Jeremy Clarkson vs Elephantine Political Correctness…BBC’s Editorial Standards Committee upholds complaint about Top Gear making references to Elephant Man

Read more BBC and BBC Trust Watch at MelonFarmers.co.uk

See article [pdf] from downloads.bbc.co.uk

Top Gear BBC One, 5 February 2012, 8pm An appeal to the Editorial Standards Committee concerns an episode of Top Gear which included comments about people with growths on their faces in an item about a new campervan. The complainant said that the item was offensive, prejudicial and unacceptable . The complainant also expressed the view that the BBC’s Editorial Guidelines should be updated to include specific consideration for under-represented groups of people in British society, including those with facial disfigurements. The Committee concluded: that the audience would have understood the connection which the presenters drew between the character played by John Hurt in The Elephant Man and the design of the Prius campervan, and that the joke at this point was about the vehicle’s design. that the slurred speech used by Jeremy Clarkson was also part of this reference to The Elephant Man, but that this mimicry was on the margins of acceptability. that, while most of the comments made about the campervan would have not exceeded the expectations of the audience, a remark about talking to a car at a party and not being able to look at a person with a facial disfigurement, taken with the reference to …one of those really ugly things … I’m talking about a growth… , strayed into an offensive stereotypical assumption not confined to The Elephant Man. that the programme was in breach of the Guidelines on Harm and Offence as the exchanges about facial disfigurement noted above were not editorially justified and did not meet generally accepted standards in the context of their portrayal of a disability. that the Editorial Guidelines and corresponding Guidance together give sufficient and appropriate guidance to programme-makers on the issue of the portrayal of minorities and vulnerable social groups and it was not necessary to change the Guidelines in the way that the complainant had suggested. The complaint was upheld

A Mere Pimple…Ofcom dismiss complaints about a Jeremy Clarkson quip about the Elephant Man

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See article from guardian.co.uk

Ofcom has cleared Jeremy Clarkson’s comparison of a Japanese car to the Elephant Man of breaching the broadcasting code. Ofcom had received about 40 complaints that it was offensive to people suffering from facial disfigurement.Clarkson compared a Japanese car/camper van hybrid to people with growths on their faces in an edition of BBC2′s Top Gear in February. The controversial presenter deployed gestures as if he had a disability and slurred his speech in a way that seemed to mimic Joseph Merrick, the so-called Elephant Man, saying that the car looked like something you would not talk to at a party. Co-presenter Richard Hammond called it the elephant car. An Ofcom spokesman said: Ofcom recognises that the comments were potentially offensive to individuals living with facial disfigurement. However, on balance we believe that they would not have exceeded the likely expectation of the audience, and any potential offence was justified by the context. We have informed the BBC of the issues raised by the complainants so they can be taken into consideration for future programmes.

Jesus Wept!…BBC tell vicar that religious exclamations are part of everyday language

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See article from telegraph.co.uk

THE BBC has said religious exclamations are part of everyday language and refused to apologise to a vicar who complained about comments made by Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson. Clarkson was filmed shouting Jesus wept while driving a KTM X-bow open top sports car and said: God Almighty while driving a Bentley powered by a Spitfire engine. Graeme Anderson, the vicar of St Mary’s church in Radcliffe-on-Trent in Nottinghamshire accused the BBC of double standards where religion was concerned. He whinged: I found his comments very, very offensive and I think many Christians would also. Related. They belittled, trivialised and cheapened Jesus Christ and Christianity. I was really quite surprised as he is a BBC presenter and it is blasphemous. In a statement, the BBC said: We’re aware that blasphemous language, including the casual or derogatory use of holy names or religious words, can be a source of particular offence to some members of the audience, but judgements about its use are difficult because they depend on tone and context. There is no consensus about words that are acceptable, when, and by whom, as different words cause different degrees of offence to different people. Some of the words and phrases that can cause offence have, whether we like it or not, become part of everyday language and it would be unrealistic for broadcasters to suggest they are not widely used in a range of contexts.

Ofcom Firing Squad Stands Down…Ofcom clear Jeremy Clarkson’s joke about shooting striking civil servants

Read more Ofcom Watch at MelonFarmers.co.uk

See article from bbc.co.uk See Letter to Unison [pdf] from stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk See video from youtube.com

Jeremy Clarkson on the One Show, BBC1 The controversial exchange came as Clarkson was asked his opinion of the civil servants engaged in a day-long industrial action over pensions. His initial response was: I think they have been fantastic. Absolutely. London today has just been empty. Everybody stayed at home, you can whizz about, restaurants are empty. However, he added: We have to balance this though, because this is the BBC. Frankly, I’d have them all shot. I would take them outside and execute them in front of their families. This resulted in 31,000 complaints to the BBC, and 736 to Ofcom. But the TV censor Ofcom concluded that the Top Gear presenter’s comments were not made seriously, and that Clarkson’s words were not at all likely to encourage members of the public… to act on them in any way. It would have been clear to most viewers that his comments were not an expression of seriously held beliefs or views that would be literally interpreted Ofcom acknowledged the comments were potentially offensive but concluded that they were justified by the context. Ofcom also pointed out that presenter Alex Jones had made a wide-ranging apology regarding Clarkson’s comments at the end of the programme. The BBC also later apologised for any offence caused.

Striking Back…BBC issues a response to complaints about Jeremy Clarkson’s strike joke and a nutter MP tries to invoke a parliamentary rebuke

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See article from bbc.co.uk

The BBC has published a response to complaints about Jeremy Clarkson’s jolly gape that strikers should be shot. The BBC said: As has now been widely reported, we had many complaints about a number of Jeremy Clarkson’s comments on the show. The One Show is a live topical programme which often reflects the day’s talking points. Usually we get it right, but on this occasion we feel the item wasn’t perfectly judged. The presenters apologised at the end of the programme to viewers who were offended by his comments and the BBC and Jeremy would like to apologise for any offence caused. Jeremy has said: I didn’t for a moment intend these remarks to be taken seriously — as I believe is clear if they’re seen in context. If the BBC and I have caused any offence, I’m quite happy to apologise for it alongside them. Meanwhile the Labour MP of Kingston Upon Hull East, Karl Turner, has proposed an early day motion whingeing about Clarkson as follows: That this House condemns the disgraceful and disgusting remarks made by Jeremy Clarkson on the BBC; notes that his comments have been criticised by thousands of licence payers, hon. Members and unions; believes that his remarks were inflammatory and have left workers and their children shocked and upset; further believes that high profile TV presenters have influence on their audience and should act with responsibility at all times; calls on the Government to give a full response; and urges the BBC Director General to commence disciplinary proceedings.

Jeremy Clarkson Causes ‘Outrage’ Again…Well… at least a couple of tweets anyway

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1st December 2011. See article from guardian.co.uk

UK’s favourite loud mouth had a bit of a rant at the strike by public sector workers. Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson said live on The One Show that public sector workers out on strike should be executed in front of their families He prefaced the remarks, however, by asserting that he liked the strikers as the industrial action meant there was no traffic on the roads. Adding that he had to be balanced as he worked for the BBC, he then joked: I would have them taken outside and executed them in front of their families Clarkson went on to ‘shock’ viewers by saying trains should not stop for people who have committed suicide by throwing themselves onto the rails. The comments sparked the inevitable ‘storm of outrage’ on Twitter. The BBC said in a statement: The One Show apologised at the end of the show to viewers who may have been offended by Jeremy Clarkson’s comments. Update: Well…Perhaps a few thousand or so whinges 2nd December 2011. See article from guardian.co.uk Jeremy Clarkson’s remarks on Wednesday night’s One Show prompted more than 5,000 complaints to the BBC — and a political ‘storm’ in which Ed Miliband said his remarks were absolutely disgraceful and disgusting. It fell to his friend and Boxing Day dining companion David Cameron to provide crucial, if lighthearted support to the presenter. The prime minister, in a TV interview, played down the incident: That’s obviously a silly thing to say and I’m sure he didn’t mean that. I didn’t see the remark but I’m sure it’s a silly thing to say. Shortly after, as the BBC feared a repeat of the Sachsgate affair which led to the resignations of Ross and Brand, Clarkson issued an apology and the BBC deployed one of its most senior executives, George Entwistle, to sort out matters behind the scenes. The presenter’s apology said: I didn’t for a moment intend these remarks to be taken seriously — as I believe is clear if they’re seen in context. If the BBC and I have caused any offence, I’m quite happy to apologise for it alongside them. Humour challenged Dave Prentis of Unison said the unions were consulting on taking Clarkson to court and called on the BBC to sack him. The TUC general secretary, Brendan Barber, said the jibe was more than silly: If it was intended as a joke it was in pretty awful taste. If he wanted to confirm his caricature as an outlandishly rightwing figure, he has managed to do that. Update: Well…the odd 20,000 or so 2nd December 2011. See article from bbc.co.uk The BBC has received more than 21,000 complaints over Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson’s remarks that striking public sector workers should be shot. BBC Audience Services said the Corporation had received 21,335 complaints as of 09:30 GMT. The deputy general secretary of Unison, the UK’s largest union, Karen Jennings, told the BBC: We’ve accepted the apology. He’s recognised that he went too far in saying what he said and what we’re doing now is extending our hand to him to come and work with a healthcare assistant to see just how they work and the healthcare they deliver. I think he would enjoy that.

The Speciale Needs of the Easily Offended…More whinges at Jeremy Clarkson on Top Gear

Read more Ofcom Watch at MelonFarmers.co.uk

Thanks to David Based on article from stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk

Top Gear BBC2, 1 August 2010, 21:30 Top Gear is a long-running light entertainment series presented by Jeremy Clarkson based on a motoring magazine format. Programmes are generally broadcast later in the evening schedule and typically include quirky and humorous banter between the presenters. In this particular programme, Jeremy Clarkson was presenting his views about a new Ferrari car and he compared it to older versions, one of which was owned by co-presenter James May. His commentary included the following opinion about the appearance of Ferraris in general: Striking – yes, but pretty – no. This one for example is just vulgar, and even James’ Ferrari (the 430) was a bit wrong – that smiling front end – it looked like a simpleton – should have been called the 430 Speciale Needs. Ofcom received two complaints. In summary, the complainants were offended by Clarkson’s use of speciale needs. Ofcom considered Rule 2.3 of the Code (material which may cause offence must be justified by the context). In response, the BBC said it regretted that the comments made by Jeremy Clarkson in the programme caused offence to some viewers. The BBC said that it was the car itself that was the subject of the fun being poked at and its owner, co-presenter James May. The BBC recognised, however, following complaints received, that the comment had the potential to cause offence so it was removed from the repeat version of the programme and the version available on BBC iPlayer. It assured Ofcom that the original version of the programme would not be repeated again. The BBC offered its apologies for any offence caused by the comments. Ofcom Decision Ofcom recognises that discriminatory language of this nature has the potential to be very offensive to some viewers, as it could be seen to single out certain sections of society in a derogatory way because of their disability. In Ofcom’s view, the comments made by Jeremy Clarkson in this instance were capable of causing offence. In particular, on this occasion he was clearly criticising the car’s physical appearance by directly comparing it to a simpleton and saying it should have been called 430 Speciale Needs. In Ofcom’s opinion, while obviously intended as a joke and not aimed directly at an individual with learning difficulties, the comment could easily be understood as ridiculing people in society with a particular physical disability or learning difficulty. Ofcom acknowledged that the BBC took immediate steps in response to complaints it received about the programme. In particular the BBC had voluntarily removed the comments from the iPlayer version of the programme and the repeat version broadcast several days later, and made the decision not to repeat the programme in its original format. It had also apologised for any offence caused by the comments, underlining that there was no intent to make fun of those with special needs. Ofcom therefore considered this case resolved.