Jeremy Clarkson - Will it be another BBC controversy??

[wintera]

After last week's debate on these pages about JR/RB, just wondered what everyone had to make of Jeremy Clarkson's joke on Top Gear. Here is a link if anyone is unaware of the story -

entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article5079350.ece

Its up to 500 complaints now apparently.

Well it didn't make me laugh, but I think it deserves a "tut!" and that's about it. The other thing was a bit different because it was aimed at actual people and more personal.

JC makes jokes like this every week. Media are hyping it up in view of the JR/RB thing.

I'm sure he's said those things about lorry drivers before and no-one made a fuss. I don't think it will be a big scandal because 1. Clarkson is more popular than Ross and not paid as much, and 2.are people really going to get righteously upset on behalf of lorry drivers? (Sadly we can be pretty sure they won't get upset on behalf of murdered prostitutes.)

Fight Fight Fight Fight!!!!! Let's see if we can get the complaints up to at least 30,000

It all amuses me because now you've posted the link, a whole load more people will read it and be "upset."

Didn't offend me when i watched the show on Sun, just made me think: "What the hell is he on about, the twat?"

I'm quite apprehensive that the BBC and other broadcasters are going to go over the top now in sanitising humour. I didn't like the RB/JR remarks, because they were mindless and aimed at determinate individuals. But I don't want to see boundary-pressing humour clamped down on.

(I'm not supporting the Clarkson remarks btw: his usual crass stuff, offensive to prostitutes not just lorry drivers, because it makes casual fun of their murder. But quiet reprimand probably enough.)

I think this is entirely different. As threadie already said, it was aimed at a vague group. It would not be a sufficiently identifiable group to satisfy the law on defamation. So lorry drivers would not be able to sue him, for example.

I thought it was quite funny. Sorry if your husband/partner/grandad is a lorry driver who only ever takes on board Ginsters pies.

i sniggered

JR/RB was about hurting an old man - it matters a hell of a lot more than a random bad taste joke.

It was bad taste but thats where it ends.

But the BBC have had previous bad publicity from the Top Gear team's antics... to suddenly start sanctioning and acting differently from the prev times would just show the BBC's behaviour up as being over the top and over sensitive to current situation..

seems the presshave a bone.

behave bbc presenters. there are torches lit

Actually, I don't even think clarkson needs a reprimand. It was crass humour and I didn't like it, but so what? We need to be tolerant of the stuff that offends us, so as to expect others to be tolerant of the humour we like that offends them.

That joke wasn't what shocked me about the programme - I was more outraged by how dangerous and pointless and unfunny their stunts are getting - the programme used to be about how good cars were!

It's par for the course with him and incidentally no different than what you could read in his Times Column.

I winced a bit, but laughed my arse off at the Stig's cousin with the suntanned arm.

I still say the new Stig is Lewis Hamilton.

What a waste of time to complain about that....

I find myself concerned about the environmental damage caused by pointlessly wrecking three lorries and setting fire to them.

But I did laugh at the lorry driver joke. Lorry drivers are not known to be sensitive little flowers, so I think they can take it.

i'm quite glad when these arrogant men get their wrists slapped, but confused by these becoming BBC controversies. So would it have been totally fine to do what ross and brand did if it had not been bbc? i don't have a problem with public service broadcasting pushing boundaries but i do have a problem with flippant rudeness becoming ever more supposedly hilarious.

I laughed. Quite a lot. It was so ridiculous (and meant to be- lets not forget- Clarkson wasn't seriously suggesting that lorry drivers all murder prostitutes).

If I was going to complain about top gear, it would be that the stunts sometimes seem to go a bit far, and as pigleto said the pointless destruction of wrecking cars and lorries (doesn't seem so bad when they turn them into boats or something).

The pitchforks are obviously lying in wait.

Fuss about nothing - in no way comparable to the JR/RB stunt.

I must be having a sense of humour failure, because I found that 'joke' of Clarkson's utterly tasteless.

Don't particularly care about the lorry drivers sensitive feelings, but I do care that that twunt thinks women being murdered is a laughing matter.

Having said that, I didn't complain because quite frankly if you watch Top Gear (even if it's only because you happen to be in the room when it's on) then you know what sort of an arse Clarkson is and should expect that sort of shite from him.

Biggest danger is that Clarkson alienates a few lorry drivers.

Given that they're probably quite likely to like his show and share his sense of humour, I'm not too worried. (vast generalisation there but you get my drift...)

I saw it on Sunday. My only concern was whether my sons would pick up on it and ask me what a prostitute is.

It was funny in a Jeremy Clarkson sort of way (ie, he says loads of outrageous things, and writes them - if you have read his Sunday Times column, or his books, you will have read worse than that).

I don't think it should be the next BBC controversy.

Foofi - I agree with you. I was more worked up about the daft bloody stunts. I actually like watching Top Gear, which is weird because I'm not that into cars normally. And I usually like the silly tasks they have to do, but this week's was too ridiculous. In light of all the debate last week on here, I kept thinking "How much is that costing us??"

I find it interesting that its been mentioned that Jeremy Clarkson is more popular than JR. Is he really? I would have thought he was another one of those Marmite types just like JR and RB?

Jeremy Clasrkson is a total cock.
However, I am concerned about what will happen to broadcasting in this country if things continue along the "disgusted from Tunbridge Wells" lines.