Cycling UK Forum

I enjoy Top Gear especially those overseas specials.
There's little enough on telly nowadays to suit grumpy old men.
(The sublime 'On the Yorkshire Buses' always excepted).
When someone passes too close or , as yesterday, clocks me with a wing mirror it's NOT Top Gear that I swear at ( under my breath).

HaroldBriercliffe wrote:I enjoy Top Gear especially those overseas specials.
There's little enough on telly nowadays to suit grumpy old men.
(The sublime 'On the Yorkshire Buses' always excepted).
When someone passes too close or , as yesterday, clocks me with a wing mirror it's NOT Top Gear that I swear at ( under my breath).

Looking at your signature.
The ripples from a small stone thrown into a large lake radiate further than many are willing to admit.
A stream enterer .

There is no lake.
There are no ripples.
Grasshopper.

Jeremy Clarkson and co are paid (I assume) plenty of money to perpetuate their "Top Gear" persona. I think I read recently that its the BBCs biggest earner.

I'm not a big JC fan, but I'll repeat a post I've put on here before. A few years ago he spoke at Oxford Uni, in a lecture a son of friends of mine went to. JC basically said his livelihood depends on him having a certain point of view, be it on TV or in newspaper columns, and in real life he's far "greener" than he lets on in public.

You can believe that or not, as you please. I know Richard Hammond is both a keen cyclist and a caravanner. After his near fatal accident he and his wife took their girls away on a caravan holiday as a means of relaxation and recovery for him. If Top Gear hates cyclists, they hate caravanners more!

Jan

HaroldBriercliffe wrote:There is no lake.
There are no ripples.
Grasshopper.

And the 'pebble' that enters into such nothingness?
or does nothingness enter the pebble?

jan19 wrote:Jeremy Clarkson and co are paid (I assume) plenty of money to perpetuate their "Top Gear" persona. I think I read recently that its the BBCs biggest earner.

I'm not a big JC fan, but I'll repeat a post I've put on here before. A few years ago he spoke at Oxford Uni, in a lecture a son of friends of mine went to. JC basically said his livelihood depends on him having a certain point of view, be it on TV or in newspaper columns, and in real life he's far "greener" than he lets on in public.

You can believe that or not, as you please. I know Richard Hammond is both a keen cyclist and a caravanner. After his near fatal accident he and his wife took their girls away on a caravan holiday as a means of relaxation and recovery for him. If Top Gear hates cyclists, they hate caravanners more!

Jan

Then these people are even more hypocritical than I thought.
And as I posted before:- They're only joking.
So that's OK then
or as TC posted:-

I've recently posted that cyclists are (just about) the only people you can talk about in this way and dismiss it as humour.

OR because they're 'green',caravanner's or cyclists it's OK to abuse people who are green,caravanner's or cyclists in such an influential medium,all in the name of humour?
Sorry,I don't agree one bit.

I suppose I was being a bit too generous in assuming that it was harmless entertainment! Not being a fan I had assumed it was the usual inane drivel and relatively 'harmless'. Not really having had any problems with bad driving, potentially encouraged by programmes like TG, I didn't really see it as a problem. I guess if you have had problems with moronic drivers, who could be emulating their antics, your view would be completely different!!

Phil Fouracre wrote:I suppose I was being a bit too generous in assuming that it was harmless entertainment! Not being a fan I had assumed it was the usual inane drivel and relatively 'harmless'. Not really having had any problems with bad driving, potentially encouraged by programmes like TG, I didn't really see it as a problem. I guess if you have had problems with moronic drivers, who could be emulating their antics, your view would be completely different!!

TBH if I have a trouble free ride from motorists I tend to think I've had a good day.
Usually one to three incidents per ride is about the norm,ranging from downright stupid to positively dangerously intimidating.
How much of that is TG induced is impossible to tell but such frivolity with regard to cyclists lives from such a high profile program doesn't do much for equality,respect or safety on our roads IMHO.

That said,the vast majority of drivers are very thoughtful and courteous,and give me no grief at all,quite the opposite infact

jan19 wrote:Jeremy Clarkson and co are paid (I assume) plenty of money to perpetuate their "Top Gear" persona. I think I read recently that its the BBCs biggest earner.

I'm not a big JC fan, but I'll repeat a post I've put on here before. A few years ago he spoke at Oxford Uni, in a lecture a son of friends of mine went to. JC basically said his livelihood depends on him having a certain point of view, be it on TV or in newspaper columns, and in real life he's far "greener" than he lets on in public. You can believe that or not, as you please. I know Richard Hammond is both a keen cyclist and a caravanner. After his near fatal accident he and his wife took their girls away on a caravan holiday as a means of relaxation and recovery for him. If Top Gear hates cyclists, they hate caravanners more!

Jan

Making themselves rich by peddling offensive garbage they don't actually believe in makes them disgusting hypocrites in my book.

Guy951 wrote:

jan19 wrote:Jeremy Clarkson and co are paid (I assume) plenty of money to perpetuate their "Top Gear" persona. I think I read recently that its the BBCs biggest earner.

I'm not a big JC fan, but I'll repeat a post I've put on here before. A few years ago he spoke at Oxford Uni, in a lecture a son of friends of mine went to. JC basically said his livelihood depends on him having a certain point of view, be it on TV or in newspaper columns, and in real life he's far "greener" than he lets on in public. You can believe that or not, as you please. I know Richard Hammond is both a keen cyclist and a caravanner. After his near fatal accident he and his wife took their girls away on a caravan holiday as a means of relaxation and recovery for him. If Top Gear hates cyclists, they hate caravanners more!

Jan

Making themselves rich by peddling offensive garbage they don't actually believe in makes them disgusting hypocrites in my book.

Another perspective is that they are actors, playing parts.

We seem to broadly agree that they aren't their real attitudes. It's typically portrayed in a rather silly way, so I (and I accept others have a different view) find it hard to believe that it's taken seriously by many, if any.

I don't see anyone calling actors hypocrites (I have no idea as to their personal habits so I don't know whether they might evoke disgust) for playing a whole variety of parts which represent views & behaviours they would not of course hold in "real life". AFAIK they too get paid, sometime handsomely because people find their work entertaining.

Now where's my popcorn

My view is that the whole programme is written for them. OK they probably ad lib a bit in the news section, but basically they are actors portraying a part. this is why the uproar over the racist comment in their recent Burma adventure is in my view aimed at the wrong person. JC read a script, it is the script writers and programme director that should be getting it in the neck. These are the people who are pedalling a view point. OK, more scrupulous people would probably refuse to act it, but scruples go out the window usually when compared to very large pots of money.

reohn2 wrote:

HaroldBriercliffe wrote:There is no lake.
There are no ripples.
Grasshopper.

And the 'pebble' that enters into such nothingness?
or does nothingness enter the pebble?

Yes


JC was talking about having bought a bike for £500 on a recent repeat I saw.
RH then asked viewers to submit pics of JC on his new bike.
The following show someone had submitted a pic of a monkey riding a bike .
It's all scripted for sure but none the worse for that.
I really don't think it influences anyone against cyclists.
If Top Gear demographic is farty middle aged+ men and some lady drivers of a certain age then those folks tend to be the most considerate in making room when passing ( white van drivers always excepted).
Round here the boy racers are the ones to watch out for.

HaroldBriercliffe wrote:

reohn2 wrote:And the 'pebble' that enters into such nothingness?
or does nothingness enter the pebble?

Yes

I really don't think it influences anyone against cyclists.
If Top Gear demographic is farty middle aged+ men and some lady drivers of a certain age then those folks tend to be the most considerate in making room when passing

Funny you should mention farty middle aged men,I'm just back from a ride where,due to cafe's being a bit thin on the ground I decided to have a coffee in a pub.
There was said FMAM and wife stood at the bar having a 'swift half'.
He asked if I was a keen cyclist and goes on to tell me his son is into Audax and trying to accrue points for PBP,then tells me it's along time since he cycled and how easy it must be now with all those gears .
Hi wife excused herself and goes off to the ladies,whereupon his tack changed immediately to one of ''the trouble is if these cyclists all kept to the rules of the road things would be a lot better'',verbal diarrhoea.
I cut him short by saying that he'd probably want to also tell me about all the RLJing,riding on the pavement,not paying road tax,etc,etc and decided to inform him of the facts that more people are killed and injured daily by bad driving that in a decade by cyclists,that I see more motor vehicles RLJing than I ever do cyclists,and that if a cyclist does RLJ they're more likely to be the sole injured party,whereas if a motor vehicle does it,the reverse will most certainly be the case.
I didn't give him chance to reply but left him with that thought and I cursed later for not asking which 'news'paper he read,as people with that kind of outlook IME usually read the DM.
I sometimes wonder about their TV viewing too habits too

( white van drivers always excepted).
Round here the boy racers are the ones to watch out for.

TBH I rarely have problems with either,4x4's are a different matter entirely though,especially for close overtaking in the face of oncoming traffic if I don't close any hint of a gap they think they can force their way through .

Mrs Briercliffe ( Claud Butler sit up and beg with a wicker basket on the front) reckons that BMW drivers are the worst for cutting up.
I wonder if anyone's ever done research into this?

reohn2 wrote:

( white van drivers always excepted).
Round here the boy racers are the ones to watch out for.

TBH I rarely have problems with either,4x4's are a different matter entirely though,especially for close overtaking in the face of oncoming traffic if I don't close any hint of a gap they think they can force their way through :evil: .

I find it's what I call "the Road Owners"; which include new'ish top of the range SUVs, many 4x4's, BMWs, Audis, etc. But they have to be pretty new, high end models.

Ian