The Countdown Is Over

Carol Vorderman is dead.

Actually, she's very much alive and rocking it in the jungle and planning a round-the-world solo airplane trip.

She just pretended to be dead in the opening show of the opening series of

THE GRAND TOUR!

As did a couple of actors who I wasn't sure who they were.  I didn't recognise them and Jeremy mumbled their names but I'm glad we didn't have quarter of an hour listening to them talking about their latest projects.

So what did the BBC think of the show?

They just told us what the critics thought of the show.

So what did the critics think of the show?

They really liked it.  They described it as "filmic" which I don't reckon is a word.  Perhaps I could ask Countdown's Susie Dent.

 

I wish.

So what did I think of the show?

I thought the opening sequence went on a bit long - but I suppose that added tension and expectation and the show did last 70 minutes to make up for that.

I didn't see the point of the fight sequence - could have done without that.

Not sure about the new "Stig" - I think he may be a Trump supporter.

And I thought overall that the whole thing was...

...brilliant!!

Much as I like LeBlanc, Harris & Reid, the chemistry between Clarkson, Hammond & May is unparallelled (is that spelled correctly, Susie?)  I think the BBC need to rethink Top Gear now, admit defeat, and turn it back into a car show.

With a bit of careful juggling of free trials and having a couple of weeks break in the middle of the 12 episodes, I could possibly see the lot for free - but worst-case scenario is it costs me £11.98 - a price I'm willing to pay.  I've sorted the numbers so it's no conundrum. (more Countdown references in case you've no idea who Vorderman is)

Fine Times

Two BBC News stories today concern motoring convictions.

The first concerns David Pickup, a Cheshire motorist caught doing 101mph in a 70-Zone.  I couldn't find a picture of him so here's a David:

 Here's a Pick-Up:

 And here's a David Pickup:

...but not the one from the story - this one's the wrong age and lives in the wrong place.  And, as far as I know, the bloke in Court wasn't dressed as a woman.

Anyway, what's so worthy of a speeding conviction that it gets a mention in my 'blog?

Well, and this will concern David Pickup, he has ended up with £11000 to pay.  The defence questioned the accuracy of the in-car police speed camera so the prosecution hired an expert who rented an airfield and an Audi R8 like the one Pickup was driving at the time.  The expert carried out tests, the results of which were presented to the court - leading to the guilty verdict.  And David got the bill for all that.

I wonder how much the defence team charged him for their work.

Meanwhile, in London, the second story played out.  It involved ex-footballer Clarke Carlisle - someone who has always impressed me with his demeanour and his intelligence.  He was also chairman of the Professional Footballers' Association.  Unfortunately, he has had to own up to drink-driving.

Here he is competing on Countdown:

I can see a five there - FINED - except he wasn't.  I can also see DEMONIC for seven but that's not relevant to the story.

Here's a picture of him I include purely because Jeff Stelling and Rachel Riley are also in it.

But back to the story.  Despite his successes on and off the pitch he must have had some serious personal issues - in fact a couple of days after being caught, he was injured when he tried to commit suicide under the wheels of a lorry.  This is no excuse for drink-driving - especially as it isn't his first offence - the BBC report he had previous drink-related convictions in 1999 and 2011.  The 2011 one was a spectacular drink-driving offence with him getting pulled over because he himself had earlier reported the car stolen when he couldn't remember where he'd parked it.  That story, as reported by The Mail, is here.

As I mentioned, he wasn't fined, but he had to pay costs (albeit not £11000 of them) and he now has a three-year driving ban.  For an intelligent man, he has been very stupid.

I hope he manages to get sorted out. It sounds like he needs to completely give up drinking or completely give up driving.  Not a choice I'd like to have to make.  I wish him well.