That's Top Gear!!

here it is for those who missed it

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSjbHfyjDCw&feature=related]YouTube - Ingleses Insultan a Mexicanos (Subtitulado)[/ame]

:laugh3:

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wceoKU6InIA&feature=related]YouTube - re: Top Gear BBC on mexicans[/ame]

:laugh3:

 

 

Oh dear! Someone's very upset!

They take everything too seriously ..

Top Gear is broadcast in more than 100 countries

 

BBC offers apology for Top Gear comments on Mexico

 

The BBC has apologised for remarks made on the television programme, Top Gear, that caused outrage in Mexico. Top Gear presenters characterised Mexicans as lazy and feckless.

 

In a letter to Mexico's ambassador in London, the BBC said it was sorry if it had offended some people, but said jokes based on national stereotyping were part of British national humour. The ambassador had demanded an apology, calling the remarks "offensive, xenophobic and humiliating".

 

Hundreds of Mexicans contacted the BBC Spanish-language website BBC Mundo to protest about the remarks made by presenters Richard Hammond, Jeremy Clarkson and James May. Many more expressed outrage in e-mails to Mexican newspapers and websites, where the Top Gear jibes have received huge coverage.

 

The matter was also raised in the Mexican senate, where lawmakers were considering a motion of censure. On Thursday an all-party group of British MPs also urged the BBC to apologise, calling the remarks "ignorant, derogatory and racist".

 

In a statement, the BBC said the comments may have been "rude" and "mischievous," but there was no "vindictiveness" behind them. "Our own comedians make jokes about the British being terrible cooks and terrible romantics, and we in turn make jokes about the Italians being disorganised and over dramatic, the French being arrogant and the Germans being over-organised," the BBC said. :facepalm:

 

It added that stereotype-based comedy was allowed within BBC guidelines in programmes where the audience knew they could expect it, as was the case with Top Gear.

 

"Whilst it may appear offensive to those who have not watched the programme or who are unfamiliar with its humour, the executive producer has made it clear to the ambassador that that was absolutely not the show's intention," the BBC added.

 

The executive producer of Top Gear also apologised to ambassador Eduardo Medina Mora personally for remarks made about him.

 

Jeremy Clarkson had said he was confident he would not receive any complaints about their comments because the Mexican ambassador would be asleep. The Top Gear team's comments about Mexicans were made when they were discussing Mexican sports car. Richard Hammond said vehicles reflected national characteristics so "Mexican cars are just going to be lazy".

 

Reviewing the Mastretta on Sunday's show, Hammond said: "Mexican cars are just going to be lazy, feckless, flatulent, overweight, leaning against a fence asleep looking at a cactus with a blanket with a hole in the middle on as a coat."

 

The presenters, known for their edgy jibes, then described Mexican food as "refried sick".

 

It is not the first time the driving programme has caused controversy. Hundreds of viewers complained in 2008 after Clarkson made a joke about lorry drivers murdering prostitutes. Last week, the programme was named most popular factual show at the British National TV Awards.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-12361790

They take everything too seriously ..

 

Yup. How pathetic.:dozey:

'Mexico doesn't have an Olympic team... because anyone who can run, jump or swim is already across the border': Clarkson hits out AGAIN

 

 

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 12:10 PM on 5th February 2011

 

 

• Comments (131)
  
• Add to My Stories
  

 

Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson today fuelled the row over 'racist' remarks about Mexicans by further insulting them in his newspaper column.

While the BBC faced calls to apologise over comments on the motoring show last week which saw co-host Richard Hammond describing Mexicans as 'lazy, feckless... and flatulent', Clarkson accused them of having no sense of humour.

In his Sun newspaper column today, the host attempted to make the point that without offensive humour, there can be no jokes.

Insults: Richard Hammond, James May and Jeremy Clarkson on Sunday's show discussing a Mexican sports car the Mastretta

 

 

In doing so, he quoted jokes about various nations - including Britain - to tailor his argument.

 

He wrote: '...there are calls in Britain at the moment for all offensive humour to be banned. But what people don't realise is that without offence, there can be no jokes.'

 

Despite earlier apologising for the show's 'feckless' comments, the loud mouth host then ended the column with his own joke about Mexicans: 'Mexico doesn't have an Olympic team... because anyone who can run, jump or swim is already across the border.'

He added that 'at one point on Wednesday we were receiving 200 complaints from Mexico every minute'.

 

His latest comments come after a Mexican instructed lawyers to bring a test case against Top Gear.

 

Iris de la Torre, a jewellery design student in London, is bringing the claim under a new equality law. Her lawyers claim it could cost the BBC £1million in damages.

 

They have demanded the hit BBC1 motoring show is taken off the air and an investigation made into the comments.

 

The lawyers, Equal Justice, have previously taken action against Channel 4 over comments about Indian actor Shilpa Shetty, made on Celebrity Big Brother.MPs have also now demanded that the BBC apologises over the 'ignorant, derogatory and racist remarks'.

In a Commons motion, a cross-party group of six MPs said the comments were 'unacceptable and untimely'.

Ambassador Eduardo Medina-Mora Icaza has called for the presenters to make a public apology for stirring 'bigoted feelings against the Mexican people'

 

They said: 'This level of ignorance is far below anything expected from anyone in the public eye and illustrates a serious lack of judgment by the programme-makers.'

 

The group wants the BBC to apologise as a 'matter of urgency' before Nick Clegg visits Mexico this month in case the row upsets diplomatic relations.

 

On Sunday night's show, Richard Hammond was discussing a Mexican sports car and suggested that vehicles reflect the national characteristics of the country they are from.

 

He added: 'Mexican cars are just going to be lazy, feckless, flatulent, leaning against a fence asleep looking at a cactus with a blanket with a hole in the middle on as a coat.’

 

He also referred to Mexican food as 'refried sick' while fellow presenter James May said it was 'like sick with cheese on it'.

 

Host Jeremy Clarkson then claimed the ambassador to the UK wouldn't complain because he would be snoring in front of the television at his embassy.

 

But the ambassador Eduardo Medina-Mora Icaza did make a formal complaint to the BBC and called on the presenters to make a public apology for stirring 'bigoted feelings against the Mexican people'.

 

 

The legal complaint on behalf of Miss de la Torre claims the comments were unlawful and broke rules banning discrimination of public bodies, according to the Guardian.

 

She told the paper: 'I was shocked at what the BBC allowed to be broadcast. I have never had a bad experience in the UK due to my nationality. I do not understand how such ignorant people hold such high-profile jobs.'

Equal Justice have written to the BBC in what could be the first step to bringing a case. The next step would be to apply to a county court.

 

If it goes to court, the case could be the first to be brought under the Equality Act which came into force last year.

 

The law bans anyone providing a 'service to the public' from doing anything that constitutes discrimination.

Banter: Hammond called Mexicans 'lazy, feckless and flatulent'

 

 

New: The Mastretta has an estimated top speed of 150mph

Lawrence Davies from Equal Justice told the Guardian: 'These remarks were probably calculated and deliberate to fuel anger and hence boost ratings.

 

'The presenters apparently feel that they are fighting a battle against political correctness. However, they are not permitted to use unlawful means to do so and broadcast their racist thoughts. A broadcast is a service and it is unlawful to product racist services.'

The BBC said it had not yet received the complaint and that it would be handled through the appropriate channels.

 

This is not the first time Top Gear, with its blend of motoring news, schoolboy humour and audacious stunts, has got into trouble.

 

In 2008 the show was rapped by the BBC Trust for showing Clarkson and May sipping gin and tonic at the wheel during a stunt.

 

Only last month Clarkson criticised censorship on television.

 

He said backstage at the National Television Awards that the recent Sky Sports sexism row raised the danger of people being punished for 'heresy by thought'.

 

He said: 'We've arrived at a stage where you actually can be busted for heresy by thought, which is a terrifying place to live.

 

'While we try very hard on Top Gear not to be sexist, if a man wants to think that, that's fine. You should be allowed to think what you think.'

 

The BBC received hundreds of complaints about Sunday night’s episode of Top Gear.

A spokesman for the corporation said: 'We have received a letter from the Mexican ambassador and shall respond to him directly.'

 

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1353950/Top-Gears-Jeremy-Clarkson-hits-Mexican-racist-remarks.html#ixzz1D64ZDZey

'Mexico doesn't have an Olympic team... because anyone who can run, jump or swim is already across the border': Clarkson hits out AGAIN

 

 

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 12:10 PM on 5th February 2011

 

 

• Comments (131)
  
• Add to My Stories
  

 

Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson today fuelled the row over 'racist' remarks about Mexicans by further insulting them in his newspaper column.

While the BBC faced calls to apologise over comments on the motoring show last week which saw co-host Richard Hammond describing Mexicans as 'lazy, feckless... and flatulent', Clarkson accused them of having no sense of humour.

In his Sun newspaper column today, the host attempted to make the point that without offensive humour, there can be no jokes.

Insults: Richard Hammond, James May and Jeremy Clarkson on Sunday's show discussing a Mexican sports car the Mastretta

 

 

In doing so, he quoted jokes about various nations - including Britain - to tailor his argument.

 

He wrote: '...there are calls in Britain at the moment for all offensive humour to be banned. But what people don't realise is that without offence, there can be no jokes.'

 

Despite earlier apologising for the show's 'feckless' comments, the loud mouth host then ended the column with his own joke about Mexicans: 'Mexico doesn't have an Olympic team... because anyone who can run, jump or swim is already across the border.'

He added that 'at one point on Wednesday we were receiving 200 complaints from Mexico every minute'.

 

His latest comments come after a Mexican instructed lawyers to bring a test case against Top Gear.

 

Iris de la Torre, a jewellery design student in London, is bringing the claim under a new equality law. Her lawyers claim it could cost the BBC £1million in damages.

 

They have demanded the hit BBC1 motoring show is taken off the air and an investigation made into the comments.

 

The lawyers, Equal Justice, have previously taken action against Channel 4 over comments about Indian actor Shilpa Shetty, made on Celebrity Big Brother.MPs have also now demanded that the BBC apologises over the 'ignorant, derogatory and racist remarks'.

In a Commons motion, a cross-party group of six MPs said the comments were 'unacceptable and untimely'.

Ambassador Eduardo Medina-Mora Icaza has called for the presenters to make a public apology for stirring 'bigoted feelings against the Mexican people'

 

They said: 'This level of ignorance is far below anything expected from anyone in the public eye and illustrates a serious lack of judgment by the programme-makers.'

 

The group wants the BBC to apologise as a 'matter of urgency' before Nick Clegg visits Mexico this month in case the row upsets diplomatic relations.

 

On Sunday night's show, Richard Hammond was discussing a Mexican sports car and suggested that vehicles reflect the national characteristics of the country they are from.

 

He added: 'Mexican cars are just going to be lazy, feckless, flatulent, leaning against a fence asleep looking at a cactus with a blanket with a hole in the middle on as a coat.’

 

He also referred to Mexican food as 'refried sick' while fellow presenter James May said it was 'like sick with cheese on it'.

 

Host Jeremy Clarkson then claimed the ambassador to the UK wouldn't complain because he would be snoring in front of the television at his embassy.

 

But the ambassador Eduardo Medina-Mora Icaza did make a formal complaint to the BBC and called on the presenters to make a public apology for stirring 'bigoted feelings against the Mexican people'.

 

 

The legal complaint on behalf of Miss de la Torre claims the comments were unlawful and broke rules banning discrimination of public bodies, according to the Guardian.

 

She told the paper: 'I was shocked at what the BBC allowed to be broadcast. I have never had a bad experience in the UK due to my nationality. I do not understand how such ignorant people hold such high-profile jobs.'

Equal Justice have written to the BBC in what could be the first step to bringing a case. The next step would be to apply to a county court.

 

If it goes to court, the case could be the first to be brought under the Equality Act which came into force last year.

 

The law bans anyone providing a 'service to the public' from doing anything that constitutes discrimination.

Banter: Hammond called Mexicans 'lazy, feckless and flatulent'

 

 

New: The Mastretta has an estimated top speed of 150mph

Lawrence Davies from Equal Justice told the Guardian: 'These remarks were probably calculated and deliberate to fuel anger and hence boost ratings.

 

'The presenters apparently feel that they are fighting a battle against political correctness. However, they are not permitted to use unlawful means to do so and broadcast their racist thoughts. A broadcast is a service and it is unlawful to product racist services.'

The BBC said it had not yet received the complaint and that it would be handled through the appropriate channels.

 

This is not the first time Top Gear, with its blend of motoring news, schoolboy humour and audacious stunts, has got into trouble.

 

In 2008 the show was rapped by the BBC Trust for showing Clarkson and May sipping gin and tonic at the wheel during a stunt.

 

Only last month Clarkson criticised censorship on television.

 

He said backstage at the National Television Awards that the recent Sky Sports sexism row raised the danger of people being punished for 'heresy by thought'.

 

He said: 'We've arrived at a stage where you actually can be busted for heresy by thought, which is a terrifying place to live.

 

'While we try very hard on Top Gear not to be sexist, if a man wants to think that, that's fine. You should be allowed to think what you think.'

 

The BBC received hundreds of complaints about Sunday night’s episode of Top Gear.

A spokesman for the corporation said: 'We have received a letter from the Mexican ambassador and shall respond to him directly.'

 

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1353950/Top-Gears-Jeremy-Clarkson-hits-Mexican-racist-remarks.html#ixzz1D64ZDZey

 

I really don't understand the fuss, people need to calm down, Clarkson insults people all the time but he doesn't actually intend offence, it's just tounge in cheek piss taking anyone with half a brain could see that.

I really don't understand the fuss, people need to calm down, Clarkson insults people all the time but he doesn't actually intend offence, it's just tounge in cheek piss taking anyone with half a brain could see that.

 

Couldn't agree more. People seem to be "getting offended" for the sake of it nowadays. It's all got way out of hand. Most of those doing the complaining are just jumping on the bandwagon anyway. They've probably never even watched the show.:dozey:

Lol! Classic Clarkson!! Daily Mail has to get real

It's needlessly offensive and doesn't need to be said, because it's not funny anyway. Vaguely generalising people by what little information you know about them is just a big shit, and Clarkson's entire career had relied on doing so.

I reckon they should all wear sombreros on the next programme and pretend they're "The Three Amigos"!:rolleyes:

 

Yes but (Insert a million reasons why not to do that here)

God some people are so sensitive. Get a life! I could see the point if Clarkson, Hammond and May were threatening individuals who said it with some bile but they didn't.

God some people are so sensitive. Get a life!

 

:lol:

The only people who use the phrase 'get a life' in a debate are those who don't have one. Why bring up something so irrelevant?

 

Anyway, similar to the Richard Keys incident of him asking Jamie Redknapp if he 'smashed it', if you were sitting with a co-worker and they started ranting about Mexicans, would you not see them as terribly xenophobic? It's not even funny, well actually ok, James May's comment on the food being re-fried vomit was actually funny, the rest was generalising nonsense and offensive.

Yeah everyone get more pissed off here everyday , yeah , I think most of the ones who are complaining here are hypocrites because we mexicans have tons of spanish and american jokes that are sometimes a bit discriminatory , pufff yeah I mean I found a bit discriminatory the Top Gear jokes but who cares , it was funny anyway

Yeah everyone get more pissed off here everyday , yeah , I think most of the ones who are complaining here are hypocrites because we mexicans have tons of spanish and american jokes that are sometimes a bit discriminatory , pufff yeah I mean I found a bit discriminatory the Top Gear jokes but who cares , it was funny anyway

 

Exactly. It's all about "tone", and they were clearly just having a laugh. These guys are famous for making fun of pretty much all nationalities. This time it just happened to be Mexico's "turn".

When Clarkson was interviewing Boris Becker, he was making jokes about Germans, and Boris was more than happy to go along with it, because he has a great sense of humour and doesn't take himself seriously.

If you don't like Top Gear's "humour", the answer is simple - don't watch!:smug:

It's needlessly offensive and doesn't need to be said, because it's not funny anyway. Vaguely generalising people by what little information you know about them is just a big shit, and Clarkson's entire career had relied on doing so.

 

I'm not the guys biggest fan, I think he acts like an idiot alot of the time but the reaction to a bit of piss taking has gone mad does everything really need to be that politically correct, I didn't find the comments very funny myself but just think oh he's insulting people for a cheap laugh again it's what everyone expects from that show anyway.

I think we forget the whole point of this by reverting back to how the Top Gear Guys make fun of their own (British), and generalising over how Mexicans can make jokes out of other nations. It's just pathetic to do so, the people I've met who found these kind of jokes funny and genuinely have a xenophobic mindset have been the dullest, most un-interesting people you could ever imagine meeting.

 

I can see why people think Mexicans are over-exaggerrating, if someone was to make a joke about Irish people I wouldn't give a shit and neither would Irish people, but I'm glad it's being highlighted by Mexicans how crude and pointless such generalisations are.

You criticise Clarkson and co for generalizing people yet you do this all the time on this forum. How ironic.

I'm not the guys biggest fan, I think he acts like an idiot alot of the time but the reaction to a bit of piss taking has gone mad does everything really need to be that politically correct, I didn't find the comments very funny myself but just think oh he's insulting people for a cheap laugh again it's what everyone expects from that show anyway.

 

Nobody has a problem with people disliking JC, the programme or its humour. Like every programme on TV, it isn't for everyone.

Nobody is forced to watch the show. However, complaining about such comments is just pathetic.:dozey:

You criticise Clarkson and co for generalizing people yet you do this all the time on this forum. How ironic.

 

That would be a great point if you had any examples which conveniently you forgot to mention.

 

Show me one example where I generalise someone based on their nationality. If I do this ALL THE TIME (lul) then it should be pretty straightforward.

I bet most of the complaints have come from the "I didn't watch the show in question, but I've heard they said something bad" daily mail reading mob.