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BBC trims ‘racist’ Mexican gag

BBC Worldwide will excise a controversial Top Gear segment from its international edition after complaints about 'racist' Mexican gags.

A Top Gear segment in which the hosts compared a car to Mexicans as “lazy, feckless, flatulent” will be dropped from international versions by BBC Worldwide.

A spokesman for BBC Worldwide has told media and marketing website Mumbrella that it will be cut from the international version, which is ten minutes shorter than the British edition.

“Clearly it was felt that it was appropriate to remove this contentious content. Added to which, we then didn’t get clearance on international broadcast of the still of the Mastretta that was in the background,” they said.

The BBC was forced to apologise for the episode after receiving a formal complaint from the Mexican ambassador in London.

The broadcaster said it was sorry if it had offended some people, but said jokes based on national stereotyping were part of British national humour.

Source: Mumbrella

11 Responses

  1. No jokes please – not allowed to laugh or take the p**s, some one will take offence !! please get over yourselves and take a joke – whoops bad old me eh? now i suppose i’m racist too. Oops!!!

  2. I think it’s just a shame that an entire hour of TV (if not the franchise) has been tarnished by one minute of ‘news’ I know it’s not the first time and I’m waiting on back lash from this weeks show in the UK but really what can the bosses at the BBC do? It’s a huge franchise bringing in millions of pounds a year.

    Hey maybe they can deport them to the colonies (NSW) as prisoners 😆 I’m sure the local TG boys could then have fun with them.

  3. There’s a broad line between poking fun at stereotypes and just plain racism. Not a fine line, but a broad line. It’s quite clear when that line has been crossed, and they did it.

    I have forgiven them any number of other so-called “controversial” jokes they’ve made in the past because I recognise and appreciate the humour, but the Mexico comments were just way over the line in a whole other category.

  4. Steve Coogan has had a go at the Top Gear boys as well for this. I wonder if those who are complaining have ever seen American TV where Mexicans are constant targets for comedians and comedy shows. I mean honestly going after a little show in the UK, where there bigger fish to fry, in America.

  5. I think they were going to drop it all along, or maybe they had rights to show the car (internationally) but they were withdrawn by the manufacture?

    While I think the guys went too far do they need to cut the entire news segment from the show, the Mexican bit was less than 2 mins and could be cut on it’s won IMO, without affecting the rest of the news. It was at the end of the news and doesn’t get mentioned again… until this weeks which aired Sunday in the UK. Will they cut parts of that show as well now?

    BTW it was mentioned on ‘The Morning Show’ (Seven) today, and I’m sure it will come up again, probably not ACA, TT could have a field day with it.

    What will local views do now, go looking for it on YouTube?

    Also what about the gags and jabs at our (Australian’s) expense, should we take offense at the Top Gear guys?

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