Thursday 14th April 2005

Top Gear is too much fun, say enviros

TG is a top programme, BBC responds

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Clarkson drove from UK to Verbier. Bad boy!

Petrolheads' favourite, Top Gear, has come under attack. As many PHers already know, the environmental group has called for Top Gear to be removed from the BBC's schedules andreplaced with "a new programme promoting sensible driving in sensible vehicles".

What fun that would be. Not.

Transport 2000 argues that, as a programme put out by a public service broadcaster, Top Gear should "be responsible, seek to educate and be in the public interest". It apparently "falls far short of these ideals and is in danger of promoting irresponsible driver behaviour and an obsession with big cars, while ignoring the interests of most women drivers."

Other accusations include yobbishness, responsibility and having too much fun. Er, we made that last one up.

Items the killjoy environmental group cites as the programme's sins include:

• Having to re-film a piece twice about the closure of Oxford High Street because of lack of balance
• Driving a 4x4 to the top of a Scottish mountain through a peat bog, which allegedly caused "substantial ecological damage".
• Jeremy Clarkson tearing up propaganda about the dangers of speed from Transport 2000’s Web site
• Jeremy Clarkson driving a Ferrari (see pic) from London to Switzerland -- he did it regardless of fatigue, and was stopped by police for speeding
• Jeremy Clarkson crashing a car into a tree to test the strength of the car which cost compensation to the local parish council for the damage.

T2K suggested alternative employment for Clarkson. "If we must have Jeremy Clarkson on the television, let's give him something useful to do, such as trying out public transport or road-testing new bicycles. Perhaps he would like to drive a bus; he'd find it just as much fun as a Ferrari," the group said.

In response, the BBC said that the programme has proved a smash hit, and is one of the broadcaster's most popular programmes. The BBC said, "None of the presenters advocate or encourage dangerous driving, and high performance cars are always tested in a controlled and safe environment."

"The programme regularly features discussions of issues across the whole gamut of motoring. It does review fast cars but it has also recently featured the new Smart car, as well as a series of items on restoring cars and a second-hand car challenge. To say Top Gear encourages just a macho or yobbish attitude simply isn't true."

"Half of its regular audience of three million viewers is women. A recent example [of discussing green issues] would be in December 2004, when an engine was featured that was half electric and half petrol powered."

[tuscan_thunder]

peformance car mag, circa 1992, clarkson reviewed the Lotus speed cycle. complete with ever-present fag. he then took it to a pub where he used it as a bar stool.

(Ted, there's something not right in the first paragraph of the story)

[KITT]

I can't wait for the new series to start and to hear what Clarkson has to say about all this

[john_p]

I love this.

Every time their request gets publicity like this, Transport2000 appear more and more like a lunatic fringe organisation and their opinions become less and less releveant.

Their PR guys are doing a good job

[stackmonkey]

Which planet is Trainspot2000 on?

"Driving a bus would be as much fun as driving a Ferrari?"

Get real! Never mind Verbier, I know which I'd use on any trip that didn't require the bus's seating capacity.



oh, and Trainspot 2000 is NOT an environmental group. It merely tries to use the 'environment' argument to try and get everyone onto public transport.

[klassiekerrally]

[quote]Perhaps he would like to drive a bus; he'd find it just as much fun as a Ferrari[/quote]

They already did. Over a bunch of motorcycles IIRC.

In fact, I think Jeremy does like to drive a bus.
Through some caravans.

[crazydave]

Items the killjoy mental group cites as the programme's sins as follows:

[Wildfire]

Interfereing lentilists. My girlfriend realy doesn't like cars, but does enjoy TG.

[GreigM]

Is it a safe prediction now that during the next series we will see JC understeering a bus round the track? Or they will find some custom bus which can do 0-60 in 5s

[Mudflap]

I think Mr Palin (the current head of Transport 2000)needs to go off on another of his book selling round the world trips and stop peddling this nonsense. Whatever next. I too am looking forward to Jeremy's response.

[JMGS4]

stackmonkey said:

Which planet is Trainspot2000 on? "Driving a bus would be as much fun as driving a Ferrari?" Get real! Never mind Verbier, I know which I'd use on any trip that didn't require the bus's seating capacity. oh, and Trainspot 2000 is NOT an environmental group. It merely tries to use the 'environment' argument to try and get everyone onto public transport.

Time all Tranny2000 people were employed CLEANING the buses and trains they all want,
and how about getting a particle filter fitted to those diesel stinkers,
and making them run efficiently,
on time at a decent price?

NO too easy....it's easier to slag the opposition off than to actually DO SOMETHING POSITIVE!!!! WNAKERS!!!

[holbayhead]

Tw@ts 2K said:

"Perhaps he would like to drive a bus; he'd find it just as much fun as a Ferrari," the group said.

"Perhaps they'd like to just fk off and eat some weed soup!" holbayhead said.

[pesty]

So Mr Palin was paid by the BBC to go around the world does that make him an expert on motoring?

Why do these people get a platform to be heard?

[Tripps]

holbayhead said:

Tw@ts 2K said: "Perhaps he would like to drive a bus; he'd find it just as much fun as a Ferrari," the group said. "Perhaps they'd like to just fk off and eat some weed soup!" holbayhead said.

I think it was weed that gave them that point of view in the first place

Perhaps Jeremy should combine two motoring issues, get stoned then drive a bus to Spain or somewhere, then we can discuss drug driving and public transport rather than sports cars...

[cotty]

Wildfire said:

Interfereing lentilists. My girlfriend realy doesn't like cars, but does enjoy TG.

Same here, its just good entertaining TV. If they started talking about boot capacities and cup holders then people would turn of in droves

[thanuk]

pesty said:

So Mr Palin was paid by the BBC to go around the world does that make him an expert on motoring?

With the amount of flying he does, and encourages others to do, he's hardly in a strong point from an environmental perspective either.

[cotty]

We have to stop these people or next they will be telling us we cant watch films with car chases in them

[grahambell]

[quote]T2K suggested alternative employment for Clarkson. "Perhaps he would like to drive a bus; he'd find it just as much fun as a Ferrari," the group said.[/quote]

Only if all the seats were occupied by T2K and he drove it over a cliff.

[plfrench]

I'm sure that I read somewhere that the emissions from a bus far outwieght those of a modern car to the extent that even if every passenger from a full bus was in a car, the total emissions would still be less. This completely knackers the public transport arguments from the green point of view...

Also as has been said, what about air travel, the amount of crap chucked out by one plane must be magnitudes greater than that of the required number of cars to carry the passengers over the same distance, yet no-one seems to give a damn about that.

It is just a case of motorists being an easy and soft target.

Paul.

[pauly]

To quote the late Kenny Everet
ROUND EM ALL UP, PUT EM IN A FIELD AND BOMB THE BASTARDS

[nonegreen]

What are the chances of getting a few hundred of us together to invade a big bookshop and set fire to all Palins books. Or perhaps just make a big effagy of Palin and burn it outside the BBC centre. Perhaps when they start filming Top Gear again?

It is utterly disgusting that this shower are subsidesed by us the tax payer and they are unaccountable and elected by no-one. We must be able to hit their funds hard with a bit of a concerted effort. Looking into the charities commision guidlines next. I hate these bastards