Hammond Critical - Top Gear Car Crash!

The_Dark_Side · 24 Sep 2006 at 11:45

v0n said:
Top gear is always available online legally. From BBC2 site. So it's a bit like warezing freeware.

really?
full episodes?
i didn't know that

The_Dark_Side · 24 Sep 2006 at 11:48

benneh said:
Top gear wont be canned. Simple as that. 5 million viewers plus a week means that they wouldnt dream of cancelling it.

guess again.

Noel Edmonds Late Late breakfast show.
approx 5 million viewers.
pulled after Michael Lush was killed when a stunt when wrong.

see any similarities?

dirtydog · 24 Sep 2006 at 11:50

The_Dark_Side said:
guess again.

Noel Edmonds Late Late breakfast show.
approx 5 million viewers.
pulled after Michael Lush was killed when a stunt when wrong.

see any similarities?

As Hammond wasn't killed, not really.

The_Dark_Side · 24 Sep 2006 at 11:51

have the words FULL RECOVERY been used to describe Hammonds condition yet?
when i noticed the word "good" and not "full" used it definitely made me more concerned.

The_Dark_Side · 24 Sep 2006 at 11:52

dirtydog said:
As Hammond wasn't killed, not really.

as an intelligent man i'd expect you to have realised the reason why i said ANY similarities, rather than use the words CARBON COPY INCIDENT.

seems like you may need a little more sleep before posting.

Goumet · 24 Sep 2006 at 11:52

Just thinking,

How can anyone criticise Top Gear, for Irresponsible TV, when things like 'Jackass' are shown!!!!

dirtydog · 24 Sep 2006 at 11:54

The_Dark_Side said:
have the words FULL RECOVERY been used to describe Hammonds condition yet?

Dunno, I haven't been paying much attention to it tbh

But I gather he can't be that seriously injured if he's talking and walking around etc.

Even if he doesn't return to the show, it doesn't mean the show will die - it's been going for donkey's years with many different presenters.

Sirrel Squirrel · 24 Sep 2006 at 11:54

Joe T said:
Agreed.

I have heard that the airing of the next series has already been delayed though.

That's probably because they need Hammond for the studio bits, the studio bits seem to be filmed a few days before the air date, is that right?

The_Dark_Side · 24 Sep 2006 at 11:57

dirtydog said:
Even if he doesn't return to the show, it doesn't mean the show will die - it's been going for donkey's years with many different presenters.

2 popular shows.
both had an audience of millions.
one was cancelled after a stunt went wrong and killed someone.
the other has had cancellation discussed after a stunt went wrong and someone was put in a critical, life threatening condition.

and you REALLY don't see any similarities?
maybe you're not as bright as i first assumed

no, it doesn't mean the show will be cancelled.
my point was, and either you knew this or were trying to be inflammatory, that just because it's very popular doesn't mean that it WON'T be cancelled because of this.

James_N · 24 Sep 2006 at 11:58

dirtydog said:
Even if he doesn't return to the show, it doesn't mean the show will die - it's been going for donkey's years with many different presenters.

Dont count on it:

Article from The Observer said:
'We won't do Top Gear without him'

As Richard Hammond takes his first steps, BBC producer insists that danger is vital to the show

David Smith
Sunday September 24, 2006
The Observer

The fate of Top Gear, the BBC motoring show, depends on whether presenter Richard Hammond can recover from last week's high-speed car crash, its executive producer said yesterday.
Andy Wilman, the man credited with turning Top Gear into BBC2's most popular programme, said he could not imagine the series returning without Hammond. Wilman also threatened to quit if the corporation attempts to 'tone down' the programme's irreverent attitude and relish for speed. Presenter Jeremy Clarkson said he, too, would defy critics who 'don't like Top Gear and would love to see it off the screens'.

Hammond, 36, is in a stable condition at Leeds General Infirmary after the jet-powered car he had been driving at speeds above 300mph crashed at Elvington airfield, near York, last Wednesday. Despite suffering a brain injury in the near fatal accident, Hammond - whose wife Mindy and children are at his bedside - has been able to banter with colleagues and take a few steps from his bed. A hospital spokesman said yesterday: 'He continues to make good progress. If this continues then he will be moved from the high dependency unit to a general medical ward at some point in the next few days.'

A new series of Top Gear was due to begin next month, but Wilman said it should remain on hold unless and until Hammond can rejoin Clarkson and fellow presenter James May. 'The only Top Gear I'm ever interested in making is the one with those three in it, and it has to be those three,' Wilman told The Observer. 'I wouldn't, I couldn't do it [without Richard]. Those three have the best relationship on television, like Last of the Summer Wine with cars. It grew organically - we never forced it, we never scripted it, it's there.' He added: 'It would be logical that we wouldn't put Top Gear on until Richard was better. We've shot most of this series but we won't do anything with it until he's better, because he's it.'

Wilman, who was a pupil at Repton school in Derbyshire at the same time as Clarkson, rescued Top Gear after it suffered a ratings slump and was axed in 2001. He relaunched it a year later with new features such as a live studio audience and racetrack, and it now attracts between 4 million and 6 million viewers. But it has also been controversial - last year Wilman told an interviewer: 'Richard is always coming up with new ways to kill himself' - and last week's crash prompted calls for it to be axed.

Wilman admitted: 'Everybody knows that it's a love-hate show. This is a black and white show, not a shade of grey, that's why it works. I'm sure that people will be going: "told you so". If they can get some "I told you so" moment out of Richard being not well, then I hope they can sleep happily with that.'

He refused to consider curbing some of Top Gear's more extreme stunts. 'Change in some way? What would be the point? You either do the show you love or you walk away.'

His sentiments were echoed by Clarkson, who has accused the BBC's own news website of sparking a campaign to take the show off the air, citing 'doom and gloom merchants' who 'don't like Top Gear and would love to see it off the screens'. With characteristic political incorrectness, he said: 'You just hear this constant background chatter of lesbian women running around saying that men should be in prison, not driving fast cars. Richard Hammond is the first one to stand up to that kind of nonsense. When he comes back he will fight anyone to make sure he has a show to go back to.'

The presenter said that he had the support of Roly Keating, the controller of BBC2. 'He's a huge fan of the show and especially, I suspect, the ratings we're generating for BBC2,' said Clarkson, adding: 'Next week I intend to be down on the track driving faster than ever. It's what we do.' Clarkson insisted that health and safety is never neglected on Top Gear. 'The producers take it incredibly seriously. On this occasion, because of the dangers involved with such a fast car, they went completely overboard on making sure no stone was left unturned - they even had a machine to check the windspeed. Don't forget there's such a thing as an accident. If, as seems likely, it was a tyre blow-out, you can't possibly foresee that. I don't attach any blame to the organisers whatsoever.'

Police are examining the programme's film footage of the accident to establish exactly what went wrong with the dragster-style 'Vampire' car, while the Health and Safety Executive is investigating the BBC's processes and practices.

The corporation has postponed indefinitely the final part of the Best of Top Gear series due to be shown next Sunday. Hammond, who has also hosted Battle of the Geeks and Sky One's Brainiac, had been due to begin presenting a natural history series for BBC1 entitled Dangerous Britain.

dirtydog · 24 Sep 2006 at 12:00

The_Dark_Side said:
2 popular shows.
both had an audience of millions.
one was cancelled after a stunt went wrong and killed someone.
the other has had cancellation discussed after a stunt went wrong and someone was put in a critical, life threatening condition.

and you REALLY don't see any similarities?
maybe you're not as bright as i first assumed

no, it doesn't mean the show will be cancelled.
my point was, and either you knew this or were trying to be inflammatory, that just because it's very popular doesn't mean that it WON'T be cancelled because of this.

I believe there is a massive difference between someone being killed and being injured and making a recovery afterwards (which I assume Hammond will - I could be wrong but for the sake of discussion...). Just because I am not in full agreement with your views doesn't mean you need to post silly nonsense about me not being awake or being thick

dirtydog · 24 Sep 2006 at 12:02

James_N said:
Dont count on it:

They can get a new producer if necessary, no? And new presenters. The show is not the producer, the show is not Jeremy Clarkson etc. I think people are getting carried away.

Beepcake · 24 Sep 2006 at 12:10

I'm pretty sure the Noel Edmons show was pulled by Noel himself, rather than the Beeb.

Puzzled · 24 Sep 2006 at 12:13

dirtydog said:
They can get a new producer if necessary, no? And new presenters. The show is not the producer, the show is not Jeremy Clarkson etc. I think people are getting carried away.

I doubt I'd watch it without clarkson tbh.

It has the perfect mix at the moment, if they tone it down then expect viewers to tune out pretty damn quickly.

The_Dark_Side · 24 Sep 2006 at 12:13

dirtydog said:
I believe there is a massive difference between someone being killed and being injured and making a recovery afterwards (which I assume Hammond will - I could be wrong but for the sake of discussion...)

if the programme makers feel that there is enough of an public outcry then they could cancel it.
whether it's a death or near death incident may not matter.
after all, Hammond could've been killed and the fact that he wasn't was a hell of a piece of luck.

dirtydog said:
Just because I am not in full agreement with your views doesn't mean you need to post silly nonsense about me not being awake or being thick

then don't try to aim any sensationalist, one line , half-baked put-downs at me when you knew what i meant before you even started to type

The_Dark_Side · 24 Sep 2006 at 12:17

Beepcake said:
I'm pretty sure the Noel Edmons show was pulled by Noel himself, rather than the Beeb.

wiki says no
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noel_Edmonds

although i believe that it was a joint decision with the Beeb

dirtydog · 24 Sep 2006 at 12:17

The_Dark_Side said:
then don't try to aim any sensationalist, one line , half-baked put-downs at me when you knew what i meant before you even started to type

Whatever mate

The_Dark_Side · 24 Sep 2006 at 12:20

dirtydog said:
Whatever mate

welcome to the motors forum.
y'all come back now real soon y'hear?

Psycho Ned · 24 Sep 2006 at 12:26

Clarkson will just take the format somewhere else if the beeb can it (just call it Sixth gear or something

), which would be one of the reasons I think they wont cancel it as they wont want anyone else having the show.

Theres been no suggestion from the BBC that they are thinking of stopping it though just that its being delayed till they know the situation with Richard better.

The_Dark_Side · 24 Sep 2006 at 12:33

how much control do you actually have in a jet car?
would an experienced jet car driver been able to recognise Hammonds situation earlier and if so would he have been able to "control" it?