Boy racerTV show Top Gear may be forced to hire new presenters as part of a government push to make the show more gender and ethnically balanced.
This week the Equality Bill was introduced into Britain which encourages employers to take “positive action” to widen diversity in the public sector workforce.
Top Gear, along with a number of shows funded by the BBC, now fall under the Bill.
Is this PC gone mad? Let us know what you think in the Poll Box below.
There has been pressure on the boys who review their mechanical toys to change, with a leading academic earlier this month saying that the BBC should employ more women to help make shows such as Top Gear “female-friendly”, reports London’s Daily Mail.
Dr Louise Livesey, tutor in sociology and women’s studies at Oxford, accused Top Gear of “entrenched, institutional sexism”.
As well as being hosted by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May, the car show has a “boys’ club” production team and fewer female than male guests, it was claimed.
But Top Gear executive producer Andy Wilman claimed it was “utter drivel” to suggest that the show excluded women, saying: “If the show is allegedly female-unfriendly, why is almost half the audience female?
“Secondly, if we are to have a female presenter just to represent the sexes, then by that logic Loose Women needs a bloke in the line-up pretty sharpish.
“I actually believe these sorts of mandates are patronising to women viewers, because they assume that women can’t enjoy a show’s presenters on merit, but can only appreciate a program if spoken to by one of their own sex.”
By: mike currill - 22nd May 2009 at 21:50
I’ll go along with you there
By: Moggy C - 22nd May 2009 at 10:20
Especially with Bert Kwouk
Beats TG any time
Moggy
By: topspeed - 22nd May 2009 at 10:11
Does anybody actually watch that tired, formulaic rubbish? (Other than the crowd of gurning sycophants in the ‘studio’)
It’s become Last of the Summer Wine Mk 2 with a few motor cars if you are lucky.
Clarkson’s a big girl’s blouse anyway, so presumably equality is served.
Moggy
Last of the summer wine is really cool.
By: hindenburg - 21st May 2009 at 22:49
Top Gear presentation so easy………a man can even do it.
By: mike currill - 21st May 2009 at 21:55
Thank you sir.
By: Moggy C - 21st May 2009 at 00:58
Mr imjames407 and his signature link promoting the sale of under the counter erectile dysfunction cures will be troubling us no more. 😡
Moggy
Moderator
By: steve wilson - 12th May 2009 at 12:29
Top Gear sexist, never. They always have that German Bird on :diablo::diablo::diablo::diablo:
I cant help but wonder if Dr Livesey is an eco-feminist with an agends and chip on her shoulder.
Steve
By: nJayM - 11th May 2009 at 22:50
The university he went to does not of itself equate to a good education. Some would say, in fact, that the university in question might tend to militate against the acquisition of “a good education”.
The Open University used to advise it’s naive students in the 1980s to buy Alan Sugar’s crap Amstrad PCs with twin 5.45 inch floppy drives.
No one else did if they had any grey matter of their own.
So I guess if he went to any Uni it was the Open University and did the module titled ‘Your Fired’
By: mike currill - 7th May 2009 at 12:40
Quite possibly. That would explain a lot
By: Arabella-Cox - 6th May 2009 at 21:47
From a brief Biog I vaguely remember reading somewhere – yes. Or was I dreaming?:D Oh well whatever, never mind anyway
The university he went to does not of itself equate to a good education. Some would say, in fact, that the university in question might tend to militate against the acquisition of “a good education”.
By: nJayM - 6th May 2009 at 21:33
Alan Sugar could do with being fired considering his empire was built on ubiquitous and unreliable consumer electronics in the 1980s. Don’t know which consumers though – must have been people with little grey matter.
Jay
By: Dog House Ldr. - 6th May 2009 at 05:35
some say his face is digital, and if he wanted to he could fire Alan Sugar, all we know is he’s the stig!
By: mike currill - 5th May 2009 at 08:15
Steve Rowell said…
which is a pity for a man who is so well educated.
Really?
Wossy? Well educated?
From a brief Biog I vaguely remember reading somewhere – yes. Or was I dreaming?:D Oh well whatever, never mind anyway
By: hindenburg - 4th May 2009 at 23:50
`Womens Hour` ,`Sheila Wheels`
By: nJayM - 4th May 2009 at 21:58
Yikes,
It is PC gone completely raving bonkers.
Top Gear is Top Gear and it is great – JC, JM and RH are great. If they need a female co-presenter then they can get one but let’s not use PC correctness to enforce it.
More power to JC, JM and RH
Jay
By: old shape - 4th May 2009 at 21:48
Clive Anderson hasn’t got a show at the moment but I’d rate him twenty times more watchable than Ross.
Moggy
…but only as a quizmaster in “Who’s line..” or a guest on R4 6:30pm slots or similar.
Clive was absolutely awful when he tried being the chat show host, I doubt he could do film critique either.
By: Arabella-Cox - 4th May 2009 at 18:44
Steve Rowell said…
which is a pity for a man who is so well educated.
Really?
Wossy? Well educated?
By: Moggy C - 4th May 2009 at 17:25
Ross is infinately superior to Norton and a darn sight better then any other chat show hosts at the moment.
Clive Anderson hasn’t got a show at the moment but I’d rate him twenty times more watchable than Ross.
Moggy
By: mike currill - 4th May 2009 at 12:20
Definitely no argument from me there mate, in his case it would not be difficult to be better.
By: old shape - 4th May 2009 at 12:17
Sorry to disagree but I think the only person who finds Russell Brand funny is Russell Brand and I’m not alone in that sentiment. I find Jonathon Ross Patronising and extremely childish which is a pity for a man who is so well educated. He seldom speaks with the sense he obviously has
As for Brand, I’m not a great fan but I happened to be listening to R2 Sat. night over several weeks. It was background stuff whilst I was doing some serious DIY. Tolerable and occasionally very entertaining.
Nobody said Ross was the best! I said he was worth the money – he draws massive viewing and listening figures. I like his shows, be it the chat, the radio or the film reviews. He is ridiculled for his sexual inuendo….yet the same people accept sexual inuendo from the gay boys such as Norton. Ross is infinately superior to Norton and a darn sight better then any other chat show hosts at the moment.
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April 30, 2009 at 7:29 am