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.

When I first saw the headline that he had said something offensive I thought it was about something else he had said on the show .
Something about James May being a pikey

He says offensive things all the time but I have to admit to mostly finding him funny .

Am a bit that so many see this as an issue for lorry drivers.
No make that
I know JC is an idiot and that's why I avoid his show like the plague but he should NOT be allowed to make light of the murder of a group of women who are so vulnerable.
I presume we would all aggree it was not accetable if he had made a joke about murdering (jews/blacks/chinese people)?
It's not as if prostitutes DON'T get murdered, matters not by whom.
....feel like I'm not expressing this well, very tired....
it's like some people don't recognise viscious misogyny when they see it.

wise up, sisters!

Last series he said (of a car) "I'd rather be in that than Kiera Knightly"
how many complains did that get?

He was taking the piss out of lorry drivers madlentileater. If there had been some convictions for lorry drivers murdering "(jews/blacks/chinese)" people then no doubt that is what he would have said. It wouldn't have worked as a joke- tasteless or not - if he'd said that. I presumed he was referring to Peter Sutcliffe, I didn't realise (until I read about the complaints) that there had been other cases.

i know it sounds bad but it reminded me of the cod/norwich thing

In fact I suspect most lorry drivers will have liked the piece because all 3 admitted that driving a lorry was hard work.

Think someone else said it, Clarkson is like marmite. Personally I find him quite amusing. Can understand that he's not going to be everyone's cup of tea.

I heart Top Gear and adore JC, JM and RH. If you read JC's latest book it is impossible not to be the butt of one of his rants, but somehow he gets away with it (Despite being Scottish, short and a woman - all were targets).

I couldn't be less interested in cars.

Why am I not offended? I really don't know!

So, if a lorry driver had murdered a black person, JC might have made a joke involving lorry drivers murdering black people, and you think that would pass without comment?
I think there would be some compaints about racism, then the usual'it's pc gone mad' rejoinders, but in this case it appears as if it's the lorry drivers who are thought to be insulted.
Not that the lorry drivers wouldn't be right to take offence, but it's women who are the target here, IMO.

It won't get anywhere because the Dily Mail has no issue with women being offended especially prositiutes. It probably imagine most lorry drivers are foriegn as well so again nothing to worry about

I'm really enjoying this because Clarkson is another offensive idiot who needs to be stopped.
Along with the pervy Ross who irritates me beyond belief by making rude, sexual comments about serious artists on his show just because they happen to be female.

I really dislike JC and JR and the salaries the BBC pays them which are tantamount to worshipping their purile, pervy, mysoginistic attitudes.

Throw the fucking book at the pair of 'em I say.

It's also around about the time of the anniversary of the deaths of those poor young women in Ipswich.

God did anyone ever hear the son of Peter Sutcliffe's first victim on the Choice on Radio 4?

He was 5 years old when his mother was murdered. He woke up and his mum wasn't there, so he and his little sister went looking for her. It's an absolutely harrowing description.

His sister committed suicide in her twenties I think it was.

I can't hear anything about the Yorkshire Ripper anymore without getting that image in my head of two tiny children looking for their mum.

it was in bad taste - but ppl need to get a life, its not worth writing a letter over!

I hadn't considered that madlentileater.
I take it back - it was offensive.

I think Clarkson is generally ruder about Americans than women tbh.

I laughed. Lots. And so did dh as he was on his way out to his job managing lorry drivers (. I would imagine the lorry drivrs who watched laughed,lorry driver humour.

I dread to think what will happen to our TV if nobody can make a risque joke, unfunny or not, once in a while. Do we want to live in that world? I don't.

I think thew whole RBV- JR furore was overdone too by miles (the indicator being the lack of bothredness shown by Andrew S), but at least that was targeted to hurt an individual, not a random joke.

Dh says yes, the lorry drivers thought it was hilarious.

The rl murders are of course sad but you can spend your life looking for offese and tbh- why? It doesn't change the horror of the event or bring them back does it?

I am not personally affected by what he said. It made me laugh - but I like Clarkson (don't like JR particularly and can't stand RB).

I think the thing that has amazed me about this is not the fact that he said it. It is not what he said.

It is the fact that the BBc have come seriously under fire this week as a result of RB/JR. TG was pre-recorded. They had the opportunity to edit the remarks out. They had the chance to script something else. And they chose not to. I don't think they should have had to - but in the current climate I think that the BBC made an error in judgement and I don't think that JC should be blamed for this. I am sure they have plenty of other content of his that they have to edit out....

Doesn't JC produce the programme though? Or am I wrong on that?

JC makes comments like this all the time, quite often he gets hauled up but he doesn't care. It will be interesting if it goes tits up as I cannot see him apologising.

there was also a mini-furore (I ike that word, very now) about Frankie Boyle wasn't there? because he was aske to say something the Queen wouldn't say and he said 'I'm no sold even my P^&*( is haunted' (I didnt edit it, the report i read was edited. dont know for sure what word it was LOL)

It was a repeat: in the roriginal there was a smattering of comlaints: this time around loads and a tory MP involved.

It doesn't seem like long ago that people were complaining that the BBC was 'dumbing down'. I don't necessarily accept that the various jokes that have been mentioned on this thread are okay (although I must admit, JC does make me laugh) but if we continue like this, I think the complaints could go too far.

For me, I think that if you usually watch and enjoy (or listen and enjoy) a particular show with a particular presenter and think they have stepped over the line, they probably have. However, when people who don't like those shows and presenters (and don't watch or listen because they dislike their views, their attitude or their wage packet) complain I wouldn't necessarily want to focus on that.

I know many people who find RB, JR and JC all distasteful - and maybe they have a point - but they are all famous for being that way, so it's hardly a surprise!! Someone earlier on the thread described them as 'marmite' people - I thought this was spot on!

I adore top gear and think JC is fabulous but even I winced at his murdering prostitutes gag. He is completely indiscriminate in his humour, and I am sure big burly lorry drivers will be the first to kick up a stink if they are offended, but methinks they are probably above it....I know quite a few and it is often the kind of humour they themselves use.

JC for prime-minister!

well I think the whole existence of JC is a controversy. I don't find misogyny particularly funny, strangely enough.

Is Jeremy Clarkson a misogynist then? I must say, I don't watch him regularly but I have seen no evidence that he is.

And I can't imagine him making lewd remarks as Jonathan Ross does constantly.

Jeremy Clarkson is just rude about everyone who isn't him. Look how rude he is towards James May and the Richard Hammond. I don't think you can call what he does misogyny. He's more patronising towards environmentalists and Americans than he is towards women. Personally I think he has his head in the (toxic) clouds re the environment, but I still find him funny when he starts ranting on about it.