Let's face it.. they did everything, and the shows were becoming more and more contrived, obvious and staged. It was about time it stopped.

The problem with Clarkson is similar to the problem with Al Murray the Pub Landlord. There are people laughing at him because they find the caricature of a racist, sexist moron saying stupid things funny - and they often are funny. There are also people laughing, saying "he's so right!" Clarkson does not have the advantage of being a comedian, and i reject the notion that he is one - he never has been one and could never front a decent comedy set under its own merit. If you want to see a comedian that correctly applies context and frames sexist/racist comments, see Al Murray.

If you find the idea of a man saying "catch a nigger by the toe" funny and somehow feel you're missing out if it isn't said, then we're never really going to see eye to eye. You can wave your hands and pass the buck about whether or not you think he said it all you like, the fact is that Clarkson has been caught red handed doing plenty of stuff like that so that guilt can be reasonably assumed given that it sounded very much like it. Add on top of that the apology - coming from a man who takes a piss on rules and convention, it's an admission of some degree of guilt.

Perhaps if he skirted other issues better, people wouldn't assume he was a fucking idiot. And i'm sorry to say, quite an entertaining idiot. take for example the falkland number plate - what sort of colossal moron believes it was a coincidence? I enjoy many parts of the show, but that doesn't mean i can't think he's completely irresponsible for being racist and for downplaying personal vehicle contribution to global warming when it is undoubtable to anyone who studies the subject appropriately.... which he owes it to the viewers and to the future of fucking humankind to do, considering the reach of his show.

every german i ever met was able to get past stuff like that.. i've been in clans and guilds and all sorts of stuff with germans, and i've probably made jokes about WW2, WW1 all the time.. usually, if i said something about hitler, my favourite german friend would go "OI, stop talking about my grandfather!"

the thing is, i'm english and i don't hear many WW2 jokes at all.. not jokes actually poking any fun at germans, like jimmy carr "i will never forgive the germans.......for passing my grandfather over for promotion year after year".. most of the jokes i've ever heard were that sort of thing - the joke being irony, and nothing actually to do with germans.. it could have been "i'll never forgive saddam housein"

in fact the only guy i've heard directly mock the germans over WW2 is al murray, and the joke in that case is his ignorance.. he plays a very very stupid man, a stereotypically ignorant loud mouth, and that's 90% of the joke

anyway, old news.. i just felt the need to defend our comedians