Clarkson suspended from Top Gear
Well, this was kinda inevitable at some point, however it’s rather unfortunate it’s happened in the middle of a series… Jeremy Clarkson has been suspended by BBC after ‘fracas’ with a producer. We don’t know what the ‘fracas’ was (although early reports are saying that he punched the producer), but you’ve got to imagine it’s something pretty serious for them to actually suspend him at this point, given the amount of stuff he’s got away with in the past. However, this rather puts the Beeb in a difficult position…
Firstly, they won’t be airing the show this week, which is fair enough. However, if they do fire him, they have a problem. Initially, they have to find a replacement for the studio bits. That’s not too bad (i’m sure Tiff Needell is hanging by the phone as we speak), but then there’s the second issue…
Top Gear isn’t just studio stuff. Most of the segments have been filmed throughout the year with Clarkson in them. So even if you replace him in the studio, you either throw away a bunch of expensive, pre-filmed footage, or you have to use the reports that feature Clarkson. That maybe a bit odd, using segments which include a host you’ve just fired…
There is also the third issue. Money. Top Gear, love it or hate it, draws in HUGE amount of cash for the BBC, and part of that appeal is Clarkson as a presenter. Clarkson, as James May has pointed out on a number of occasions, is a colossal bell-end, but he’s also quite an entertaining one. Can it survive without the man who was pretty instrumental in reviving the show in the first place?
There’s also the problem that the Beeb had made it very clear that, if he put a foot wrong again, he’d be fired… And unfortunately for the Beeb and Clarkson, I think that maybe the only thing they can do at this point… And on that bombshell, what are your thoughts?
