BBC Top Gear celeb gets slammed for anti-German jokes

JEREMY Clarkson is lucky that Adolf Hitler-style salutes only earn sharp rebukes in Britain. If he had done it in Germany, he would have been jailed six months.

But this did not stop the celebrity car reviewer of the popular BBC TV show Top Gear from sparking an outrage after giving the hated Nazi salute on television.

The presenter, 45, made the vile gesture on the programme while he reviewed and mocked German car maker BMW's version of the Mini, a British icon, reported The Mirror.

Firstly, he joked that one could make a 'quintessentially German car' with indicators that worked like a Hitler salute - and he shocked viewers by performing the gesture.

Next, he added that the Mini should have a satellite navigation system 'that only goes to Poland' - a tasteless reference to the German invasion in 1939 that started World War II.

And he continued the tasteless theme by suggesting that the car's fan belt would last 1,000 years - not a veiled comparison to Hitler's boasts of the Third Reich having a 1,000-year reign.

Full article here

DiamondJim - 12/18/2005 2:18:29 PM

+1 Boost

he's only looking for controversy to stir up ratings, it means nothing, stop falling for the free publicty they are getting. hitler is over, done with and in the past, looking forward to the future.....

dogbowl - 12/21/2005 8:05:53 PM

+1 Boost

Say what you like about the Brits - they have a great sense of humour. Too much political correctness means he would have had a rebuke. Really though, are you offended by a guy joking that a car built by Germans should have old-fashioned indicators that work like a Nazi salute?

aussie2u - 12/22/2005 9:37:31 PM

+1 Boost

WOW! This must have been covered by a Fox "unbiased" Jewish reporter: 
 
"If he had done it in Germany, he would have been jailed six months", "sparking an outrage after giving the hated Nazi salute", "the vile gesture", "he shocked viewers by performing the gesture", "a tasteless reference to the German invasion" 
 
Geesh, I haven't heard this much media outrage since my Passion movie screening!!! (Sure looks like the audience was "outraged" on the salute. I see people laughing...)

Excelero - 12/28/2005 8:43:24 AM

+1 Boost

For me as a German it is funny too, cause Germans make fun of it too, but I can understand that it is not good for television to make fun of it.

scottst - 8/9/2007 8:04:00 PM

+1 Boost

I would still love TopGear if they presented the show while wearing StormTrooper unis and reviewed Tiger against Panther or other Panzers!

When you make an omelette, sometimes you have to break a few eggs. Top Gear is so great that a little offense is in order. Prius drivers are the ones who should really feel bad, Top Gear rapes them every chance it gets.