New Top Gear Host

[oldbluefox]

I heard on the news last night that Clarkson & Co will be making an announcement about their next venture in a couple of day's time. There's hope yet for all you Top Gear aficionados. And he may not necessarily be on pay-to-view.

[Mervyn and Trish]

There's hope yet for all you Top Gear aficionados. And he may not necessarily be on pay-to-view.

Fingers crossed Foxy.

The daft thing about this is no-one (well few anyway) will try to justify what JC did - whatever the stresses punching someone is wrong. But the way the Beeb has handled it has hurt everyone except the guilty party. The fans lose out if the show doesn't re-surface on free-to-air tv, the BBC loses out because it was a huge revenue earner (and we can't assume the replacement will sell as well), which means the licence payer loses out. Spme people behind the scenes will lose, or at best be fearful for, their jobs if they're not re-employed for the new version.

Meanwhile no doubt JC will negotiate a higher fee than he had at the BBC, as will his two co-presenters.

Surely the sensible thing would have some sort of short term suspension or a fine, like a football club does? They don't send their star players off with a free transfer to the rivals when they cock up.

[Quizzical Bob]

There's hope yet for all you Top Gear aficionados. And he may not necessarily be on pay-to-view.

Fingers crossed Foxy.

The daft thing about this is no-one (well few anyway) will try to justify what JC did - whatever the stresses punching someone is wrong. But the way the Beeb has handled it has hurt everyone except the guilty party. The fans lose out if the show doesn't re-surface on free-to-air tv, the BBC loses out because it was a huge revenue earner (and we can't assume the replacement will sell as well), which means the licence payer loses out. Spme people behind the scenes will lose, or at best be fearful for, their jobs if they're not re-employed for the new version.

Meanwhile no doubt JC will negotiate a higher fee than he had at the BBC, as will his two co-presenters.

Surely the sensible thing would have some sort of short term suspension or a fine, like a football club does? They don't send their star players off with a free transfer to the rivals when they cock up.

His contract expired and was not renewed.

[Manoverboard]

Footballers, please be advised, Mr M Swerve, have their contracts cancelled ' by mutual consent ' on a very regular basis ... and they would be straight out the door with a terminated contract if any of them lumped any of the staff of a Footy Club. It has to be said however that one or two of the Managers placed in that position would floor the player and say no more about it.

[Mervyn and Trish]

Footballers, please be advised, Mr M Swerve, have their contracts cancelled ' by mutual consent ' on a very regular basis

But not, I would contend, if they were a star player and the opposition was ready to swoop and sign them.

I would quote the example of Eric Cantona, who publicly assaulted a spectator, but was only suspended and later returned to playing for his club. He wasn't fired to be picked up by a rival.

And yes it is true that Clarkson was not, technically, fired, but that his contract was not renewed. The process of expiring contracts and renewal thereof is the bread and butter of the freelance presenter world and with such a successful programme, and without this incident, there is 100% certainty they would have renewed Clarkson's. So while not legally and technically a sacking that is, to all intents and purposes, what it was.

[Manoverboard]

Footballers, please be advised, Mr M Swerve, have their contracts cancelled ' by mutual consent ' on a very regular basis

But not, I would contend, if they were a star player and the opposition was ready to swoop and sign them.

A professional footballer is taught from a very early age to show total respect for his fellows and in particular to those who have control of his playing career so I believe that he would be axed ... and regardless of self imposed status because no single player is bigger than the team.

In JC's case the opposite seems to be true, i.e. massage my ego and sod everybody else.

[Mervyn and Trish]

And my example of Cantona?

[Manoverboard]

And my example of Cantona?

What sort of example is that ... he is French !!!

[Mervyn and Trish]

And my example of Cantona?

What sort of example is that ... he is French !!!

A fair point, but Clarkson is a Yorkshireman!

However, my point was not to defend his action, merely to say that the chosen punishment has not hurt him, only others.

It's a bit like the mugger gets off but the victim is barred from going out any more, to stop it happening again.

Oh, I forgot. That's the way British justice works now!

[Stephen]

Blimey, Chris has aged, and he hasn't even started the job yet

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[Manoverboard]

Hasn't he just ... funny ... but he reminds me of somebody ????

[Mervyn and Trish]

Hasn't he just ... funny ... but he reminds me of somebody ????

James May?

[oldbluefox]

You're right Mervyn. And here was me thinking it was Lulu.

[Mervyn and Trish]

Actually, now you come to mention it Foxy.....

[Manoverboard]

Yes, deffo a Lulu lurking in there somewhere ....

[towny44]

Footballers, please be advised, Mr M Swerve, have their contracts cancelled ' by mutual consent ' on a very regular basis

But not, I would contend, if they were a star player and the opposition was ready to swoop and sign them.

I would quote the example of Eric Cantona, who publicly assaulted a spectator, but was only suspended and later returned to playing for his club. He wasn't fired to be picked up by a rival.

And yes it is true that Clarkson was not, technically, fired, but that his contract was not renewed. The process of expiring contracts and renewal thereof is the bread and butter of the freelance presenter world and with such a successful programme, and without this incident, there is 100% certainty they would have renewed Clarkson's. So while not legally and technically a sacking that is, to all intents and purposes, what it was.

A bit selective Merv, Saurez is an opposite example, although I will accept that Liverpool made a tidy profit out of selling him on. Clearly they being in the private sector needed to think of the money, your Dahling BBC being funded totally out of the public purse couldn't give a rat's a*se.

[Mervyn and Trish]

Never forget Towny that whatever the intermediary, be it the licence fee or the ad agencies, ALL our broadcasters are paid for by us. And ITV, Channrel 4 and Channel 5 cost more than the BBC and give us less for the money. And if you don't have a tv you don't hsve to pay for the BBC, but you still pay for the others every time you go shopping.

But if you read back I was actually criticising the BBC for the way they've handled this. They're idiots.. Clarkson hasn't been hurt a bit by this. He'll negotiate a bigger fee than before with another broadcaster. People who didn't watch the show aren't affected one way or another. The losers are the fans and the BBC which has lost a big profit maker.