Last year, BBC’sTop Gearwas forced to soldier on without itstraditional trio of hosts,Jeremy Clarkson,James MayandRichard Hammond.Jeremy Clarksonwas fired for reportedly punching a producer, but they found a home on Amazon with their new hit show The Grand Tour. It didn’t take long for one of the hosts to find themselves in hot water again, asRichard Hammondrecently made a joke on the show that many gay rights supporters and people in the gay community aren’t too happy with.
On the sixth episode of Amazon’sThe Grand Tour, which was released on December 23 and is titled “Happy Finish Christmas,“Richard Hammondmade a comment, insinuating that it isgayto eat ice cream. WhenJeremy Clarksoncommented on a Volvo’s interior, saying “the only problem is that in one of those, you couldn’t enjoy a chocolate Magnum ice cream.” Here is whatRichard Hammondhad to say in response.
“It’s alright, I don’t eat ice cream. It’s something to do with being straight…there’s nothing wrong with it. But a grown man eating an ice cream, it’s a bit, it’s that way rather than that way.”
During the scene in the show, it went over well enough in that the audience laughed, but evenJeremy ClarksonandJames Maysort of took him down a peg for his comment and tried to make him feel ridiculous for saying it. In any case, the damage has been done and people have been ripping intoRichard Hammondon social media. LGBT campaignerPeter Tatchellspoke with BBC 5 about the comments and was very unhappy about it. Here is what he had to say.
“It’s a perverse world when everyday pleasures like ice cream becomes the butt of homophobic innuendo. That Richard Hammond thinks he needs to boast about his heterosexuality is weird and it will get people wondering, ‘Why? Why is he saying that?’ His pandering to prejudice is bad enough, of course. But the audience applause that he got makes it even worse, and I think it shows that we still have some way to go to end bigoted banter.”
Historically speaking, it wasJeremy Clarksonwho got the formerTop Gear trioin trouble. Punching the producer was just the last straw in a long string incidents that led to him being fired and bothJames MayandRichard Hammondleft in a show of solidarity, not because they were fired. At the moment, the producers ofThe Grand TourandRichard Hammondhave remained silent about the backlash, but they will surely be making a comment at some point.
