https://autos.yahoo.com/news/jeremy-clarkson-suspended-top-gear-171714180.html
I was afraid of this, that TG's success, and Clarkson's (somewhat understandably large) ego would conspire to make him think that he was too large to fail. If he got to the point where he believed that everyone was watching the show to see him, management would have to allow it because the show would be nothing without him. Perhaps not.
I for one welcome Chris Harris as new TopGear presenter
http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/off-topic-discussion/jeremy-clarkson-suspended/99555/page1/
Could you describe the fracas?
motherfracas?
captdownshift wrote: I for one welcome Chris Harris as new TopGear presenter
lol i would as well.
People need to be real here about this. Clarkson is getting close to retiring as it is.
www.radiotimes.com/news/2015-03-10/top-gear-series-postponed-after-jeremy-clarkson-punches-producer
If this is true he's gone for sure. I don't see how you recover from this.
And here I thought that once, just maybe, I'd get to be the first to spring some real news into the GRM forum... alas.
If he did actually swing at a producer, he could be toast. But controversy us good for ratings. I hope he's back with just another slap on the wrist
He'll be back.
JFX001 wrote: He'll be back.
The season's been canceled. That is certainly new.
If they are willing to unair stuff they already paid for and filmed that hurts the he'll be back argument significantly.
kanaric wrote:JFX001 wrote: He'll be back.The season's been canceled. That is certainly new. If they are willing to unair stuff they already paid for and filmed that hurts the he'll be back argument significantly.
Eh, time will tell.
In reply to JFX001: Don't forget, BBC is much like PBS. Profits are not that important.
Yes, important, but in the face of alleged assault, well, not that important.
It's one thing to flap your mouth, it's another to swing your fist.
In reply to alfadriver:
Guys, I see what you are saying, and I certainly do not know the whole story...but I will hold out for him coming back.
If he did use a racial slur last year, he should have been suspended for that. I think that he will be back because if he was on his last warning, they would just fire him.
If they did replace Clarkson with Chris Harris, I think they should replace May and Hammond with more hardcore auto journalists to fit with Chris Harris' personality.
These PBS references are hilarious. Especially if you have enough context to judge them for factuality vs 'truthiness'. 
I love watching Chris Harris in his /Drive vids, as a good automotive journalist and driver. But honestly, I don't find him the least bit entertaining on any other level. He'd be great if Top Gear wanted to be a "serious automotive show" for sure. But if TG became that, it would lose the great majority of its audience I'd be willing to bet.
I love serious "car shows" (mostly found online these days), but I watch Top Gear for the laughs, goofy stunts and competitions, and the ridiculous and childish banter. And all that is made by the oddball relationships of May/Hammond/Clarkson that complement each other so well. If I just want to see cars doing "car things" there are plenty of other places to do that.
Start plugging in other people, even if they are independently entertaining and/or "real car guys" and there's a good chance the chemistry just won't make it fun (see: Top Gear US).
Just my 2 cents though....
Was the season cancelled or just postponed?
Also James May was poking some jokes about TG not being on this weekend on the Twitter.
Serious TG with real car people is called Fifth Gear. It's ok, they try but it's not TG.
/Drive reminds me of original TG with Tiff and Clarkson. Chris Harris is good at what he does and should keep helping to build rather than jump and try a fit in at TG.
End ramble.
To bad if this is the end. If I was May or Hammond I would be a bit annoyed.
Chris Harris has his own youtube channel now not on drive.
Vigo wrote: These PBS references are hilarious. Especially if you have enough context to judge them for factuality vs 'truthiness'.
My reference was more about the commercail aspect of funding- it's more a public institution where 1) ratings are less important, and 2) stars are also less important.
Neither are not important, but less than US commercial channels.
Jaynen wrote: Chris Harris has his own youtube channel now not on drive.
This. Even though he still owns part of /drive he jumped ship and took his videos with him after the initial flop of /drive+
Yeah, I think the whole Chris Harris/Matt Farah/etc conversation could take up another thread on its own, hah.
Having seen several of the Chris Harris Shows I don't think he would make for a good Clarkston replacement. The other issue is neither Hammond or May's characters on TG have been constructed so they could take the lead of the show. They are both 2nd fiddles on TG. You cant really have some one step in as the leader when the two other co stars have been on the show for so long. BBC and TG are really between a rock and a hard places. IF they replace Clarkston the first 1-2 shows will get ratings but I see a rapid decline after that in to obscurity. If Clarkston is gone the only thing I could see is if May and Hammond start a new show with a different vibe and move in a different direction. Keep Mays science (that I some times wish we got more of on TG) and let Hammond go off and do weird dumb things. Let May use Hammond as a test subject for his science and let Hammond use May as a test subject for his crazy adventures. Let the stig be an occasional guest star. Maybe get some one to act as a referee between the two of them but keep the third host as 2nd fiddle to them. Probably eliminate the star in a reasonably priced car and get some new thing to get stars in if that is really an important part of the show (I would not miss that part of the show at all if it went away) Maybe only get professional race car drivers from a broader range of motorsports and have them compete against each other in a POS car. That would interest me.
I kind of agree with Dean 1484:
Do the show with May as the researcher and Hammond the Hamster as a guinea pig.
Then again, if the BBC does in fact kick out Clarkson, I expect he will find a long line of suitors to adopt him.
Anyone else wonder if the punchee might have got what he deserved?
On a separate subject, if TG is gone, we are down to one channel and one show that we actually watch for our $140/month cable TV bill. I have been trying to convince the wife that we can live without cable. This will help.
You'll need to log in to post.
