Shooting oneself in the foot.

[Suff]

Yup, but as details cone out, there is a world of difference between a sandwich order and Dinner for the team after a long day filming on location.

Also you have to dig way down the independent article before you get to the part where it says that nobody threw a punch. ....

[cromwell]

Top Gear is one of the few shows on the BBC that can actually make me laugh out loud. It's funny, it's popular and it's free from the dead hand of the professional pc presenter.

Clarkson is in a stronger position than the BBC. No Clarkson = no Top Gear; and Top Gear is the program that makes the BBC money in overseas sales.

Sack Clarkson and he could just take the show over to Sky, give it a different title and carry on, leaving the BBC with the rights to the Top Gear name and nothing else.

[TheOstrich]

Yup, but as details cone out, there is a world of difference between a sandwich order and Dinner for the team after a long day filming on location.

Also you have to dig way down the independent article before you get to the part where it says that nobody threw a punch. ....

Difficult to give an opinion, as the truth of what happened isn't really known yet. If there was anything physical, though, then suspension is fair enough; as others have said, you can't do that in the workplace.

I'm not a petrolhead, so personally I've never watched Top Gear or Clarkson. I fully take Cromwell's point though that his popularity is such that the only potential loser is the BBC ....

[Workingman]

There is a touch of schadenfreude watching the BBC wallow in a mess largely of its own making.

Apparently Clarkson 'aimed a punch' at a male producer over a lack of food after a day's filming. What we do not know is whether the two were squaring up to each other with a view to a fight breaking out, whether 'the punch' was a thump on the shoulder or a full blown right hook or whether other members of the production team tried to stop it. What we do know is that the incident happened last week but only became public, through a BBC statement, on Tuesday.

I suspect that the producer concerned made a complaint and then felt that it had not been dealt with to his satisfaction, so the incident was about to be 'leaked', forcing the BBC's hand.

I do agree that violence in the workplace cannot be condoned, but I also know that it happens and, depending on the severity, is more often than not dealt with in-house without people losing their jobs.

[pederito1]

Can`t stand him, a pompous, arrogant and aggressive bully and the reason I do not watch Top Gear. Pity because Hammond and May are excellent presenters.

[Suff]

So according to the Torygraph, the event happened at Dinner after the day's shooting. Which means it was a social event. Granted Clarkson's profile means almost any altercation reflects badly on the BBC.

I do not doubt that Clarkson provoked the incident with his acerbic and barracking comments. However nobody is yet talking about exactly what happened.

Looking at the Telegraph article it's clear that the BBC are going to be in a cleft stick. If they stick with their employee they could lose hundreds of millions over the next 5 years or so. If they stick with Clarkson the PC crowd will have to back down and eat humble pie.

Clearly the timing was horrendous. Just days before Clarkson, May and Hammond were to sign new contracts binding themselves to the BBC for 3 years. As these have now been called off and as the Top Gear Franchise is estimated at about £50m per year, the BBC is in an unenviable position. Do they stick with their so dearly held "principles" and let Clarkson go, losing their most watched presenter and possibly some £250m in franchise revenue over the next 3 years? Or do they "let it go" and pay the sub producer off?

Well that's going to be a pretty little dilemma for them isn't it. Top Gear will probably recede back to where it was before Clarkson took over if he leaves, namely nowhere. Taking all that revenue and moving it to another channel.

Some day the whole story will come out. When it does, I expect that Clarkson will not come out of it well, but I also suspect that neither will the BBC employee.

More fun and games to watch, live, in the papers....

[victor]

surely if the BBC had failed to get hot food on site ,which is a "norm" i would think ,are they not failing in a duty of care to their staff? which does not excuse Jezza ,but there are always 2 sides to a story

[Aggers]

This matter doesn't bother me at all.

I never watch the programme. I think it's rubbish.

I think that men should act like grown men, not like stupid schoolboys.

[Workingman]

That might be your view, Aggers, but it is not the point.

We only have part of a story of an alleged incident, which could cost us licence payers a great deal of money. Top Gear makes £50m and more from its magazine and spin-offs in China and the US; to lose that on a 'fracas' would be suicide.

I don't like or watch Strictly or X-Factor or any soaps, but they provide the income for programmes I do like, and that will always be the case.

[Aggers]

Fair comment.