Controversial Opinion

[thewalrus]

Jeremy Clarkson is a piece of shit, and I'm glad he was fired.

Berating and punching a subordinate because he had cold cuts instead of steak. Fuck that dude.

[1300zuk]

Being punched by clarkson is a badge of honour.

It's similar to being punched by the likes of Keith Moon, chuck Norris, Eric Clapton, Richard Pryor, etc.

Your dumbass probably deserved it and now you've ruined one of the best tv shows ever.

[Arthur Dent]

I suspect he might have been a bit of a douche in real life (most celebrities are I suspect) but he was very entertaining in the Top Gear format.

[tut]

top gear was dieing, the last few seasons were mere twitches anyway. bette rto let the program die in a controversial way with heaps of media circus than to just keep spitting out the same old same old....


it's all just a conspiracy not to have to put those 3 super cars up against eachother

[Talon]

I always thought he was a smug dick. He always hated American cars and was kind of a prick to American guests. Even in his complements he would insult. I could definitely see him saying/doing those things to people... thinking he's better than everyone.

That being said, he never bothered me and I thought he was entertaining. I don't think him leaving the show/channel is the end of the world by any means.

[thewalrus]

[Les / Vipers Rule]

BBC YOU MADE A BIG MISTAKE!

TOP GEAR is one of the most popular t.v. shows worldwide. We were not privy to all that happened of said incident, but to sack Clarkson is an over reaction. They could have had him use his popularity as a t.v. presenter and car guy to make a proper formal apology. Then use TOP GEAR as a venue for him to apologize in public and Hell maybe even discuss what transpired ON AIR with May and Hammond and even with the producer at hand. From such the topic could move on to be about learning to keep cool, to be a gentleman and to know limits and boundaries. BBC could have turned this into a good conclusion and not one that will probably end badly for the BBC in the end.

The secret to TOP GEAR is heavily based on how Clarkson, May and Hammond play off each other and present such along with all the car stuff on the show. They each add their personality to the show. My view of each is.

Clarkson the curmudgeon like older man yelling " GET OFF MY GRASS!" to kids.
May the more of an intellectual and aristocratic member of the team.
Hammond the youthful and exuberant fellow of the team.

THEY ALL WORKED WELL TOGETHER!

BBC sacking Clarkson is a mistake. It could have been handled better and without such finality.

I bet Clarkson, May and Hammond will all be courted by another broadcaster soon enough.

[Les / Vipers Rule]

That said don't worry for Clarkson he has LOTS OF MONEY (he's valued at something like over 50 million Pounds )and will be ok.

[Turbojett]

...and he'll likely find another job relatively soon.

still. kinda sad. Yeah Clarkson was a pompous dick, but he was still endearing as he was entertaining.

[Les / Vipers Rule]

[thewalrus]

[Pennzoil GT-R]

Lots of talk that the whole thing is a stunt for them to leave the BBC and move to Sky who will pay far more for them. Either way, Top Gear as we know it is dead. No Clarkson = no May or Hammond. No Clarkson, May or Hammond = no Top Gear.

The BBC has pissed off a lot of people too as they're supposed to represent the people's interests as a pseudo-government organisation.

[thewalrus]

[Les / Vipers Rule]

[thewalrus]

[Les / Vipers Rule]

Hold on, don't put words in my mouth. It has nothing to do with it being Clarkson. It has to do with the context. First, none of us were there, we are only hearing about it second hand. Next, it's not uncommon for employees of the same gender to get into dust ups. Most of the time things are mended and the companies move on or institute some punishment. But it is not universal to sack one or the other or both. Not everything has to go to such a big conclusion in life. I bet the producer who is said to have worked well with Clarkson and the others for over 10 years probably did not want Clarkson sacked. I'd have used the show as a vehicle for Clarkson to apologize on air and speak humbly as to his stupidity of the moment to get the better of him in this incident. My gut tells me there is more to this than we are being told and it's more of a BBC, ivory tower type witch hunt.

[thewalrus]

[Les / Vipers Rule]

We are just going to agree to not agree over this and the severity of the issue. That said it does happen in work places, where employees get into verbal and maybe physical dust ups. Yes, in this at times sickenly overly PC, over micro managed world the employers feel a need to get too involved, but in life guys do get into dust ups. Most of the time they'd work it out and only if they could not would the employer have gotten involved. Today as with all too much in society we expect others to fix things for us.

Well that said, it's done, Top Gear is likely dead. Clarkson, May and Hammond will probably bring on the same type of show on another network and will probably do just as fine. BBC will PAY TENS OF MILLIONS OF POUNDS in compensation to all the nations who have syndicated the show and expected the show weekly. BBC will also lose millions of Pounds by over reacting to what would be back in the day a guy vs guy dust up and in the end they'd likely shake hand as swill a pint or two over.

We have over the last decade or two atrified society from working out problems firstly between others and as result society sits and stares like a deer at headlights into a problem looking for some higher ups to fix things or worse the govt. to fix things.

[thewalrus]

[Les / Vipers Rule]

I said between the same gender.

Women go at it with women in work places as well.

Apparently the physical contact was a blow to the lip causing it too bleed from what I heard. I'm not excusing Clarkson but I am saying it need not have gone to sacking him and thus likely killing the show on BBC. I do think the uppity types at BBC used this to rid themselves of Clarkson's often anti PC shitck on the show. These ivory tower types breath rarefied air and suffer from it.