With simultaneous investigations underway by the police and highway safety departments, and a mounting campaign to take the show off the air (or at least curtail the extent of their high-speed shenanigans), the Top Gear team is fighting hard to keep the show, and keep its integrity.

Click to read.

Bollocks!

Meanwhile, here is a good read about the events of that day.

Putting him, and that ’70s barnet, in a 370mph jet car was a bit like putting Jane Austen at the helm of a space shuttle.

 

Stupid, just stupid!!! . I'm glad the producer stood the BBC up, and told them that he would quit, if they took the show off the air.

 

I realize there is a fight to get top gear taken off the air, but that's not the reason they postponed the start of the new series. It's because they don't want to start without Hammond.

 

Yes, as the video on FinalGear.com mentions they refuse to bring on a guest Third Man or do the show's live studio bits without Hammond, so that's on hold util he can endure the studio work. "Indefinite" reflects that they don't know how long that will be, not that it's pushed back ages or might not be coming back.

 

I wouldn't be certain that the show is coming back. Reading between the lines, it appears there may be some movement towards pulling the plug >>

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/liv...n_page_id=1773

 

I don't know why the BBC would kill a show that gets them HUGE ratings, and I'm sure brings in large amounts of advertising dollars. BBC needs to realize what they are doing is wrong.

 

scaremongering and *****. They are not going to take it off air. There would be a public revolt if that happened.

But......please sign the following petition! http://www.petitiononline.com/tg100/petition.html

36000 signatures so far!

 

done! 36,782

 

37260

 

Because there have been factions in the UK for years now - including a committee in the government - desiring to remove the program from the airwaves due to its "promotion of dangerous, high-speed driving" (remember when Clarkson got the pie in the face upon receipt of his honorary degree?).

As to the BBC, it's a publically funded broadcast system, meaning it gets government subsidies, as well as advertising dollars, so they are bound more by public and government scrutiny.

 

BC Shelby, rubbish.

The BBC relies on the License fee paid by viewers. It gets no Government money, and in it's charter, it is not allowed to generate advertising revenue. There is no "comittee" in government that wants it removed, just some of the MP's agreeing on something. The pie in the face was from a huggyfluff Femenist Green. It had nothing to do with speed.

I appreciate that you are posting this out of love for the program, but your "facts" are sensationalising the real facts, one assumes this is because of your profession as a journalist.

 

Just signed it. #42,935! This is one big petition that keeps getting bigger. From the time I entered my signature, to the time I approved it (all of 5 seconds) another 10 people signed it! How cool. No way is Top Gear going anywhere.

 

A bit about the blame game going around from JC
http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/art...2412_1,00.html

Even Stephen Ladyman is backing the show
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article...372255,00.html

The man truely understands. Good on you Stephen!

 

Now TAKE DOWN the speed cameras!

 

hahahaha, if only! (Although, the European court of Human Rights might deal the government a hammer blow..... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/5383726.stm)

 

Ya think, huh? The BBC is a quasi-autonomous Public Corporation operating as a public service broadcaster. The Corporation is currently run by a board of governors appointed by The Queen on the advice of government ministers. In other words, it is a crown corporation, meaning that your tax dollars help fund its existence, making it a very different animal from the likes of NBC, ABC, CBS, Sky, etc.

Which was my point.


Yes, that was it. I read a few months ago that a group of MPs were gunning to see the show cancelled.


One assumes that you have some sort of chip on your shoulder about the media.

 

its one of the most watched shows in the world. i dont think its getting canceled for a while. not if that many people want to see it.

 

BC Shelby,

You really do not follow how the funding system works for the BBC do you? They get NO government tax. We all pay them £108 a year per household as a direct payment (which is not a tax, if you do not want a tv in your house, you do not have to pay the fee). They get NO additional funding. All the government control is the amount of the license fee, and generally block as many rises as possible.

 

I stand by my previous statement. The BBC is a crown corporation, which means it operates with the assistance of government funding. The "license fee" you pay IS a tax, by any other name. In fact, any time you have to pay for any sort of "license" you are effectively being taxed.

I know this because I saw a lengthy documentary here in Canada about our CBC - which is closely modelled after the BBC...and they did a direct comparison between the two.

Sorry, not trying to be difficult here, but it is what it is. And both "networks" work very differently from organizations like NBC or CBS which are private companies fully dependent on advertising revenues.

 

I will chuck this in here as well, filming has resumed for top gear with a message "We remain committed to the future of Top Gear"

Nice!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/5409608.stm