Top gear and The Cenotaph

[john]

What do we think of this Top Gear stunt?

Personally I cant stand the programme anyway but this seems remarkably tasteless even by the usual standards.

Also it seems to me that the noise, disruption, etc. might constitute some sort of criminal offence.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-35800874

[floo]

I dislike the programme too. The person who devised that crass stunt should be sacked, imo.

[wigginhall]

Useful publicity stunt. 

[john]

You might be right Wiggy

Evans trying to prove he can be as big a prat as Clarkson was.

[Bubbles]

I haven't watched it, I miss the other three presenters.

 

[floo]

You might be right Wiggy

Evans trying to prove he can be as big a prat as Clarkson was.

Clarkson is a very unpleasant piece of work!

Even though the show is not going to use the film footage, it has been all over the media and so has been seen by millions!

[john]

Rose

My OP has a link to a film of the stunt.

[Bubbles]

Rose

My OP has a link to a film of the stunt.

I don't see it, only someone saying how disrespectful it was.

 

[floo]

I don't see it, only someone saying how disrespectful it was.

 

The car created lot of smoke whilst doing its stunt in front of the Cenotaph. It seemed very disrespectful to create smoke for fun, when many of the people the Cenotaph is commemorating experienced deadly smoke, gore and then death!

[Hope]

I haven't watched it, I miss the other three presenters.

 

No-one has yet, Rose.  The series doesn't start for another few weeks.  I'll miss the Hamster and May, but certainly won't miss the Naffson.  I can see where the ex-serviceman is coming from, but also wonder whether he's perhaps overstating the case.

[floo]

No-one has yet, Rose.  The series doesn't start for another few weeks.  I'll miss the Hamster and May, but certainly won't miss the Naffson.  I can see where the ex-serviceman is coming from, but also wonder whether he's perhaps overstating the case.

The stunt was shown on the lunchtime news.

[Hope]

The stunt was shown on the lunchtime news.

In its totality, or just a snatch of it?

[jeremyp]

What do we think of this Top Gear stunt?

Personally I cant stand the programme anyway but this seems remarkably tasteless even by the usual standards.

Also it seems to me that the noise, disruption, etc. might constitute some sort of criminal offence.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-35800874

The film shown is misleading. It was done with an extremely long focal length lens which compresses perspective. The stunt was much further away from the Cenotaph than it appears and was within agreed (with Westminster Council) limits.

Honestly (well, cynically) I think  this is a publicity stunt by the production team to try to persuade us that the bad boy image of Top Gear is still there.

[jeremyp]

I dislike the programme too. The person who devised that crass stunt should be sacked, imo.

It would be much simpler if we just assumed you dislike everything unless you say you like it. It'll save you a lot of posting time.

[Étienne d'Angleterre]

The film shown is misleading. It was done with an extremely long focal length lens which compresses perspective. The stunt was much further away from the Cenotaph than it appears and was within agreed (with Westminster Council) limits.

Honestly (well, cynically) I think  this is a publicity stunt by the production team to try to persuade us that the bad boy image of Top Gear is still there.

Fully agree.

 
IMO -BBC saying these are bad boys but we can control them.

Stinks

[SqueakyVoice]

The film shown is misleading. It was done with an extremely long focal length lens which compresses perspective. The stunt was much further away from the Cenotaph than it appears and was within agreed (with Westminster Council) limits.

The stunt was outside 100 Parliament Street, which has offices for the Treasury and HMRC (unless I've got my angles wrong, in which case it would be by the entrance to Downing St, but google maps and streetview both seem to me to show its 100PS).

I suspect this was going to be some sort of tax on cars/ petrol thing, but we may never know now...

[Brownie]

Yes, I agree with the above and with Stephen and Jeremy.  Not so close to the cenotaph after all, a big fuss about nothing.  What has made it worse is that buffoon, Chris Evans, saying the show must not be shown now.  Ridiculous.

[Bubbles]

The film shown is misleading. It was done with an extremely long focal length lens which compresses perspective. The stunt was much further away from the Cenotaph than it appears and was within agreed (with Westminster Council) limits.

Honestly (well, cynically) I think  this is a publicity stunt by the production team to try to persuade us that the bad boy image of Top Gear is still there.

Yes, I think that is what it is.

[jeremyp]

The stunt was outside 100 Parliament Street, which has offices for the Treasury and HMRC (unless I've got my angles wrong, in which case it would be by the entrance to Downing St, but google maps and streetview both seem to me to show its 100PS).

I've been to 100PS a few times, it's a long way from the Cenotaph.

I suspect this was going to be some sort of tax on cars/ petrol thing, but we may never know now...

No, it was part of a film piece with Matt LeBlanc and Ken Block driving the car through London.

[Brownie]

If that's the case there's no reason for people to get in such a huff about the programme - and even less reason for Evans to have made that statement.
Not my sort of programme but I am familiar with it because I am married to a petrol head and he loves it.  I've never been keen on Jeremy Clarkson (who also writes in the Sunday Times, his articles being the main reason for my distaste), but I liked the other two, Hamster and James May, and could see, objectively, that the programme was entertaining.  I've zoned out since Mr Evans has joined and now he has jumped on the bandwagon, saying the episode in question should be banned, maybe he will be for the chop  (doubt it).  Reading what he said, anyone would have thought they'd blown up a caravan outside the cenotaph.

[Hope]

Yes, I agree with the above and with Stephen and Jeremy.  Not so close to the cenotaph after all, a big fuss about nothing.  What has made it worse is that buffoon, Chris Evans, saying the show must not be shown now.  Ridiculous.

I think he said that the item should not be shown.  There does seem to have been a lot of noise created by some people - as much as there was during the filming?  - and CE probably felt that some conciliatory comment had to be made.

[Brownie]

He probably did think that but as, from what we can tell after looking beyond the media reports, there was nothing wrong with the stunt, why does he say it should not be shown.  There appears to be no reason it should not be shown and Chris Evans being conciliatory is misplaced.

[Sebastian Toe]

It would be much simpler if we just assumed you dislike everything unless you say you like it. It'll save you a lot of posting time.

Genius suggestion!