India demands apology over Top Gear 'India special'
Jeremy Clarkson, the Top Gear presenter, may have been described by the chairman of the BBC Trust as a “leading cultural export”, but his latest foray abroad risks causing a diplomatic incident.
10:00PM GMT 11 Jan 2012
A Top Gear "India Special", which was broadcast twice over the Christmas break, has caused upset in the world’s second most populous country.
During the 90 minute programme, Mr Clarkson, one of the BBC’s highest paid stars, was filmed speaking to locals while operating a trouser press in his boxer shorts and with a Jaguar with a lavatory fixed to the boot.
The programme makers also put banners on trains reading: “British IT is good for your company”. Another said: “Eat English muffins”. The messages became obscene when the carriages parted, ripping the signs.
Now the Indian High Commission in London has formally complained to the BBC, accusing its producers of deceiving them over the nature of the programme, which was jokingly billed as a “trade mission”.
The complaint follows a string of controversies involving Mr Clarkson.
Last month the BBC had to apologise after Mr Clarkson told viewers on a live programme that striking workers should be shot in front of their families.
There were further apologies earlier last year to Mexico, after co-presenter Richard Hammond made an insulting parody of Mexicans to describe a Mexican sports car.
In the past few days Clarkson has also caused consternation in China for making tasteless comments in his tabloid newspaper column about the Morecambe Bay cockle picking tragedy in which 23 Chinese migrant workers died.
Last month, MPs told Lord Patten, the chairman of the BBC Trust, that Top Gear was a “luxury the BBC cannot afford” and should be sacked. Lord Patten said Top Gear was “leading cultural export” and said he would not be sacked. He said: “There are a lot of people who would be disappointed.”
In a letter sent to the programme’s producer, officials at the High Commission condemned the latest Top Gear broadcast as “tasteless”, and accused the BBC of breaching undertakings about the filming.
The letter, which was copied to BBC’s director general Mark Thompson, said: “The programme was replete with cheap jibes, tasteless humour and lacked cultural sensitivity that we expect from the BBC.
“I write this to convey our deep disappointment over the documentary for its content and the tone of the presentation. You are clearly in breach of the agreement that you had entered into, completely negating our constructive and proactive facilitation.”
In the wake of the programme, the BBC said it had received just 23 complaints. However diplomats at the consulate told The Daily Telegraph that its staff had received “hundreds” of letters and phone calls.
One diplomat told The Daily Telegraph: “The BBC has to make amends, particularly to assuage the hurt sentiment of a very large number of people.
“We understand the free press – they are welcome to explain and to challenge as long as it is fair and above the belt. Can this pass as acceptable journalism? The BBC has a global reputation. We expect the BBC to make amends.”
The consulate is furious that an outline of the programme, which was presented to the consulate last July, bore little relation to the finished product. One official said: “It [the BBC] has been less than honest and straight.”
It described the programme as a “light hearted road trip” which was focused on the “idiosyncrasies of the country”.
Specifically, it said that the programme’s “key ingredients” would look at the “beautiful scenery” and India’s “local colour”, making no reference to the toilet humour which littered the programme.
The row threatens to escalate into a diplomatic incident because Prime Minister David Cameron was filmed at the beginning of the programme, waving to Mr Clarkson and his presenters in Downing Street and telling them to “stay away from India”.
However the diplomat said India did not blame the Prime Minister for what was to follow. He said: “I don’t think he had the slightest inkling of what was to come.”
Last night Keith Vaz MP, whose parents are from India, said: “It seems that the reasons given by the BBC in order to obtain their visas to go to India did not disclose the true nature of the content of this programme.”
Mr Vaz, the chairman of the Home Affairs select committee, said there was now a risk that damage could be done to important trade relations with India.
He said: “One ridiculous programme has done a lot of damage to this good relationship. A swift apology from the BBC and Mr Clarkson may go some way towards restoring our good relations and the reputation of the BBC in India.”
Mr Clarkson is one of the BBC’s highest paid stars. This week it emerged that he made £2.14million from his involvement in Top Gear last year, due to a lucrative profit sharing deal he struck with the corporation.
The BBC confirmed that it had received the letter from the Indian High Commission this week. A spokesman said: “We will respond directly to the Indian High Commission in due course.”
21 July 2011
Letter from Chris Hale, producer, Top Gear to Indian High Commission, London
“Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May will travel across India in three cars filming a light hearted road trip focusing on the journey and the inevitable idiosynacies of the cars they will drive, as well as the country and scenary we see along the way.
“There will be spontaneous interaction between the presenters and their environment, and potentially people they meet along the way. This will be in an incidental manner, not interviews.
“Key ingredients of what we film will be beautiful scenery, busy city scenes, local charm and colour within these locations, areas to illustrate the local car culture that exists in India.”
6 January 2012
Letter from Indian High Commission, London to Chris Hale, producer, Top Gear
cc Mark Thompson, director general, BBC
“The programme was replete with cheap jibes, tasteless humour and lacked cultural sensitivity. This is not clearly what we expect of the BBC. I write this to convey our deep disappointment over the documentary for its content and the tone of the presentation.
“You are clearly in breach of the agreement that you had entered into, completely negating our constructive and proactive facilitation. We strongly protest and expect the BBC to make amends, especially to assuage the hurt sentiments of a large number of people.”
Tuesday, 17 January 2012
India demands apology over Top Gear 'India special' - Telegraph
via telegraph.co.uk
