The
papers over the past week have been dominated by the latest exploits
to besmirch the BBC's flagship motoring programme 'Top Gear'. A
programme in which 3 middle-aged petrolheads get to play with
insanely expensive, fast cars and live out their teenage fantasies by
undertaking puerile stunts in exotic locations.
In
the latest escapade to hit the headlines Jeremy Clarkson was involved
in 'a fracas with a producer' at a North Yorkshire hotel, where the
crew had been filming for the latest series.
This
may be seen as another welcome opportunity for the BBC bashers to
mount an assault on the corporation though I would prefer to view it
as a welcome distraction of budget leaks and the preliminary jousting
in the run up to the election.
According
to witnesses at the North Yorkshire hotel Jeremy Clarkson launched
into an expletive-ridden tirade against programme assistant-producer,
Oisin Tymon, in which punches were thrown. It would seem that the
trigger for the dust-up came when it was learned that there was no
hot food prepared for the team upon their returned from a day's
filming in Newcastle. To Jeremy's credit he did take the initiative
and inform his bosses of the incident but given his previous history
of bad behaviour the BBC found they had little option but to suspend
him pending an inquiry.
Not
only has his suspension been raised in the House of Commons but there
is a 900,000+ names petition calling from the BBC to re-instate the
54 year-old.
The
Top Gear programme is worth an estimated £50m thanks to the show and
DVD rights which presents the BBC, who own the rights to the
programme, with something of a dilemma. Rumour is that he set to walk
away from the BBC, to set up a similar programme with a rival
broadcaster.
In
most walks of life throwing a punch at a fellow worker is a
disciplinary offence, if not grounds for instant dismissal for gross
misconduct.
Equally,
you don't need to be boardroom material to know that it is wrong to
reprimand a colleague in public.
Maybe
there had been a 'cockup on the catering front' but publicly
lambasting the person delegated responsibility for such arrangements
will not get you a hearty meal any quicker. Perhaps if he had
channeled his frustration into finding an alternative eaterie then
all this stupidity could have been avoided.
In
the words of the Chinese proverb 'Hungry man who stands in field with
mouth open must wait many moons for Peking duck to fly in'.
In
one aspect I do have a certain sympathy for Jeremy Clarkson; whatever
medication the observer who compared this latest indiscretion to the
Jimmy Savile scandal is on should have it removed post haste as it
is clearly is not working. About the only thing that these 2 stories
have in common is that they are both embarrassing to the BBC.
For
all the corporations faults it remains one of the greatest shop
windows for creative talent. To be part of a successful show opens
the doors to so many other opportunities – book deals,
merchandising, repeat fees, guest appearances and future projects, to
name but a few. There are few companies or other professions that
offer such rewards or allow their employees to pursue their own
career path with such diversity.
To
work for any broadcaster is a privilege that should be treated with
respect. History is littered with 'stars' who considered their
individual contribution to be greater than the needs of their
employer and have paid the price for their behaviour.
There
is talk that there could be no Top Gear without Jeremy Clarkson –
You mean, just as there could be no 'Strictly' or 'Generation Game'
without Bruce Forsyth or no 'Have I got news for you' without Angus
Deayton – rest assured, no star is bigger than the show, in the
same way that no footballer is bigger than the club they play for.
Performers may have a valid reason for leaving a successful show but
to have to leave a show because of unsavoury behaviour, having
worked so hard to achieve that success is sheer lunacy.
Jeremy
Clarkson is no fool and should be well aware that he has crossed the
line on this occasion. Would he have become the multimillionaire he
is without the exposure presented to him by the BBC, I very much
doubt it. Will other stations welcome him? Almost certainly, he is
still a big draw, some may even see his 'edginess' as a benefit to a
programme.
He
may have wanted some humble pie on the night, he may not get a chance
to eat it at this stage. If it all does go wrong for him he could
always go and work for Dave, they may well have big gaps in their
schedules to fill, then they may just as easily fill them with
repeats of their repeats.
