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Original poster

to be amazed that 350,000+ people think it's okay to punch someone in the workplace?

97 replies

HootsMon · 11/03/2015 16:07

www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-31832698

That's how many people have signed a petition in support of Jeremy Clarkson being reinstated. I suspect they may feel differently about it if it was them getting punched at work!

Part of me wonders if the BBC are reporting this to excuse the fact that they intend to overlook Clarkson's unrelentingly dickish behaviour yet again?

OP posts:
CocobearSqueeze · 11/03/2015 17:29

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

NotGoingOut17 · 11/03/2015 17:36

I'm not amazed unfortunately, the British public isn't known for it's intelligence hence the Sun being the most popular newspaper.. (shameful).

Obviously we don't know the full facts but I imagine the BBC wouldn't suspend him unless it was a serious matter - those signing the petition don't know the full facts either but are still happily signing away even though at the moment if it possible that he may have punched someone. IF he has punched someone I would like to think he would get sacked but somehow I don't think it will happen - for whatever reason he is popular.

And no, I don't think the circumstances matter so much (if it is true that he has punched the assistant producer) there may be some very rare occasions where punching someone may be acceptable (self defense perhaps) but dinner not being ready is not one of them.

If he was in any other line of work he would have been sacked long ago, but whilst he makes the money for the bbc he does he thinks he is untouchable.

IfMaybeBut · 11/03/2015 17:45

Cocobear link please

katese11 · 11/03/2015 17:53

I enjoy top gear but it would actually be a better show with just Hammond and May..

Theoretician · 11/03/2015 17:54

It's difficult to judge without the details. One person's joke is another person's criminal offense.

Hypothetical examples:-

  1. Squirt a colleague once with a water pistol. To the squirter a prank, but also a criminal assault that the colleague could report to the police.
  2. A mock punch thrown, deliberately no contact, recognised by both thrower and recipient as being in jest, but misjudged and coming close enough to recipient to cause him to duck. A crime because it induced fear.

I suppose my point is that something a lot less than a punch can be a full criminal offense, let alone merely an employer issue. So an incident could be very innocuous (from a public opinion perspective) and at the same time very serious, from a disciplinary point of view.

Theoretician · 11/03/2015 17:56

To be clear, by hypothetical examples I mean completely made up, having no relation to the incident being talked about.

CocobearSqueeze · 11/03/2015 18:08

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

RandomFriend · 11/03/2015 18:10

Everyone knows that it is not OK to punch someone in the workplace.

Except that there was Perry McCarthy on Breakfast this morning saying that it was "just a punch-up between two blokes", suggesting that this is "normal" behaviour in some circles.

What is not quite so clear is that if the person doing the punching also entertains everyone and spins money for the organisation, perhaps such behaviour is best overlooked? Or did the BBC get something like that wrong before?

Or maybe the opposite: if the punch-up is between two blokes that find this reasonable, perhaps the BBC is a little over-zealous in suspending JC.

DealForTheKids · 11/03/2015 18:13

I'm a PA, and it is my job to organise food for people who are working 16+ hour days in horrible rooms. If i fucked up the catering it could, perhaps, get me fired - but if the senior partner punched me of course he'd be fired. IF that is indeed what happened the public reaction is bonkers. And a lot of my friends who signed that petition would be the first to demand blood in the event it happened to me. Funny, that,

FyreFly · 11/03/2015 18:27

I feel for the BBC and the producer.

If I was the producer I'd feel pretty damn shit that over 400k people thought that it was no big deal that I'd been punched. If I was the BBC I'd be feeling sick at trying to strike the balance between backing my employee (producer) to the hilt and not losing one of my biggest cash cows.

Top Gear is a massive brand and if Jeremy Clarkson goes it's likely James May, Richard Hammond and Top Gear, and all the associated money, would go with him...

AgaPanthers · 11/03/2015 18:31

My son has a subscription to the magazine. Lots of people are employed as a result of all of this.

TrojanWhore · 11/03/2015 18:36

" Lots of people are employed as a result of all of this."

Shame that Clarkson let all of them down by punching one of them.

Latara · 11/03/2015 18:38

I feel sorry for the Producer - if I was him I'd be really pissed off & I'd be going to the police about the assault. JC is a big bloke to be punched by. What a nasty workplace bully.

And sorry, but if JC isn't a racist then he's very close to it. Amazed he's lasted this long, he disgusts me.

Latara · 11/03/2015 18:41

I once worked in a factory, one of the men was sacked straight away after punching someone at the Christmas party.

One of the nurses at work lost his temper with another nurse - the manager saw it and the nurse nearly lost his job - but he didn't physically abuse the other nurse!

nochocolateforlentteacake · 11/03/2015 18:42

I once had to work all through the night and wasn't fed. I don't think I hit anyone (mind you, I was very junior and everyone else was The Board).

ARoomWithoutAView · 11/03/2015 18:43

There was a thread on here a while back something like 'Who would you send to Mars' based on some one-way space mission. Well..... hehehe...

  1. Kate Moss
  2. Pete Docherty

And now.....

  1. Jeremy Clarkson
  2. Others x 350,000
EveBoswell · 11/03/2015 18:45

Could they have signed it, thinking that they were signing to have him removed?

Chippednailvarnish · 11/03/2015 18:47

JC nearly a reason to like Piers Morgan.

WhereYouLeftIt · 11/03/2015 18:55

It's just been mentioned on the news that the BBC are sole owners of the 'Top Gear' brand, having bought JC out in 2012 to the tune of £8.5m.

I'm a cynical little soul - did his 'incidents' increase in frequency after he was bought out? Is he trying to sabotage the TG brand?

Jessica78 · 11/03/2015 19:05

He's a racist, misogynist dickhead. And on top of having to work with him, this assistant producer has to put up with the fact that a group of other people (presumably also dickheads) think it's ok for him to be physically & no doubt verbally abused in the workplace. I deplore the fact that our licence fee pays for this man's opinions to be plasterd everywhere.

ARoomWithoutAView · 11/03/2015 19:07

He is like Roger Mellie the Man on Telly.
Cue Vis magazine.

MrsBertMacklin · 11/03/2015 19:14

Someone mentioned on a thread earlier today that he has Chris Evans syndrome, which I think is absolutely spot on. But CE sobered and matured, JC just seems to be getting worse in his old age and as long as he's surrounded by acolytes, he won't change.

I can see ITV doing him a transfer deal, as with Jonathan Ross.

Sparklingbrook · 11/03/2015 19:20

We need a JC topic with all these threads....

ManOfSpiel · 11/03/2015 19:52

I think this highlights the mentality of many nowadays. Even before the facts are known there are thousands eager to click buttons.

Either people want him to get the sack or want him to stay. All are premature button clickers with very little between the ears.

If he's punched someone then he needs to go but think he'll be off anyway.

Rightokthen · 11/03/2015 20:29

People think he's a god. What has he actually got to do to get sacked?

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