What do you think of the Clarkson fracas?

First of all, Top Gear was around before Clarkson, it had a different format & was crap, but still existed. It will probably continue, but without the holy trinity of Jezza, Hammond & May.
May has already said that the three lads are a package, no way in hell will they continue the show without Clarkson, it just wouldn’t work.
There’s no doubt in my mind another broadcaster will snap them up to do a motoring show, all their contracts were up at the end of the month anyway, a host of channels will be eager to grab their services.

As for the episode itself, yes, he’s a bit of a nob & yes, he was on a final warning, but the creaky old bbc have shown themselves up, once again, for what they are, fucking useless.

I think they treat him like he is some kind of God, and he doesn’t give two hoots in actual fact for the simple reason he’s loaded, he was given a final warning and clearly thinks he’s bigger than the show and again overstepped the mark, and then it’s just put down to oh it’s Clarkson it’s how he is why make excuses for bad behavior is beyond me i think it’s the bbc who gave him so much power and also the viewers he needs bringing down a peg and needs to understand that such behavior is not acceptable.

All the controversies surrounding Clarkson in the past have been fun and games, but physically assaulting someone is crossing the line, and after all the leniency afforded to him by the BBC, sacking him is, at this point, the only appropriate action.
Top Gear may be a casualty due to this, but that is the price that has to be paid.

I am a fan of Top Gear and am disappointed that this may be the end. I can’t imagine it being the same with a replacement for Clarkson so I am hoping that another TV channel picks it up and it can continue. Until then I will continue to watch reruns on Dave! However, I think the Beeb did do the right thing. No matter how popular someone is they can’t expect to be able to deck someone and not have to face consequences. The BBC were in a bit of a lose-lose situation here. By sacking Clarkson they stand to lose a lot of money and are having to deal with the anger of the fans of the show but by keeping him they are sending out a really bad message. There is no way for them to please everyone in this case!

I don’t watch Top Gear, but I know Clarkson from his books and various other appearances (QI, especially), and I’ve been following these stories off and on. It feels like they’ve been provoking him lately – maybe they figured he must eventually blow his top, and then they’d garner some sympathy (instead of hostility) for firing him.

I mean, the producer he assaulted is, what, a third his age? It must have been incredibly aggravating for Clarkson to be handled by some kid who he didn’t respect. Not that he should have responded the way he did, but it was fairly predictable.

This is who Clarkson is, and always has been. The BBC has always known this, and the fans should as well. People can’t just cluck and say “Oh, what are you like!” forever. Eventually, you run out of excuses for someone’s bad behaviour, even if they are entertaining.

I have never ever liked the guy. If the show only had him on it, I can’t imagine I ever would have watched it, but I always like the other two chaps and they seemed to temper and spar with Clarkson in good ways that was fun to watch. I haven’t seen the show in years. I used to watch it regularly in New Zealand, when I actually had a life and drove cars.

What came as a shock, though, is that it wasn’t an act. I thought Clarkson was just playing to the cameras a bit, but he is even WORSE in real life. The BBC was simply using him and happy to dance on that knife edge, but I don’t think they were unreasonable in letting him know when he went too far and giving him warnings until he finally went MUCH too far. He has said himself, he wishes he could be a nicer person. Well, perhaps this is a wake up call for him, but guys like this don’t learn and from his own story, I don’t think he will. We will probably see him running for office in the conservative party in England soon, trying to repeal anti-smoking legislation and trying to remove England from the EU.