Talk Morgan Forums Community The Malvern Arms Clarkson suspended

If there's a scrap at work, as a manager I'd suspend both. That's why I'm suspicious of it being just another publicity stunt. Any publicity is good publicity & all that.

The show had lost it's way, certainly. Just no exit strategy by the looks of it.

Isn't the producer of the show his good mate and school chum Andy Wilman? The guy he is supposed to have thumped is a 36 year old assistant producer so not responsible for the style of the full programme. Part of me wonders if all this hasn't been orchestrated by Wilman and Clarkson. The programme is beginning to get a bit stale if this series is anything to go by and may be they want to inject a bit of spice into it? The whole thing is completely scripted anyway so this is part of it perhaps.
The press are now saying he wants to leave anyway; his contract is due for renewal and the rumour is that ITV and Sky are after him. The only thing he's been successful in has been Top Gear; he can't take that with him to another channel so it'll be very interesting to see what he does!

Tho' I totally agree that the recent series of TG have been dreary and predictable (a sure sign as Dave says that the format is tired), I've never been one of the Clarkson haters - in fact I've always found the two fingers up at PC which has always been central to the TG brand admirable and very rare in the meeeja.

However....I do think that bullying in the workplace is a very unattractive trait, if that's what Clarkson's guilty of, then he must be sanctioned.

If you think back to the sacking of Andy Gray & Richard Keys, the fact which shone through was that of their arrogance and unpleasantness towards their colleagues, so when the manure hit the air conditioning the knives were all out like it was the ides of March. Time will tell if that sort of atmosphere pervaded the TG production team; if this was a one off incident, it will blow over. If (as in the Sky case) it was a more profound problem then it'll be curtains.

Nobody suspended John Prescott...........

True, but they did kick Ross and Brand off the air for bullying. Ross is only back with the Beeb in a very limited way now.

Can't stand the person myself. I like some of the things they do but I would never make the program one of my favorites.

I guess the most appropriate course of action would be to exile him to Clarkson Island

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMuO-8S_0Wg

500,000 people have signed a petition now....

Clarkson has developed himself into what he sees as a " wild child"
Two fingers up at anyone he considers a target based on non PC criteria.
A few points.....
If he has commited an act of gross misconduct then I assume there are conditions in his contract besides " nornal" employment requirements and these SHOULD be applied due to his history.
The BBC gets substantial income from Top Gear....will they use this as an excuse for leniency?
Is this a publicity " stunt"?
Will there be a change in the format for TG?
In some ways his attitude to anti- PC is needed as there is a trend to fear of speaking one's mind growing. Some of his comments are on/ over the edge.
Re the use of the "n word" in a non transmitted session....who made that public and why? Another publicity stunt or malice against him?
As for TG itself, I record it and skip the bits I don't want....currently 50% at least.
I have tead some of his books too, articles from his Sunday Times column. Most are not contentious but do include pokes at what are described as pet hates.
So.......like him or loathe him, what will the BBC do?
The BBC is itself of dubious character being supposedly very PC and facing accusations of bias.
Could be a case of pot and kettle?
As for the petition....fools have signed whilst in ignorance of the facts.
How would they feel if the incident involves him in something disgraceful?
They have jumped on board too soon.