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Top Gear tops Talent

In a head to head ratings brawl last night, Top Gear won the race hands down, leaving Kyle, Dannii and Brian in its dust.

Last night Jeremy Clarkson metaphorically drove over Kyle Sandilands.

Top Gear‘s ripping Bolivian special pulled a huge 1.73m viewers last night, surpassing Australia’s Got Talent’s premiere of 1.49m. With both shows pushed out to 100 minutes each, it was a clear ratings brawl.

TEN was left with Biggest Loser (870,000), Bondi Rescue (943,000) and NCIS (1.18m).

AGT was certainly entertaining, even with Kyle on his best behaviour. Embracing child dancers and senior opera singers has he mellowed from his position of commercial pop? Production ideas mimicking the UK format served the show well, but for all its publicity the show only increased by 179,000 on its 2009 season premiere.

Better luck is coming Seven’s way with just one more Australian premiere episode of Top Gear in Nine’s library.

On the back of Underbelly and with the Hey Hey / Pacific fight tonight that’s “Two – Zip” for huge premieres  this week in Nine’s favour.

Elsewhere yesterday Hot Seat has pulled ahead of Deal or No Deal taking 640,000 to 559,000.

Better news for Seven can be found in the mornings, where it continues to win those fights. Sunrise‘s 369,000 bettered Today‘s 323,000.

Week 16

26 Responses

  1. @ Bazza

    I used the word ‘credible’, not earnest – there’s a difference.

    As a longtime viewer of both Fifth Gear and Top Gear (via Pay and FTA) I’m capable of discerning the difference in format/style between the two shows – so ‘one’ can stop suspecting that I’ve gotten the two confused. One program remains a credible motoring show, whilst the other has devolved into a vehicle for TV personalities. To each their own as they say – I’m obviously in the minority here.

  2. The Top Gear specials always rate very, very well.

    They also come with the budget of small scale hollywood feature…

    Wasn’t the American Special the highest rating TV show on SBS ever???

  3. @Rhys

    What show are you talking about? One suspects you’re confusing it with Fifth Gear. Top Gear hasn’t been an earnest show in over a decade now, I doubt you know what it “used to be like”.

  4. Looks like I was the only one to choose Ugly Betty over Top Gear and Australia’s Got Talent. Top Gear seems to be the CSI of 2010 because it seems to get good ratings on both 9 and GO. How do 9 get so lucky all the time?

  5. Glad to see Survivor maintaining a steady 900,000 mark. With the 150,000 extra viewers it gets with its Sunday afternoon repeats, it’s becoming one of the highest-rating seasons in years. If only Nine didn’t treat it so bad for all those years…… Interesting to see how the next season will fare with no “Evil Russell” to continuously promote the hell out of.

  6. Easily the best TG of S14 but not going to say it’s the best every, I still think the Polar or Vietnam one’s might top it. As for the reality now while I have no doubt they traveled the distance I doubt they did it along, like the Polar on they had backup and look in Hammon’s 4WD just before it rolled, no cameras attached to the inside windscreen.

    I still love the show (even with the endless ad breaks) I just wonder when will they air the final and how quick will Nine bring it back for S15 in last June when it starts in the UK?

  7. Top Gear isn’t a 50% better show now than when it was on SBS. It says something about SBS’s public image that doesn’t connect with the general public but proves that if it’s on 9 they will watch.

  8. Top Gear was great last night.

    I particularly enjoyed the novel way Clarkson rammed home the point about the flaws of the BMW X6.

    Hamsters piece on the Lexus FLA was also excellent.

    People – If you are expecting Top Gear to be dry and serious, well, you shouldn’t be watching the show.

  9. @Rhys, Top Gear never claimed to be a professional car magazine show, it’s just blokes in cars doing things, it works. I doubt most people want a boring car show that drives the car in a straight line and not inject any humour. Lighten up about their accents, it’s called BBC English or Received Pronunciation.

  10. Interesting situation with the Brekkie wars…. Sunrise is winning nationally, but in the two biggest markets Melbourne and Sydney – Today is winning. Today will always struggle in Adelaide and Perth as Seven News is the stronger brand in those markets. Brisbane is an interesting one as it can turn from Sunrise to Today but mainly stays with Sunrise.

  11. Top Gear stopped being a credible motoring magazine show years ago. The final straw for me was when they spent an entire episode pronouncing Bathurst as ‘Barth Hurst’ – it was either incredibly ignorant or incredibly disrespectful.

    And no, for some reason I don’t find Jeremy Clarkson’s ego fueled humour, or the blatantly staged ‘challenges’, at all appealing.

  12. That episode of top gear was really good last night. I’ve never watched it before but was intrigued by the promo. Used to be a massive fan of AGT but refuse to watch it with Kyle on. Also, survivor is back from the dead with it’s best season since All-Stars or perhaps Australia. Judging by the promo’s next week is gonna have a big twist.

  13. “but for all its publicity the show only increased by 179,000”
    only 179k? i don’t think that’s fair.

    it’s a reality show in it’s 4th season, the time when most reality shows hit the drop off. with the huge competition compared to last year (from memory it was FWAW on 900k and guerilla gardiners on 700k and no digitals) if it kept it’s audience it would an achievement, let alone increase, let alone by that much.

  14. @damo

    Haha, agnt? Is that supposed to read, “Australia’s Got No Talent”? I like it! :p

    Seriously though, that Top Gear ep has to be one of my all time favs.

    Can’t wait for Hey Hey It’s umm… Wednesday. I hope Nine seriously consider putting encore eps on Saturday nights – it’s rightful home.

  15. I think Top Gear will continue rating well in repeat mode, doesn’t matter than only 1 premiere episode remains 9 will keep it going for as long as possible.

  16. i think last years AGT premier had next to no competition, so any increase up against a top rating show is good. And from memory, ratings got better as time went on. But a huge number for TG.
    My iQ is now filling up. Dont know when im gonna find the time to catch up with underbelly x 2, royal pains, the mentalist, CSI Miami, TG, greys anatomy, NCIS! and theres still tonight!

  17. And because this special had previously aired unnanounced in Adelaide after the cricket months ago, any poor suckers here who missed it back then didn’t get to see it last night. Explains the relatively low Adelaide viewership.

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