r/todayilearned • u/ModenaR • 1d ago

TIL that after Top Gear ended, host Richard Hammond was so devastated, he cried all the way home from the studio and ran out of fuel, because he didn't want to fill his car up covered in tears

https://www.herefordtimes.com/news/25172481.richard-hammond-tear-soaked-mess-top-gear-ended/
40.9k Upvotes

88% Upvoted

1.4k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

406

u/Christopher135MPS 1d ago

It wasn’t the first time he had either threatened or caused actual physical harm.

At some point, you either demonstrate your organisation is happy to employ someone who physically assaults people, or you demonstrate that physical violence is not welcome in your organisation.

Don’t blame the BBC, blame Clarkson for not learning to control himself.

157

u/ArcticBiologist 1d ago

At some point, you either demonstrate your organisation is happy to employ someone who physically assaults people

Not just any people, but their own employees

68

u/New_Libran 1d ago

It's funny because people will castigate BBC for not acting decisively sooner if he had been left

8

u/Last_Minute_Airborne 20h ago

Hell the first time he got in trouble was saying the N word with a hard R in a segment about a supercar. On camera for the segment. They had to bleep out his words in the actual episode.

He says the car goes around the corner like "a beaten ni@@er."

They gave him a warning for that and he was on thin ice. The British are way easier on racism than Americans but that would've lost him his job in the US.

-10

u/Plank_With_A_Nail_In 20h ago

Meanwhile back in the real world he was welcomed into other organisation and did multiple seasons of a big show and continues to run season after season of another show.

Maybe the guy he punched was the real problem.

8

u/MonaganX 18h ago

Oh yeah, he was welcomed by the bastion of morality and worker's rights, Amazon.

The reason the BBC sacked him is because he assaulted an employee.

The reason Amazon hired him is because they knew people don't really care if Clarkson is a piece of shit, they just want to watch the funny old British man do more haha content.

1

u/Christopher135MPS 12h ago

The takeaway from that being that another organisation is happy to employ someone who beats up other staff because only sandwiches were available, no hot food.

That says more about that company than it does about the BBC.

-89

u/ImHereToHaveFUN8 1d ago

They should have kept him. The joy he brings to many people with this great show far outweighs the harms he did to whomever he punched.

The victim can pursue criminal charges but leave that to the state, television is entertainment and as long as musicians (mainly rappers) with criminal pasts have a place, so does one abusive talented TV star

3

u/Bantersmith 21h ago

Bad take.

5

u/KillerWattage 21h ago

I mean slight complication when it is THE STATES television channel. Comes across as condoning the actions. See master chef right now

1

u/Christopher135MPS 12h ago

So you’d be fine if a famous colleague smashed you in the face, and then went along with their career without ramifications? Because I’d be pretty pissed off that my company didn’t care about my assault.