Tag: bbc

Report: Jeremy Clarkson banked $21M from BBC last year

Filed under: UK, Celebrities, TV/Movies

Jeremy Clarkson

Jeremy Clarkson, host of Top Gear, is known for many things. He’s arguably the most polite, unoffensive person… in the world. His consideration for people, countries, and causes is renowned. No, wait – that’s wrong.

While he may be none of the things listed above, he is now known, for the second year in a row, we might add, as the highest-paid employee of the BBC. According to a post in The Guardian, Jezza raked in about $21 million last year from a few different sources.

Before our British readers get too outraged over the misuse of their license fees, it should be known that Clarkson’s presenting fee, which is paid by the BBC’s license fee, was only about one million pounds ($1.51 million at today’s rates).

So where’s the rest of the money from? Well, like most all wealthy folk, from a series of shrewd financial decisions. Clarkson, along with Top Gear executive producer Andy Wilman, set up a company called Bedder 6 to leverage the global brand created by the TV show. Setup alongside the BBC, Clarkson’s 30-percent share brought him a 4.86-million-pound ($7.4 million) dividend cut last year.

In September, Clarkson sold his stake to the BBC, bringing in an additional 8.4 million pounds ($12.7 million). While the Top Gear star’s income might be rage-inducing for British citizens forced to endure an economy that is far from recovered, it should be noted that Clarkson wasn’t the only one making sound financial decisions. For the 16.2 million pounds ($24.6 million) the BBC paid for the 50 percent of Bedder 6 it didn’t already own, it’s already recouped 7.5 million pounds ($11.39 million). The BBC is also receiving 100 percent of the profits from the Top Gear name and associated properties.

There’s even some good news for car fans here. According to a BBC spokesman, “The deal also secured the future of the Top Gear brand for the BBC and BBC Worldwide.” Along with news of renewed contracts, that should mean many more years of automotive shenanigans. And on that bombshell, it’s time to end.

Jeremy Clarkson banked $21M from BBC last year originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 18 Jul 2013 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Followup: BBC apologizes for Top Gear remarks about Mexicans

Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal, Celebrities, MISC

Top Gear presenters

Ugh, fine. We’re sorry. Okay, so that’s not exactly how the BBC responded to Mexico’s Ambassador Eduardo Medina-Mora Icaza, but it certainly didn’t fall all over itself in making a formal apology, either.

In case you need a refresher, Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond quipped on a recent broadcast episode of the hit television series, in reference to the Mexican-built Mastretta MXT sports car, “Mexican cars are just going to be a lazy, feckless, flatulent, oaf with a mustache leaning against a fence asleep looking at a cactus with a blanket with a hole in the middle on as a coat.”

Not surprisingly, a number of the country’s inhabitants were not amused… including the aforementioned Mexican Ambassador, who sent a letter to the BBC as something of a formal complaint. The BBC responded with a letter in return, which included the following statement:

Our own comedians make jokes about the British being terrible cooks and terrible romantics, and we in turn make jokes about the Italians being disorganized and over dramatic; the French being arrogant and the Germans being over organized. We are sorry if we have offended some people, but jokes centered on national stereotyping are a part of ‘Top Gear’s’ humor.

In any case, an apology was demanded and an apology (of sorts) was provided. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we lazy, over-fed and easily amused Americans are moving on. Hat tip to Jesse!

[Source: Associated Press via Google | Image: Gareth Fuller/AP]

Followup: BBC apologizes for Top Gear remarks about Mexicans originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 04 Feb 2011 14:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BBC: At nearly $7.30/gal and climbing, UK gas prices hit record high

Filed under: UK

UK Gas

Think fuel prices are high in the United States? What Yanks pay is nothing to what our former colonial masters are forced to shell out at the pumps, as reports come in of record-high prices in the UK.

According to the BBC, prices have hit an all-time high of 121.76p per liter in the United Kingdom. The numbers work out to $7.27 per gallon in American terminology, but the record doesn’t take inflation into account. To put the current British petrol prices into perspective, consider that it will now cost English soccer moms in Chelsea over $163 (!) to fill up their BMW X5s.

The worst news for British motorists is that this isn’t even the end of it: with both the Value Added Tax (VAT) and fuel duties scheduled to rise again in the new year, next month is anticipated to go even higher. As Edmund King, head of the UK’s Automobile Association put it, “for those people dependent on road transport, it’s not looking like a very happy Christmas or indeed New Year.” Indeed.

[Source: BBC News | Andrew Yates/AFP/Getty]

BBC: At nearly $7.30/gal and climbing, UK gas prices hit record high originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 12 Dec 2010 17:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ben “The Stig” Collins accuses BBC of bullying

Filed under: Etc., UK, Celebrities

Ben Collins, the artist driver formerly known as The Stig, is making sure he keeps everyone tabbed on his side of the story. Most recently, he has accused the BBC of bullying him when he informed them that he was writing a book about his years of anonymous lap times. Furthermore, he alleges that it was the BBC that actually gave away his identity in a piece for one of its own magazines, the Radio Times. After that, Collins says, he felt that his time in the white suit was tenuous and that he should “either jump or be pushed.”

Collins’ assertions appear a little shaky. The BBC article he highlights as “outing” him was a piece that took names from UK betting outlet William Hill to wonder about The Stig’s identity. At the top was Damon Hill, next was Ben Collins and at the bottom was A Giant Wasp, so Collins as a potential Stig was already a matter of speculation — at least with the bookmakers. As for the bullying claims, the BBC refutes the accusations. Collins says he was “hoping for the backing of his BBC bosses,” but is anyone really surprised that the BBC wanted to keep a secret… secret?

[Source: Telegraph]

Ben “The Stig” Collins accuses BBC of bullying originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 11 Sep 2010 09:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BBC loses court battle to block the Stig book

Filed under: UK, Celebrities

The Stig has taken another step toward shrugging off the shackles of the BBC. As you may recall, Top Gear’s tame racing driver recently locked horns with the Beeb after he made it clear he wanted to publish his memoirs. The show’s producers found issue with text, saying that revealing his identity would not only be a disservice to the fans of the show, but that it would also violate the terms of his contract. Thing is, a judge has struck down the BBC’s injunction to keep The Stig from publishing his book. That means publisher HarperCollins can move forward on bringing the book to life without fear of any further legal action from the BBC.

Interestingly enough, Ben Collins, the man who has long-been rumored to be the Stig, was spotted leaving the courthouse shortly after the ruling was issued. Collins was evasive when asked by reporters if he was the man in white, though we have a hard time thinking of any other reason why he would be at the hearing.

[Source: The Guardian]

BBC loses court battle to block the Stig book originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 14:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Some say he’s Ben sacked! BBC reportedly fires The Stig

Filed under: Motorsports, Etc., Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Celebrities, Rumormill

Frank and The Stig

We saw this one coming; the BBC has apparently sacked The Stig. Britain’s Daily Mirror tabloid reports that the Stig, a.k.a. Ben Collins, has been let go and that a new Stig has already replaced him on Top Gear. In fact, the Mirror says it already have pics of the new Stig at a Nürburgring track event, wearing the signature white coveralls and smoked visor helmet. How does the paper know it’s not Collins in the photos? Simple: it had another photographer at Ben’s house – 1,100 miles away – watching Collins play with his children at the same time.

The firing of the Stig comes a week after a battle erupted over Collins’ autobiography, slated for release in September. Details about the Stig’s true identity have been trickling out for some time, including the recent discovery that Collins Auto-Sport, a company owned and operated by Ben Collins, claimed income from “driving services for the BBC, mainly in the Top Gear programme.”

Of course, this could still just be speculation, and TG may have hired another driver just for that one track event. If Collins has indeed been canned and the show follows form, a segment will be filmed showing the demise of the white Stig and the appearance of his replacement. At least that’s what they did when the original black-clad Stig, Perry McCarthy, left the show. Wonder what colors the new Stig will fly…

[Source: The Daily Mirror]

Some say he’s Ben sacked! BBC reportedly fires The Stig originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 29 Aug 2010 09:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: BBC blocking The Stig’s memoirs

Filed under: Etc., Celebrities

Some say he’s a literary giant, and that a portion of his autobiography is featured on the Rosetta Stone. All we know is, he’s ticked off the BBC bosses by seeking to publish his memoirs. According to UKPA and ESPN, the tame racing driver has written the tale of his life and wants to share it with the world. The only problem is doing so would violate the confidentiality agreement in the Stig’s contract. The Beeb is also arguing that revealing his identity would ruin Top Gear for the millions of fans of the show around the world.

Supposedly there are only a scant few people who actually know the Stig’s true identity, including Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond. As the UKPA points out, each of those presenters has gone on to other money-making projects outside of the Top Gear realm, leaving the poor Stig to take out his frustrations on the reasonably-priced car. We don’t necessarily see what the BBC is so concerned about. It’s not like anyone reads Morse code these days anyway.

[Source: UKPA, ESPN]

Report: BBC blocking The Stig’s memoirs originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 19 Aug 2010 13:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BBC: Ratan Tata successor sought

Filed under: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, India, Tata

Rumors of Ratan Tata’s retirement from the international corporation he helms as CEO have been buzzing around the internet for over a year, but they’ve recently been lent a little credence. According to BBC News, Tata Group has assembled a five-person panel to find a suitable successor to the company’s throne. It had previously been suggested that the 79-year-old Tata would retire by the end of 2012. The panel hopes to locate a new CEO by March of next year, providing a bit of overlap between the incoming and outgoing regimes. In the past, Tata Group has kept the boss’s seat within the family, though there is some speculation that a few outsiders are favored for the post.

BBC News reports that other media outlets have pointed to Noel Tata, Ratan Tata’s half brother and head of the Tata Group’s international operations, as a strong candidate for the CEO position. Other possibilities include Arun Sarin, who once headed Vodofone, and Nusli Wadia, a textiles chairman. At this point, it remains unclear whether Ratan Tata will retain some influence over the corporation he helped save from financial doom post-retirement or if he’ll leave the decision making to his successor. Either way, the next few months should be interesting for the company.

[Source: BBC News | Image: AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade]

BBC: Ratan Tata successor sought originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 06 Aug 2010 17:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BBC: 1M pedestrians party at banquet held on German Autobahn

Filed under: Etc., Europe, Humor

German pedestrians flood the Autobahn – click above to watch the video

The Germans certainly know how to do a block party. According to the BBC, residents between Duisburg and Dortmund have closed 40 miles of the famous Autobahn for one massive street festival. Organizers of the event handed out 20,000 tables in order to help create the longest table in the world as part of the celebration. At some point, the road was even closed to cyclists due to congestion.

Near as we can tell, the whole event was held to celebrate the Ruhr region as part of the area’s nomination as the Cultural Capital of Europe, 2010. Residents came out in droves to participate in everything from singing and dancing to street shows to mark the occasion. We’re guessing there was plenty of good food on hand, too. Sounds like a pretty good time to us, but we have a hard time believing that anyone on this side of The Pond would be okay with shutting down the 405 for a similar summer shindig. Check out some video footage of the big party on the Trans Europe Express – complete with appropriate Kraftwerk soundtrack – after the jump. Thanks for the tip, Gary!

[Sources: BBC, YouTube]]

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BBC: 1M pedestrians party at banquet held on German Autobahn originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 20 Jul 2010 16:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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