# Top Gear (BBC America) -- Americanized? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 3, 2013, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bbc-america-americanized/667855 "2013-09-03T02:39:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bbc-america-americanized/667855/41 "2013-09-06T04:42:42Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > I saw an episode, filmed in the UK, where Clarkson, not Hammond, was drinking a Barq’s _Root Beer_. I was appalled at how American he’s become. Yeah! You’d think he’d at least have the decency to drink an **A&W** root beer. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bbc-america-americanized/667855/42 "2013-09-06T09:52:49Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > I saw an episode, filmed in the UK, where Clarkson, not Hammond, was drinking a Barq’s _Root Beer_. I was appalled at how American he’s become. I get the distinct impression that Clarkson despises Americans (out of nationalistic pride more than any actual spite) but loves everything we produce. ---
**Author:** ![blindboyard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blindboyard/32/2833_2.png) [@blindboyard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blindboyard)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bbc-america-americanized/667855/43 "2013-09-06T12:36:38Z")
> [@tracer](#): > > The two thing that strike me as oddest about the stone are: > > (A) It’s its own plural. You don’t say “two stones”, you say “two stone”. And Also commonly the case when dealing with feet. As often as not you will be five foot tall, not five feet tall. > [@](#): > > (B) It’s a multiple of 14. Most older customary units are organized into groups of 3, 8, 12, or 16. (3 teaspoons to a tablespoon, 3 feet to a yard, 16 ounces to a pound, 12 troy ounces to a troy pound, 12 inches to a foot, 8 furlongs to a mile, etc.) BUT, it kinda does make sense, in that an Imperial long ton is exactly 160 stone. And of course the hundredweight is eight stone. Except for those American hundredweights which, for reasons beyond human comprehension, are 100 lbs. ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bbc-america-americanized/667855/44 "2013-09-06T13:51:41Z")
> [@blindboyard](#): > > Also commonly the case when dealing with feet. And beer. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bbc-america-americanized/667855/45 "2013-09-06T13:56:44Z")
> [@Raguleader](#): > > I get the distinct impression that Clarkson despises Americans (out of nationalistic pride more than any actual spite) but loves everything we produce. You can pretty much assume that Clarkson will express whatever opinion is most likely to a) get a laugh and b) annoy the person that he wants to annoy He has comic-book opinions that are inconsistent and illogical, he also takes the piss mostly out of himself before he ever does the same to others so don’t take whatever he says seriously. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bbc-america-americanized/667855/46 "2013-09-06T14:41:18Z")
> [@blindboyard](#): > > And of course the hundredweight is eight stone. Except for those American hundredweights which, for reasons beyond human comprehension, are 100 lbs. Hey, at least it makes sense for a weight of 100 pounds to be called a “hundredweight”. What the hell sense does it make to call 112 pounds a “hundredweight”? Shouldn’t they have called it a “hundredtwelveweight” or something? ---
**Author:** ![JustinC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justinc/32/8083_2.png) [@JustinC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustinC)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bbc-america-americanized/667855/47 "2013-09-06T19:12:28Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > So your foot is a foot? I’d say it’s more like a slab of boney pork that stops me falling over (most of the time) and _reminds_ me about the good job it’s doing through pain. > [@Dervorin](#): > > Agreed! No one understands stone(s?) except the Brits. I’ve lived here 9 years and I still can’t translate that into anything sensible - by which I mean kilos, of course. None of your pounds here, tyvm. > > I generally go “okay, so a stone is 14 lb, I think, so that’s about… er… divide by 2.2… okay, call it 2 because that’s easier but… argh, fuck it, where’s Google?” Is it 14? I get it mixed up with how many ounces in a pound. > [@Raguleader](#): > > I get the distinct impression that Clarkson despises Americans (out of nationalistic pride more than any actual spite) but loves everything we produce. Nah, he’s either just an old-fashioned twit or taking the mickey out of old-fashioned twits. > [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > You can pretty much assume that Clarkson will express whatever opinion is most likely to a) get a laugh and b) annoy the person that he wants to annoy > > He has comic-book opinions that are inconsistent and illogical, he also takes the piss mostly out of himself before he ever does the same to others so don’t take whatever he says seriously. Agree 100%. Also, he makes most of his dough selling overpriced cars, not making social commentary. TG is an hour-long advert for ridiculous motors (and a very successful and entertaining one, to boot). People may not think that but swap the latest Ferrari for a Lear jet and it’d make more sense. ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bbc-america-americanized/667855/48 "2013-09-06T23:22:40Z")
Clarkson is the nearest thing we have to Rush Limbaugh (and not very near, at that). It is illegal here to display road signs in the metric system. The Irish Republic changed theirs to kilometres, though, some years ago (a number of other pieces of street furniture also change as you cross the border). ---
**Author:** ![lawoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lawoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawoot)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2013, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bbc-america-americanized/667855/49 "2013-09-07T00:36:40Z")
Just remember - it’s 14 Pounds to a Stone, 100 Pence to a Pound. What? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2013, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bbc-america-americanized/667855/50 "2013-09-07T14:55:42Z")
> [@lawoot](#): > > Just remember - it’s 14 Pounds to a Stone, 100 Pence to a Pound. Unless it’s before 1971, in which case it’s 240 pence to a pound. Which makes sense, since a pennyweight is 1/240 of a Troy pound. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2013, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bbc-america-americanized/667855/51 "2013-09-07T15:14:15Z")
> [@Raguleader](#): > > You mean he’s not just the token Yank there for comic relief? 😃 Can someone please explain the “Richard Hammond is American” joke? Because I saw an episode recently in which Clarkson and May pranked Hammond by sneaking onto his property and swapping his car for another. There was an American flag flying from the pole on the front garden. (I figured that perhaps Hammond’s wife was American.) ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2013, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bbc-america-americanized/667855/52 "2013-09-07T18:31:53Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Can someone please explain the “Richard Hammond is American” joke? Because I saw an episode recently in which Clarkson and May pranked Hammond by sneaking onto his property and swapping his car for another. There was an American flag flying from the pole on the front garden. (I figured that perhaps Hammond’s wife was American.) There’s nothing to get. It’s a running joke, no real explanation needed. Fairly typical of the UK sense of humour. Of the three he is the one with the fondness for americana so the other two just tease him about it. They only need the slightest excuse to roll it out and provoke “the hamster” Same as him being short or an ex-local radio DJ, or nearly dying in the jet-car crash. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2013, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bbc-america-americanized/667855/53 "2013-09-07T19:42:04Z")
Thanks for that. I’ve been watching for a few years and I can’t remember any jokes about him being an American (aside from that American flag at his house). And I don’t think they’ve _ever_ mentioned the jet-car crash since the episode in which he returned and described the accident and his injuries. At the end of the episode, I think he said that he didn’t want to discuss it further. So I don’t remember _any_ further mention of it, and especially no jokes. ---
**Author:** ![eastcheap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8491ac/32.png) [@eastcheap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eastcheap)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2013, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bbc-america-americanized/667855/54 "2013-09-09T06:46:45Z")
> [@tracer](#): > > Which makes sense, since a pennyweight is 1/240 of a Troy pound. Likewise, there’s 20 dwt to the ounce and 12 ounces to the pound, so…oh, never mind. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2013, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bbc-america-americanized/667855/55 "2013-09-10T02:15:04Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > And I don’t think they’ve _ever_ mentioned the jet-car crash since the episode in which he returned and described the accident and his injuries. At the end of the episode, I think he said that he didn’t want to discuss it further. So I don’t remember _any_ further mention of it, and especially no jokes. IIRC, there was one in the last series. Some comment about his inability to drive in a straight line. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2013, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bbc-america-americanized/667855/56 "2013-09-12T09:20:22Z")
It is probably worth mentioning that British cars have speedometers that show both MPH and KPH, with the MPH on the outside of the circle (assuming that the car doesn’t have a digital whatsit). Not sure about the distance counter though. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2013, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bbc-america-americanized/667855/57 "2013-09-12T10:48:43Z")
Richard Hammond is American because he likes American Muscle Cars. Jermey Clarkson is thoroughly British which is why his favourite car is a GT40. Does that explain everything? ---
**Author:** ![keving](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a587f6/32.png) [@keving](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/keving)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2013, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bbc-america-americanized/667855/58 "2013-09-12T11:19:53Z")
I don’t think it’s that. Despite his disparaging attitude to, well, everything, Jeremy Clarkson also has a thing for American cars. (edit: OK, you said that. Sorry, overlooked the joke). Richard Hammond is picked on as being “American” because of his general look and demeanour, or to be more accurate the demeanour of his character on the show. The Hamster character has nice teeth, well-coiffed hair, and wears snazzy clothes (relative to the other two, anyway). He is positive and upbeat, but uninformed and naive. In short, he is like the stereotype Brits have of Americans. That’s where it comes from. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2013, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bbc-america-americanized/667855/59 "2013-09-12T11:41:57Z")
Except that Richard Hammond is skinny, compared to May and Clarkson, and part of the stereotypes is the fat American. ---
**Author:** ![keving](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a587f6/32.png) [@keving](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/keving)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2013, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bbc-america-americanized/667855/60 "2013-09-12T12:06:20Z")
One of many stereotypes, perhaps. Still, the Hamster scores 6 out of 7, not bad. Clarkson is fat and likes GT40s, but in other respects fails miserably as an imitation American. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bbc-america-americanized/667855.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-gear-bbc-america-americanized/667855.md?page=4)