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Maybe - I think of them as "soap opera in fancy dresses" and don;t watch 'em - but...the BBC has four channels (plus the BBC News), 2 broadcasting 24 hours a day, 2 broadcasting 9 hours a day. I watch(ed) three BBC programs a week: Top Gear, Masterchef, and Dragons Den, plus a bit of news in the morning. Add in the dramas you mention and that's what? 7 hours programing a week? Out of 66?
I probably watch more than that on Dave - and that's mostly BBC repeats! Laugh | :laugh:

So why risk killing one of the most watched, most talked about, most profitable shows? Only reason I can think of is a personal dislike of the presenter...

Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...

I don't watch them either: I am exposed to my fiancèe watching them and talking me about them Big Grin | :-D

I don't know the actual programming though, I can't because it isn't accessible, and I probably wouldn't anyway since my antenna cable is unplugged since July (there was a storm and I didn't want to risk a thunder hitting the antenna and burning its way down to my room. It happened, it hurt) and I took notice on February... still haven't plugged it in!

Geek code v 3.12
GCS d--- s-/++ a- C++++ U+++ P- L- E-- W++ N++ o+ K- w+++ O? M-- V? PS+ PE- Y+ PGP t++ 5? X R++ tv-- b+ DI+++ D++ G e++>+++ h--- r++>+++ y+++*
Weapons extension: ma- k++ F+2 X

I use 1TBS

Herself does that to me with CSI wherever, NCIS don't-care, Bones, Grays Anatomy, Bondi ~~Bob~~ Vet... Fortunately she has now watched every single episode of ER at least once so that is off the menu now! Laugh | :laugh:

Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...

OriginalGriff wrote:
Only reason I can think of is a personal dislike of the presenter

So if you walked into a shop and someone working there assaulted you for no real reason other than the fact that they were drunk, and that person got the sack, you would think they got the sack because of a personal dislike of the employee by the bosses? Nothing to do with the company's duty of care to people their staff come into contact with?

Different situation: I'd press charges.
Clearly the bloke that was thumped didn't think it that bad, or knew there was perhaps some justification behind it?

Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...

Clearly?

Based on what?

He took himself off to hospital and Clarkson reported the incident before he got the chance to.

Some men are born mediocre, some men achieve mediocrity, and some men have mediocrity thrust upon them.

Maybe he didn't do anything because he feared being sacked and thought that saying nothing about the assault was the lesser of two evils compared to losing his job and livelihood.

Investigation findings – Ken MacQuarrie
On 9 March 2015, Jeremy Clarkson reported to BBC management that he had been involved in a
physical and verbal incident with Oisin Tymon, the producer of Top Gear, at the Simonstone Hall
Hotel, North Yorkshire, whilst working on location. The incident had occurred on 4 March 2015
and Jeremy Clarkson was suspended on 10 March, pending investigation.
I was asked to undertake an investigation to establish the facts of what occurred. In conducting my
investigation, in line with the BBC’s usual practice, I interviewed a number of witnesses and others
connected with the incident. Accounts were agreed, based on my interviews, with each participant.
Having conducted these interviews and considered the evidence presented, I conclude the
following: on 4 March 2015 Oisin Tymon was subject to an unprovoked physical and verbal attack
by Jeremy Clarkson. During the physical attack Oisin Tymon was struck, resulting in swelling and
bleeding to his lip. The verbal abuse was sustained over a longer period, both at the time of the
physical attack and subsequently.
Specific facts I have found as part of my investigation are as follows:
 earlier on 4 March, studio recording of Top Gear had taken place in Surrey and the presenters
had travelled that same evening to the location shoot in North Yorkshire;
 the incident occurred on a patio area of the Simonstone Hall Hotel, where Oisin Tymon was
working on location for Top Gear;
 the physical attack lasted around 30 seconds and was halted by the intervention of a witness;
 it is the case that Oisin Tymon offered no retaliation;
 the verbal abuse was directed at Oisin Tymon on more than one occasion – both during the
attack and subsequently inside the hotel – and contained the strongest expletives and threats to
sack him. The abuse was at such volume as to be heard in the dining room, and the shouting
was audible in a hotel bedroom;
 derogatory and abusive language, relating to Oisin Tymon and other members of the Top Gear
team, continued to be used by Jeremy Clarkson inside the hotel, in the presence of others, for a
sustained period of time;
 it is clear that Oisin Tymon was shocked and distressed by the incident, and believed that he
had lost his job;
 following the attack, I understand that Oisin Tymon drove to a nearby A&E department for
examination;
 over the subsequent days, Jeremy Clarkson made a number of attempts to apologise to Oisin
Tymon by way of text, email and in person; and
 it is the case that Jeremy Clarkson reported the incident to BBC management.
It was not disputed by Jeremy Clarkson or any witness that Oisin Tymon was the victim of an
unprovoked physical and verbal attack. It is also clear to me that Oisin Tymon is an important
creative member of the Top Gear team who is well-valued and respected. He has suffered significant
personal distress as a result of this incident, through no fault of his own.

Some men are born mediocre, some men achieve mediocrity, and some men have mediocrity thrust upon them.

So you think the more profitable employees should be allowed to assault the more easily replaceable ones?

Interesting.

Some men are born mediocre, some men achieve mediocrity, and some men have mediocrity thrust upon them.

OriginalGriff wrote:
politically correct vegan cyclist

OriginalGriff wrote:
That's the end of Top Gear as a funny program then

That has been true since about 2011.

They were talking about the possibility of Chris Evans taking over on Radio 4 this morning.
[Edit] my google fu has just resulted in me finding out that he has refuted this possibility.

“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”

― Christopher Hitchens

Your initial opinion was that there was no way they would sack him and it would all blow over. Surprised to see how much it has changed.

Yup: wrong again!

I really don't understand how people can talk about a minor celeb like Clarkson as if he were an irreplaceable asset.

He's just a prat who talks about cars. That's the easiest role in the world to fill.

I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!

Well it might be because he took a niche motoring program and created a £100 million cash cow which is the worlds most watched factual program.

You cant outrun the world, but there is no harm in getting a head start

Real stupidity beats artificial intelligence every time.

No, he didn't.

It was the combination of personalities that made the show.

Of the four of them (including Stig), his is the most common personality type, and therefore the easiest to replace.

Another Clarkson-type could walk on, say something like: "Hi. I'm not Jeremy Clarkson -- mind you, he's a bit of a tit, anyway; I mean, he needed more than one punch!"

Everyone would immediately love him, and the tabloids would go on and on and on* about how the show had been saved.

There's nothing even remotely unique or irreplaceable about Clarkson.

* ... And on and on and on and on and on...

I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!

I think you will find that Clarkson was the "creator" yes the personalities worked but someone had to come up with the format.

as the stig has been replaced twice I would disagree

I get you don't rate him but most who like the show do, and I doubt its going to be easy to replace him

you couldn't use another tit the Guardian wouldn't let you

You cant outrun the world, but there is no harm in getting a head start

Real stupidity beats artificial intelligence every time.

I think you'll find that the other members of the team had very successful TV careers before Top Gear.

The only one who was not so successful was Clarkson himself, because he had nothing special to offer.

I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!

only a national syndicated journalist, or the fact that he wasn't a TV presenter for kids TV or something somehow negates any other form of employment?

and he was a successful presenter of top gear in its previous format

You cant outrun the world, but there is no harm in getting a head start

Real stupidity beats artificial intelligence every time.

Mark_Wallace wrote:
He's just a prat who talks about cars. That's the easiest role in the world to fill.

Really? Could you do it? Do you have sufficient driving/mechanical skills and knowledge to undertake the role? I'm sure you could be scripted to be amusing - possibly.

Well, I always fixed my own cars, no matter how badly they were gone, so I'm probably more capable mechanical-wise.

The trouble is that I have no interest whatsoever in cars, whether fast and overpowered or otherwise.

I've driven less than ten times, in the last decade, and then only when there was no other choice.

I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!

Mark_Wallace wrote:
I'm probably more capable mechanical-wise.

Really? I doubt that - changing spark plugs and draining the oil does not make you a motor engineer or mechanic. The money I made from people who thought they could rebuild an engine was very pleasant.

Mark_Wallace wrote:
The trouble is that I have no interest whatsoever in cars, whether fast and overpowered or otherwise.

I have to admit that my interest has waned even though I raced for a couple of years, early on and spent about 10 years in the business. Now I just don't care - if something goes wrong I call the AAA.

Mark_Wallace wrote:
I've driven less than ten times, in the last decade, and then only when there was no other choice.

What are you? A damn hippie??? Smile | :)

Karel Čapek wrote:
Really? I doubt that

That's a very rude thing to say.

I have rebuilt engines from the bottom up, and repaired just about every type and shape of bodywork that exists.

Karel Čapek wrote:
The money I made from people who thought they could rebuild an engine was very pleasant.

Really? I doubt that.

Karel Čapek wrote:
I raced for a couple of years, early on and spent about 10 years in the business.

Really? I doubt that.

Not very nice, is it?

Karel Čapek wrote:
What are you? A damn hippie???

Just someone who has realised that the car is not enough use to me to rate its cost.

That usefulness/cost relationship is, I suspect, also true for most people; they just haven't realised it, yet.

I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!

Mark_Wallace wrote:
That's a very rude thing to say.

Why? I doubt your story - I'm just being straightforward. There were always plenty of people getting their cards towed into my shop because they thought they could be a mechanic.

As for the rest - whatever.

Some of us have no choice but to commute by car - public transport here is ok but sparse and a bit grotty.

Welcome to the Lounge

“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.”