Not the long way down

[Clark]

I didn't enjoy this series, too many wheeleies and too many people to help them out. Didn't really feel like they were totally alone or ever at any risk or even had to fend for themselves. I appreciate it was for charity but i thought it could've been alot better plus that idiot pulling wheelies all the time was really stupid and causing the cras in the last episode just proved that point.
This woman http://www.loisontheloose.com/ did just about the same thing and with no help and no 4x4's or medics and security following her and meeting up with her. I'm sure if the cameras had followed her adventure then it would have been a far better trip.

 

[Shewie]

I don`t think Ewan and co were really out to prove anything with this series, it was just something they fancied doing. As they mentioned they just wanted to get a feel for real Africa, which I don`t think they did really because of the timescales and the huge distances covered. Ewan mentioned he wished they could have spent a lot longer in each location to get more of a flavour.

I did enjoy it myself, especially when Eve fell off as soon as they pulled off the tarmac.


Rich

 

[Clark]

As someone who has always biked on/off road i was disgusted by charley always pulling wheelies like some kind of teenager trying to impress girls outside the chippie on a friday night,if i was the cameraman that crashed becuase of his "stunts" then i'd have smacked him that's for sure, i also couldn't believe ewans wife was allowed to go and ride there with them without any off-road experience, she couldn't even stop the bike without wobbling and she looked so un easy on the thing.

 

[Shewie]

Yeah I think the crash incident was daft and probably worth a good ticking off, I suppose seeing as they were so close to the end he got away with it. What was Charley actually doing to cause it, I thought I heard him say he`d slammed the brakes on for some reason.

 

[Clark]

Charley said he was "putting on a show" for some locals and this somehow caused the cameraman behind him to crash into him i think. If i was to pull a wheeley going down a public road here then i'd get charged with dangerous driving and what not. He doesn't exactly do himself any favours, don't think i've spoken to one person who says they actually know who he is or if they've ever seen a film he was in. I know he was in deliverance as a child but that's about it. If he wasn't friends with ewan mcgregor then he's be an out oif work actor or in eastenders.

 

[Tadpole]

Yeah I think the crash incident was daft and probably worth a good ticking off, I suppose seeing as they were so close to the end he got away with it. What was Charley actually doing to cause it, I thought I heard him say he`d slammed the brakes on for some reason.

I've spent a lot of time on a motorbike, and have to say if Claudio crashed in to the back of Charlie's bike then the person at fault is Claudio, either for riding too close, too fast or not paying attention to what is happening in front, or more likely a bit of all three,
Charlie is known for popping wheelies, and Ewan is known for not riding with his hands on the handle bars, Claudio is known for trying to film everything, no matter how stupid. I guess you can say that all of them deserve a slap at some point in the programme. Even the safety guy for getting them all wound up, by telling them, before they had even got to Africa, that "there are people in Africa who would kill you for ou watch let alone your bikes"

 

[Aaron]

He was also Mordred in Excalibur.

"He's no good mother- hang him on the tree with all the others"

 

[Shewie]

don't think i've spoken to one person who says they actually know who he is or if they've ever seen a film he was in. I know he was in deliverance as a child but that's about it. If he wasn't friends with ewan mcgregor then he's be an out oif work actor or in eastenders.

A litlle harsh Mr Clark don`t you think, his father was a well known British film director and I think he and Ewan became friends through taking the kids to the same school. He mentions this in the book Long Way Round, I think they hit it off purely because of their love of bikes.

 

[Tadpole]

I know he was in deliverance as a child but that's about it. If he wasn't friends with ewan mcgregor then he's be an out oif work actor or in eastenders.

For an out of work actor he's done an awful lot of films.
I suspect he's done 23 more than you have.

 

[Clark]

22 more films than me but who's counting lol. He said in this series that he made a film with ewan and that's how he met him and they both enjoyed bikes, that's fair enough as alot of my friends i have i've made through my bikes but of all the friends that i've made through biking the ones that pull wheelies down public roads are usually tw*ts, i admire people with the skill to handle and control a bike with such ease but theres a time and a place. I spend alot of my time jumping my bikes and chucking them through mud and over hucks but not if theres a risk to other bikers or members of public.

 

[spamel]

It wasn't the same as the last series, and it just seemed that they flew through every country they visited and saw very little of it. It had the chance of being a fantastic series and just wasn't in my opinion. There were some great bits though, the Roman ruins were fantastic.

 

[Clark]

That's exactly it spamel, the first series was good and was worth putting on tv but this new series just felt like it was there to fill a gap on the tv schedule. They went through all these countries and we really didn't get to see any of it. In my first post i had a link to Lois on the loose, the woman who went "the long way down" on her own on a bike bought by herself and a trip funded by herself with no interpreters or fixers or medics. I think it'd be more worthwhile and exciting if the cameras were to follow or her or somebody made a documentary out of other people like her.

 

[deepcmonkey]

Why are some people just intent on slagging people off. If you didn't like the seris thats fair enough but their is no need to insult them. It seems there are always those out there who will criticise others for getting out there and doing something.

They were not claiming to be on their own or living off the land, it was quite ovious the amount of support they had because they bloody showed it to us! The point was not to be at great risk or to fend for them selves, it was just a bike trip.

As for pulling wheelies *** guys chill out, do some you never have any fun.

 

[scruff]

The series was I agree a bit pap. I actually felt a bit sorry for Charlie and I know I'd have been peeved about my mates missus turning up to spoil the fun.

As for the crash, yep Claudio should have been a bit more awake, after-all Charlie's riding was erratic all the way down.

This woman http://www.loisontheloose.com/ did just about the same thing and with no help and no 4x4's or medics and security following her and meeting up with her. I'm sure if the cameras had followed her adventure then it would have been a far better trip.

Well personally I think this gal had a more impressive journey http://motorcyclemuseum.org/halloffame/hofbiopage.asp?id=309 or this guy for his one man adventure which he captured on film on his tod http://www.dirttrackproductions.com/ (warning the theme tune his a bit catchy )

 

[Ben_Hillwalker]

Why are some people just intent on slagging people off. If you didn't like the seris thats fair enough but their is no need to insult them. It seems there are always those out there who will criticise others for getting out there and doing something.

They were not claiming to be on their own or living off the land, it was quite ovious the amount of support they had because they bloody showed it to us! The point was not to be at great risk or to fend for them selves, it was just a bike trip.

As for pulling wheelies *** guys chill out, do some you never have any fun.

Right on mate. :You_Rock_

Just enjoy the show for what it was, everyone, and stop being such snobs.

 

[Clark]

I just think that after the first series and also charley doing his dakar thing which was almost as good as the first series the LWD should've been far better and not just about rushing through the countries and waiting to see if ewans mole on his forehead would appear or disapear in the next shot. Felt a bit bad for charley aswell when ewans mum turned up. They should've taken more time and not rushed it through each country, in the first series we rarely saw the crew and only saw the dynamic of ewan, charley and claudio but now it seems everyone was trying to get in on the act. Seemed more like watching a video from ewan mcgregors holiday.

"As for pulling wheelies *** guys chill out, do some you never have any fun"
I spent my youth pulling wheelies and flying about fields on my scrambler but i'd never pull a wheely on a busy public road on a BMW trailie fully kitted out and weighing what his did. That's not fun and if you think it is then you must be like charley and open your mouth without engaging your brain.
Anyhoos i could go on all night but i can't be hooped anymore.

 

[Shewie]

The reason they had to rush though every country was because they had to get to certain destinations in time to catch ferries and boats etc. That was all part of the trip from the start and they knew they had to keep to the schedule, they made that clear in London when they were prepping the trip, end of. There probably weren`t that many oportunities to film much else apart from what we saw anyway, they were constantly in the saddle and on the move. The days when they did do something else were shown on the programme.

 

[Surrey Yeoman]

..........the Roman ruins were fantastic.

Was that the Guzi factory?

 

[stephendedwards]

It's moments like this that I am grateful for being off the grid where television is concerned!!

Stephen

 

[Arth]

I loved the programme and by their own admission it was little rushed