get it done without a stupid fake deadline so you can do a better job without the amateur dramatics of the deceptions and stress.

Agree with all that, the format is well past its sell by date. I hardly watch any mainstream broadcast stuff now barring the occasional old film or programme from back in the day on the Talking Pictures old f@rts channel. The missus and I will admit to being regular viewers of Forged In Fire despite it being based on artificial deadlines. 

[smallfry]

41 minutes ago, Happyoldgit said:

Agree with all that, the format is well past its sell by date. I hardly watch any mainstream broadcast stuff now barring the occasional old film or programme from back in the day on the Talking Pictures old f@rts channel. The missus and I will admit to being regular viewers of Forged In Fire despite it being based on artificial deadlines. 

Talking Pictures. Fantastic. No ridiculous Superhero type stuff or Jason Statham silliness. I love "Footage detectives" 

[FridgeFreezer]

3 hours ago, Snagger said:

I enjoy car SOS, but agree the whole emotional reveal and sob story bits are a turn off.  Just find a deserving candidate, tell them you are going to do a good job on their beloved car and get it done without a stupid fake deadline so you can do a better job without the amateur dramatics of the deceptions and stress.

That's just modern TV rules though - everything must have "jeopardy" (stupid deadline) and everything must have "human interest" (AKA sob story & tears on camera)... hence my comment that, within these rules, Car SOS is one of the more bearable programmes and actually does a good job of the car not just a tart up for the cameras.

[smallfry]

1 hour ago, FridgeFreezer said:

That's just modern TV rules though - everything must have "jeopardy" (stupid deadline) and everything must have "human interest" (AKA sob story & tears on camera)... hence my comment that, within these rules, Car SOS is one of the more bearable programmes and actually does a good job of the car not just a tart up for the cameras.

They did on this episode. Was a 1980s Fiat. I think the only original bit left was the roof. I am not even sure about that !

[TSD]

There was one episode where they rebuilt an old Jeep, and replaced so much of it I thought the 'jeopardy' element was whether the poor owner was well enough to stand up and deck the pair of them. (Or maybe I was just offended on his behalf.) By and large a decent program though, IMO.

In a slightly similar vein, I find 'Shed and Buried' to be pleasant viewing, especially as the profits they seem to make would rarely even cover the diesel bill.

[reb78]

7 hours ago, Snagger said:

It might work if you get good presenters, like Richard and Nick - because they are long term friends, their relationship and banter is clearly genuine and so doesn’t grate against the dryer subject matter, and I think a lot of people, especially men, are getting fed up of the fake fly on the wall emotionally manipulating scripted carp.  Look at the figures for those shows and it’s declining (though fast enough) while a lot of streaming is increasing.

I enjoy car SOS, but agree the whole emotional reveal and sob story bits are a turn off.  Just find a deserving candidate, tell them you are going to do a good job on their beloved car and get it done without a stupid fake deadline so you can do a better job without the amateur dramatics of the deceptions and stress.

I don't know. I would happily listen to Fuzz chat through what they are doing in the same way I don't actually mind Ed China's bits on the old Wheeler Dealers. Agree, that the Richard and Nick show on Binky is good and makes it more watchable. 

[reb78]

16 hours ago, FridgeFreezer said:

I have a feeling they do some stuff on social meeja but since I don't do that I've not seen any.

Agree a more in-depth "behind the scenes" channel on Youtube would be interesting.

Yeah - i would miss that too as this is the closest to social media i get.

[Snagger]

41 minutes ago, TSD said:

There was one episode where they rebuilt an old Jeep, and replaced so much of it I thought the 'jeopardy' element was whether the poor owner was well enough to stand up and deck the pair of them. (Or maybe I was just offended on his behalf.) By and large a decent program though, IMO.

In a slightly similar vein, I find 'Shed and Buried' to be pleasant viewing, especially as the profits they seem to make would rarely even cover the diesel bill.

Was that the one where it had been partly restored by the owner but vandals burned down his garage and little was left intact?

[Snagger]

32 minutes ago, reb78 said:

I don't know. I would happily listen to Fuzz chat through what they are doing in the same way I don't actually mind Ed China's bits on the old Wheeler Dealers. Agree, that the Richard and Nick show on Binky is good and makes it more watchable. 

That’s really my point.  A dead straight technical show would get pretty dull even for the bulk of us (the Weber College YouTube videos are decent quality but far from entertaining).  Fuzz, Edd and many others have the charm to make it interesting, and I don’t mind Tim’s silliness on SOS, and finding deserving candidates is fine, it’s the fake drama that is the problem.  So it was with WD, Ed’s bits being fine but all the shouty drama with Brewer being intolerable.

[TSD]

2 hours ago, Snagger said:

Was that the one where it had been partly restored by the owner but vandals burned down his garage and little was left intact?

That's the one. I had the strong impression that a lot of things were replaced because it was quicker/easier, and at the cost of a lot of originality. I'm hardly a rivet counter, and have no interest in Jeeps, but it did feel like it had been sacrificed to making a tv programme.