Very well, here goes (this is just a quick summary, I'm sure other posters will fill in details that I might have missed out):
So what exactly did he do? did he really assault another producer?
Apparently so. After a long day's filming, Jeremy and the crew returned to the hotel they were staying in and he was dismayed to find that the kitchens were closed and that he wouldn't be getting a hot meal that evening. According to eyewitnesses present, tempers frayed, Jeremy and one of the producers exchanged some angry words for a prolonged period and, at one point, Jeremy was seen to commit an assault on said producer.
Subsequently, Jeremy and the producer both apologized and made up, but because some members of the public had seen the altercation, a couple of tabloids got wind of the story and, just before it went public (which was actually a couple of weeks after the incident), Jeremy reported himself to the BBC, and was immediately suspended pending an investigation. Following this, he was informed that his contract, which had almost expired (he and the other presenters had been poised to sign new three-year deals for the show), wouldn't be renewed.
Would the other two really stay with him if he did something so terrible?
Whether or not what Jeremy did was "terrible" is entirely subjective, of course. It was clearly very stupid, considering he happened to be on probation for a previous incident involving a racist nursery rhyme (which was never aired, but a tabloid got hold of the footage), and it's regrettable that it led to the end of Top Gear in its present form. I think the feeling on this board at the time was that the whole thing could have been handled better for the sake of the show. For example, is it really beyond the wit of a producer on a major TV show to send out a runner to a restaurant to get the talent some hot food if there is none available where they're staying?
Anyway, after a few weeks umming and erring, James and Richard both announced they would also be leaving the show to reunite with Jeremy on a new project he had in the pipeline, which turned out to be a motoring show for Amazon Prime. They clearly decided it would be more personally lucrative for them to continue to hang on to Jeremy's coat-tails as the junior members of a Three Stooges tribute act than attempt to forge meaningful broadcasting careers of their own. But you can't blame them for that - the three of them work superbly together as a team, and they clearly wanted to keep that team together, albeit on a different show.
In the meantime, Top Gear itself is now in the hands of a bespectacled ginger bloke with an annoying voice and a garage full of Ferraris, and the world now waits for what it unanimously agrees will be one massive car-crash (pun intended).
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sluggr-2
9 years ago
I am not saying that what Clarkson allegedly did wasn't wrong. However, stuff like this happens all the time and it gets settled quickly and quietly. There appear to be some at the BBC who simply hate Clarkson and all that he stands for and have been eagerly awaiting for some event which would allow them to sack him. Who knows, maybe they were behind the incident which led to the fracas. I'm sure all the people now out of work are glad that the BBC stuck to its principles. Of course, no one in upper management lost their jobs, yet. That will come as revenues tank further.
I just watched the TG A-Z special and I wonder why it was made. All it did was show the masses that the people who run the BBC are idiots for letting that talent go. If anything, for the new TG to succeed, they need to have people forget how great the old one was, not remind them before the debut. Perhaps the bean counters secretly believe that they have talent.
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SinisterCreep
9 years ago
If the story is really how it happened i wouldn't be surprised if it was a set up as somebody wanted rid of him. and even if it did happen as it's been reported ...people have kept they're jobs for much worse. look at all these bankers and politicians etc who've taken the publics money who've still kept their jobs.
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JDoe18
9 years ago
Sluggr, im from the US so I sometimes dont get some of the jokes or comments. Do people really have a thing against Jeremy and his show? I mean they always bring up how the media hates them but I always thought that was exaggerated. And yes disagreements happen but as long as he got fed what does it matter. Then again I dont have a contract and am not accustomed to finer things in life but still seems a little petty. Also assault is pretty broad term. It can mean anything.
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AdmiralTugBenson
9 years ago
I live in the US too, but from what I've read/heard over the years it's not an exaggeration. Plenty of people love him though, it's not all hate, he's very polarizing. Reminds me a lot of Don Cherry, also not a US reference but you've maybe heard of him, some people think he's the most hilarious/entertaining guy in Canada, others think he's a big-mouthed embarrassment to their country. Clarkson travels around the world being as culturally insensitive as possible, which many of us find funny (even when we're the target as we in the US often are) but some people think that reflects poorly on their country as a whole. The same way we do with "Ugly Americans". This is complicated by the fact that the public funds the BBC with license fees. Even if you don't watch BBC if you own a television you pay them. So people naturally feel they should have some sort of voice when it comes to how they spend that money, particularly if it's on something they find offensive. And being offensive is Clarkson's bread and butter. They're likely not a majority though, otherwise the show probably wouldn't have lasted or Clarkson would have been fired.
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JDoe18
9 years ago
Noddy Comet Well fighting over a hot meal seems a little petty then again I guess If I was accustomed to the finer things in life then maybe id be mad too. Surely he could of rustled up something somewhere. Idk, but assault is so vague. A push can be assault and while inappropriate is different than lets say giving someone a black eye...
Anyone else think they are more like their characters in the show? I mean how they are always making fun of each other. I know that is fake but maybe they are out of it in real life and talk down to people in some form or another.
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starvb083
9 years ago
maybe they are out of it in real life and talk down to people
When I was lucky enough to go and watch Top Gear being recorded a few years ago the only one of the trio who was noticeably stand-offish was Richard Hammond.
James May of course was going out of his way to make himself available whilst Clarkson appeared to be happy to stop and chat as long as he wasn't rushing across the studio for a new take or something at that exact moment.
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dmahnarch
9 years ago
"Assault" can also be someone adjusting a guy's tie and fixing his collar while "making him an offer he can't refuse".
Any touching while being made uncomfortable is "assault" - which is stupid.
Tap a guy who doesn't like you on the shoulder to let him know his headlights are on? Assault.
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ThisNiceDerangement
8 years ago
Apparently so. After a long day's filming, Jeremy and the crew returned to the hotel they were staying in and he was dismayed to find that the kitchens were closed and that he wouldn't be getting a hot meal that evening. According to eyewitnesses present, tempers frayed, Jeremy and one of the producers exchanged some angry words for a prolonged period and, at one point, Jeremy was seen to commit an assault on said producer.
Does anyone know if this happened after filming a segment that was eventually aired? Or the whole thing was never showed by BBC because it was "sensitive"?
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