Clarkson's prostitute joke did not breach code
.jpg "Jokes by Jeremy Clarkson on BBC2's Top Gear about murdering prostitutes did not breach the Broadcasting Code, Ofcom ruled today.")
Jokes by Jeremy Clarkson on BBC2's Top Gear about murdering prostitutes did not breach the Broadcasting Code, Ofcom has ruled.
Ofcom received 339 complaints about comments made by Clarkson concerning lorry drivers, and complaints to the BBC topped 1,800.
As he completed a lorry-driving task, Clarkson said: "This is a hard job and I'm not just saying that to win favour with lorry drivers, it's a hard job.
"Change gear, change gear, change gear, check mirror, murder a prostitute, change gear, change gear, murder. That's a lot of effort in a day."
His comments came after serial killer Steve Wright was convicted in February of murdering five prostitutes in Ipswich.
Wright was a former lorry driver, as well as a pub landlord and forklift truck driver.
Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe, who killed 13 women, was also a truck driver.
'Exaggeration'
But despite the complaints, the watchdog said: "Ofcom did not believe the intention of the comments could be seen to imply that all lorry drivers murder prostitutes, nor would it be reasonable to make such an inference.
"In Ofcom's view, the presenter was clearly using exaggeration to make a joke, albeit not to everyone's taste.
"The comments should therefore be seen in that context."
The Top Gear show was broadcast at 8pm on November 2.
Labour MP Chris Mole previously said Clarkson's comments "must be a dismissible offence".
The Iceni Project, a charity which had helped some of the murdered prostitutes in Ipswich, had criticised the remark.
The group's director, Brian Tobin, said: "I just think it was highly distasteful and insensitive."
View images of Clarkson and co cross Tower Bridge in a tank
Speaking for campaigning group All Women Count, Cari Mitchell had said: "It was a truly heartless comment."
But others held different views, including Eddie Stobart chief executive Andrew Tinkler, who said previously: "They were just having a laugh."
'Freedom of expression'
And Will Shiers, editor of Truck & Driver magazine, believed most of the UK's drivers who saw the programme loved it.
Ofcom found: "It is often the case that humour can cause offence.
"To restrict humour only to material which does not cause offence would be an unnecessary restriction of freedom of expression.
"However, in transmitting potentially offensive material, broadcasters must ensure that they apply generally accepted standards.
"Ofcom considered the large majority of the audience would have understood the comments as being made for comic effect, and were in keeping with what would normally be expected from this presenter in this particular programme."
It found that the broadcast of the material was justified by the context and not in breach of Rule 2.3 of the code, which deals with generally accepted standards.
Video: Watch Jeremy Clarkson and co cross Tower Bridge in a tank
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