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BBC offer hospitalised Top Gear £2m to stay

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Published Date: 23 October 2006
TV STAR Richard Hammond has been offered a £2 million deal to stay with the BBC.
The Top Gear presenter suffered brain injuries after crashing a 300mph dragster last month. He is currently recovering in a Bristol hospital.

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  • Last Updated: 22 October 2006 11:29 PM
  • Source: The Scotsman
  • Location: Edinburgh
  • Related Topics: The BBC
 
1

Christopher Crossley,

Wuhan, Hubei, China 23/10/2006 04:41:54

So the BBC has "awarded" (or else is trying to award) £2 million to one person who "just happens" to be a presenter in what is allegedly one of the most popular programmes on road vehicles?

If Mr. Hammond, who, I hope, does make a good recovery, no matter how long it may take, had, say, crashed his ordinary road vehicle on any ordinary road, rather than a high-speed dragster which would not appear (except on a transporter, perhaps) on any ordinary road, I doubt very much if anyone would be so willing and eager to offer
£2 million worth of BBC licence-fee money.

What if Mr. Hammond had been working for some other channel, which does not charge people a licence fee? I doubt very much here, too, that he would have been offered so much money.

By contrast, can you possibly imagine a school teacher, who is attacked in the classroom by a pupil or pupils known to be unruly and yobbish and/or have been expelled from another school, being offered £2 million by either the board of governors (in an independent school) or the local education authority (for a state school) in case of horrific injuries incurred that results in him or her having severe brain injuries? Frankly, I can't, either, since schools do not receive millions of pounds of BBC licence-fee money.

There will undoubtedly be a lot of people who, though they may wish Mr. Hammond well, will react with incredulity at this action by the BBC. It is like an admission of guilt. His accident occurred when he was at work for the BBC, so the powers-that-be have decided to offer him this carrot as a way more of saying sorry than of rewarding him for his on-screen presence.

Remember how the BBC tempted Graham Norton for much, much more than £2 million in order to keep him there in order to ensure that his shows continued to garner high ratings? Again, I am sure that a lot of people reacted with incredulity.

Pretty soon, the Sunday Times Top 100 Rich List will b

2

Mallory,

Edinburgh 23/10/2006 05:52:11

Typical - another example of the excessive waste of licence payers money and contempt for its audience. The BBC should be finding and developing new (and cheap) talent.

With 15 million drivers in the UK (most of whom haven't crashed their vehicles at ultra-high speed) I'd have though that the BBC could have had it pick of 'presenters'.

3

Douglas,

Bathgate 23/10/2006 06:49:39

That's it kids, you're getting a goldfish, these hamsters are too expensive. STFU, at least the wee man has a degree of enthusiasm and doesn't just go through the motions when presenting. Pay his wages and enjoy the programming.

4

dj67blue,

23/10/2006 09:36:23

Top Gear will not be the same without the hamster. With Clarkson he really makles the programme intresting. If the BBC want to pay him £2m to stay they should.
As for the wages I wonder how much other TV stars get paid. i bet that there is other stars that get in excess of £2m and keep quiet about it.
Can't wait until Top Gear comes back to our screens.

5

IainA,

Edinburgh 23/10/2006 12:04:22

I think there's more to this story than is apparent. Richard hammond had not indicated he was unwilling to return to top gear.

I wonder why the BBC felt moved to publicly offer him this much money?

6

Stuart W,

23/10/2006 21:10:40

Oh, I see - when I read the headline I thought the BBC had offered him £2m to stay in hospital.

7

'Suck' McCrunchie,

XXXXXXXXXXXXX 23/10/2006 23:15:27

The BBC's money comes free. Why expect them to know the value of it?


 

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