Top Gear Presenter in the Soup After Truck Driver Murder Gag

Robert Farago
by Robert Farago

BBC Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson better watch out for truck drivers from now on, after making an on-screen joke linking lorry drivers to murdered prostitutes. The Times— the boradsheet that prints JC’s columns– describes the on-screen palaver thus: “The controversial broadcaster made his comment on Sunday night’s programme, on BBC2, as he and fellow presenters James May and Richard Hammond found out what it was like to drive heavy goods vehicles. Bemoaning the constant need to change gear, Clarkson said: “This is a hard job and I’m not just saying that to win favour with lorry drivers, it’s a hard job. Change gear, change gear, change gear, check mirror, murder a prostitute, change gear, change gear, murder. That’s a lot of effort in a day.” The BBC responded with their usual combination of condescension and weasel words: ‘The vast majority of Top Gear viewers have clear expectations of Jeremy Clarkson’s long-established and frequently provocative on-screen persona. This particular reference was used to comically exaggerate and make ridiculous an unfair urban myth about the world of lorry driving, and was not intended to cause offence.” Well, fair enough. As the Times points out, “Notorious prostitute killers Peter Sutcliffe, the Yorkshire Ripper, and Steve Wright, also known as the Suffolk Strangler, were both lorry drivers.” More worryingly, the BBC has “convinced” YouTube to remove the video clip in question from general circulation.

Robert Farago
Robert Farago

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  • Romanjetfighter Romanjetfighter on Nov 04, 2008

    Somehow insulting people based on nationality instead of race is much more funny and acceptable at the same time. :P I love Jeremy! That episode was so funny. I liked the part where he was shaking in pain and terror after he hit the brick wall. :P

  • Landcrusher Landcrusher on Nov 04, 2008

    Psar, Just because both candidates had to pretend to be to the right of their actual positions to compete doesn't mean they are both right wing parties, quite the opposite. The only way to call both parties conservative is to include all the countries that aren't as successful as ours in the mix. That's like saying that major league pitchers are all excellent hitters because they are better than the peewees. What's really important is when will we get new episodes of Top Gear in the US?

  • Psarhjinian Psarhjinian on Nov 04, 2008
    Just because both candidates had to pretend to be to the right of their actual positions to compete doesn’t mean they are both right wing parties, quite the opposite When people are, with a straight face, calling George W. Bush a socialist, I'd say the American political spectrum could use some broadening on the leftward side. What’s really important is when will we get new episodes of Top Gear in the US? Youtube, or if you prefer more direct means, isohunt, are your friends.
  • Landcrusher Landcrusher on Nov 05, 2008

    psar, We are top dog in the world for a reason. Why would Tiger Woods want to be more like other golfers? We will be spending the next 20 years trying to mitigate the damage done over the next 2.

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