I am seeing a pretty wide variation in reports of what happened, from people saying the producer ended up in hospital to witnesses saying nothing happened. So apart from saying a temporary suspension pending an investigation is justified, I am going to avoid speculating and forming opinions on rumours and instead say what I think should happen if Jeremy did punch and swear at the producer.
I think the police should punish him, not the BBC. That might seem extreme and pointless, but bear with me. Clarkson is a millionaire, who can comfortably retire today if he wants to. Also, other major TV networks would pay him huge amounts of money to work for them, so if the BBC decides to give him a pay cut or fire him, it’s a case of “ok, bye”, and joining the highest bidder. And if that happens, what happens to top gear? At best it will go massively downhill, with viewing numbers plummeting. Staff would be let go, potentially including the producer who was the victim of all this, with no guarantee of a replacement job. And not just the top gear team either. It’s such a huge cash cow for the BBC that indirectly this could affect other innocent people working there too. And lastly we lose one of our favourite shows. So really it’s likely that if the BBC does any disciplinary action, Clarkson is the last person to be affected.
So why do I think the police should be dealing with this? First and foremost, punching someone is a criminal offence. If you or I shouted, swore and hit someone, and there was evidence to prove it, we would be found guilty in a court of law, provided the victim wanted to press charges. As much as I like Clarkson I would have no problem whatsoever with him being given a punishment which fits the crime of assaulting someone. Yes I know there is the school of thought which says that two grown men should be able to sort out something like this themselves without involving the police, but the decision on whether to shake hands or not should be at the sole discretion of the victim, and we shouldn’t think less of the producer if he does press charges. Secondly, if it is a criminal matter instead of an internal disciplinary at a corporation, there is less chance of high profile friends having an influence on the outcome. He has a few friends who are notable in the TV business, and even Prime Minister David Cameron has come out in support. Thirdly, if the BBC allow top gear and Jeremy to carry on as normal after the police have done their work, then in theory the staff keep their jobs and we get to keep watching top gear (assuming the viewing numbers don’t take a serious hit from this).
I’ll finish off by saying that these are only allegations at the moment, and every human being has the right to the presumption of innocence as far as the law is concerned, so I think we should be extending that to our talks about Jeremy so we don’t convince ourselves he is guilty of something even if this turns out to be nothing.
I agree that the law must be adhered to, but as a petrolhead, my view is simple. If Jeremy goes on the next episode and simply explain the situation and apologises to Tymon in person, I for one would take it as the end of the matter and move on.
Comments
I am seeing a pretty wide variation in reports of what happened, from people saying the producer ended up in hospital to witnesses saying nothing happened. So apart from saying a temporary suspension pending an investigation is justified, I am going to avoid speculating and forming opinions on rumours and instead say what I think should happen if Jeremy did punch and swear at the producer.
I think the police should punish him, not the BBC. That might seem extreme and pointless, but bear with me. Clarkson is a millionaire, who can comfortably retire today if he wants to. Also, other major TV networks would pay him huge amounts of money to work for them, so if the BBC decides to give him a pay cut or fire him, it’s a case of “ok, bye”, and joining the highest bidder. And if that happens, what happens to top gear? At best it will go massively downhill, with viewing numbers plummeting. Staff would be let go, potentially including the producer who was the victim of all this, with no guarantee of a replacement job. And not just the top gear team either. It’s such a huge cash cow for the BBC that indirectly this could affect other innocent people working there too. And lastly we lose one of our favourite shows. So really it’s likely that if the BBC does any disciplinary action, Clarkson is the last person to be affected.
So why do I think the police should be dealing with this? First and foremost, punching someone is a criminal offence. If you or I shouted, swore and hit someone, and there was evidence to prove it, we would be found guilty in a court of law, provided the victim wanted to press charges. As much as I like Clarkson I would have no problem whatsoever with him being given a punishment which fits the crime of assaulting someone. Yes I know there is the school of thought which says that two grown men should be able to sort out something like this themselves without involving the police, but the decision on whether to shake hands or not should be at the sole discretion of the victim, and we shouldn’t think less of the producer if he does press charges. Secondly, if it is a criminal matter instead of an internal disciplinary at a corporation, there is less chance of high profile friends having an influence on the outcome. He has a few friends who are notable in the TV business, and even Prime Minister David Cameron has come out in support. Thirdly, if the BBC allow top gear and Jeremy to carry on as normal after the police have done their work, then in theory the staff keep their jobs and we get to keep watching top gear (assuming the viewing numbers don’t take a serious hit from this).
I’ll finish off by saying that these are only allegations at the moment, and every human being has the right to the presumption of innocence as far as the law is concerned, so I think we should be extending that to our talks about Jeremy so we don’t convince ourselves he is guilty of something even if this turns out to be nothing.
I agree that the law must be adhered to, but as a petrolhead, my view is simple. If Jeremy goes on the next episode and simply explain the situation and apologises to Tymon in person, I for one would take it as the end of the matter and move on.