On 11 Mar 2015 at 9:06am JonnyBoy wrote:
Two points on this:
A. Another brilliant PR stunt to push ratings through the roof before the Top Gear trio finally go their separate ways to count the lolly.
B. He really is a complete nobber.
Discuss.
On 11 Mar 2015 at 9:37am OH NO!! wrote:
No! This will really bring the nutters out.
Everyone knows that Clarkson is Satan and should be sent into deep space, those poor misguided hundreds of millions of people that love the programme (like me) need putting straight.
Some earnest Guardian reader on R5 this morning wringing her hands because Top Gear apparently encourages urban speeding, plague pestilence and death.
And we're off....
The alternative of course is - IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT - WATCH SOMETHING ELSE.
On 11 Mar 2015 at 12:17pm Annette Curtin-Twitcher wrote:
I'm an earnest Guardian reader but I like cars, love the show and often find it hilarious. However, I also find Clarkson a complete bellend.
I'm in a complete quandary about which bit of this to be outraged about ...
On 11 Mar 2015 at 12:19pm JonnyBoy wrote:
I heard that woman this morning too. I fell to my knees and thanked the universe that I'm not married to her.
It's a TV show, not a car show, geddit?
On 11 Mar 2015 at 12:24pm JonnyBpy wrote:
Soz, on a roll here.
Rumour has it Annette that your mentioning of bellend may not be too far off the mark. Clarkson may well be in possession of what is colloquially known a right "John Binden" down there.
Just ask Frannie or Phillipa or perhaps Hammond......
On 11 Mar 2015 at 12:48pm Quentin Wilson wrote:
Clarkson is to motoring what my hair is to style . I 
On 11 Mar 2015 at 3:11pm belladonna wrote:
ACT - you speak for me too.
He is an obnoxious character, guilty of snide racism disguised as harmless fun, BUT the schoolboy antics of the show can often be very funny, if childish. And Clarkson is a very good journalist.
It seems there is massive market for this type of show as well, given its popularity here and overseas. However in any workplace, if you punch a colleague, you would likely be sacked - especially if you were already on a warning.
On 11 Mar 2015 at 4:09pm Country Boy wrote:
He is the bellend of all bellends. Like so many people in his position there are two sides to his character. The trouble is, all those clamouring on his behalf just dont get it!
On 11 Mar 2015 at 4:41pm Southover Queen wrote:
I think the problem with Clarkson is that he thinks he's untouchable. He was already on a final warning, and punching your colleague would be a sacking offence whatever your status. The BBC doesn't have much choice - and this will hurt, as Top Gear is probably their single biggest international earner.
On 11 Mar 2015 at 5:00pm Xplorer1 wrote:
AC-T, according to the Guardian Style Guide What else would a Lewesian refer to for style guidance?), it's "bell-end". And no, I didn't look it up, they tweeted it as one of the top three enquiries. 
On 11 Mar 2015 at 5:01pm Xplorer1 wrote:
and yes, I'm with you - bell-end pretty much sums him up
On 11 Mar 2015 at 5:18pm Annette Curtin-Twitcher wrote:
Mea culpa. I will write a hundred lines about my failure to hyphenate appropriately.
On 11 Mar 2015 at 6:33pm Quasimodo wrote:
The bell-ends,the bell-ends
On 11 Mar 2015 at 6:35pm Leslie Phillips wrote:
Ding Dong
On 11 Mar 2015 at 7:10pm Old Bloke wrote:
This made me chuckle at the time, even if they are from up north.
Check it out here »
On 11 Mar 2015 at 7:51pm Tory H.Q. wrote:
What is there not to like about Clarkson.We are trying to get him to stand as a Tory M.P. before UKIP do.
On 11 Mar 2015 at 9:20pm Happy viewer wrote:
Clarkson is Clarkson , a bit like marmite ! What I'm most disappointed about is , why could they not do the last 2 shows without him so we could enjoy the treats , just saying
On 11 Mar 2015 at 11:49pm joe wrote:
Just shows the bbc,s priorities. Clarkson gets suspended, jimmy savile gets a rolls royce ! I hear that he is going to be replaced by dale winton, top queer!
On 12 Mar 2015 at 6:30am BBC archivist wrote:
We are going to search out our Laurel and Hardy films that involve cars, have them digitally enhanced and show them in place of TG
On 12 Mar 2015 at 6:35am GayDon wrote:
Home of the Heritage Motor Centre Motor Museum - Dale could do his first prog. there
On 12 Mar 2015 at 6:38am Zoopal wrote:
Clarkson should move to Penistone, South Yorkshire
On 12 Mar 2015 at 7:58am Historian wrote:
Amazingly, half a million have signed a petition to reinstate him, but they should have signed the Save the NHS petition instead !! It's, maybe a little bit more worthwhile.
On 12 Mar 2015 at 8:06am Old Bike wrote:
Of course they might have signed that as well Historian. Unless you are suggesting that fans of Clarkson are narrow minded?
On 12 Mar 2015 at 8:18am Clifford wrote:
I'm not interested in cars, I'm about as far left as you can get - but I think Clarkson can be very funny. You don't have to agree with people to be entertained by them. Conversely, I think Lenny Henry is a very nice bloke, agree with a lot of his opinions, but have never found him at all funny.
On 12 Mar 2015 at 9:40am Sot wrote:
Clarkson ...not fussed one way or t'other but I like your comment Clifford. I can`t see much correlation between people I like and their opinions on this and that .
D H Lawrence - Super - left
Jane Austen - Conservative - Ace
Eddie Izzard - Liberal- hilarious
James Brown - republican - Ace
Gary Numan - Tory- pitiful
Random isn`t it
On 12 Mar 2015 at 1:59pm Sussex Jim wrote:
There is no need to sign a petition to "save" the NHS. No political party is about to dismantle it.
Jeremy Clarkson, however, is a national institution: popular with at least 600,000 petitioners. His views and attitudes are what probably the majority of people think, but are afraid to discuss for fear of being branded "politically incorrect". If he is not re-employed by the BBC, he should look to appearing on a similar show on a commercial channel.
On 12 Mar 2015 at 2:18pm bastian wrote:
It's about setting an example, like footballers who beat their wives and get to stay in the team, if I hit my boss I lose my job, why shouldn't he, or should we all just hit our bosses when they say we can't do/say something, the trouble is, it is his purile sense of humour everyone loves but it is also his childish behaviour that I personally don't want him to get away with, because it just venerates this not a grown up thing that far too many men suffer from which makes life very hard for those of us who love a laugh, but can still keep a grip on our family and job.
On 12 Mar 2015 at 2:22pm Clifford wrote:
SOT - Eddie Izzard is Labour, even talked about running for London mayor. I think he is exceptionally funny, but can't stand his politics. But otherwise, Yes, completely random.
On 12 Mar 2015 at 3:39pm Southover Queen wrote:
Jim, he assaulted someone, apparently because they hadn't organised his lunch. Would you condone the behaviour of some hoodie on a dark corner taking a random swing at a passerby? I doubt it: I rather think you'd be suggesting locking them up at the very least.
He probably will be taken on by a rival, which is, if you think about it, more condoning of violence just because he's famous. That's a pretty rubbish example to set that spotty youth.
On 12 Mar 2015 at 5:56pm Earl of Lewes wrote:
I agree with Clifford. Top Gear is a comedy show and Clarkson is playing a role. I don't know why people take him so seriously. There are far more offensive comedians on television. I suppose Clarkson is, for some, emblematic of Tory/UKIP middle England. Obviously, if he did clock someone while having a hissy fit, that's different. But sack him for the right reasons. Will Top Gear survive without him? Someone has suggested Steve Coogan as a replacement. He'd be good, but would he have the same chemistry with the other two?
On 12 Mar 2015 at 6:04pm Sussex Jim wrote:
I do not condone any assault; and someone in his position should know better. I don't actually know how serious the assault was, I assume he just lost his temper on the spur of the moment; but perhaps he should be given the opportunity to apologise-if he is man enough. If not, then perhaps he should be charged
On 12 Mar 2015 at 7:02pm Boris wrote:
Check out Rod Liddle's column in todays Sun. One of the funniest things I have read for a long time.
On 12 Mar 2015 at 7:38pm bastian wrote:
Clarkson is also, not one of the people, he extends his racist, foul ideas in joke form for your entertainment and he is mates with Murdoch and Cameron (not to mention Brookes). casual offence is not that amusing if you are black, female, gay-anyone who isn't a great rich white male like Clarkson himself, stands a good chance of being offended by his prep school humour.
Get a real job Clarkson, like dealing with the public and being polite or cleaning toilets, packing meat in a factory-then you will know what life is about befoe you open youe mouth or use your fist.
On 13 Mar 2015 at 6:38am Boris wrote:
Bastion, people like you make me sick, do you work for the BBC?
It's because of the facist left, people like you, that Clarkson and UKIP are so popular.
On 13 Mar 2015 at 2:16pm watcher wrote:
Boris, that makes absolutely no sense what so ever.
On 13 Mar 2015 at 3:43pm bastian wrote:
the trouble is, sussex jim, that lots of people do stupid and terrible things who are famous/ in positions of power and just apologise, and that just sets a trend for what you can get away with, the rules do not apply to the rest of us-then is the moral issue of young men acting like thier heros, hmm! not sure I am happy with that kind of example. There are better examples of funny people, someone mentioned Eddie Izzard ( a local lad) who is very funny, and he doesn't do it at the expense of others, then hit his manager and expect his job back.
On 13 Mar 2015 at 5:02pm Local wrote:
Clarkson is simply an employee. And an employee that the public are required to pay for through a license fee. His general behaviour indicates that he has forgotten that. He is alleged to have punched a colleague at work over a procedural issue to do with his job. He is suspended, and we will see what happens. If a colleague hit someone at work in the canteen , I don't think we would all be going on about how his fun un-pc character should be encouraged, we would worry about what was making him behave so inappropriately.