Chris Boardman to assess Jeremy Clarkson's cycling safety public information film on Sunday's Top Gear

I just watched it too, and though it is a stereo typical view, it would appear he did manage to point out that bus drivers (and wagon drivers) seem to be the largest vehicles with the least tolerance!

I've just watched the program on BBC iPlayer (I was out riding my bike when it was aired live)

I was so angered at the negative stereotypes, victim blaming, misinformation and appallingly insenstive depiction of mangled bikes and injured cyclists that I complained to the BBC.

First time in 50 years I've ever done that.

You don't get through to thick muppets by lecturing them. You *do* get through to *some* of them by wrapping your message in a joke. The others you won't reach with anything else anyway.

Top Gear is the perfect outfit to get some messages across in an entertaining way. Anyone who expected a lecture doesn't quite get what that show is about and what it can do.

That cycling segment last night was a *good thing* (TM).

Fairly or unfairly, I've lost a bit of respect for Boardman over this. He went into this with his eyes open, as would have the other two gents. They should have point-blank refused to participate in what became a charade without some sort of guaranteed right of rebuttal - even a few sentences like:

"95% of cyclists own cars and hold driver's licences"

"The average income of cyclists is above that of motorists"

"cycling to work, even in London, gives you the fitness of someone 10 years younger"

"Cycling is as safe as driving or walking, per hour"

etc etc...

Those basic facts, more than anything, would have at least got the audience thinking. Huge missed opportunity.

I think if too much attention is given to the hyperbole / entertainment aspect of the TG program a massively important part of the message that Jeremy Clarkson delivered will be missed.

I have long regarded buses and bus drivers as posing the greatest risk to me when on the road, and not just in an urban environment. More needs to be done to educate the minority of bus drivers that appear to have total disregard for the safety of other road users and not just cyclists.

Actually ... hmm. Weird. Maybe that's just me, but I actually thought it was really good. All the main clichés were addressed with a more than obvious tongue in cheek, and the end bit was hammering home the message to be considerate of cyclists and to give them enough room, even if only for the simple reason they're not out to annoy you, the motorist, but actually making your life easier by not clogging up the streets with even more cars.

Having never seen Top Gear before and only knowing about Clarkson from his recent tirades on Twitter, this made me revise my opinion of him quite a bit.

In fact I think we, the cyclists, need more of this: more presence, more normalisation.

*thumbs up*

I think T/G did make a serious point in the end, that none cyclists who only think of them selves may take an ever so slightly different view if cyclists. Instead of the, your slowing me down get out of the bloody way attitude perhaps they just might think one cyclist equals one less car in my way.

Many small steps equal a major change over time. I have no idea what commuting is like in London and I hope I never have to as it looks pretty bad and so I can see why people get so angry.
I commute most days leaving my car in work as I cant do my job with out it and yes I have had some real arse holes in vans and BMW's (I'm sure they drive other cars too) but on the whole I think driver attitudes are changing very slowly and the more cycling is seen as "normal" and not for odd people on tights (yes like me) the better it will be for us all.
Cycling on T/G is a step in the normalisation of cycling and I would suggest that is what Chris B wants to achieve and so agreed to a bit of piss taking.
I think it was very funny and even the worst petrol head will have taken a lot of the tongue in cheek stuff as exactly that.

Chris Boardman deserves better than that. Inviting him on the show to just show a few edits of his face is more than a little disrespectful and there is no way they would treat other guests like that. Boardman did comment that it was all in the edit so one wonders what was cut.
All very drole and all the rest of it but perhaps cycling around London without a film crew might give you a more realistic experience of what it's like. I doubt it would be as amusing and oh so jolly.

Gawd. TopGear at its most brilliantly worst. Pillorying would be too good for them. I nearly wet myself.

And Mr Boardman did NOT appear amused...

Just watched it. If I take off my London commuting hat and put on my comedy hat, and some of these were funny. No really ("work hard - buy a car" anyone?)

So a wasted opportunity - they could (and should) have put a serious message at the end about sharing roads, give cyclists space but sadly missed that opportunity.

Oh well, good comedy , didn't make anything worse (although there were some cringeworthy moments)

I predict Clarkson to go on a monologue about how tough and scary to actually was, how he now has utmost respect for anyone with the balls to get out there on a bike. I'd put a tenner on it.

They are able to do more serious stuff from time to time, like the rally car racing with the injured soldiers etc. so I'm expecting this cycling piece to be the series' serious segment. Otherwise Boardman wouldn't be involved.

I can see it now, JC or May will be tootling along when a car screams past them, so close they wobble and nearly come off. Its all caught on camera and when its shown it will be "nearly got knocked off" and "thats why its not safe to cycle in London so use your car".

It will get the point over that its dangerous to cycle in London but not that it should be made safer.

Lance Armstrong ( who he? Ed ) had a fair few post conversations too. It didn't make his behaviour valid. The trouble with Clarkson is he's a clever man too lazy to do good with his intelligence. He always plays to prejudice and easy stereotypes and much as I'd like to see him do some good for cycling I suspect he won't be able to resist a comic fudge which leaves us where we are now.

I love riding and I really enjoy driving my car. How strange some people think I can only possibly want to be one or the other? I even have a motor cycle licence. I see idiots in crass, on bikes, walking and riding horses. I guesstimates being human we all like different things. I really like top gear! Mr Clarkson certainly knows how to gain interest in the thing he does... Just look at all the posts

“public information film”

So it won't be a complete stitch up by the BBBC? the British Biased Broadcasting Corporation, famous for its multitude of amazingly bad features about cycling? and its continual propaganda campaign about helmets?

Strange that they never picked up on the recent Chris Boardman story about how useless helmets were, but I'd wager my house that if he'd said they were effective it would have been in every one of their news reports.

I'm afraid that the BBBC has proven so biased that I have no faith whatsoever that this feature will be factual, unbiased and truthful.

Remember though, that this is all down to the edit - Chris is no fool, but they could probably make it look that way...

Anyone remember that episode of TG where he presented his "P45" car to Dragon's Den? And they ripped it to pieces.

Or the one where they had to make an advert for a car and present it to a panel of advertising executives?

Obviously both very staged but very funny. I can see this one going the same way, it'll be staged and scripted and done more for laughs than anything. Chris Boardman has got a very dry sense of humour, I can see him doing pretty well out of this. Looking forward to it, I like Top Gear - take it for what it is, a staged, scripted piece of light entertainment of (as Hammond once described it) "cocking about with cars".

Not sure if people are aware that mrs Clarkson is a very keen cyclist she even rode with the injured soldier ride (blezma) last year finishing with a lap of the top gear test circuit. So will be interesting to see how cycling will be portrayed on Sunday. Either way im sure jc will get greif if not from us but from her.

This is know.

Boardman is a really good advocate for cycling
Boardman is savvy media operator
Boardman is a good businessman with independent income that doesn't need to play politics. I trust him.
Boardman does not go along to get along with stuff he doesn't think helps cyclists
Top Gear is a massively popular programme
Clarkson has the attention of a lot of motorists
If you want to get a message to a lot of motorists Clarkson is the "go to Guy".
This may be risky.
It may yield high rewards

Clarkson et al may stitch Chris up. Could happen.

But Boardman is an Olympic medallist.
He is able to get media attention
He is a formidable opponent articulate, knowledgeable, he drives 25k miles a year, he is not a beardy, sandalist, type of cyclist.
If you wanted to try and stitch someone up on Top Gear he would not be your low hanging fruit.

Let's see how it goes shall we. But if you want to do something about driver attitudes there's no point to talking only to the faithful and preaching to the choir. You need to campaign amongst the heathens as well.

“If sinners will be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our bodies. And if they will perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees, imploring them to stay. If Hell must be filled, at least let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go there unwarned and unprayed for.”
Charles Spurgeon

Allez Chris and chapeau!

Clarkson is on record as really getting urban cycling: http://road.cc/content/news/56433-jeremy-clarkson-turns-cycling-advocate...

Anyway, Top Gear creates vastly more revenue for the BBC than it costs to produce. It's an obscenely profitable franchise worldwide.

'As far as I am aware, a jury would not paid a handsome wage via a tax on virtually everyone in the country'

Stopped reading at that point. It's really not a tax, now, is it. It's an optional payment, which you only need make if you use the product.