So the BBC did what we expected the old dinosaur to do - they cancelled Top Gear. Well technically, they haven't yet - all they've done is sack Clarkson. But given that James May and Richard Hammond won't do the show without him, effectively Top Gear is dead. If Chris Evans - the rumoured frontrunner replacement - becomes the main presenter, then the BBC will have pulled off the impossible by making a show that is actually worse than the US Top Gear. And believe me - that would be hard to do.
The BBC mishandled this in the style only they could. They should have kept this quiet and done the investigation whilst continuing to finish (and air) the three remaining episodes. The presenter's contracts were all up for renewal at the end of this season anyway. The BBC could simply have not renewed Clarkson's contract, and then stated the reason for it. But to blow this up out of all proportion and turn it into the public airing of their dirty laundry has cost them a lot. It's cost them credibility, to start with. We know it's also lost them about 4M viewers in the UK. Worldwide, the financial cost is pretty steep. They're in the hole for at least £250,000 for cancelling the Norway Top Gear Live - and that's just in ticket sales alone. Lost revenue from the 180 countries that air the show could come to anything up to another £200M per year. Factor in the magazine, live events, books, DVDs and all the other tie-ins and merchandising and that could creep up to £250M per year. Then there's the lawsuits that they will have to settle with all the TV stations with whom they're now in breach of contract to supply the show - that'll be a one-time cost but it will be expensive.
And why? Because the hyppocritical leeches at the BBC continued to make money hand-over-fist whilst publicly complaining about Clarkson at every opportunity. They're archaic dinosaurs who have no idea how to handle their own talent and deal with their own problems without them becoming public. Interviews with other former BBC alumni like Noel Edmonds have revealed just how terrible the Beeb are to work for.
So what now? My money is on Sky or Netflix - my hope is Netflix because they have no advertisers, which means Ambitious But Rubbish could shine there. The BBC will continue to attempt to make Top Gear, I suspect, but it will slowly die a long, agonising death. My suspicion is that it'll take a couple of years for them to realise they have nothing, and they'll swap presenters three or four times trying to come up with the magic combination before the inevitable happens.
3 comments:
Agree that the BBC handled Clarkson poorly, and have done so for some time.
Yes they should have completes the season and then handled it, but this time JC went too far. In a drunken tirade about having a hot meal (when he was the main reason it wasn't available) he assaulted a a member of the staff, in front of multiple witnesses. That's just not acceptable, no matter who you are.
I am a fan of Clarkson and TG. But I don't care who you are, an over paid sportsman, politician or TV presenter, if you assault someone who is trying to do their job and did nothing wrong then you're gone.
..unless you're a politician in which case you can punch people on camera and get away with it (John Prescott, Sara Duterte). Or the vice president, in which case you can shoot someone in the face and get away with it (Dick Cheney)....
Yes Clarkson should have been penalised in some way or form but like I said, to do it the way they did left the BBC with egg on their faces and an enormous hole in their pocket. They admitted yesterday that Clarkson was the biggest star they had, and that Top Gear was the single biggest IP they owned. Now that's all gone. They'll try to remake Top Gear of course, but it will be an imitation of an imitation that'll make the US Top Gear look like polished programming.
I'm not entirely convinced about the "egg on their face" but they should have handled it better.
And if the new version of TG makes the US TG look polished then it'll be a very sad end to what was a great program.
Post a Comment