New biking TV show

Off-topic
1

So here’s the thing… I think car drivers have it all their own way, Top Gear, Fith Gear and all the other shows catering to a much larger audience, but let’s face it, they’re not good for bikes.

So I’m thinking of putting together an ad-hoc proposal for the BBC to submit in the next commissioning rounds… a show dedicated to bikers…

but what should be in it? what format should we use? should it be Top Gear for Bikes, or should we drive our own path… I’m really not sure… what do you guys think?

Do we even need our own show?

m

2

PM Sent

3

Matt have you had one double espresso too many?

Suddenly 4 posts appear?!?

Good luck with the bike show - I’m available to present it!

Cheers

4

Can you imagine ‘Star on a reasonably-priced bike’ celebs trying to get round a lap of somewhere quicker than each other? Hysterical mayhem!

Except for the ever-absent Jodie, of course, who is obviously quicker than Rossi, or would be if she could get her jacket done up…

5

now that would actually be quite cool - yes killer - loads of coffee this morning and some sausages…! always a good combo :-0

Can you imagine Rossi doing a lap on a bandit?

m

6

Great idea… some Americans are doing something similar

http://www.motorcyclechannel.tv/first.html

However…

the only manufacturers of motorcycles who have contacted us or responded to our correspondence asking them to participate have been Buell Motorcycles, Victory Motorcycles and Indian Motorcycles. Not Honda, not Harley, not Suzuki or even Ducati have responded to us.

Shame we can’t get that here then…

Men&Motors used to do used bike heaven etc, but the plug got pulled on that one

Looking forward to Vale doing a lap on a blandit lol

7

ahhh yeah I’ve seen that… I’m trying to think of a format that will work on Sunday nights on BBC 2 - it needs to be general entertainment but with a biking angle… I just can’t quite get that angle at the moment.

m

8

I think that as biking is now more popular than ever that it would be a great idea. You shouhld defo go for it…

9

I’d love to see Jamie Whittam do a lap on his Fizzie

10

Matt, sounds like a great idea, maybe part of it could be about diffrent bike meets and who meets there (BM for instance)

Ian

11

It’s too niche for a channel like the Beeb (who have just committed to reducing new output) to take on.

There’s more scope with Discovery Real Time.

12

Or Nat Geo Channel

13

I’d like to see a bike programme like Top Gear, like a visual magazine I suppose.

It seems, these days unfortunately, for mainstream TV it’s all about ‘reality’.

However this does work for ‘British Biker Build Off’ et al.

I know, why don’t we stick 14 LBers in a house for 3 months, give them rations, set them tasks and watch what happens…

B.B.L.B’ers or somefin

14

Not “reality” just “biggest viewer share”. Reality happens to be en vogue currently.

15

Do we get somewhere to ride our bikes, don’t think many would like to go without for 3 months ???

Ian

16

ooooh, I think that would be wicked Matt.

pm being sent

17

I think it would be a great idea, if the Beeb would go for it. In todays reality TV climate they may take a better view towards a show that demonstrated the variety of people that rode bikes, age groups job types etc. and followed some round for a bit.

However in my opinion reality shows are pants and a show that discussed biking as a whole with focus on bikes and provided more reliable news than MCN would be perfect. Call it Bike Banter or summat like that.

Purplepower not Nick

18

I’d like to see a programme that has a bit where it goes behind the scenes of all kinds of bike sport.

For example, road racing, motocross, drag racing, grass tracking, trials, speedway at grass roots level.

Forget the stars, lets se the real campaigners who keep down a proper job as well as devoting all their spare time to the sport.

19

okay… some really interesting stuff here - the reason I’ve thought of putting this to BBC again is because they’ve just taken Long Way Down and I’m hoping to surf off the back of that in the same slot with a bike related show.

20

Sounds like a good time to give it a go and even if the beeb don’t go for it on one of the main channels they’ve got their digital channels to fill as well.

I quite like the top gear format where they try out the stuff we’d never get chance to do, no-one is ever gonna let me test ride top of the range bikes or concept bikes so get them to do it instead. It would be good to have real bikers doing the challenge type things tho… you know the who can get to X first, or buy bikes with £500 and put them through a series of tests (some sensible, some VERY silly).

Matt, hope to hear what you come up with and what the powers that be say. Good luck