BBC viewers were less than thrilled on Sunday, as the new series Paddy and Chris: Road Tripping debuted. The opening episode saw ex- Top Gear presenters Paddy McGuiness and Chris Harris venture to Sweden in pursuit of the secret to ageing gracefully. As the pair prepared for their journey, Paddy unveiled their Swedish classic ride, a vintage Cross Country Volvo, much to Harris's elation.
He enthusiastically shared facts about their set of wheels while Paddy told people watching: "We might be here for some time, do yourself a brew. I had to let him do a little bit of something with cars!" Amidst their Swedish escapade, Chris continued to delve into particulars about their 23-year-old Volvo including the pedal boxes, Paddy cut in: "As I said earlier, that's the other show, right? You've got to stop doing that on this trip. It's not going to wash.
A different set of viewers, just putting it out there." A visibly disheartened Chris retorted: "Yeah, but I like all that stuff." Twitter soon buzzed with audience feedback, many expressing their dissatisfaction towards the constant winks at the duo's Top Gear legacy, reports the Mirror .
One person commented: "I've just watched half of the first episode of #PaddyAndChrisRoadTripping - if ever the editorial drive of a programme was more "we've paid for the so we've got to do something" I'd like to not see it." Another vented: "What is the point of this? Two blokes driving through Sweden. Why? Did the #bbc think this was a good replacem.