Top Gear Belfast stunts bill may top £200,000
Saturday, 10 October 2009
The Top Gear team roll into Belfast's docks to film a scene on top of one of Harland and Wolff's famous twin Gantry cranes, Samson.
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TV motormouth Jeremy Clarkson and his Top Gear pals have piled into a turbo-charged row after filming a series of madcap stunts in Belfast.
Criticism has been voiced on the cost of this week’s spectaculars, while the strict secrecy surrounding the expenditure has also been challenged.
It's believed the total bill could be up to £200,000 for stunts such as hoisting a car up a shipyard crane and trying to fire a vehicle off the docks — which may end up as only 10 minutes of airtime.
An environmental group has condemned the “wanton destruction”, but a tourism official has argued that the show's visit is good news for Belfast.
Clarkson, meanwhile, has landed himself in yet another controversy after claiming in a magazine column that TV bosses wanted “black Muslim lesbian” presenters.
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Black Muslim lesbian presenters? Where do I apply??
Posted by Al | 12.10.09, 02:26 GMT
This is a possibly the worst piece of reporting every placed on the Belfast telegraph and to be passed of as news rather than the speculation it undoubtably is.
... Now see if that makes it online?
Posted by Jeremy Kyle | 11.10.09, 23:03 GMT
Quite sad that Belfast and Northern Ireland find joy in this kind of publicity considering Clarkson has a Typically English minded mentality. Irish / Northern Irish what ever "Northern Irish" call themselves should seek publicity in a whole island of Ireland approach, be it whatever background both Northern Unionist /Irish Nationalist, we have more in common then a typically English conservativeness attitude of Clarkson. Northern Ireland in my opinion a Typically English part of the United Kingdom, it is Irish what ever people want to believe!
Posted by Tony | 11.10.09, 20:49 GMT
Am I missing something...where's the actual evidence for any of this? Don't let the truth get in the way of a good story, eh?
Posted by Ted Patten | 11.10.09, 20:47 GMT
Funless, pessimistic reporting like this makes me despair. It's almost as if it was penned by the environment correspondent quoting Friends of the Earth or something. And in fact it was! what a surprise. But its good that they also chucked in some comment from another bon viveur, Mr Campbell of the DUP! I suppose in the absence of balance, a load of miserable perspectives should be represented!
Yes there is a recession, but £200,000, won't get you much by way of tourist advertising for Belfast, and thanks to Top Gear you'll get a look in on one of the best made and most watched (and repeated) programs on TV. Is Jeremy Clarkson offensive? I think he'd be the first to say so, but I don't think feigning offense is a worthwhile thing to do in you column inches. He offends everyone. At least he's capable of balance!
So let's not all be miserable at once. Perhaps in your main story there should be some attempt at balance, and a little less anti Clarkson hysteria.
Posted by Patrick Stewart | 11.10.09, 15:12 GMT
I dont understand why people would even complain about this. The recent unveiling of the Spirit of Belfast statue cost more and will provide far less entertainment than 10 minutes of Top Gear.
Its a shame the people who openly criticise Top Gear often share distinct traits with one another. They think it is an entirely factual programme, and they themselves are generally the people who are uninterested and usually more dangerous drivers to the road going public like myself.
Posted by Daniel | 11.10.09, 11:22 GMT
When, if ever, will the BBC effectively take action in the case of "Motormouth" Clarkson who appears to be a law unto himself when it comes to mouthing off and playing at stunts which are stupid and silly. He and his posse of idiots are nothing less than criminals in the example they give to young drivers. It would appear the BBC will stoop to the lowest point in order to create publicity and raise audience figures
Posted by Ulsterman | 11.10.09, 11:21 GMT
If there was a Top Gear political party, they'd get my vote!!!
Clarkson only says what a lot of us believe, he is not being racist, bigoted or homophobic, he is simply poking fun at the politically correct brigade who tend to be middle-class straight white christians?? Irony or what.
Posted by It's a laugh! | 11.10.09, 09:55 GMT
Oh dear wouldnt it be terrible if there was a flood of TV companies coming to Belfast and spending loads of money. Who complained?
Posted by merit | 10.10.09, 22:35 GMT
Top Gear makes the BBC multi-millions each year from worldwide sales. It makes more than any other BBC programme.
Ever hear of the saying 'gotta speculate to accumumlate'.
What a non-story!
Posted by Stephen | 10.10.09, 20:41 GMT
What's all the fuss about - Top Gear is a much better use of license payers' money than proping up ITN.
After all there's much more factual content in Top Gear than in an ITN broadcast. If I want real news I have the BBC and if I want tabloid news I have Sky. So who needs ITN?
Now TopGear on the other hand is fun and at last someone has found something useful to do with H&W - it must be an improvement from being famous for delivering late orders or building sinking ships, surely?
Posted by Cliff | 10.10.09, 19:38 GMT
Very ambiguous reporting. Who has it cost £200,000??
Jeremy? The BBC? Belfast City Council?
Whoever it is, think of the absolute millions that have been squandered in this province in recent years, to very tenuous links to 'community' groups. At least Top Gear can genuinely be enjoyed by all side of the community, and is darn great fun - money well spent!!
Posted by Stephen | 10.10.09, 17:30 GMT
The BBC will sell this show, along with the rest of the series, to television channels all over the world and make far more than £200,000 back!
Posted by Paul | 10.10.09, 16:46 GMT
£200,000 well spent for 10 mins of telly to forget the woes of the worst recession in history!!!! Shame there were no politicians inside the vehicle projected of the dock - that would've been a definate crowd pleaser.
Posted by David Williams | 10.10.09, 15:29 GMT
Money well spent, this show is sold to to TV stations all over the world and makes millions for the BBC. £200k is a drop in the ocean....................!
Best series on the BBC by far!
Posted by Roger | 10.10.09, 15:12 GMT
Clarkson is nothing more than a blob of ego with a brillo pad on top.
Posted by kjhg | 10.10.09, 14:25 GMT
Beggars belief how the BBC can make it's editor of Top Gear redundant, while "rewriting " the job title, yet spend all this on a stunt. One is a person's livelihood, the other, as the article states, a ten minute flash in the pan.
Posted by Susan E | 10.10.09, 14:12 GMT
What a load of nonsense. This is the only good use
of taxpayers/ratepayers money here in a long
time. Maybe the BT would have a story if it was giving off over the £65m of unpaid and written-off rates in Belfast from 85,000 households. But it won't of course.
Posted by russell | 10.10.09, 13:47 GMT
Typical Top Gear coming over here spending all their money and giving us free tourism publicity...
Yeah I can really see why people are annoyed by this? They pay to fix anything they damage and that employs local people in a recession your problem is what exactly?
Posted by Ryan | 10.10.09, 13:25 GMT