Top Gear: The High Speed Crash?
Richard Hammond was almost killed in a "catastrophic" crash during filming in 2006.
The presenter was driving at 288mph in a rocket-powered dragster when the front tyre disintegrated and it spun out of control.
He was airlifted to hospital and treated for swelling to the brain and bruising, but eventually made a complete recovery.
"I was driving and then it was two weeks later and I was in Leeds (hospital)," he said after his recovery. "There was a sense of 'oh bugger'."
"In hospital I was completely useless. I'd look at the menu and order my favourite, cottage pie.
"Five minutes later it arrived and I said that's great, it's my favourite, how did you know?"
The Health and Safety Executive said there had been failings in risk assessment procedures but other safety precautions had "almost certainly saved Mr Hammond's life".
Disability charities
Clarkson drew the ire of disability charities in 2010 during a review of the Ferrari F430 Speciale.
Comparing it to a newer model, he said the car "was a bit wrong" and "looked like a simpleton".
He concluded it "should have been called the 430 Speciale Needs".
The National Autistic Society said the comments perpetuated "the prejudice and bullying which people with disabilities have to cope with".
The BBC apologised.
Animal rights campaigners
The cow incident was filmed during a US roadtrip
During a US special in 2007, Jeremy Clarkson tied a dead cow to the roof of his Camaro before reversing, flinging the animal into the air.
The segment, which happened when producers challenged the presenters to produce a dinner of roadkill during a road trip, prompted dozens of complaints.
"Viewers are well aware of the type of humour on Top Gear and this was very typical," the BBC said. "However, no offence was intended."
Environmental damage
In 2004, the BBC had to apologise and pay damagesto a parish council in Somerset after Clarkson rammed a pick-up truck into a mature horse chestnut tree.
He was apparently testing the vehicle's strength at the time.
Environmental campaigners also complained that the presenter had damaged a sensitive peat bog whilst driving a 4x4 to the top of a mountain in Scotland.
A BBC spokesman claimed the test-drive was carried out on private land with the owner's permission and that no damage was caused.
Nonetheless, pressure group Transport 2000 called for the show to be taken off the air and replaced with a programme that promoted "sensible driving in sensible vehicles".
Caravanners
Top Gear's antipathy towards caravan owners is well-documented.
"Caravans are a menace," Clarkson has said. "We all know that.
Conkers with caravans
"And the reason for this is very simple. Nobody who tows a caravan has had any training. Which means they're a bit frightened. Which means they drive slowly. And that means they clog up the British countryside all summer long."
His revenge has been both brutal and frequent. Top Gear has burned caravans to the ground, fired them out of a gas-powered cannon and played "conkers" by swinging motor homes towards each other on a crane.
But in 2009, Top Gear bosses admitted setting up a stunt involving a caravan attached to an airship straying over Norwich airport, prompting police to intervene.
At the time, a BBC spokesperson said: "As an entertainment programme, Top Gear prides itself on making silly films that don't pretend to represent real life.
"Any suggestion it deliberately misled viewers is patently ludicrous."
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The presenter was driving at 288mph in a rocket-powered dragster when the front tyre disintegrated and it spun out of control.
He was airlifted to hospital and treated for swelling to the brain and bruising, but eventually made a complete recovery.
"I was driving and then it was two weeks later and I was in Leeds (hospital)," he said after his recovery. "There was a sense of 'oh bugger'."
"In hospital I was completely useless. I'd look at the menu and order my favourite, cottage pie.
"Five minutes later it arrived and I said that's great, it's my favourite, how did you know?"
The Health and Safety Executive said there had been failings in risk assessment procedures but other safety precautions had "almost certainly saved Mr Hammond's life".
Disability charities
Clarkson drew the ire of disability charities in 2010 during a review of the Ferrari F430 Speciale.
Comparing it to a newer model, he said the car "was a bit wrong" and "looked like a simpleton".
He concluded it "should have been called the 430 Speciale Needs".
The National Autistic Society said the comments perpetuated "the prejudice and bullying which people with disabilities have to cope with".
The BBC apologised.
Animal rights campaigners
The cow incident was filmed during a US roadtrip
During a US special in 2007, Jeremy Clarkson tied a dead cow to the roof of his Camaro before reversing, flinging the animal into the air.
The segment, which happened when producers challenged the presenters to produce a dinner of roadkill during a road trip, prompted dozens of complaints.
"Viewers are well aware of the type of humour on Top Gear and this was very typical," the BBC said. "However, no offence was intended."
Environmental damage
In 2004, the BBC had to apologise and pay damagesto a parish council in Somerset after Clarkson rammed a pick-up truck into a mature horse chestnut tree.
He was apparently testing the vehicle's strength at the time.
Environmental campaigners also complained that the presenter had damaged a sensitive peat bog whilst driving a 4x4 to the top of a mountain in Scotland.
A BBC spokesman claimed the test-drive was carried out on private land with the owner's permission and that no damage was caused.
Nonetheless, pressure group Transport 2000 called for the show to be taken off the air and replaced with a programme that promoted "sensible driving in sensible vehicles".
Caravanners
Top Gear's antipathy towards caravan owners is well-documented.
"Caravans are a menace," Clarkson has said. "We all know that.
Conkers with caravans
"And the reason for this is very simple. Nobody who tows a caravan has had any training. Which means they're a bit frightened. Which means they drive slowly. And that means they clog up the British countryside all summer long."
His revenge has been both brutal and frequent. Top Gear has burned caravans to the ground, fired them out of a gas-powered cannon and played "conkers" by swinging motor homes towards each other on a crane.
But in 2009, Top Gear bosses admitted setting up a stunt involving a caravan attached to an airship straying over Norwich airport, prompting police to intervene.
At the time, a BBC spokesperson said: "As an entertainment programme, Top Gear prides itself on making silly films that don't pretend to represent real life.
"Any suggestion it deliberately misled viewers is patently ludicrous."
Share this story
Follow @LaNUBlog & @Hon_KingSIMEO on Twitter for Updates
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