BBC defend clarkson

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In my view the only thing Clarkson did wrong was apologise.
 
Ozei said:
Exactly - the production companies are already well paid with our money. There is no reason to hand over any part of the rights to an existing BBC product, revamped format or not.
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You don't know the history of the brand then do you. I suggest you read before making assumptions.

Clarkson set up a joint venture with the BBC to run Top Gear. He put his money into the venture in the early days as the BBC didn't believe it would attract the viewing figures. They saw it as offsetting the risk. With the success, the BBC has now bought out Clarkson (last year), or to be specific, BBC worldwide, who earn significant revenue from the franchise and selling the programme around the world.

The presenters are paid around £1m with additional payouts from BBC worldwide relating to sales.
 
ST4 said:
Mine too. I tell you what though. I buy TG mag every month and all there write really fun columns
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The message that got James May sacked from Autocar & Motor Magazine. 23 September 1992.

Spread across multiple pages of the magazine It reads: So you think it's really good, yeah? You should try making the bloody thing up. It's a real pain in the arse :)

JamesMayAutocar.jpg
 
Ozei said:
Exactly - the production companies are already well paid with our money. There is no reason to hand over any part of the rights to an existing BBC product, revamped format or not.
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The BBC have made more money from the TG franchise than they have paid out for it's production by a long long way I suspect.
 
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Commercial spin-offs include versions of Top Gear magazine in 31 countries, a live tour that has visited cities including Perth, Moscow and Stockholm. The original show is broadcast in about 200 territories and local versions have been made in countries including the US and South Korea.
 
BRASH said:
He's a an arrogant tw@t imo. Detest the man and that other two muppets on his show.:mad:
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Can't agree totally. James May is a very good TV presenter. His own programmes are much better than Top Gear.

The other two though...agreed.


Steve.
 
Hammond's book really helped me when firstly Mum had a stroke - it gave us a little hope for her (unfortunately a hope that wasn't realised) and then when I was recovering from brain surgery - it helped me through some odd and dark thoughts! Clarkson is a grade A cock though.
 
Clarkson and James May are very capable motoring journalists - at least by today's tragically low standards - and you have to love James May's famous acrostic! :banana:

In other news, is it fair to define @BRASH as an ill-bred ignoramus? :grumpy:
 
Clarkson can drive though, the man has some serious car control. His wife isn't bad at racing Caterhams either.
 
Yves Geza said:
In other news, is it fair to define @BRASH as an ill-bred ignoramus? :grumpy:
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seems reasonable to me , but the mods may not like it.

and he does have some redeeming features like how good he is with an electric guitar... bought his very first 6 string, bought it at the five and dime, played it til his fingers bled , was the summer of 69 ;)
 
daugirdas said:
yes, but isn't it the reason he is so funny and everyone except 4 people really like his shows?
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4 people? I think you may need to recheck the stats from that survey.... :-)

daugirdas said:
Political correctness makes me sick these days.
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You should see a doctor for that, sounds serious. Or have some of this. :beer:

There is always an irony of people getting offended by other people being offended by other people. :eek:
 
Nobody find it funny that it's only been since clarkson sold his share of the production company to the bbc that these 'issues' have occurred?

Add to that he's one of the highest paid bbc employees and they are under pressure to reduce salaries of the talent...
 
I know it's become fashionable to bash Clarkson but I like him and Top Gear He has a great take on the world. There are far to many people taking offence and saying you shouldn't say this and that. As an author he is very astute.
 
In the words of Reginald D Hunter

"Ain't no body ever died from being offended".

About time people stopped worrying about taking offence, grew up and accepted that not everyone is so thin skinned they cry out in horror at any comment innocent or otherwise. I've been called every name under the sun for wearing a particular uniform. So what, they are words. I've been spat at by 2 former Labour members of Parliament, for wearing that same uniform, those 2 went on to claim that we should treat everyone with respect, really?. My 'ethnic' class is Anglo Irish Cypriot, and I've been called all sorts of things for the latter 2, so what! Like Mr Hunter says.......
I find that mostly the 'offended' are people who have nothing to do with whats said, feeling outrage by proxy. Get over it.
 
Blank_Canvas said:
I know it's become fashionable to bash Clarkson but I like him and Top Gear He has a great take on the world. There are far to many people taking offence and saying you shouldn't say this and that. As an author he is very astute.
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I agree with this. I don't agree with his racist comments though. I genuinely think the N word thing was just unfortunate automatic use of the rhyme as he maybe learned it as a child, which wasn't actually used on air anyway. However, the "look... There's a slope on it" comment was blatantly intended and highly offensive, and in my opinion, unforgivable. A massive chunk of the cash he earns from BBC worldwide sales comes from Asia, so it was also bloody stupid of him.

However.. his way of thinking, mindset, style of delivery and narrative in his columns, I think is admirable. I speaks his mind and couldn't give a **** who he offends, which is something I approve of wholeheartedly: There are far too many big, crying babies in this pampered, managed and sanitised society we live in, and they cry righteous indignation at the slightest thing, while poring over their copy of the Daily Mail. However.. causing offence by just talking common sense is one thing - doing it by deliberately using racist name calling is quite another thing. Clarkson is witty, clever, well educated, writes well, and is entertaining. You think he'd know better. I think the wealth, and what he clearly thought was invulnerability had gone to his head.

Yes, he's childish, but that's something I feel the world could do with more of sometimes. He's realised what he is, and capitalised upon it. Good luck to him.
 
ChasG said:
In my view the only thing Clarkson did wrong was apologise.
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For saying ni**er. Really, you think that's all he did wrong?
 
Pookeyhead said:
I agree with this. I don't agree with his racist comments though. I genuinely think the N word thing was just unfortunate automatic use of the rhyme as he maybe learned it as a child, which wasn't actually used on air anyway.
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Clarkson is a couple of years younger than me and I have never heard the rhyme in that context. Perhaps it's my upbringing.
 
jakeblu said:
Clarkson is a couple of years younger than me and I have never heard the rhyme in that context. Perhaps it's my upbringing.
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Their producer heard it somewhere. Do you think Clarkson makes up all the show by himself? NO.
 
jakeblu said:
Clarkson is a couple of years younger than me and I have never heard the rhyme in that context. Perhaps it's my upbringing.
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There's more to this than age. I never used that word in that rhyme either, but I know others that have. Were you raised in Doncaster? Lots of words, phrases and versions of popular vernacular are extremely regional. These things aren't as black and white as, "He's my age, and I didn't so therefore it can't possibly be true" as I'm sure you now realise.
 
I remember the rhyme being worded that way when I was a kid.
 
jakeblu said:
Clarkson is a couple of years younger than me and I have never heard the rhyme in that context. Perhaps it's my upbringing.
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FWIW Ive just looked and Clarkson is 3 1/2 years younger than me and that was the version of 'Eeeny Meeny Miny Mo' I heard in urbane London playgrounds in the 1960s!

Lots of other language and ideas were different then too.
 
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Yves Geza said:
FWIW Ive just looked and Clarkson is 3 1/2 years younger than me and that was the version of 'Eeeny Meeny Miny Mo' I heard in urbane London playgrounds in the 1960s!

Lots of other language and ideas were different then too.
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Exactly... we had gollywogs on marmalade jars, and The Black & White Minstrel Show FFS. Anyone else remember "love Thy Neighbour"? Times change... but the legacy of those times linger in people's vernacular, no matter how educated and aware they are.
 
Pookeyhead said:
Exactly... we had gollywogs on marmalade jars, and The Black & White Minstrel Show FFS. Anyone else remember "love Thy Neighbour"? Times change... but the legacy of those times linger in people's vernacular, no matter how educated and aware they are.
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It was a huge surprise to see a display of gollywogs in a North Wales souvenir shop only a couple of years ago but I had a golly when I was a toddler - he was my teddy's best friend!
 
I do remember Love thy Neighbour and I watched an extract from it that made me cringe. I remember thinking how did we find that funny. But that was the late 70s with canned laughter. Women were just housewives and didn't have careers. That's how they were portrayed on TV. Times and attitudes have changed. I also remember watching the B & W Minstrel Show as a kid and thinking this is crap. I didn't like banjos or musicals and thinking what's the point in wearing the black makeup - pointless.
 
Love it or hate it we all watch it because we all have an opinion on it
 
For what it's worth - I'm 42 and in Warrington where I grew up - the N word was certainly in the rhyme we sang but I was clueless as to what it meant. Those were just the words.

I think it's been changed to tigger now.

PS

I've still got the full set of the porcelain golly band that I think we got from collecting the labels off the jars.
 
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Pookeyhead said:
Anyone else remember "love Thy Neighbour"? .
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simon ess said:
I remember how the black guy was smarter and his wife was sexier..
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And no one ever complained when the "white honky" or "Snowflake" came off worse,
which he usually did.
Jack Smethurst, & Kate Williams.
Rudolph Walker & Nina Baden-Semper
 
Blank_Canvas said:
I do remember Love thy Neighbour and I watched an extract from it that made me cringe. I remember thinking how did we find that funny.
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And our children / grandchildren,
may well look back on the "80's" "90's" & "noughties" etc and say the same.
Tastes change.
 
Pookeyhead said:
Exactly... we had gollywogs on marmalade jars, and The Black & White Minstrel Show FFS. Anyone else remember "love Thy Neighbour"? Times change... but the legacy of those times linger in people's vernacular, no matter how educated and aware they are.
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Play school had a gollywog as well amongst the toys. They were the baddies in noddy stories, plus for those of us born in the 60's, our parents were possible highly sceptical of the influx to certain areas during the 50's. Certainly immigration was seen as taking the jobs of the working class even then.

However times change, attitudes change, for the better. Personally I had no idea about slant as a derogatory term and I'd bet many who complained didn't either until it was publicised.
 
Yves Geza said:
It was a huge surprise to see a display of gollywogs in a North Wales souvenir shop only a couple of years ago but I had a golly when I was a toddler - he was my teddy's best friend!
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It might be my age but I still don't think there is anything wrong with selling golllywogs, no different to teddy bears or humpty dumpties. its all about context. I think thats totally different to using the N word which today is completely unacceptable. Although I do understand it's still used in RAP songs by the very people it allegedly offends. Again it's all about perception. I don't like the word but its been in use for years years. Authors have used it in titles (Agather Christie) and it's been used in common figure of speech N in the woodpile. Even a celebrated and decorated Airman named his dog 'N'

Is it right today, No. History books and films have edited to reflect that change. Is that right, possibly? but everything has to be put in context.
 
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