Should Jeremy Clarkson be sacked or reinstated?
Top Gear is the BBCs most successful show, being shown in the UK and 214 territories around the world plus having a huge Facebook following of over 19 million people.
Interestingly 40% of the TV audience is female. Much of its popularity is down to Jeremy Clarkson with his amusing, irreverent and witty personality plus an outstanding knowledge of cars.
However over the past few years he has repeatability been in trouble with bosses at the BBC for allegedly making comments which are not “politically correct”. In May 2014 it seemed as if one of his faux pas was the last straw and he told his followers “I’ve been told by the BBC that if I make one more offensive remark, anywhere, at any time, I will be sacked.”
Today, Tuesday 10th March the 54 year old star has been suspended by the BBC pending an investigation into a “fracas with a BBC producer” The rumour is they came to blows.
What’s your view on Jeremy Clarkson? Should he stay or should he go? Is he a quirky British character or getting too offensive for the BBC? Should Top Gear be pulled?
Should Jeremy Clarkson be sacked or reinstated?
4413 people have already voted, what's your opinion? Sacked ReinstatedWhat are your views?
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The 'trouble' that l found with Top Gear was that they only seemed to review / tear the tyres off cars that your average man in the street could only dream of !
Recently I heard he had been offered a part in a discussion type program with the BBC. Now I thought this an ideal part for Jeremy Clarkson. His straight forward, often common sense opinions. This could be tapped and for once give this avenue of his intellect to be voiced where it has a chance to flower and prosper among the liberal leftist and dead end comedians of the BBC, who have it too much to themselves.
sacking is too good for him police should have intervened and charged him
He admits the assault and there are many witnesses
He should be charged with assault, and then sent to prison, or at least 1000 hours of community work
Life is too short to keep this thread going!
It is so obviously scripted and they are trying to pretend it isn't.
On a night when many people around the world, and indeed in this country too, will have gone to bed with 'rumbling tums' this petulant egotist throws a tantrum because he couldn't have what he believed was his as some sort of divine right!
If Clarkson was not a 'star' of the small screen, he would probably be doing time for road rage offences.
Also one of his mates is Cameron and the BBC would not want to upset him ,so he will keep his job .
It's massively popular, far more popular than the old format, and makes huge profits for the BBC - who sell across the world. How can the profit they make for the show be outweighed by the wages and production cost? That make's no sense.
Fair enough if you don't like the guy, or the way he and his cronies present themselves in a schoolboy manner (in the name of entertainment, the blighters) but most people I know enjoy sitting down on a Sunday night to watch top gear - and yes, they pay their TV Licences too. I think it would be a great shame if we lost it.
Ozzie argues that they should not have to simply turn off or watch something else, because they pay TV License. I'm sorry, but millions of other people also pay there TV License and enjoy watching Top Gear - it's one of the BBC's most popular show's - and this does not make their lives boring, as Ozzie insinuates. Lot's of people enjoy the buffoonery that the presenters get up to and feel it makes for good entertainment TV.
You say "he should be sacked, just as anyone else would"... we'll just like Ozzie's notion of the term profit, that's not entirely correct. Luis Suarez was not sacked when he went on his biting rampage. John Prescott was not sacked when he punched a protester. If an organisation greatly values the skills you provide to them, they are likely to turn a blind eye to infraction.
I don't agree with violence, and I do agree that Jeremy should be reprimanded; but I like Top Gear, I like how it's presented (the banter and dynamic of all three presenters), and hope this issue can be settled without pushing Jeremy Clarkson out of the BBC - where he drives a lot of revenue, and entertains millions of viewers.
The outcome of this indiscipline by an employee really depends upon how much credibility the BBC want to come out of it with. Is 'Aunty' willing to compromise her integrity and sacrifice her credibility on the alter of profit and populism or, will she have the courage to take the action that the vast majority of employers would take in a case like this and sack an employee for an act of violence?
I believe that regardless of the eventual outcomes the BBC will be the long-term loser; it is 'damned if it does, and damned if it doesn't. I also believe that if the BBC had 'squeezed the pimple' that is Mr Clarkson for his previous misdemeanours they would not now be faced with the pain of this problem of 'carbuncle' proportions. I await the the outcomes with baited breath.
I have gone from being a devout only watch BBC follower to rarely watching any programmes. Top Gear is one of the few BBC programmes I watch which has not succumbed to the wish washy silly nonsense or repeats as most of the BBC viewing has become.
I am still charged annually for their rubbish programmes, advertising and political nonsense.
If this assault had happened to others other than in the public limelight , the overly arrogant J C would've been charged with assault . Let's have a few thoughts & comments for the victim here.
The media will obviously jump all over him and the truth as to exactly what the cause of the flashpoint was may never actually come to light.
The UK is full of people like Clarkson who don't mind their Ps and Qs, are loud and often obnoxious, he just happens to be one that has made it on to our televisions and in a world where we sometimes have to watch everything we do and say in case we accidentally offend it's quite refreshing to know that there are some less restrained.
Unfortunately Top Gear would not be Top Gear without him, so like him or loathe him, he's not going anywhere.
However, he's got this god complex because he is massively successful at what he does - and I think the show would greatly suffer without the dynamic of all three presenters. I'd certainly be sad to see Top Gear go down the pan.
Did he deserve it?
What did he say/do/not do?
Was Jeremy out of control?
is it a "put up job", so JC can move to ITV without breaking his BBC contract?
I certainly like to know before I pass judgement - Either way !!
Whatever the outcome, I look forward to being entertained in the future!!
To be honest, it's also a relief when you hear someone expressing his views without thinking three times before he opens his mouth. He may not be PC but I think PC has gone too far anyway. It's like living with big brother now - I don't even know if I can say I'd like a black or white coffee anymore! Any advice people?
Cars are boring, all they do is get you from one traffic queue to the next, give me the train any day.
Clarkson is lucky to have survived last year's gaffe with the 'n' word.
Kilroy-Silk was gone in a flash for making comments about arabs.
Punching a co-worker is a violent crime!!!!! If this is true and if someone did this to you in the workplace you would want them sacked and would bring a law suit against them. Sack him and jail him. Anything less sends out a message to all the top gear audience that violence is acceptable. Violence is NOT ACCEPTABLE. A thug is still a thug. The show can go on without him. Other shows have survived the so called irreplaceable host.
p.s. somebody posted earlier that Clarkson is a typical bloke, if that's true then god help us all.
The BBC are a lot of stupid people that let sex offenders work but not someone that has not even been proved.
Plus the point the other two presenters are being pulled into it.
BBC bring back TOP GEAR with all presenters. One of the best programmes on the whole BBC
However, Jeremy pushes the boundaries and thinks he will just get a rap over the knuckles lie low for a while and it will all blow over. He was on his final warning last year so with the events yesterday, if they are to be believed, which involved a physical assault on a colleague cannot go unchecked. Its assault firstly and secondly having given him a final warning if they then do not follow that up it gives him carte blanche to do it time and time again.
It will be interesting to see what their decision is, but remember Jonathan Ross was one of their big stars and left and then surfaced doing the same thing on ITV.
What is very disappointing is the reports of what the three presenters where saying on Twitter last night, making stupid comments, making light of the situation etc. That does not do any of them any favours and shows that they do not take any of this seriously.