Clarkson suspended from BBC

Xenji

Looks like May might be leaving as well, it would not surprise me to see Hammond also leave.

hoodwinked

Xenji wrote: »

Looks like May might be leaving as well, it would not surprise me to see Hammond also leave.

yeah May has pretty much confirmed himself and Hammond are gone too, not surprised, i called it on here that they wouldn't go on without Clarkson, so thats the end of this version of Top Gear.

Myrddin

Any link to May's comments?

h3000

Myrddin wrote: »

Any link to May's comments?

http://jalopnik.com/top-gear-hosts-james-may-and-richard-hammond-react-to-c-1693566118

Myrddin

magentis

Does anyone get the feeling that this is contrived?
One final big pay day.
it just happens to be a coincidence that his contract is up this month?

hoodwinked

magentis wrote: »

Does anyone get the feeling that this is contrived?
One final big pay day.
it just happens to be a coincidence that his contract is up this month?

i wonder myself,

those who were there (May, Hammond, Clarkson) are saying it was "a small thing"


it went from officially being called "a fracas" by the BBC to the media blowing it up to a full on assault with racist language sending the guy to A&E.


and to be fair the guy involved is saying he wants to "get back to work" but with Top gear off air he has no job and has lost all his colleagues their jobs too (until they are reassigned to other shows i'd assume, but i'd also hazard a guess they liked working on Top Gear specifically)

it all sounds so strange to me.

magentis

I dunno,
it's strange that clarksons contract ends this month all the same,i would have thought that the bbc would have been in talks about it at least 6 months ago.
I reckon there was some kind of bidding war went on and the bbc lost out,these netflix rumours are very strong.

Nody

The simple fact is BBC has just now lost tens if not hundred of millions (this show was sold to 59 countries world wide) which I'm sure another channel will happily snatch up. I'm sure BBC will try to milk the brand with a new cast but honestly why bother; it's the three stooges that made Top Gear and not the other way around.

lertsnim

I have no doubt they will appear on something else before long. The BBC have quite a job now trying to replace them and keep the income that Top Gear was making.

Tarzana2

hoodwinked wrote: »

i wonder myself,

those who were there (May, Hammond, Clarkson) are saying it was "a small thing"

[mandy rice davies]Well, they would, wouldn't they?[/mandy rice davies]

Tarzana2

Nody wrote: »

The simple fact is BBC has just now lost tens if not hundred of millions (this show was sold to 59 countries world wide) which I'm sure another channel will happily snatch up.

And I think it's great that they didn't let that sway them from making the right decision.

youreadthat

This is one of those things were you need to stick by your principles to save face, but in 5 years when Clarkson et al have a new show and are even richer, and the new liberally casted Top Gear has gone the way of Fifth Gear, we'll all sit back and think what was the point in all that, nothing changed.

This is a bit of a double wammy for the BBC as not only will they lose a lot of money, but if Clarkson's Tory friends get into power again the licence fee will face a hit. Not because of Clarkson just because the Tories hate the licence fee.

sReq | uTeK

hoodwinked wrote: »

i wonder myself,

those who were there (May, Hammond, Clarkson) are saying it was "a small thing"


it went from officially being called "a fracas" by the BBC to the media blowing it up to a full on assault with racist language sending the guy to A&E.


and to be fair the guy involved is saying he wants to "get back to work" but with Top gear off air he has no job and has lost all his colleagues their jobs too (until they are reassigned to other shows i'd assume, but i'd also hazard a guess they liked working on Top Gear specifically)

it all sounds so strange to me.

Wow just wow. Yes clearly he lost them their jobs I mean I'm sure we all go to work to be verbally screamed at and left in A&E.

Get one thing straight here, the only person to blame here is a babied celrebrety used to getting things his own way. This was on the cards for a while

Dravokivich

hoodwinked wrote: »

i wonder myself,

those who were there (May, Hammond, Clarkson) are saying it was "a small thing"


it went from officially being called "a fracas" by the BBC to the media blowing it up to a full on assault with racist language sending the guy to A&E.


and to be fair the guy involved is saying he wants to "get back to work" but with Top gear off air he has no job and has lost all his colleagues their jobs too (until they are reassigned to other shows i'd assume, but i'd also hazard a guess they liked working on Top Gear specifically)

it all sounds so strange to me.

He gets abused and assaulted and it's all his fault?

The BBC have already announced that their production crews will be kept on for other shows/projects even at pains to stress that Oisín is still in employment with them.

patwhacker

I work in the Car industry and for a long time I loved the show. It portrayed the cars I dreamed about. I worked daily on vehicles like FORD Granada V6, Webber twin down draught carbs yipeeeee...!!etc etc which at the time cars like the Jag. Aston Martin, Porsche etc etc were the yardstick of Top Gear. Cars went from this BASIC FORD V6 model right up to High end sports vehicles and I felt the industry and my training was at it's pinnacle.
I was lucky enough to drive/track these cars and I remember thinking what a load of crap they were (Although I would never say it at the time). I started to realise that they were like a Big Mac. very well packaged perfect PR and sold to customers who thought they were fantastic "Cheque Book Drivers". None of them could find the Dip Stick thingy...!
Where am I going with this.....

My mate in "Ulster" had a top of the range Jaguar and I had at the time a FORD RS2000 ESCORT. And as a test I let him lead into a large Roundabout in Ulster very early one summer morning and told him to do 2 Laps only and I would wait for him to catch up... he Laughed his arse off. The Jag was put up for Sale ASAP. What you think you have and what you have is not the same thing...!

The TOP Gear Show in recent years reminds me of my mate with the Top of the Range Jaguar, spinning wheels, smoking up while the WRC was at the other end of the track taking the chequered FLAG.

When it comes down to it the Show has no place in a modern car industry. The Current Top Gear "IDEA" has out lived it's sell by date by about 20 years.

I still work on fantastic engineered new Vehicles but sadly Clarkson and fellow idiots don't cut it with the present generation of technicians any more. The BBC were right.....Time to TAKE the J.C. Elephant in the Corner back to the ZOO at the first opportunity...!!!

hoodwinked

Dravokivich wrote: »

He gets abused and assaulted and it's all his fault?

The BBC have already announced that their production crews will be kept on for other shows/projects even at pains to stress that Oisín is still in employment with them.

no i am not saying it's his fault, i wasn't there i cannot say what happened for definite, i'm just wary of how this story has spiralled in the media as these things tend to. i'm saying it really does sound like there is a lot more to this than we are being told,


my point was, staff there watching this "Fracas" all said it was "a small thing",

it's being reported nobody went to A&E with him,

it's also being reported that HE didn't report Clarkson,

hence i wonder does he feel responsible even though he isn't. the way he said "he just wants to get back to work" makes me wonder does he feel guilty (even though it probably wasn't his fault) for his colleagues losing Top gear as a job, do they blame him? is that why none reported it/went to A&E with him?

this whole thing is confusing as hell, i still cannot see Hammond and May defending Clarkson if he was 100% in the wrong but then maybe they would, it reeks of "publicity stunt" to be honest with some money in it for those involved i think the BBC did want rid of Clarkson so i feel only the police report will clarify what exactly happened, if they release what happened to the public

fryup

there was a guy on bbc news who suggested Guy Martin as a possible replacement for Clarkson??

likeable chap and great character, but his yorkshire accent is a bit heavy

bnt

If I was Clarkson now, what would I do? Nothing work-related for at least a month, preferably longer. Hang out with the missus and kids until they get sick of me, then head off to my place on the Isle of Man until I get bored, then start writing my autobiography or something. Exercise a bit, or not. Think a lot.

The way Piers Morgan describes Clarkson's situation, things were not right, and he knew it. I've only just read his open letter in full now, and I see he's also suggesting Clarkson does anything and everything except work, for a while.

inforfun

This gave me a smile.

(From the video thread on boards)

HimAgain

How can two clever be so stupid with the result of Clarkson being sacked. What a loss.

alchemist33

patwhacker wrote: »

I work in the Car industry and for a long time I loved the show. It portrayed the cars I dreamed about. I worked daily on vehicles like FORD Granada V6, Webber twin down draught carbs yipeeeee...!!etc etc which at the time cars like the Jag. Aston Martin, Porsche etc etc were the yardstick of Top Gear. Cars went from this BASIC FORD V6 model right up to High end sports vehicles and I felt the industry and my training was at it's pinnacle.
I was lucky enough to drive/track these cars and I remember thinking what a load of crap they were (Although I would never say it at the time). I started to realise that they were like a Big Mac. very well packaged perfect PR and sold to customers who thought they were fantastic "Cheque Book Drivers". None of them could find the Dip Stick thingy...!
Where am I going with this.....

My mate in "Ulster" had a top of the range Jaguar and I had at the time a FORD RS2000 ESCORT. And as a test I let him lead into a large Roundabout in Ulster very early one summer morning and told him to do 2 Laps only and I would wait for him to catch up... he Laughed his arse off. The Jag was put up for Sale ASAP. What you think you have and what you have is not the same thing...!

The TOP Gear Show in recent years reminds me of my mate with the Top of the Range Jaguar, spinning wheels, smoking up while the WRC was at the other end of the track taking the chequered FLAG.

When it comes down to it the Show has no place in a modern car industry. The Current Top Gear "IDEA" has out lived it's sell by date by about 20 years.

I still work on fantastic engineered new Vehicles but sadly Clarkson and fellow idiots don't cut it with the present generation of technicians any more. The BBC were right.....Time to TAKE the J.C. Elephant in the Corner back to the ZOO at the first opportunity...!!!

That's the point. It's place isn't in the car industry; its place is in the entertainment world. Where it once had one place in your life, it has another in mine -- my children love the show, as do I, as entertainment. My 11-year-old is mad into supercars now and has an almost encyclopaedic knowledge of the pros and cons of different Ferraris, Aston Martins etc. So much so that it might be a career path for him -- certainly something I'd encourage -- to get into e.g. engineering, because he's bright enough but hasn't shown much interest in anything else.

Top Gear as we know it will die when the other two presumably leave, which will please many (particularly those on the After Hours thread), but I think it will be a shame that it ended in this way.


(note: given the information that's come out, Clarkson deserved to go)

thelad95

So how long will it be before this is picked up by Channel 4?

bnt

I can't see the BBC letting go of the Top Gear brand just like that. Don't forget they also put out a magazing (circulation roughly 150,000 in Dec 2013), plus you have the live shows, syndication and merchandising.

Meanwhile: James is keeping himself busy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5_SB1FxAWg

thelad95

bnt wrote: »

I can't see the BBC letting go of the Top Gear brand just like that. Don't forget they also put out a magazing (circulation roughly 150,000 in Dec 2013), plus you have the live shows, syndication and merchandising.

Meanwhile: James is keeping himself busy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5_SB1FxAWg

Which will all now cease to exist, now that all 3 presenters will no longer be contracted to the Beeb.

Ruu

Pop at Clarkson?

https://twitter.com/BBC_TopGear/status/582194276597137409

Harry Palmr

Andy Wilman writes

http://jalopnik.com/top-gears-head-producer-says-farewell-to-bbc-in-leaked-1694581344

Well, at least we left ‘em wanting more. And that alone, when you think about it, is quite an achievement for a show that started 13 years ago. I know none of us wanted it to end this way, but for a moment I’d like us to look back and think about just what an incredible thing you all had a hand in creating. When Jane Root gave us the green light in 2002, the brief was to reinvigorate a car show and get an audience of three million. What you all ended up making was one of the most iconic programmes in TV history, a show about cars that went global, won countless awards, was devoured by non car fans and ended up in the Guinness Book of Records....

colm_mcm

Andy Wilman clarified today that this was not a resignation.

Patty O Furniture

Link

fryup

looks like its all over folks

http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/james-quits-top-gear-it-5567154