Top Gear trouble
The Â鶹Éç's irreverent motoring magazine Top Gear has found itself made on the first programme of the new series, broadcast last Sunday, in which presenter Richard Hammond was welcomed back after his dramatic high-speed crash earlier this year and his subsequent recovery from serious head injuries:
"At the start of Sunday's show, [Jeremy] Clarkson asked Mr Hammond if he was mental, while James May offered him a tissue in case he started dribbling."
, the brain injury charity, has been leading the criticism, labelling Clarkson and May's comments as "offensive" and "insulting", and falsely giving the impression that people can make a full recovery from head injuries, which is not always the case. They also accused Top Gear of glamorising fast driving - a charge often levelled at the programme in the past - by choosing to show footage of Hammond's crash.
Meanwhile, the Â鶹Éç has responded with a statement saying that the comments were not intended to cause any offence, and that the audience of Top Gear is familiar with the irreverent tone often employed by the presenters, with such exchanges being typical of their style.
The question is: what do you think? Tell us in the comments.
Comments
I really don't have a problem with it. Jeremy Clarkson is well known for courting contraversy - upsetting ramblers for driving up a mountain, feminists for saying a car can "snap knicker elastic at 50 paces", he has also been criticised for calling a car "gay"... You know what you're getting with him, and the show is pretty irreverent. What came across to me was that this is two guys' ways of dealing with the near death of their good mate, and that they are really pleased he's ok. Hammond himself said he had been "mad as a bag of snakes" but I suppose because it was the injured party saying it, it was ok? Seriously, context is everything. I'm sure there was no harm meant, just enormous relief that their mate DIDN'T need the kind of assistance they joked about. If you don't like that style of programme, you know how to turn the TV over!
Would have been interesting to see the audience response to such teasing if he had been severely incapacitated.
Now that would be irreverent!
Lad humour for lad audience.
I don't watch it.
No problem with it. The show is designed to be unusual , take the mickey out of each other and it all seems to be good humored camaraderie.The program is irrerverant and that's what I like about it. My daughter had a brain injury and didn't escape as easily as the Hamster but she was cracking up laughing at it.
I don't think Jeremy meant any harm, because Richard was so lucky to have survive his crash. If Richard had become disabled during the crash, I think Jeremy would have still treated Richard the same way. Sometimes it's good to have a laugh at ourselves. It shows we have a sence of humor. At the end of the day, people are going to joke or take the piss. If people joke with you that's ok, it's when they do it behind your back. Someone is always going to be upset with a comment, if it's racist, disablsm or age. It's sometimes better to have a laugh and they can't get to you that way.
I considered Richard Hammond's survival etc in such an unaltered way was fortunate for him and his many viewers. His treatment on TOP GEAR was a little insensitive.(especially to those of us who were not so fortunate, viz speech and loss of my right arm as well as diffuse brain injury after I was knocked off my motorcycle into a crash barrier.
I held a full UK licence to drive cars and ride motorcycles Which the DVLA have since revoked.
I wonder was Richards ever under threat from the dreaded DVLA?
I wonder why not?
Tony Crofts ex-DCS MPD
I think that Jeremy Clarkson's and James May's comments we're made in a light hearted manner and should be considered as such. Richard Hammond's well and alive and his mates are happy about it (as are all us Topgear fans). Life's too serious so let's take the comments in the way they were intended. And don't forget, Jeremy Clarkson speaks his mind, which is very refreshing in this day and age where people generally are too afraid to do so.
top gear is brilliant and what jeremy said is his style and thats what people love about him and it is better to have a laugh about these thing than be all sorry thats what top gear is like if you dont like it turn it off!
Please leave Jeremy and James alone. Am sure both of them are happy to have Richard back. Every one has known those trio to be witty so it should not be that strange to viewers. Anyway, am so happy to see Richard back. Boy, you gave us all a big scare. Welcome back
Lite hearted banter is what makes this programe what it is.For those who do not like it there is always a off button.
I thinks its ridiculous that people are complaining about this. These days in society you can't do anything without getting arrested for it. They always 'insult' each other on this show, and thats what the audience that watchs it wants to see. He meant no harm at all!