Un-official GTPlanet BBC Topgear UK ThreadTV

[Scaff]

Those naughty chaps at Top Gear have managed to get themselves in trouble again.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6324129.stm

Top Gear insulting, says charity

The handling of Richard Hammond's return to Top Gear has been branded "insensitive" and "insulting" by a charity for people with brain injury.

Headway said it had been inundated with complaints particularly over comments made by presenter Jeremy Clarkson.

At the start of Sunday's show, Mr Clarkson asked Mr Hammond if he was mental, while James May offered him a tissue in case he started dribbling.

The BBC said the show was not intended to cause any offence.


It really was offensive and insulting to all those people living with brain injuries
Peter McCabe, of Headway

Headway chief executive Peter McCabe said: "This has created such anger among members of Headway. It really was offensive and insulting to all those people living with brain injuries.

"I think the whole way the show handled the issue was wrong. They should not have shown the crash.

"It just glamorised fast driving and gives the impression people can make a fully recovery from head injuries.

"That is not always the case."

Complaints

The charity said it had received 50 complaints via the telephone helpline and through email from members and has now announced it will be making a complaint about the programme.

Mr Hammond, 37, was left fighting for his life in September following the crash in when his jet-powered car came off a runway near York at 280mph.

The BBC Two show featured footage of the crash.

A BBC spokesman said: "Top Gear's audience is familiar with the irreverent tone of the programme and this was typical of the type of exchanges that take place between the presenters. It was certainly not intended to cause any offence.

"The item showing Richard's crash could not have been a clearer illustration of the dangers and excitements of speed."

The programme has also fallen foul of Brake, the national road safety charity.

It said it was "shocked and appalled" by Mr Clarkson's comment that "speed kills" while pointing at Mr Hammond following clips of the crash.

Jools Townsend, from the charity, said: "Clarkson's comment was highly irresponsible and offensive to anyone who has been bereaved or injured at the hands of a speeding driver.

"A shockingly disproportionate number of young male drivers are dying on our roads and it is highly irresponsible for the BBC to allow Top Gear, with its target audience of young males, to openly make light the deadly act of speeding."

So now the PC brigade have stomped in on this one, apparently the TG team must discuss the accident with serious faces on or its disrespectful. I would have thought that what constitutes disrespectful comments in regards to Hammond's accident could only be judged by Hammond himself. Given that the entire show is scripted I'm sure had he any objections he is more than able to voice them himself.

I did also love this comment "It just glamorised fast driving and gives the impression people can make a fully recovery from head injuries.", firstly I don't think is glamorised fast driving at all, it showed quite clearly that an accident at those speeds is very, very serious indeed; however its the second part that gets me. What is RH supposed to do? Pretend he did not make a fully recovery so it doesn't give the wrong impression. I get the feeling these people would have actually been happier had he died or not fully recovered, and that I find far more disrespectful than any of the comments made by the TG team.

The second set of complaints is quite typical of 'BRAKE', an organisation that is singularly obsessed with stating that speeding is the cause of all accidents. They seem to believe that footage of someone having a major accident in a 300mph+ jetcar is going to turn us all into speed-fuelled accidents waiting to happen. These are the same people that believe that we should all be forced to stick exactly to the speed limits no matter what, because driving around staring at my speedo to make sure I don't do 31mph in a 30 zone is far safer than doing 31mph and actually looking at the damn road.

Bloody lentil eating politically correct morons get my back right up.

Grrrrrrrrrr

Scaff

 

[G.T]

I just don't understand why people still don't accept the humour the presenters on Top Gear have. None of what they said was meant in an offensive manner. Hammond of all people should understand this, as he was the one involved in the accident.

I would have thought the comment JC made on Jade while introducing the Stig would have got more complaints - but no. If Jade had never said those bullying comments to her house-mate, and JC said that anyway, then they would have been "inundated" with complaints.

Heh, the world is a strange place.

 

[TheCracker]

I've never heard the 'Short-Arse Society of Great Britain' or the 'British White Teeth Association' or even 'SAAB Owners Anonymous' complaining about Clarksons jibes before - why do the mentalists suddenly think they can change things?

 

[Dave A]

I would have thought that what constitutes disrespectful comments in regards to Hammond's accident could only be judged by Hammond himself. Given that the entire show is scripted I'm sure had he any objections he is more than able to voice them himself.

Exactley, if Hammond had a complaint, then he'd speak up. All the comments we're in relation to Richard, and his crash. If I call a mate a moron because tripped on a kerb am I insulting everyone who's tripped on a kerb and hurt themselves badly? No, I'm just having a dig at a mate.

 

[Touring Mars]

It's policital correctness gone mad.... seriously, what do people expect from Top Gear and/or Jeremy Clarkson? There was a time I didn't like Clarkson much, but I have to say that time is long gone...

 

[Sureboss]

You can't really take TG seriously and I think that's the problem with charities like mentioned and the like.

 

[Famine]

Yet, funnily, no complaints regarding the repeated shouting of "Work shall set you free" through a megaphone...

 

[daan]

50 complaints from an audience of 8.6 million? So thats 8,599,950 who didn't mind it, or thought it was funny? 50 complaints out of an audience that size should get laughed at.

 

[Robin]

People should know that Clarkson is very un PC..... jeez, thats what the shows like! people should know this, as for some thinking it was wrong to see the crash.. are you kidding, I really wanted to see it! I wanted to see how bad it was and then think it was great that hammond managed to survive through it....

People who dont like Top Gear dont have to watch it!

 

[Sureboss]

I can't see what was wrong about seeing the crash tbh.

No one died or suffered long term problems, did they?

Infact you could find some positives out of it, like all the money donated to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

 

[ExigeEvan]

As soon as I've finished my education I'm running of to Spain with my Spanish AS and hoping to god that that lecturer was right when she said PC doesn't exist over there.

What is RH supposed to do? Pretend he did not make a fully recovery so it doesn't give the wrong impression.

If Hammon had died, do you think the The Society of British Neurological Surgeons would make compaints?

 

[Pebb]

On this Sunday's Top Gear:

Captain Slow and the Bugatti Veyron
As you might have gathered, TG rather likes the Bugatti Veyron. Not least because the 1,001bhp monster has a claimed top speed of 253mph. But will it ever actually go that fast?

Armed with the Veyron's special 'go really fast' security key, James heads to the five-and-a-half-mile straight at VW's maximum security test track in Germany to find out.

In the news this week...
Find out why Porsche is keeping everyone in the dark about its new Cayenne, what the TVR house band sounds like, and why Prince Charles has lined his garage with petrol.

Also, the boys check out a 'supercar by George' (can you guess which one it is?), discuss their best and worst drives of the past six months, and reveal why undertakers will soon be out of business.

Hugh Grant in a Reasonably Priced Car
You've probably heard of him. Yes, he's a real, proper Hollywood star and, according to Jeremy, the very man for whom Star in a Reasonably Priced Car was conceived.

Hugh Grant - foppish Englishman extraordinaire and star of Notting Hill and Love Actually - ditches his Bentley GTC for our Chevrolet Lacetti and takes to the TG test track to show off his full repertoire of curiously endearing blasphemy.

The Three Coupe Challenge
Want a coupe for around £25,000? You're spoilt for choice, with the brand-new Audi TT, Alfa Romeo's gorgeous Brera and the manic-revving Mazda RX-8 all vying for your pocket money. After a heady row, the boys couldn't find a clear winner, so they decided to settle the debate in that time-honoured fashion: a good old game of golf.

Train Crash TV
It might surprise you, but no one's ever asked Top Gear to make a public information film. Until now. Jeremy dons a high-visibility jacket and a pair of hard hats to extol the dangers of pensioners, level crossings and, erm, high-visibility jackets. OK, so he got a bit confused. Basically it's all an excuse to pile an express train into a Renault Espace at high speed, with seriously spectacular results.

 

[daan]

The Three Coupe Challenge
Want a coupe for around £25,000? You're spoilt for choice, with the brand-new Audi TT, Alfa Romeo's gorgeous Brera and the manic-revving Mazda RX-8 all vying for your pocket money.

Hmmmm. Brera. I'd better remember to have a spare pair of pants ready.

Train Crash TV
It might surprise you, but no one's ever asked Top Gear to make a public information film. Until now. Jeremy dons a high-visibility jacket and a pair of hard hats to extol the dangers of pensioners, level crossings and, erm, high-visibility jackets. OK, so he got a bit confused. Basically it's all an excuse to pile an express train into a Renault Espace at high speed, with seriously spectacular results.

That bit has been cancelled due to one bloke being killed, and 2 injured, by a train at a crossing in the north of Scotland earlier today.

 

[Scaff]

Hmmmm. Brera. I'd better remember to have a spare pair of pants ready.

NNNNNNNNnnnn0000000000000000000000000 daan, the Brera may have looked nice and sexy in the early pictures, but in the metal is to fat and dumpy with huge overhangs,

Scaff

 

[Dave A]

I agree, on the concept that front wheel was almost 1 foot further forwards, and the rear further back. They seriousely killed it's looks with thoes overhangs imo.

 

[Pebb]

I hope on this Sunday's Top Gear, the Veyron may finally be doing a lap around the Top Gear test track.

 

[YSSMAN]

...I believe that Veyron test is the one that Hammond and May changed places with before the whole crash-thing happened. Either way, it will be interesting to see if he does hit the top-speed. As of right now, I believe the only automotive magazine/TV editor to do it is indeed Csaba Csere from America's Car and Driver Magazine, of which he was able to max the car out at 253.3 MPH.

 

[G.T]

Another episode that wasn't too good. I really liked the Veyron at the beginning, but everything else, especially the coupe film, went on a bit too much. I suppose that's because the train crash that was meant to be shown was canceled, though, so they had to fill the spot...

 

[Impreza04]

Agreed, although it started 10 minutes later anyway so i don't think it'd of been any different had the train crash part been kept

 

[G.T]

Ah, I didn't realise it started late. It does make sense, though.

 

[daan]

They seemed to pad the news bit out to fill the space left by the removal of the train crash piece.

EDIT: I still want a Brera

 

[G.T]

They seemed to pad the news bit out to fill the space left by the removal of the train crash piece.

EDIT: I still want a Brera

You would easily understeer into a tree and make it ugly.

RX-8 for me.

 

[Scaff]

EDIT: I still want a Brera

And I still think your mad, its a fat dollop of a car with the back end nicked off a Seat.

You would easily understeer into a tree and make it ugly.

RX-8 for me.

Yes it did understeer rather a lot, I would also have to agree on the RX-8, certainly would be my pick of the three.

I was also nice to finally hear what we had all suspected, the lack of a lap time for the Veyron is down to a block by Bugatti. Fingers crossed for a suitably insane owner who will let the Stig loose in it.

Regards

Scaff

 

[Sting]

Fingers crossed for a suitably insane owner who will let the Stig loose in it.

What about that idiot Frank Mountain or whatever his name is... the guy who decided to take his Mazza MC12 onto a snowy racetrack and proceed to stuff it into a barrier. If he's insane enough to do that, and if he owns a Veyron, then Top Gear has a chance!

I bet Bugatti are bricking themselves because it might not top the table.

 

[Holdenhsvgtsr]

What about that idiot Frank Mountain or whatever his name is... the guy who decided to take his Mazza MC12 onto a snowy racetrack and proceed to stuff it into a barrier. If he's insane enough to do that, and if he owns a Veyron, then Top Gear has a chance!

yep the same guy that gave top gear his enzo and they crashed it

 

[Jedi2016]

yep the same guy that gave top gear his enzo and they crashed it

Um.. the Enzo belonged to Nick Mason. And they didn't wreck it.

The only recent wreck I'm aware of was the Koenigsegg, and that was supplied by the manufacturer if I'm not mistaken.

Unless you're referring to something I haven't seen, which is unlikely.

 

[daan]

I think Frank Mountain drove, and crashed, his Maserati MC12 for Fifth Gear, not Top Gear.

 

[Alex.]

why was the train cancelled?

ok episode imo

 

[daan]

why was the train cancelled?

Because of this, as I said earlier in this thread.

 

[Holdenhsvgtsr]

Um.. the Enzo belonged to Nick Mason. And they didn't wreck it.
.

that one was before that was filmed frank mountain gave them his but then top gear(the magazine) crashed it and nick masons was the replacement enzo