By now the news has made its rapid circuit about the internet: Jeremy Clarkson, one of the world’s most entertaining presenters, has been fired from Top Gear, one of the world’s best television shows. While many people are either angry at the BBC, upset that Clarkson could behave as he did, or simply distraught that there is no more Top Gear, nobody is really taking a deeper look at what this means for television, broadcast rights, and the behavior of celebrities.
First thing's first: Top Gear is dead. While a show called 'Top Gear' will be broadcast by the BBC, it is not ht
Before all the facts were out, I was like many others: angry and looking for someone to blame in this whole fracas. A big part of me suspects many people will take Oisin Tymon, the subject of Clarkson’s assault, and make him out as Judas. The fact is, though, that the man was verbally abused, briefly physically assaulted, and that was it. Jeremy Clarkson is the one who came forward to the BBC. Whether this was because he knew it would be reported anyway or for some ulterior motive, we can only speculate. I’m sure I’m not the only one wondering if Clarkson was simply fed up with dealing with the BBC and its (purported) bureaucratic madness. This is the public broadcasting of a nation that is basically a police state, after all, with cameras pointing in all directions at all times.
Whether or not this was Clarkson’s goal, the end result was basically set in stone. After the media had been hounding him for so long, after several missteps and misunderstandings, it was clear that Jeremy had nowhere to go should anything else happen, whether it was his fault or not. We’ve seen this in the past, the sudden need for the media to vilify a personality, and it shouldn’t be stood for.
Now the flip side of the coin. If Jeremy Clarkson did assault a coworker, then the BBC has every right, and quite possibly a responsibility, to fire him. Just because he’s insanely popular does not excuse the behavior that was reported, especially if it was over a matter of food (cold cuts were served rather than steak). I love steak as much as the next man, but if you look up to this person, if you see in him a father figure or uncle, wouldn’t you be embarrassed to see him laying into someone? To lose his professional cool and use language that “contained the strongest expletives and threats?” The fact is that verbal abuse is still abuse, and it has to have repercussions.
Where I split from the BBC, however, is in the handling of the case. The various British news outlets, so famous for their shoddy reporting and vulgar headlines, clearly had Clarkson in their sights for some time. Under the circumstances, I think there were far better ways to handle the situation. Jeremy would be punished, certainly, and he would have to apologize (really apologize, not divert like politicians and celebrities do these days) to Oisin. Something was at the heart of the outburst, and that something would be addressed via counseling, no matter how much Clarkson would balk. He loves Top Gear and so he would go through with it.
The fact is that the actions of the BBC are inconsistent, that they have become increasingly obsessed with political correctness, and that they are stepping into line with the British government and making it harder and harder for people to enjoy their well-produced shows.
Fact: Jeremy Clarkson is bellicose, loud, over the top and sensationalist. What kind of behavior did you expect out of that personality? You are firing the man for the exact same reason you hired him. It’s his ballistic trajectory that makes him so popular with his viewers. If you wanted to avoid an incident you would have had him watched closely from day one. Then there’s the matter of viewership and file sharing. Several months before Clarksongate, a popular website known as FinalGear.com was sent a DMCA notice as they hosted links to torrents for Top Gear episodes. Here’s the rub, though: the BBC charges a television license fee to anyone in Britain who uses any television of any kind (whether live or recorded). So whether one person or one million people tune in, the BBC gets paid. Why, then, do they feel the need to shut down sites like FinalGear, sites which interacted with the Top Gear personalities and helped mold the show?
What it all ultimately smacks of is a long running joke shared by Jeremy, James, and Richard; they are all dinosaurs and it’s only a matter of time before they go extinct. Except the trio are far too talented for that. While the BBC becomes nothing more than what its Parliament desires, the Top Gear crew will evolve. If I had my way, a company like Netflix would scoop them up, throw cash at them, and then watch the money roll in. No more bureaucracy, no more restrictions, no more media hounding. It would be like the Beatles and their transition to a studio band. Let the boys run wild in their Jurassic park, then bring the kids to watch. You’ll be in for a hell of a show.
A.C. Harrison
Like what you see here? Spread the word and support indie authors! Follow me on Facebook or Twitter. Find me on Smashwords and Kindlemojo.
Before all the facts were out, I was like many others: angry and looking for someone to blame in this whole fracas. A big part of me suspects many people will take Oisin Tymon, the subject of Clarkson’s assault, and make him out as Judas. The fact is, though, that the man was verbally abused, briefly physically assaulted, and that was it. Jeremy Clarkson is the one who came forward to the BBC. Whether this was because he knew it would be reported anyway or for some ulterior motive, we can only speculate. I’m sure I’m not the only one wondering if Clarkson was simply fed up with dealing with the BBC and its (purported) bureaucratic madness. This is the public broadcasting of a nation that is basically a police state, after all, with cameras pointing in all directions at all times.
Whether or not this was Clarkson’s goal, the end result was basically set in stone. After the media had been hounding him for so long, after several missteps and misunderstandings, it was clear that Jeremy had nowhere to go should anything else happen, whether it was his fault or not. We’ve seen this in the past, the sudden need for the media to vilify a personality, and it shouldn’t be stood for.
Now the flip side of the coin. If Jeremy Clarkson did assault a coworker, then the BBC has every right, and quite possibly a responsibility, to fire him. Just because he’s insanely popular does not excuse the behavior that was reported, especially if it was over a matter of food (cold cuts were served rather than steak). I love steak as much as the next man, but if you look up to this person, if you see in him a father figure or uncle, wouldn’t you be embarrassed to see him laying into someone? To lose his professional cool and use language that “contained the strongest expletives and threats?” The fact is that verbal abuse is still abuse, and it has to have repercussions.
Where I split from the BBC, however, is in the handling of the case. The various British news outlets, so famous for their shoddy reporting and vulgar headlines, clearly had Clarkson in their sights for some time. Under the circumstances, I think there were far better ways to handle the situation. Jeremy would be punished, certainly, and he would have to apologize (really apologize, not divert like politicians and celebrities do these days) to Oisin. Something was at the heart of the outburst, and that something would be addressed via counseling, no matter how much Clarkson would balk. He loves Top Gear and so he would go through with it.
The fact is that the actions of the BBC are inconsistent, that they have become increasingly obsessed with political correctness, and that they are stepping into line with the British government and making it harder and harder for people to enjoy their well-produced shows.
Fact: Jeremy Clarkson is bellicose, loud, over the top and sensationalist. What kind of behavior did you expect out of that personality? You are firing the man for the exact same reason you hired him. It’s his ballistic trajectory that makes him so popular with his viewers. If you wanted to avoid an incident you would have had him watched closely from day one. Then there’s the matter of viewership and file sharing. Several months before Clarksongate, a popular website known as FinalGear.com was sent a DMCA notice as they hosted links to torrents for Top Gear episodes. Here’s the rub, though: the BBC charges a television license fee to anyone in Britain who uses any television of any kind (whether live or recorded). So whether one person or one million people tune in, the BBC gets paid. Why, then, do they feel the need to shut down sites like FinalGear, sites which interacted with the Top Gear personalities and helped mold the show?
What it all ultimately smacks of is a long running joke shared by Jeremy, James, and Richard; they are all dinosaurs and it’s only a matter of time before they go extinct. Except the trio are far too talented for that. While the BBC becomes nothing more than what its Parliament desires, the Top Gear crew will evolve. If I had my way, a company like Netflix would scoop them up, throw cash at them, and then watch the money roll in. No more bureaucracy, no more restrictions, no more media hounding. It would be like the Beatles and their transition to a studio band. Let the boys run wild in their Jurassic park, then bring the kids to watch. You’ll be in for a hell of a show.
A.C. Harrison
Like what you see here? Spread the word and support indie authors! Follow me on Facebook or Twitter. Find me on Smashwords and Kindlemojo.
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