Top Gear near death

[Garno]

 

[Cabinetman]

I thought the anvil was inspired. It answered the question why he was was driving, well let’s just say not quite the car I thought it would be driving!

 

[clogs]

best laugh this weekend......should have been driving a Marina......hahaha.....

 

[Lard]

Very good .....looking more and more like Steve Bruce the older he gets

 

[D_W]

It effectively died over here when Jeremy Clarkson got PC pushed out. Not that there aren't gobs of people who agreed with him getting pushed out, just that they'd have no idea what the show is.

I heard there was a US version of the show, but never saw it, and was advised that if I liked older English versions, watching the american version is strongly not suggested.

 

[jcassidy]

Well I don't agree that Clarkson was pushed out due to Political Correctness. He was pushed out because he racially and physically abused a staffer over the hotel kitchen being closed, and that was only the last in a series of incidents that he'd been warned over. He gave the guy a black eye! He should've been charged, not just fired.

What dissapointed me was the other two legging it over to Amazon for the money.

 

[nickds1]

Absolutely nothing "PC" about it at all. He assaulted a BBC staffer whilst he was drunk, punching the guy who was just explaining that the kitchens had shut.

He called the guy, Oisin Tymon, a lazy Irish <expletive> and hit him - he was checked over in hospital.

The BBC and Clarkson were sued for racial and physical abuse and settled for a sum believed to be in excess of 100k. Note that a chunk of this comes from license payers', i.e. our, money. Clarkson was extremely lucky Tymon didn't press charges else he'd have a conviction too.

In anybody's book, that's a sacking offence whoever you are. Astonishing arrogance. Completely disgraceful and inexcusable.

https://topgear.fandom.com/wiki/Oisin_Tymon

 

[clogs]

Not that I agree with hitting the guy but he should have made sure there was food available....
He had plenty of time to arrange it (prob months) and it's not like money matters.......
just another lazy upstart in/on the BBC management gravey train......
Not sure how to fix the Beeb but sacking all the management would be a good start....
of course all the positions could be filled with WOKE enthusiasts......
total waste of space...the Beeb should go back to doing what they were good at....
wasn't top gear the biggest /best money export programe.....
The US version was complete garbage and very wooden......along with the newer UK version.....
the Beeb's loss and Amazon's gain......

 

[JobandKnock]

Let's face it - you either like Clarkson or you loathe him. But what is true is that the BBC had a golden goose in Top Gear which paid for a lot of non-commercial projects which they otherwise wouldn't have supported from the licence fee. And because they were too lazy, stupid or PC they opted not to put any effort into keeping the golden goose laying - by keeping Clarkson happy. I really can't see an American network allowing this sort of thing to happen. Or maybe I've got it all wrong and Chris Evan's really could drive cars fast whilst Matt LeBlanc could be funny - maybe in an alternative universe...

 

[D_W]

Absolutely nothing "PC" about it at all. He assaulted a BBC staffer whilst he was drunk, punching the guy who was just explaining that the kitchens had shut.

He called the guy, Oisin Tymon, a lazy Irish <expletive> and hit him - he was checked over in hospital.

The BBC and Clarkson settled for racial and physical abuse for a sum believed to be in excess of 100k. Note that a chunk of this comes from license payers', i.e. our, money. Clarkson was extremely lucky Tymon didn't press charges else he'd have a conviction too.

In anybody's book, that's a sacking offence whoever you are. Astonishing arrogance. Completely disgraceful and inexcusable.

https://topgear.fandom.com/wiki/Oisin_Tymon

Those details weren't portrayed accurately here, at least not in the reports that I saw. In any time in the last 20 years, you can't get away with behavior like that in any situation where employment law resides.

That said, the average person here isn't interested in cars like they were 30+ years ago (I diligently read motor trend and waited and watched for everything that was coming out from a turbo sprint to the F40). The internet makes niche groups, but on the ground, the enthusiasm is dying except for some old well-heeled classic car collectors.

I followed instructions and didn't watch the american version of top gear that came after that. Most people know that was an English show, but very few know just how many shows here are just worse versions of snappier English franchises.

 

[Bm101]

Not that I agree with hitting the guy but he should have made sure there was food available....
He had plenty of time to arrange it (prob months) and it's not like money matters.......
just another lazy upstart in/on the BBC management gravey train......

Not sure if you are kidding or not tbh.
Would it be alright if he'd clumped Clarkson back while being assaulted? Because that what I would have been attempting if that fat old man tried that sh*t with me. I'm about as far from 'woke' (for perspective I'm a window cleaner, last time someone attempted to break into my house where my kids were sleeping let's say he was lucky my Mrs had already called the police when I caught him up on the scaffolding. I doubt to this day that thieving scrote realises just how lucky he is to have the use of his legs and fingers... No bluster either) as you can get but abusing your senior position in a job to physically or mentally abuse someone with no influence is just the act of a total wan*er.

An excerpt from the topgear fandom link posted above by Nickds1
"Tymon refused to report the incident to the BBC and the corporation was unaware of the incident until Clarkson admitted to the assault on 10 March 2015 after being pressured by other senior members on the Top Gear production team."

That's 6 days after he smacked the fella. They only reported it because they were sh*****ng themselves like children. When you look at it in that light. Who's the whiney ar*e snowflake now?

 

[AJB Temple]

Two blokes square up and generally no real harm done.
Clarkson though was the star, and in a very dominant position. Plus he's a big fella. Total dick not to go instantly overboard to make amends. Moved to Amazon and made far more money. He's not woke and had outstayed his welcome at the BBC which was increasingly going PC. JC was wrong of course and he ended up being ejected and falling on his feet. Who are the losers - TG viewers mainly.

 

[JobandKnock]

What dissapointed me was the other two legging it over to Amazon for the money.

In their shoes, given that the creators of Top Gear (Andy Wilman and Jeremy Clarkson) were gone, that they were likely to have to play second fiddle to a motoring lightweight like Chris Evans, and that there seems to have been a lot of pressure applied (did you not see how subdued they were in the last episode of Clarkson's last series?) why wouldn't they attempt to protect their future income and reputation by leaving what they surely perceived as a sinking ship? Don't tell me that if you were placed in a similar situation you wouldn't have considered doing something similar

 

[Democritus]

I remember Top Gear in the 70’s when it was a consumer programme about cars. That is, the ordinary cars that the average man/woman might think about buying. They gave straightforward assessments of the cars’ pros and cons, and it was helpful for car buyers. They also looked at developments in car engineering and innovations.
I don’t know why it metamorphosed into the programme it became, with the likes of Jeremy Clarkson driving furiously around in Ferraris, Aston Martins, Lamborghinis, Maseratis and the like., while sneering st the type of car that ordinary punters might buy. A programme of grown men behaving like spoiled children.

 

[AJB Temple]

But the later iteration was more fun and far more interesting. Entertaining TV for a while.

 

[Democritus]

But the later iteration was more fun and far more interesting. Entertaining TV for a while.

It might as well have been replaced by stock car driving. That’s interesting and fun, if you like that sort of thing.

 

[JobandKnock]

I don’t know why it metamorphosed into the programme it became, with the likes of Jeremy Clarkson driving furiously around in Ferraris, Aston Martins, Lamborghinis, Maseratis and the like...

Because in its' original format it was dull, boring and as a result had a smallish audience. When it changed, it garnered a much larger audience, became internationally saleable and a real money spinner which kept quite a few bits of the BBC afloat. Why is this? Well, whilst you may not be interested in performance cars, many people (who may never afford such exoticars) are fascinated by them. They are aspirational. But TBH who really gives a tuppeny damn about the performance (?) and handling (??) of a Ford Ka base model?

 

[Democritus]

Because in its' original format it was dull, boring and as a result had a smallish audience. When it changed, it garnered a much larger audience, became internationally saleable and a real money spinner which kept quite a few bits of the BBC afloat. Why is this? Well, whilst you may not be interested in performance cars, many people (who may never afford such exoticars) are fascinated by them. They are aspirational. But TBH who really gives a tuppeny damn about the performance (?) and handling (??) of a Ford Ka base model?

Who gives a tuppenny damn? ...Ford Ka base model buyers. But no doubt to you and Jeremy Clarkson, such cars and their owners are to be pitied

 

[Peterm1000]

Because in its' original format it was dull, boring and as a result had a smallish audience. When it changed, it garnered a much larger audience, became internationally saleable and a real money spinner which kept quite a few bits of the BBC afloat. Why is this? Well, whilst you may not be interested in performance cars, many people (who may never afford such exoticars) are fascinated by them. They are aspirational. But TBH who really gives a tuppeny damn about the performance (?) and handling (??) of a Ford Ka base model?

The new version also became dull, predictable and full of puerile jokes. Well past its sell by date

 

[JobandKnock]

Do you drive a dull, boring metal box? Have you ever driven anything remotely resembling a performance car or motorbike? Do you think that all programs about cars have to examine the minutiae of boring little tin boxes? And are you aware about just how successful the reborn Top Gear was in comparison to its' forebears? And what do you think about Top Gear after Ckarkson, May and Hamster?

Clarkson and Wilman's Top Gear worked for so many people because it was the only program to showcase and compare the exotic, with a bit of actual motoring journalism thrown in (bu no, not about how big the boot is) combined with some shenanigans that even my missus found funny. But then, neither of us is PC and nor are we easily offended. If you wanted a more staid car program you should have switched to Fifth Gear with ex-Top Gear presenter Tiff Needell - but wait, didn't that die the death because the revised Top Gear took most of its' audience? And because it was just so bloody boring?

Of course, if something offends you on TV there is always the option of switching over or switching off. Maybe you should have tried that. I wonder, though, what you think of the current Top Gear crew? At least they aren't Clarkson...

Me? I was already an Amazon Prime member, so buying a Firestick and watching the Grand Tour seemed a natural progression. It was the BBC's loss and Amazon's gain.