Clarkson: Outrage over Clarkson's 'sick' prostitutes joke

[TurnerGTX]

The BBC has been plunged into fresh controversy after Jeremy Clarkson joked about murdering prostitutes on Top Gear.

In a rant broadcast last night, the outspoken presenter mocked lorry drivers by claiming they only care about fuel prices and killing prostitutes.

As he completed a 'task' driving a lorry, he 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 comments are believed to be a reference to Suffolk Strangler Steven Wright, a former trucker who murdered five prostitutes in Ipswich in 2006.

Clarkson's outburst follows the storm over the BBC's decision to air an obscene phone call by Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross on Radio 2.

Yesterday truckers' groups and charities demanded an apology and said the BBC's decision to broadcast the comments "beggared belief".

The BBC is an institution that is paid for by the licence fee and they should not be allowing this kind of sick joke

The United Road Transport Union said they had been inundated with complaints from its 17,000 truck driver members.

Spokesman James Bower said: "We received dozens of phone calls from many members to say how disgusted they were about the comments.

"We would absolutely condemn what he said about murdering prostitutes. It beggars belief that those words can be broadcast on TV.

"The BBC is an institution that is paid for by the licence fee and they should not be allowing this kind of sick joke."

A spokeswoman from English Collective of Prostitutes said: "This is a truly heartless comment.

"In the wake of the murders of five young women in Ipswich and the killing of over 60 prostitute women in the last 10 years, how did this remark, making light of the murder of prostitute women, come to be broadcast?

"Mr Clarkson should apologise immediately to prostitute women and our families especially those of us bereaved by murder."

The controversial remarks came during the first episode of the news series of Top Gear - aired on BBC 2 on Sunday evening.

Clarkson's comments are also thought to make reference to former truck driver Peter Sutcliffe who murdered 13 women - many of them prostitutes - between 1975 and 1980.

Shockingly, the comments were broadcast beofore the 9pm watershed.

The scandal comes at a disastrous time for the BBC as the 'Sachsgate' affair is beginning to die down.

A spokesman for broadcast regulator OFCOM said: "We did receive complaints regarding last night's Top Gear programme.

"All the complaints will be assessed against OFCOMs broadcasting code, which sets standards for the content of TV and radio broadcasts."

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.html?Outrage_over_Clarksons_sick_prostitutes_joke&in_article_id=384742&in_page_id=34

Was crashing a truck into a wall at 56mph REALLY such a bright idea, Mr Clarkson?

He has a notorious appetite for destruction.

But after emerging in 'screaming agony' from this latest horrifying escapade, perhaps Jeremy Clarkson has had his fill.

These spectacular pictures show how the presenter deliberately crashed a truck into a wall at high speed for his latest daredevil Top Gear stunt.

The cab crumpled as the lorry hit the brick wall at its maximum of 56mph, leaving Clarkson with heavy bruising to his shin and back and an index finger like 'a burst sausage'.

Describing the crash, he said: 'At the moment, teenagers see Bruce Willis driving his car into a helicopter and imagine that you can get out afterwards and still be well enough to punch a baddie in the face.

'This isn't accurate. I emerged from my high speed head-on impact in what can only be described as screaming agony.

'I couldn't walk. I couldn't talk. I couldn't think.

'Everyone should experience this before they are given a licence.'

Clarkson described the smash as his first serious road accident for 31 years. A Top Gear spokesman said the presenter was 'quite badly injured', although he has since made a good recovery.

However, the crash brought back memories of Hammond's high-speed smash in 2006.

The Hamster, as his co-presenters have nicknamed him, was badly hurt when the jet-powered car he was driving crashed during filming

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1082530/VIDEO-Was-crashing-truck-wall-56mph-REALLY-bright-idea-Mr-Clarkson.html

 

[MWF]

My biggest beef is the references to and depiction of top shelf magazines which has rendered this episode totally unsuitable to be replayed to my 7 year old daughter and 4 year old son.

No I am not some prissy uptight Daily Mail reading twerp, but I am certainly not ready to answer the question "Daddy, what's pornography/a prostitute?" from kids of that age. A little schoolboy innuendo is one thing, but I felt both went too far for a pre-watershed show that they know is watched by a huge number of kids with their parents, especially in light of the fact that both Jeremy and Richard have young children.

Come on guys, you don't need to sink to Jonathan Ross' and Russell Brand's smutty level to get a decent laugh.

 

[LP]

Do they have ratings for TV shows in the UK? Over here we have things like TV G, TV PG, TV 14, TV MA and a little text on the bottom to tell why its been rated that such as L for language D for sexual Dialogue V for violence etc etc.

 

[jebjeb]

I for one didn?t take offense to any of it. I just think of it as a bit of social commentary that shouldn?t be taken to seriously. Anyone who isn?t able to laugh at that also shouldn?t laugh at the jokes about the german/French/caravan/3rd world dictator/basically the whole show or any show on tv in general. Time to get your knickers out of a bunch and grow up.

p.s anyone from the knicker wearers alliance that took offence to that comment can send complaints to #### off you lame #######

 

[Ice_warmer]

 

[Trollbooth]

who doesn't like to complain? and it certainly drives up the readership.

too bad we won't see an article that says "THAT WAS BLOODY FUN TO WATCH".

 

[Buktu]

Seriously, it sounds like Clarkson isn't the only one to get a gear stick up his ass....

People need to calm down, and find something better to do with their lives than complain about petty things like this.

 

[alihaig]

Calling it a "rant" and an "outburst" just makes me laugh. As usual the metro doesn't have enough proper news to fill its pages so it makes stories out of nothing.

Do they have ratings for TV shows in the UK? Over here we have things like TV G, TV PG, TV 14, TV MA and a little text on the bottom to tell why its been rated that such as L for language D for sexual Dialogue V for violence etc etc.

We don't have ratings like that as such, just the 9pm watershed so anything with swearing or sex and things has to be broadcast after 9.

 

[Blind_Io]

As if we didn't see this coming

http://pic.armedcats.net/a/an/anonymous/2008/11/03/1024yd4.jpg
When contacted by the Daily Mail, The Stig had no comment on the scandal

 

[edkwon]

Seriously, it sounds like Clarkson isn't the only one to get a gear stick up his ass....

People need to calm down, and find something better to do with their lives than complain about petty things like this.

that's the problem with an internet fan forum, its filled with ppl who kind of lack better things to do than complain about tv shows they have little control and obsess to much over.:lol:

 

[beedeebee]

I really enjoyed those jokes, they were hilarious. And all those people that complain are over reacting. It's not like Clarkson encourages everyone to murder some prostitutes, he just made a witty joke.

My biggest beef is the references to and depiction of top shelf magazines which has rendered this episode totally unsuitable to be replayed to my 7 year old daughter and 4 year old son.

No I am not some prissy uptight Daily Mail reading twerp, but I am certainly not ready to answer the question "Daddy, what's pornography/a prostitute?" from kids of that age. A little schoolboy innuendo is one thing, but I felt both went too far for a pre-watershed show that they know is watched by a huge number of kids with their parents, especially in light of the fact that both Jeremy and Richard have young children.

Come on guys, you don't need to sink to Jonathan Ross' and Russell Brand's smutty level to get a decent laugh.

I understand your point, but I also don't think that children ages 4 or 7 are the target audience of TopGear. And besides, if I recall correctly, you couldn't see any nude. The few shots of the magazines were very short, and the covers were not explicit at all. Nothing more than you'd see in a music video or something like that.

 

[Tranquillizer]

2 words
What the ....

 

[James May's Hair]

Hahahahahaha!

This, for the benefit of non-U.K. residents, is the Mail on it's all-too-frequent anti-BBC agenda. This story could have been predicted by anyone in the U.K. the moment Jeremy said it.

This newspaper is the Holy Grail for anyone who likes a bit of: racism, homophobia and misogyny. The great irony is this: any lorry driver would be defined as Working Class, yet the Mail is a profoundly Middle Class newspaper.

Another irony is that they hate Jeremy Clarkson - the very thing they truly love: a white, Middle Class male.

In other words: take no notice of the silly f**kers.

 

[Seasonone]

It's a good thing nobody important actually takes any of this seriously.

The United Road Transport Union said they had been inundated with complaints from its 17,000 truck driver members.

Spokesman James Bower said: "We received dozens of phone calls from many members to say how disgusted they were about the comments.

So "dozens" (maybe 30) out of 17,000 people called and complained and they word it like all 17,000 are ready to protest? And what kind of ghetto union do they have that dozens of calls "inundate" their call center?

A spokeswoman from English Collective of Prostitutes said: "This is a truly heartless comment.

HAHAHHAHAHAHA There are spokespeople for whores? "we shoot up heroin all day and have sex with strangers to feed our heroin habit but we shouldn't be made fun of"


I actually feel sorry for the kind of person who has nothing more to do with their life than complain about a TV show they aren't forced to watch.

 

[NooDle]

FFS ... get a life newspapers...

 

[Interrobang]

So british truckers now officially have less humor than us germans ... who would have guessed that.

It seems Monty Python has been gone for much too long on the british isles and the love for black humor, irony and wit has slowly faded away ...

 

[tone76]

Is it just me, or does it sound a bit like Alan Partridge's rant about farmers?

[YOUTUBE]http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=n5jpVbEL0jc[/YOUTUBE]

 

[Requiem]

It wouldn't be a proper Top Gear season if they didn't cause an outrage. At least we are getting it out of the way early. Not like the Polar Special which garnered criticisms well after it aired. Top Gear without public outrage is like a Automatic sports car. Not bad, but not what it should be.

 

[eltoro507]

Stop this faggotry, funny joke was funny.

 

[Donington]

Clarkson's comeback could be he just meant that truckers play Grand Theft Auto a lot.