I voted no for 2 reasons:
- the show is entertainment, and this ‘sketch’ was great entertainment.
2 Have the RHA not got more serious and pressing matters to fight for on behalf of their members. If not perhaps we could provide them with a list…
ofcom have had 188 complaints
Personaly i think the RHA have forgotten its a SHOW its entertaiment ! not a documentry !
It was in my humble opinion FUNNY !
I’ve just sent my email to Roger King of the RHA…here it is;
Dear Mr King
As a professional LGV class 1 driver of almost 21 years, I write with regret to complain about your corporate letter to the BBC regarding the Top Gear programme of 02/11/2008.
Although I am not a member of the RHA, I feel that your letter of complaint to the BBC could be mistaken as representative of all LGV drivers in the country. With this in mind, I would like to make a formal complaint to the RHA as I feel this may well have been misleading to the BBC.
I watched the programme in it’s entirety and found it all to be very funny and entertaining. I was not outraged, disgusted, upset or otherwise adversely affected by any element of the show. I did not take exception to any of it. In fact my wife and I both laughed out loud, especially during the truck related segment of the show.
Whereas some of the issues raised in your letter may be pertinent to some people, they are certainly not representative of my own opinion about the programme and I take exception to a professional organisation such as yourselves purporting to represent my own opinion. Have you consulted me? No.
I quote from your letter;
“What has truly upset our members is the reference by Jeremy Clarkson that as a “self-acclaimed goods vehicle driver”, he felt the need to ‘murder prostitutes’. Whilst this could be interpreted as being ‘humorous’ by some, it certainly is not seen that way by over half a million lorry drivers who take great exception at such type casting”.
I’d be interested to discover exactly which part of Mr Clarkson’s jokes were taken seriously and how many of your members were genuinely upset by it. Maybe if Peter Sutcliffe had been watching, he may well be offended, but then, he DID murder a few prostitutes and he WAS a truck driver. I find it difficult to believe that anyone, particularly truck drivers, would think that those comments would be anything other than ironic comedy. “Change gear, change gear, change gear, change gear, murder a prostitute, change gear, change gear change gear” brilliant comedy in my opinion.
Are you able to evidence the opinions of the 500,000 lorry drivers you allege to have been offended by Mr Clarkson’s comments? How many have written to you say how funny they found it?
Political correctness is in the advanced stages of killing this country and our world famous spirit. Please don’t throw fuel on fire in the name of the UK trucker…I don’t think your letter was representative of the majority.
Best regards,
That’ll sort it!
If he dignifies it with a reply, I’ll post it up.
bubsy06:
five news just said ofcom have had 188 complaints
188 out of 8,000,000 viewers? A fraction of 1% of viewers complained, probaly no more complaints than any programme gets and complaints are likely to be a bit higher than normal with everyone jumping on the complaining bandwagon following the Brand/Ross thing. Not worth worrying about.
A bigger percentage of the posters on this thread have complained about the RHA by emailing them, kinda puts it in perspective. 
Coffeeholic:
I take great exception to the RHA.
i agree with at quote they are a total waste of space just dont fight hard enought 
but to the subject the progamm was funny as hell 
Didn’t really bother me (possibly cos i’m a girl?) - but though it was a bit naughty considering the bother the BBC are in at the moment.
There is a difference from typecasting welsh sheep sha&&ers, which is pretty victimless (unless you count Dolly) even if its tiresome, and effectively joking about real murders - which I think is in very poor taste.
However I don’t imagine it really alters the perception of truckers - where image and reputation is concerned its certainly not half as bad as tabloid journalists spreading zb about artics doing 90mph whilst on the phone, or running bent.
Anyway, JC has his own problems this week: who’d have thought that driving a lorry at 56mph through a brick wall might hurt…
Top Gear is entertainment and Clarkson make remarks about all sorts of people. Do the thousands of Motorcyclists get upset when he make comments that all bikers are gay?
It’s a sad thing that this is the most positive in the media about trucks for a while, they made such a hash of driving the things that he made truck driving look quite difficult and they also commented on the problem when a car cut in front and slows down.
I also remember Clarkson did a truck feature on Top Gear about 10 years ago, he was quite vocal about despite who nice they were to drive the job was a difficult one.
Look.At the end of the day,it was entertainment,and bloody funny entertainment at that.TV needs more off the cuff programmes like it.
So what if Clarkson made a remark about prostitutes,who cares? With Clarkson,what you see,is what you get,if you don’t like what he says,don’t frikkin watch.Simple.
Clarkson says what the rest of us think,the only difference is,he is in a position where people can hear him.
I don’t give 2 ■■■■■ what the RHA think,and they sure as hell don’t represent me,so well done to Shrek for composing the letter,and putting them straight.
Ken.
Quinny:
Look.At the end of the day,it was entertainment,and bloody funny entertainment at that.TV needs more off the cuff programmes like it.So what if Clarkson made a remark about prostitutes,who cares? With Clarkson,what you see,is what you get,if you don’t like what he says,don’t frikkin watch.Simple.
Clarkson says what the rest of us think,the only difference is,he is in a position where people can hear him.
I don’t give 2 [zb] what the RHA think,and they sure as hell don’t represent me,so well done to Shrek for composing the letter,and putting them straight.
Ken.
Cheers mate!
Nice to see I’m not the only one who is hugely underwhelmed by the RHA response!
Nice one Shrek
Must admit I’m more ■■■■■■ off at Roger King & RHA thinking that they represent me, than JC’s jokes 
.
What a shame that a micky take gets more responce from the RHA than my bloody shamless existance as a haulier. Pity they dont make Clarkson and Co PR Men for Road Haulage. We might get some where then!!!
Shrek:
I’ve just sent my email to Roger King of the RHA…here it is;Dear Mr King
As a professional LGV class 1 driver of almost 21 years, I write with regret to complain about your corporate letter to the BBC regarding the Top Gear programme of 02/11/2008.
Although I am not a member of the RHA, I feel that your letter of complaint to the BBC could be mistaken as representative of all LGV drivers in the country. With this in mind, I would like to make a formal complaint to the RHA as I feel this may well have been misleading to the BBC.
I watched the programme in it’s entirety and found it all to be very funny and entertaining. I was not outraged, disgusted, upset or otherwise adversely affected by any element of the show. I did not take exception to any of it. In fact my wife and I both laughed out loud, especially during the truck related segment of the show.
Whereas some of the issues raised in your letter may be pertinent to some people, they are certainly not representative of my own opinion about the programme and I take exception to a professional organisation such as yourselves purporting to represent my own opinion. Have you consulted me? No.
I quote from your letter;
“What has truly upset our members is the reference by Jeremy Clarkson that as a “self-acclaimed goods vehicle driver”, he felt the need to ‘murder prostitutes’. Whilst this could be interpreted as being ‘humorous’ by some, it certainly is not seen that way by over half a million lorry drivers who take great exception at such type casting”.
I’d be interested to discover exactly which part of Mr Clarkson’s jokes were taken seriously and how many of your members were genuinely upset by it. Maybe if Peter Sutcliffe had been watching, he may well be offended, but then, he DID murder a few prostitutes and he WAS a truck driver. I find it difficult to believe that anyone, particularly truck drivers, would think that those comments would be anything other than ironic comedy. “Change gear, change gear, change gear, change gear, murder a prostitute, change gear, change gear change gear” brilliant comedy in my opinion.
Are you able to evidence the opinions of the 500,000 lorry drivers you allege to have been offended by Mr Clarkson’s comments? How many have written to you say how funny they found it?
Political correctness is in the advanced stages of killing this country and our world famous spirit. Please don’t throw fuel on fire in the name of the UK trucker…I don’t think your letter was representative of the majority.
Best regards,
That’ll sort it!
If he dignifies it with a reply, I’ll post it up.
Here Bloody HERE well done mate. RHA who■■?
Getting a fair of media coverage Down Under.
Personally I thought it was funny,we have to laught at ourselves.
Bit like the joke about truckers I told in a truck stop and was met with deathly silence;
Whats the best thing about being an Interstate(Long Distance) truckie?
Only 2 more sleeps till Christmas!!!
Drugs are rampant in some section of trucking,and that is how it is.
Coffeeholic:
I take great exception to the RHA.
Snap!!
Considering he doesn’t do the job and doesn’t know half of the stuff then people should just laugh at him half the time he doesn’t know what he’s talking about lol.
i thought it was just plain funny
mr king me old mucker who are you trying to kid trucks have never been so easy to drive…its the silly pinickety rules that are the challenge
i voted no
because anyone who watches top gear knows what JC is like, he takes the mick out of everything on the road and everybody.
im more offended by the rha, im not a member so how do they know how i feel about it,
WELL I BLOODY LOVED IT
there you go RHA now you know how i feel.
RHA get a life thats it!
Whilst it was funny, I would have prefered to have seen shown us in a better light. We have enough to contend with on the roads and the lack of facilities, it does show just how difficult it can be. It does take skill to get around in a truck, and we are also hated by most car drivers, so why couldn’t they have shown us in a better light. We don’t all murder prostitues from Ipswich !!!