0:00:02 > 0:00:03Coming up, the BBC Two comeback
0:00:03 > 0:00:06many of you felt definitely wasn't firing on all cylinders.
0:00:06 > 0:00:10And landing on our screens this week, two new shows from our cousins
0:00:10 > 0:00:15across the Channel, but are they French fancies or fanciful flops?
0:00:15 > 0:00:18Welcome to your points of view.
0:00:28 > 0:00:33It has been the talk of the tabloids for months and last Sunday
0:00:33 > 0:00:37the return of one of the BBC's most valuable exports set Twitter alight.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40THEME FROM TOP GEAR PLAYS
0:00:42 > 0:00:46With anticipation having reached fever pitch, Top Gear was
0:00:46 > 0:00:47back on BBC Two.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50Chris Evans was in the driving seat, supported by
0:00:50 > 0:00:54German racing driver Sabine Schmitz and American actor Matt Le Blanc.
0:00:54 > 0:00:58The new series was filmed in nine countries over eight months.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01Episode one followed a familiar format.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05Funny!
0:01:07 > 0:01:10Thing is about Matt, is because he's such a superstar
0:01:10 > 0:01:14he actually looks cool in his stars-and-stripes Reliant.
0:01:14 > 0:01:15Hey-hey!
0:01:15 > 0:01:17Your considered comments coming up.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21But first, we headed to a Cardiff garage to gauge
0:01:21 > 0:01:24opinion on the show as it aired on Sunday night.
0:01:36 > 0:01:38Please welcome Matt LeBlanc!
0:01:38 > 0:01:40To be honest, I was quite disappointed.
0:01:40 > 0:01:45I was expecting that family unit still, that group of banter.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48And to me it just wasn't there, it was quite bland.
0:01:48 > 0:01:50The old team, they could explain things more,
0:01:50 > 0:01:53they're more...switched on.
0:01:53 > 0:01:57I thought it was all right but they need to get more interesting cars.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59People my age, we tend to get,
0:01:59 > 0:02:01like, with the better-looking, sportier cars.
0:02:01 > 0:02:06We don't really go back looking at old Reliants and...Land Rovers.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08We've lost the battle.
0:02:08 > 0:02:10But we can still...win the war.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13I found it really enjoyable, you know, on the edge of the seat,
0:02:13 > 0:02:17bit of laughter, bit of humour, and, you know, British against USA,
0:02:17 > 0:02:18found it really good fun.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21The only part I liked was the new track they've
0:02:21 > 0:02:23got for the celebrities.
0:02:23 > 0:02:25Oh, very nice, Gordon.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28Chris was a good presenter tonight but he was a bit loud
0:02:28 > 0:02:30and over the top.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32Whoooooooaa!
0:02:32 > 0:02:34And he just seemed to make everything about him.
0:02:34 > 0:02:36And I preferred him on the radio.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39Matt LeBlanc, er, I found him very boring.
0:02:39 > 0:02:41HE YAWNS
0:02:41 > 0:02:44I will be watching next week.
0:02:44 > 0:02:45Definitely worth a go.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48I don't think it's an improvement on the last series.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51It all seems a bit forced and a bit loud and brash.
0:02:51 > 0:02:53Yeah, I'll be watching it next week.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55I will watch another episode at home if I'm home
0:02:55 > 0:02:58but if I miss it I won't be worried about it.
0:02:58 > 0:03:00- That's it.- That's the problem.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04Well, you didn't like it.
0:03:05 > 0:03:09Most of you thought the wheels had come off a classic, with
0:03:09 > 0:03:12producers wasting an opportunity to freshen up the format.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15Top Gear? More like Flop Gear.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18I mean, we were promised a show that wasn't just going to be
0:03:18 > 0:03:22a copy or a rehash, we were promised something new and exciting.
0:03:22 > 0:03:26Instead we ended up with a carcass of our old, beloved Top Gear,
0:03:26 > 0:03:29liberally sprinkled with presenters that didn't really belong there
0:03:29 > 0:03:31and were just big names.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33Come on, BBC, you can do better than this.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36Chris Evans and his team have been given a blank canvas
0:03:36 > 0:03:38and they've failed miserably.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40They're piggybacking off the last series
0:03:40 > 0:03:43and they're using the same phrases, mannerisms and tones.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47Hm! I'm sorry, but this was an opportunity to bring us
0:03:47 > 0:03:52something new, fresh and exciting, but it was just a poor impression.
0:03:52 > 0:03:54And by the SOUND of it,
0:03:54 > 0:03:58one presenter in particular was driving you round the bend.
0:03:58 > 0:04:02How about we now meet tonight's Star in a Reasonably Priced Car?
0:04:10 > 0:04:13LAST WORDS ECHO
0:04:13 > 0:04:16No matter how much Chris Evans shouts,
0:04:16 > 0:04:19he can't bring a corpse back to life.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22I suggest Top Gear is given a decent burial.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25Out of the hundreds of messages we received in what must be
0:04:25 > 0:04:27a Points Of View personal best,
0:04:27 > 0:04:31positive feedback on the programme was in very short supply.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34But there was some praise for PART of the presenting team.
0:04:34 > 0:04:36Look at that face!
0:04:36 > 0:04:39You know you've beaten us, don't you?
0:04:55 > 0:04:59Overall, Top Gear not yet back in pole position to say the least.
0:05:05 > 0:05:06Speaking of which...
0:05:08 > 0:05:12You were "en garde" for the return of BBC One's swashbuckling series
0:05:12 > 0:05:14last Saturday night.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18The first in a ten-part third outing for dashing daredevils
0:05:18 > 0:05:22The Musketeers saw D'Artagnan, Porthos
0:05:22 > 0:05:25and Athos storm the fields of France, before being reunited
0:05:25 > 0:05:29with an old friend who'd set down his sword to settle in a monastery.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34- Show yourself!- No, stop! Stop!
0:05:34 > 0:05:35Not him!
0:05:35 > 0:05:38- This is...- Aramis. We know.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42Definitely a case of one for all and all for one
0:05:42 > 0:05:44when it came to this drama.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47The costumes fitted the time period and setting wonderfully
0:05:47 > 0:05:51and the new opening battle scene was just spectacular to watch.
0:06:00 > 0:06:02Some swooning over the swordsmen
0:06:02 > 0:06:05may just have played a part in your positivity.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21But for some of you, delight at having the trio
0:06:21 > 0:06:24back on our screens has been dampened by the knowledge that
0:06:24 > 0:06:28after this series The Musketeers will be bowing out for good.
0:06:36 > 0:06:41Now, are you going to try and tell me that you didn't enjoy that?
0:06:41 > 0:06:44You can catch up with the series so far on the iPlayer.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47Crossing the continent to Ancient Athens next,
0:06:47 > 0:06:51and BBC One's staging of a Shakespearean classic.
0:06:57 > 0:07:01Boasting 3D sound via the red button and CGI effects,
0:07:01 > 0:07:04Bank Holiday Monday's adaptation of A Midsummer Night's Dream was
0:07:04 > 0:07:08brought to us by former Dr Who supremo Russell T Davies.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11Familiar faces Richard Wilson, Maxine Peake
0:07:11 > 0:07:14and Matt Lucas were amongst the cast.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18What angel wakes me from my flowery bed?
0:07:19 > 0:07:22Good evening.
0:07:22 > 0:07:26I pray thee, gentle mortal, sing again.
0:07:26 > 0:07:27Oh...
0:07:27 > 0:07:32You were captivated by this contemporary take on a classic.
0:07:36 > 0:07:41A truly magical adaptation of A Midsummer Night's Dream.
0:07:41 > 0:07:45I thought it was both hilarious and beautiful.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48I especially enjoyed the wonderful finale.
0:07:48 > 0:07:52It was colourful, exhilarating and hilarious by turns,
0:07:52 > 0:07:54incredibly entertaining.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57I'm sure Shakespeare would have approved.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00But the course of true love never did run smooth, and
0:08:00 > 0:08:05a familiar faux pas prevented it from being pitch-perfect for some.
0:08:05 > 0:08:09Yet again, boisterous background music!
0:08:21 > 0:08:24I spent the entire time with the remote in my hand turning
0:08:24 > 0:08:27the volume down when there were background effects or music
0:08:27 > 0:08:30and turning the volume up to hear the dialogue.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32The bouncing Amazon!
0:08:32 > 0:08:35Keeping it highbrow, from the Bard to Beethoven,
0:08:35 > 0:08:39BBC Two this week exploring the story behind one of the classical
0:08:39 > 0:08:43composer's most famous and recognisable works.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46THEY PLAY THE FIFTH SYMPHONY
0:08:49 > 0:08:53In The Secrets Of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony last Saturday night,
0:08:53 > 0:08:57conductor Sir John Eliot Gardiner revealed to Ian Hislop how the score
0:08:57 > 0:09:01could feature radical messages tied to the French Revolution.
0:09:01 > 0:09:05Beethoven's political beliefs went up and down
0:09:05 > 0:09:08but at the time he was writing the symphony, in the early 1800s,
0:09:08 > 0:09:11he was completely under the spell of the French Revolution.
0:09:11 > 0:09:15Blending Beethoven's background with a study of his symphony meant
0:09:15 > 0:09:17the documentary struck the right chord with you.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20I would never have imagined Beethoven having
0:09:20 > 0:09:23an interest in the French Revolution.
0:09:23 > 0:09:25A wonderful mix of music and history
0:09:25 > 0:09:29and to hear John Eliot Gardiner's feelings on the music was magical.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38Wednesday night saw a sumptuous new period drama
0:09:38 > 0:09:40arrive on our shores from France.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43Ten-part Versailles follows the escapades of the country's
0:09:43 > 0:09:46most famous monarch, Louis XIV.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52With a predominantly English cast, episode one was packed
0:09:52 > 0:09:56full of seduction, betrayal and political intrigue,
0:09:56 > 0:10:00as the young king sought to stamp his authority on court and country.
0:10:00 > 0:10:05I'm about to drag this country out of the darkness and into the light.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07We must build our own destiny right here,
0:10:07 > 0:10:10a new France will be born and this palace will be her mother.
0:10:10 > 0:10:14No expense was spared on this one, with the French reportedly
0:10:14 > 0:10:18spending in excess of £20 million on the show.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21And it's already been recommissioned for a second series.
0:10:21 > 0:10:26But judging by your feedback, that is perhaps a little premature.
0:10:35 > 0:10:39Versailles had hit the headlines well before broadcast,
0:10:39 > 0:10:43thanks to the series being peppered with violent and erotic scenes.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46But, though episode one contained plenty of both,
0:10:46 > 0:10:49at the end of the day that was not enough to save the show
0:10:49 > 0:10:52from a script you felt just wasn't fit for a king.
0:11:13 > 0:11:17Not to be left out, BBC Four was also getting in on the Gallic action
0:11:17 > 0:11:21this week, with the launch of a French ten-part thriller.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27Set in Lyon, The Disappearance unfolded last Saturday
0:11:27 > 0:11:29with 17-year-old Lea vanishing without trace
0:11:29 > 0:11:31on the morning of her birthday.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34As the police investigation got under way,
0:11:34 > 0:11:37family and friends quickly fell under suspicion.
0:11:48 > 0:11:52So far, the series seems to have offered an original take
0:11:52 > 0:11:55on a dark subject that has proved a well-trodden path for drama.
0:11:55 > 0:11:59I actually really enjoyed The Disappearance on BBC.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02I think TV in general have done quite a few
0:12:02 > 0:12:06programmes about abduction and things like that, erm, not
0:12:06 > 0:12:10many of which have been outstanding or impressive and I actually
0:12:10 > 0:12:14thought this one was really gripping and I can't wait for episode three.
0:12:22 > 0:12:26Finally this week, we are bidding a fond farewell to the Points Of View
0:12:26 > 0:12:31message boards, which will close at noon on Monday 13th June.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33We would like to thank everyone on the boards,
0:12:33 > 0:12:35including, to name just a few,
0:12:35 > 0:12:40Wolfie McWolfieface, Hollybeau, Tomcat Claret and Blue,
0:12:40 > 0:12:43Mirandashell and GZ - or is that "G-zed"? -
0:12:43 > 0:12:46for all the spirited discussion that's taken place
0:12:46 > 0:12:50over the last 11 and a half years on the Points Of View message boards.
0:12:50 > 0:12:52That's it for this series of Points Of View,
0:12:52 > 0:12:54we'll be back in early September.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57But do keep your thoughts on the BBC's TV coming -
0:12:57 > 0:12:59we will read them all before we're back.
0:12:59 > 0:13:01You can contact us at...
0:13:06 > 0:13:09You can also send us a video, which we love.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35See you in September, have a great summer.