A show is bigger than the sum total of its stars.
Jeremy Clarkson wouldn’t agree. Until yesterday, at least. And he would be pardoned for believing otherwise, for the whole show itself was raised on this myth of infallible egos and irreverent attitudes, over the Clarksonian decades. The big man can’t even be blamed for thinking so, given the number of comebacks he has made after upsetting half the world with his rants and rubbish.
Don’t we all – at least most of us – love him for playing the prankster and getting reputable car brands to choke on their own exhaust? So aren’t we also the undersigned in a contract that agrees to put up with his pranks and remain punching bags as long as he is steering a car straight and his sense of humour is in top gear? The producer of the show with the swollen lips included.
(Latest update says the Oisin Tymon won’t be pressing charges)
This is not in support of his rants or getting physical in a row. I would examine this issue wearing the same cloak of irreverence he had reserved for no one in particular and everyone in general. The truth is – it isn’t a million signatures that should reinstate an erring man, even if the man is Jeremy Clarkson. Or the fact that we petrol-heads can’t live without our motoring fix. But the question really is – is this the gross misconduct that finally deserved his expulsion from the most popular car show on earth? Rustication isn’t new to the man who never grew up from his days as a Reptonian teenager. But is this freaking fracas really worse than stinging a billion minds with insensitive comments?
The ‘fracas’ happened man to man, in personal space, whereas all those issues earlier happened in media space, which is public realm. And now that the producer involved isn’t pressing charges, that bit looks like sorted. Even so, Clarkson could make amends in some way – may be by cooking Tymon a lifetime of steaks with a note of apology on the side? My question is, should a wrong that happened in personal space be paid for in another dimension – where fans of Top gear and even its producer (!) will pay along with Clarkson.
That is one to think over.
Pictures courtesy: The Telegraph, Top Gear
