, Clarkson isn’t as insufferable and bombastic as he appears on TV.
Oh, I completely disagree. I think what this incident shows is that it wasn’t an “act” after all. He really IS the isufferable bombastic derriere chapeux as he “seemed” to be, and he’s a verbal and physical bully as well.
The fact that people continue to defend him baffles me.
I didn’t defend him. I said that basing opinions of a person on their character you see on TV isn’t often appropriate. The incident with the producer and his snobbish character are different. He was not fired for his TV character, he was fired for his overly aggressive behavior directed at the producer. He had to be fired, as any employee behaving the same way must be.
This was even new on NPR’s marketplace last night. Apparently the show makes around $75 mil for BBC and now BBC is going to be short a lot of $$. I liked the show to a certain degree, I like a bit of controversy too. But I could not have lived with that kind of behavior at work/with colleagues or any other place.
@DrRocket Have you ever seen him in non-Top Gear interviews or read his books? He definitely hams it up for Top Gear.
^
On another site that I frequent, one of the regular contributors (who lives in The UK) mentioned that he was “in a queue” at a coffee shop last year, and that Clarkson was in back of him. When he recognized Clarkson and politely asked him “How are you?”, Clarkson’s dour reply was “I have an awful hangover”. He reported that Clarkson looked really awful.
Based on that first-person reporting, his incredibly deteriorated appearance for somebody who is only 54 years old, and his inability to restrain himself from both inappropriate language and inappropriate physical violence, I believe it is likely that the man has a serious problem with alcohol.
Perhaps being terminated is the best thing that could happen for him, as it might give him a wake-up call before it is too late.
He has a job offer to host a new show on a Russian owned station.
Not to sure what will happen if he hits a producer on that station.
Apparently the show makes around $75 mil for BBC and now BBC is going to be short a lot of $$.
All I heard was that Clarkson was let go…nothing about the show being canceled.
The show will go on, and Clarkson will be replaced. Look what happened to “Three’s Company” which changed all characters except Jack Ritter and Joyce Dewitt during its run…
A lot of shows over the years made abrupt changes and went into the tank. A few examples were the old Taxi and M.A.S.H comedies which went from success and high ratings one year to utter garbage and canned not long after.
The show will likely take a ratings hit at best or fade away at worst and the producer involved could even end up losing his gig if the latter happens.
Personally, I would still like to know the details about what happened and why no charges filed. If Clarkson slugged the guy without provocation then charge him and punish him for assault.
The point sometimes is that someone getting slugged may have done something to deserve it even with what appears to be the most benign action.
At a car dealer where I worked the parts manager (a fairly good sized guy) was sharp at what he did and was a good guy. He was a Christian and spent most lunch hours reading the Bible.
Like every other mechanic I would approach the counter and leave a parts list to be pulled and go grab another job to get started on. This saved time and was standard operationg procedure.
I dropped off a list one day and politely asked for parts to be pulled when he got a chance. This guy turned on me (won’t repeat the profanity), poked me lightly in the chest with his forefinger, and said that he would get them when he was blankety-blank good and ready.
That action caused me to see red and I grabbed him by the front of his shirt, pulled him against the counter, and told him that if he ever, ever laid a finger on me again I was going to rip his heart out of throat and reinstall it via another route.
Overreaction on my part and that makes me the bad guy? Not in my opinion.
Yorkshire police are looking into it.
A lot of shows over the years made abrupt changes and went into the tank. A few examples were the old Taxi and M.A.S.H comedies which went from success and high ratings one year to utter garbage and canned not long after.
MASH ran for 11 years. And the big characters that were replaced with different characters…the new character cast had as long or longer run then the members they replaced.
But I agree it wasn’t as funny as the first 5 years…but it was still extremely popular.
But I agree it wasn't as funny as the first 5 years...but it was still extremely popular.
And still holds the record for the most watched finale of any TV series ever, and is the second most watched TV broadcast of anything at all, behind only the 2010 Superbowl. Not bad for a show in its 11th season. Perhaps he was thinking of AfterMASH, which was the sequel series that followed a few of the characters in civilian life after the war and only lasted 2 seasons.
I would contend that if the entire cast were abruptly replaced in season 5, or even if just Alda had left, it would not have fared so well.
Other shows that lose their most popular figure have not fared well at all. When News Radio lost Phil Hartman after his wife murdered him, they tried replacing him with Jon Lovitz. That didn’t go so well and they were cancelled after that season.
Looking at Top Gears in other countries, none of them even come close to the entertainment value of the UK show. USA Top Gear in particular is almost unwatchable. Same formula, but the presenters just don’t have that spark that the UK team had.
I support Clarkson’s firing, but I tend to agree with Hammond - it’s very unfortunate that it was necessary to fire him, because it’s very likely to kill the show.
I guess it is similar to the Charlie Sheen situation with 2.5 men. The show apparently did well without him. I still like Sheen better for the role. Now would I want to work with him? Most likely not!
I would contend that if the entire cast were abruptly replaced in season 5, or even if just Alda had left, it would not have fared so well.
If you look at the history of all the great comedy shows…there was more then one character carrying the show. Mash had a slew of characters that were very funny. Sure some were bigger then others…But Alan Alda could not have done the show by himself.
The current most popular comedy…The Big Bang Theory has 6+ great comedy actors. Not all comic lines go to Sheldon.
No, Alda could not have done it by himself, but I do think he was a lynchpin and the show would have suffered greatly if he’d left.
I mean (nerd side coming out here) how well would Star Trek have fared if Shatner had left. Or, in relevance to Top Gear, if Shatner, Nimoy, and Kelley had all left? I suspect we wouldn’t have gotten all those movies without those three.
If previous statements are to be believed, all three of them aren’t going to return. That’s going to be very hard to recover from.
Jeremy Clarkson is just Joan Rivers without the surgeries; he can’t be funny for very long without making a joke at someone else’s expense. I won’t miss Clarkson … or Joan Rivers.
Actually, Star Trek did have a long run without Shatner, Nimoy, And Kelley. Remember that the original only lasted 3 seasons.
The original Star Trek series and movies always had those three in them. And they had to wait a literal generation to come out with a new series without those three.
Looking at the BBC statement on the incident, it appears that the producer took himself to a hospital with a bleeding lip. The whole incident lasted about 30 seconds. The producer did not report the incident, rather Clarkson “turned himself in” and reported the incident. Subsequently, the producer sent a letter to the police and media stating that he did not want to press charges and (paraphrasing) basically hoping that everyone could put the incident behind them and get on with their lives.
Reading between the lines, I would say:
-Clarkson felt bad about his outburst. (he turned himself in immediately afterwards)
-The producer probably said something inflammatory to Clarkson (or why would he downplay the incident and decline to press charges?) In the final analysis he said everyone involved felt terrible about the situation.
-James May’s Twitter account status apparently says “Former BBC Presenter” or similar, so it’s a good guess that he will not be coming back either. Of course if they make him a big enough offer, that could be a big motivator. No word on Hammond, but it’s a good guess he won’t stick around either.
-Unless BBC truly pulls a rabbit out of their hat, I can’t imagine the show will survive in any meaningful form. (think US Top Gear)
IMHO, BBC did the moral and honorable thing and treated Clarkson like any employee involved in such a fracas. I’m sure it was a difficult decision and a lose-lose situation for everyone involved. Though it’s a shame that public perception is the motivating factor here since it seems that Clarkson and the producer were willing to kiss and make up. I suspect that the on-screen persona that Clarkson projects is very different from the private man. Ultimately, I think Clarkson is probably a pretty decent guy with a self-deprecating sense of humor and some humility that you only catch glimpses of on the show. Certainly all of us have our breaking points in stressful situations and someone saying exactly the wrong thing at a weak moment could result in the same behavior from most of us, I’m sure. It’s amazing how 30 seconds can change the course of yours and others’ lives.
The incident lasted far longer than 30 seconds. Clarkson was yelling at him for a long time before the assault. It’s all on Clarkson.
You work for me and you physically assault or threaten someone…you’re fired and escorted out the door. Violence or the threat of violence will not be tolerated. And I’d NEVER work for a company who allowed it. We’re adults…not high-school students.