Jeremy Clarkson

That's what I can't understand, Anniebach. If the producer suffered a split lip after thirty seconds of physical assault, there must have been other injuries. It doesn't add up.

Who declared it was 30 seconds and who was holding the stop watch?

Just wondering.

A middle aged man in need of careful handling ? A valuable popular toddler?

So any man who is tired after a days work, spends two hours in the pub, gets home , angry because he can't have the dinner he wanted so thumps his wife is just a man in need of careful handling?

Yesterday he was described as - the bad boy of tv ! No he is a middle aged man , a bigot, a racist, a bully, foul mouthed , arrogant

Anyone who can excuse this mans behaviour will excuse any man who punches someone , it doesn't take thirty seconds to land one punch so just how many blows were inflicted on the victim

Jane10 - we'll never agree on this issue, and that's ok isn't it.

You ask who'd risk employing a guy, who in whatever way, led to the BBC's biggest cash cow being lost. I know you mean the producer - but he wasn't responsible for JC being let go, JC did that all on his own.

And I agree that it is possible to criticise the production management team without condoning the violent act in question. I actually think that expecting a hot dinner at 2200 is unreasonable but I expect I'd find a lot of the expectations of programme production unreasonable too.

Did they "let him get away with" stuff that really mattered or did they just respond to hyper-sensitivity about 'correctness'? Has he been accused or found guilty of abusing anyone before? I don't think his nonPC expressions are comparable to hitting someone.

Yes - Jane - I agree the BBC are culpable as well - they let him get away with far too much for far too long and didn't seem to realise that something like this was bound to happen.

There is a law against employing toddlers in this country jane

The BBC knew exactly what he was like. They knew he needed careful management. I know, just like a toddler, but he is a valuable popular toddler. He should have been better managed so the situation shouldn't have arisen. Its a mess all round and the license payer will have to fund it. How can the BBC make up the £100million gap they will be faced with now?

Oh feetle who hit Clarkson?

Feetle - cheap shot. I wouldn't condone Prescott throwing that punch but it was not a 30 second pummelling and a 20 minute foul mouthed tirade including a threat to the person's livelihood. Grow up!

So Clarkson behaved like a certain Labour Deputy PM... the question now is - will he finally buy some grown-up trousers instead of those lousy jeans he favours?

Jane10- what else could the BBC do? They could not be seen to say 'this was assault, bullying and abuse of several kinds- but because the programme makes us a lot of money we won't do anything about it- and just give him yet another final warning...until the next one'???

Could they?

If a footballer is the top scorer for the England team and rapes someone a few days before the Cup- do they say 'well that was wrong, but the Cup is more important, so we will keep him'.

These 'stars' do get away with stuff like that all the time, often from a young age, and know because people value their talent, they do get away with 'murder'.

One of the boys, aged 13, at one school where I taught, assaulted 2 girls on the bus (aged 12), pulled their knickers down and touched them up with other boys, with the girls screaming. The Head of the school said it was just boys being boys, no harm done, ad he couldn't expel them for a few days as they had a football final on Saturday and he needed them all. I was young and meek then- and it was my first job- later in my career I would have taken it to the Governors. He also said the girls were pretty and like to flirt- so they were 'sort of the cause' of the incident.

This is how Prima Donas are confirmed, and how they learn their talent is so valued that eyes and ears will be closed to much demeanor.

I do know that whenim, its just human nature and the media at play. If you're putting together a pitch for a potentially expensive new programme would you risk employing the guy who,in whatever way,led to the BBC's biggest cash cow being lost? Business is business and its a hard life in the media.

Jess I take your point about the use of the word 'sacked' but neither is 'axed' a professional term, which is the word the BBC used in the 6 o'clock news.
I also agree that JC wasn't an employee, and the legal costs of terminating his contract a few days early would probably have outweighed the costs of paying him for the few remaining days.

However.....why on earth didn't Yentob just say that, instead of laying into Eddie Mair the way he did?
Nellie glad it wasn't just me who was shocked at Yentob's response.

Jane 10 -you still seem to be putting some responsibility on the victim for being assaulted and abused. A hot meal was organised, Clarkson was in the pub and arrived to late for it to be cooked so was offered something cold.
The producer was not sacked by the BBC, he remains in post and the comments from the BBC yesterday confirmed its duty of care to its employees. It isn't his fault Clarkson lost his temper.

Absolutely J52. Last night, I counted to 30 seconds- it is actually quite a long time, and one could land a good many punches in a rage in that half a minute- and Clarkson only stopped because a third party intervened. That is the sign of a man out of control- and who could do it again- especially as this was followed ba a fit of rage that went on and on totally uncontrollably for quite some time. I wonder if other similar incidents may come out of the woodwork now?

It just won't be the same. I suspect that the chemistry between 'the boys', which is what I enjoyed, was the main reason for watching ( I certainly was not in the least interested in the cars!). That can't be replaced. A new car programme? Meh.

I heard the interview with Alan Yentob and I was very angry at his failure to condemn Clarksons behaviour outright.

I cannot understand for a moment why Yentob was prevaricating about this. Perhaps he's worried about losing his cash cow.
It left me shouting at my Car radio.

According to interviews Top Gear will continue. It existed before Clarkson and will be rebranded with a new presenter or presenters. There are many gifted young presenters waiting in the wings. No one is irreplaceable.

The Police are now able to look into the alleged incident. I don't know what the outcome will be, but it does seem if there has been a assault.

I think if someone had hit me, or any of my nearest and dearest I would want to press charges no matter who they were.

Maybe I'm wrong, and we should all vent our frustration with life, using a punch here or there?

x

It'll be a cost to the license payer- losing so many millions in revenue from sales of Top Gear around the world will have an effect on programme quality. The victim will struggle to find work again I reckon. There may not be a queue to employ the producer who didn't organise a hot meal for the team at the end of a long day leading to the events that followed. I agree that JC definitely shouldn't have hit him but the situation shouldn't have arisen. Jeremy will find new work easily. The producer? Not so much. No winners at all.

Sacked Jane is not a word people use professionally - its a slang word. One would say that he had been "dismissed from employment". But JC's contract was not an employment contract, and I gather almost at an end and due for renewal. Therefore not renewing his contract is the proper terminology. There may have been a clause in his contract that would make it very difficult not to pay the full amount and the BBC would certainly not want a court battle (wasting a lot more money) over a few thousand.

Apparently it was a heart attack, although the legend is that he was trying to out-drink sailors - foolish move!

Reed (whoops)

I liked Oliver Reid. Dishy.