天美传媒 lecturer has given his take on the BBC鈥檚 decision to fire Jeremy Clarkson following his fracas with the show鈥檚 producer, Oisin Tymon.
The Senior Lecturer in TV Production worked as a Producer on the show alongside Clarkson some twenty years ago, and said that he 鈥渨asn鈥檛 particularly surprised鈥� at the situation.
鈥淸Clarkson] has been a huge talent and a huge contributor to the Top Gear brand and obviously to BBC Entertainment generally, but at the same time you can鈥檛 go around hitting people,鈥� said Bamford.
While a lot has changed in the BBC and with the show following a 2002 revamp, Nick thought that Clarkson had to go: 鈥淚f I had hit someone on the team while I was working there I would expect to be sacked and I鈥檓 afraid the same has to be true of Jeremy.
鈥淚 think had he not [gone] they would have put themselves in a position of he鈥檚 above the general standard expected of the rest of the staff,鈥� Nick added.
While Clarkson鈥檚 controversial track record is well-reported, Nick described how 鈥淛eremy was always a professional,鈥� 鈥渆asy to work with鈥� and how you could 鈥渁bsolutely rely on him to deliver what he had to,鈥� even twenty years ago.
鈥淚 think the thing with Jeremy is that 鈥� he created this sort of on-screen persona which became bigger than he was in a sense.
鈥淵ou often see him when he鈥檚 been on other shows 鈥� when he鈥檚 not on Top Gear he鈥檚 a different person than who he is on Top Gear.
Responding to a question on the culture of stardom in the media, Bamford offered further insights.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 certainly true that television can create monsters and can create people who believe in their own publicity and lose perspective 鈥� if you like 鈥� on the way that they are meant to behave鈥�.
鈥淭here are other examples of people who have been in the public eye and of other people that I have worked with as well.
鈥淲hat can often happen in a situation like this is that the presenter becomes bigger than the programme, becomes better known and more valuable to the programme than the producer鈥�.
Bamford believed that Top Gear would continue in some form as it is 鈥渢oo valuable a brand for them鈥� to just drop.
鈥淚nterestingly, the Top Gear that I worked on around twenty years ago kind of died at the end of the nineties and was taken over kind of lock, stock and smoking barrel to Channel Five and became Fifth Gear鈥�.
鈥淭he production style, some of the presenters and that is what used to be the BBC Top Gear. Who knows? Something similar might happen again?鈥� he said.
When asked what might come next for Clarkson, Nick jested: 鈥淲ell, I don鈥檛 think he鈥檚 going to starve鈥�.
The interview took place on BBC Radio Solent recently.
