Broken Hamster

1/3 of a great presenting team.

Weird as i'd been watching a repeat of the last Top Gear series on UK Old tonight, only to swith over to BBC news and hear about 'The Hamster'.

Fingers crossed for the guy and his family.

My best wishes are with Richard and his family.

I was shaken by the news.

Chris

My seven year old boy is distraught at the news and couldn't sleep last night. He adores Richard Hammond and loves both Top Gear (his favourite programme by far) and Brainiac Science Abuse.

Get well soon, Hamster.

Mark

I've only just heard. Anyone know what happened?
I hope he's okay, I like him.

http://news.google.co.uk/nwshp?gl=uk&ned=uk&ncl=http://...1/topgear.html&hl=en

Check here, Rasher.

Mark

Well, apparently he was being filmed driving some jet-propelled dragster-style racing car and crashed, according to whichever tabloid you choose to read, at either 280 or 315mph

Poor bastard - hope he pulls through, but these attempts by Top Gear and Fifth Gear to keep trying to outdo each other with these ridiculous stunts is getting beyond tiresome, IMHO.

Luckily the stupid pillocks were trying their stunt on an airfield away from anyone else.

If you play with fire...........and what is the point of doing this stuff anyway?

Rich

quote:

My seven year old boy is distraught at the news and couldn't sleep last night. He adores Richard Hammond and loves both Top Gear (his favourite programme by far)

Mark,

I'm 40 and you could have written those words about me. I hope he pulls through.

quote:

Originally posted by Rich Cundill:
If you play with fire...........and what is the point of doing this stuff anyway?

Rich

To see how far you can go.

Not pushing yourself to see what you could accomplish wouldn't have got us to the poles, to the top of Everest or at the extreme end, out of the trees in the first place.

The Top Gear crew are a few of my favourite presenters on TV.

I hope Richard makes a full recovery and goes back to what he loves doing.

Steve.

Count,

Me too! We're obviously just big kids at heart and hamster and the others just act out what we would like to do ourselves. This is why the programme is so popular around the world.

Clearly I don't speak for everyone as some people think it is stupid, but there will always be people who like to operate 'on the edge' and take risks that others wouldn't for their own and others entertainment.

I always sit and watch Top Gear with my son on a Sunday evening as it is an excuse for me to indulge in watching and enjoying their laddish behaviour.

From those I have spoken to, not a few women do the same!

Mark

quote:

Originally posted by Rich Cundill:
If you play with fire...........and what is the point of doing this stuff anyway?

Rich

Well, if breathing, eating and sh*tting is the height of your ambition, then everything else is a dangerous waste of time.

quote:

Well, if breathing, eating and sh*tting is the height of your ambition, then everything else is a dangerous waste of time.

Absolutely. I wouldn't choose to do these things but it would be a dull old world if nobody did.

Steve. (Hoping that RH makes a full recovery soon).

My wife has a problem with Top Gear, and in fairness it does promote driving fast on public roads. I always feel slightly concerned that they will applaude Jeremy Clarkson driving non-stop for 24 hours in a "race" with a boat or something, propped up only on Red Bulls and coffee driving at 160 mph on a German Autobahn. I know it's just laddish behaviour and it's good to see a reaction to the nanny-state, but it does leave me slightly uneasy all the same.
Two sides and all that...but I'm sure in his lucid moments he is thinking of recovering to be with his children, not because he has another programme to make. It kind of focuses your mind on what is really important and if risking lives really is such a laugh after all.
I was lucky that my "moment of clarity" came a year after my first daughter was born, and I got away with it. I gave up motorbikes after that and and thankful that I made it.
I hope to God RH makes it through.

I think this will be the end of Top Gear in its current form.

I wish the unfortunate presenter and his family well.

[/QUOTE]

To see how far you can go.

Not pushing yourself to see what you could accomplish wouldn't have got us to the poles, to the top of Everest or at the extreme end, out of the trees in the first place.


Steve.[/QUOTE]

...or, indeed, to the point of nearly destroying the planet by driving gas-guzzling cars everywhere and sneering at those who are legitimately concerned about same.

Having said which, Hammond is the least obnoxious of the 3 in that respect and is the unfortunate victim, as has been said above, of foolish BBC TV producers asking far too much of humble TV presenters. Donald Campbell, after all, knew exactly what he was letting himself in for (and ultimately paid the price).

quote:

Originally posted by Rasher:
it's good to see a reaction to the nanny-state

Of course it is, what's the point of all these stupid laws designed to make the roads safer?

quote:

Of course it is, what's the point of all these stupid laws designed to make the roads safer?

If only all of them were.

Anyway, the Nanny state has more to do with trying to take the individual choice from people. Risk awareness is good, risk aversion is quite different and should be left to the individual (in situations where theirs is the only risk).

There is IMO a quite unreasonable expectation these days that you can take the risk out of everything - or blame someone else when something goes wrong and seek to benefit financially.

Steve.

quote:

Originally posted by Steve S1:
Risk awareness is good, risk aversion is quite different and should be left to the individual

Very true. Good point

I trust the BBC will get the bill for the air ambulance.

quote:

Originally posted by Nigel Cavendish:

quote:

Originally posted by Rich Cundill:
If you play with fire...........and what is the point of doing this stuff anyway?

Rich

Well, if breathing, eating and sh*tting is the height of your ambition, then everything else is a dangerous waste of time.

WTF is that supposed to mean?!
I was questioning the validity of driving cars at ridiculously fast speeds....which I believe is part of what these guys do for a living. I really don't see the point.
Now discovering new countrys; reaching Poles & tops of mountains; discovering the cure for cancer - yeah count me in for that stuff.
But testing great huge pollution-mobiles to the furthest extent of their capabilities?? Sorry - don't get it

Cheers

Rich

PS Hope he gets well soon mind.

quote:

I trust the BBC will get the bill for the air ambulance.

And if this guy's face or brain are too mashed for TV, what a great poster boy he’d make for the anti-speeding brigade. My sympathy is entirely with his family.

C

'Top Gear' used to be about motoring for the majority of the car buying public.

It has become a ludicrous parody of itself, whereby everything currently has to be bigger, louder and faster on TV.

Whenever I drop into the programme, a 500bhp monster is being slid round an airfield at very high speeds. Don't we have organised motor racing for this sort of thing?

And let's not forget blowing up caravans - very useful.

Of course there is merit in man pushing the boundaries of speed, endurance etc - but in a TV motoring programme, it's just plain irresponsible and unneccesary.

That said; I do of course hope Mr Hammond makes a full recovery.

John.

quote:

Originally posted by bob mccluckie:
I trust the BBC will get the bill for the air ambulance.

Possibly not. But if they do you could always volunteer for the next series of Grumpy Old Men and help them recoup the cost ...

quote:

Originally posted by bob mccluckie:
I trust the BBC will get the bill for the air ambulance.

Click

Looks like his fans have got that one covered Bob, so you can sleep easy tonight.