There is a massive gap between Piers Morgan and Jeremy Clarkson which might not be clear if you are not from the uk.
Clarkson is a successful, opinionated and deliberately controversial person. Yet funny. And liked by a bunch of the population. Works successfully in the uk. Has a fanbase and is amusing (to me at least, sometimes).
Morgans was a widely disliked ex-editor of tabloid newspapers (and originally a vacuous showbiz column writer, which might have served him well for getting that job in the US), who is probably working in the US because he can’t get a job in the uk. There wasn’t anyone standing waving a tear soaked hanky at the airport when he left. IMHO, he’s an obnoxious moron and thank god we don’t see his smug face on the telly anymore over here.
As an aside, there are definitely people who don’t like Clarkson over here. He has the type of anti environmental opinions that comes with people who drive high powered sports cars. This seems unacceptable to some. I don’t have a problem with people who have such an opinion other’s find it a taboo to question the evidence. A lot of the people I know who dislike him, have never watched an episode of Top Gear though.
Does he ‘question the evidence [for the impact of motoring on global warming, I assume]’? I didn’t think it was genuinely questionable (legitimate global warming question: “What’s that you’re saying about worldwide death and destruction? I can’t hear you, I have my fingers in my ears.”)
So yeah, I don’t care for his views on that matter. But I do like him - he’s an engaging character, unafraid to express provocative opinions. I enjoy the show occasionally too (though I don’t have tv, or drive at all, as it happens).
Piers, on the other hand, is as you describe him.
Other names in the frame for taking over include Steve Coogan (not sure he’d take the offer, nor that he’d be best suited - it’s not a comedy show) and Jimmy Carr - now he is smug and detestable enough to step straight into Jezza’s shoes, but he’s never been good at sharing a stage.
I’m glad to see that my opinions could only come about through ignorance of the show and a biased, context-free approach to what I do know. That’s a very good way to dismiss them. Well done!
(I do watch, aren’t bound and determined to be offended, yet am offended on occasion, for the record).
Clarkson has or had a newspaper column. He’s also interviewed quite a bit - it’s the BBC so he has no end of outlets for interviews, plus a twitter account.
He’s also appeared multiple times on QI (he’s quite chummy with Stephen Fry), where he generally comes across as more relaxed and easygoing than on TG, although he’s not above mocking Alan Davies for his vegetarianism.
Yeah, I don’t watch Top Gear too much, so I’m most familiar with Clarkson from QI, where he comes across as a little cantankerous esp. with liberals, but knowledgeable and affable enough.
They do rip into him/the show occasionally when he’s not on, though, which strikes me as a little bit two-faced. Although I get the impression all’s fair on Brit comedy shows…
Apologies in advance for the long post, but I thought a few points may be of interest.
Despite his many faults JC seems to be a man who sticks to his principles. So this part doesn’t surprise me.
It wouldn’t work. What a lot of people may have forgotten is the current incarnation of TG is the second (or possibly the third/foruth - you could classify them as the “pre-Clarkson era”, “Clarkson era take 1”, “post-Clarkson”, and “Clarkson era take 2” - the current run). When TG first started it was very much a “straight” car show, with virtually nothing but sensible road tests and maybe a bit of consumer advice. Then Clarkson came along and spiced things up a bit by frequently giving honest opinions about cars that tended to upset their manufacturers (e.g. of the Ford Escort Mk IV “It handles like a dog”). But mainly the show was still road tests with JC, used car tests/buying advice with Quentin Willson, and motor racing with Tiff Needell. Chris Goffey occasionally made appearances too, usually leather-clad on a big motorbike. The show was entertaining for its time and informative too.
Then Clarkson basically got fed up and left, I think he mainly pursued other projects such as a failed late-night chat show. After 20 years of motoring journalism I think he was bored of it all. TG struggled on without him but Quentin and Tiff left at much the same time to do other car shows on Channel Five, and the show was killed off - it just wasn’t the same sans-Clarkson.
Soon after, TG was relaunched by JC, Hammond, and Jason Dawe in the format as we know it today, Dawe being replaced by May after a couple of series. But despite the engaging personalities of the other two, it’s still very much the JC show and I just don’t think it will continue without him - the BBC tried before and it was crap.
Agreed, certainly there are times when JC’s comments have been taken out of context or unfairly characterised, but this wasn’t one of them. I had never heard the term before either so I can only assume they perhaps didn’t realise how offensive it was. Stupid, either way.
You are of course free to dislike the man and his opinions but he is in fact extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic about cars, so I think someone quoting his opinion is perfectly valid. Not that he is always right, of course, but he is much more often than not on car matters.
Agreed.
I doubt he cares. He’s (I believe) a multi-millionaire who has been doing this for decades and probably fancies a break anyway, just like 15 years ago.
I agree with this part - the show was getting tired a few years ago, the Aussie one was clearly just a way to appeal to the lowest common denominator in the audience and I expect they filmed an alternative version for the Aussie edition in which the Aussies won (same with the German one). Since then, I think as you say they have managed to refresh it a bit, but now could be a good time to call it quits.
Clarkson has gone on record more than once as saying taking up smoking is the best decision he has ever made. He once expanded on this by “explaining” that this is what gave him the signature “Clarkson pause” (e.g. “This is the best car… in the world”) - he simply didn’t have the lung power to get through the whole line without taking a breath. I suspect he is only half-joking on both counts, he has tried to give up several times so I’m sure he realises it’s not great long-term, he may be a buffoon but he’s not stupid.
You must have seen an edited version - he absolutely did live in the Lego house (if only for a night), and one of the issues was that Lego plumbing turned out not to be waterproof, so when he filled a basin of water it slowly leaked out on to the floor. Unsurprisingly, the bed was also a tad uncomfortable. He even invited his friend Oz Clarke round for a glass of wine (as it was in a vineyard and Oz is a wine critic), but the wine leaked out of the Lego glasses.
Similarly, for the longest ever model train track they actually ran a train along the line the whole way and (I believe) set a world record. I thought it was great idea, well-executed.
This is a great summary with which I fully agree.
Not sure what his current views are but I like to think they may have evolved in the same way as my own, namely that 15-20 years ago I was very much a sceptic that it was happening, now I agree the evidence of a warming planet is pretty unarguable but I question whether driving a fast car around (even if everyone did) makes that much difference.
Absolutely - Clarkson, and most others, couldn’t give a stuff if someone slagged them off on a comedy show, whether to his face or not.
I think I remember him inviting someone over for a drink in the house, but that’s not particularly thrilling. Possibly there was more that got edited. I’ll watch the series again and report back (it’s short, after all.)
This whole schtick of his reminds me so much of the crap Rush Limbaugh tries to pull when he’s confronted with his idiocy or hypocrisy. The “I’m an entertainer” stuff works very well for the two of them, because it lets them blur the line between fact and joke and allows their audience to blur that line too. So when Clarkson spouts off about global warming or antagonizes the locals, just as when Rush spouts off about whatever crap he’s spewing, they can put misinformation or insults out there to their fans who actually give them credibility, and then simply wash their hands of any repercussions.
