Top Gear should be banned call
By Tom Evans, last updated April 12 2005
A transport pressure group yesterday demanded the end of the popular BBC2 programme ‘Top Gear’, claiming it promotes irresponsible driver behaviour. It wants a replacement show called Third Gear, which would promote “sensible driving in sensible vehicles.”
The group, Transport 2000, which is chaired by sometime Monty Pythoner and latter-day globetrotter Michael Palin, said that the programme had an obsession with big and “unnecessarily powerful” cars and ignored the interests of women drivers. It said the alternative programme would encourage responsible motoring based on less environmentally damaging cars, considerate and safety-conscious driving, and exploration of alternatives to the car. The group particularly took aim at the show’s flamboyant main presenter, Jeremy Clarkson, who is also a ubiquitous newspaper and magazine columnist. They claim his “distinctive image... is in danger of encouraging a ‘yobbish’ attitude on the road. “ Jeremy Clarkson: In the firing line
Transport 2000’s Steve Hounsham said: “Everyone is talking about how to reduce car use, cut climate change emissions and make the roads safer but, to quote in perhaps its own language, Top Gear effectively sticks up its fingers to this… If we must have Jeremy Clarkson on the television, let's give him something useful to do, such as trying out public transport or road-testing new bicycles. Perhaps he would like to drive a bus; he'd find it just as much fun as a Ferrari."
The group lists Top Gear’s mortal sins in full:
- “Following complaints made to the BBC, the programme team was sent back to Oxford twice to refilm a piece about the closure of the High Street to through traffic because it failed to present a balanced view of the scheme.
- To test the claims made for a 4x4, the programme really did try to take the vehicle to the top of a mountain in Scotland, “through a sensitive peat bog causing substantial ecological damage.”
- “In an infamous episode”, Jeremy Clarkson tore up on camera information from Transport 2000’s website presenting the dangers of speed.
- In a race against colleagues using public transport and plane, Clarkson drove a Ferrari more or less non-stop from London to Switzerland and was stopped by police for speeding on the way.
- Clarkson deliberately drove a car into a tree in a car park in Somerset to test the strength of the car in a crash. The programme ended up apologising and paying compensation to the local parish council for the damage caused.
Despite this multitude of crimes, ‘Top Gear’ has proved a smash-hit ratings winner since it was relaunched in its new hour-long, high-budget format in October 2002, and it is one of the most popular programme on BBC2. The BBC has defended the programme, saying "none of the [Top Gear] presenters advocate or encourage dangerous driving, and high performance cars are always tested in a controlled and safe environment."
"The programme regularly features discussions of issues across the whole gamut of motoring. It does review fast cars but it has also recently featured the new Smart car, as well as a series of items on restoring cars and a second-hand car challenge. To say Top Gear encourages just a macho or yobbish attitude simply isn't true."
"Half of its regular audience of 3 million viewers is women. A recent example [of discussing green issues] would be in December 2004, when an engine was featured that was half electric and half petrol powered."
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People are trying to ban Top Gear from BBC2
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