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THE UK’S BROADCASTING watchdog has launched an investigation into an episode of Top Gear in which the word ‘pikey’ was used.
The episode from February of last year featured a sign erected by presenter Jeremy Clarkson naming a race track ‘Pikey’s Peak’. Pike’s Peak is the name of a mountain range in North America.
An internal review by the BBC’s Editorial Standards Committee had previously cleared use of the phrase saying that it had “evolved into common parlance among a number of people to mean ‘chavvy’ or ‘cheap’.”
The committee acknowledged that the word is related to travellers because it comes from the word ‘turnpike’ but said that there was ”intended racist reference”.
The broadcaster reports that the BBC Trust rejected an original complaint from the Traveller Movement organisation. The group has now referred their complaint to Ofcom who confirm they have launched an investigation into whether the episode breaches content standards.
Ofcom notes that an investigation does not necessarily mean a broadcaster has done anything wrong.
Top Gear has previously used the term ‘pikey’ many times during show.
Last year, Ofcom decided that Top Gear had breached broadcasting rules during a ‘Burma Special’ episode when Clarkson said a bridge they’d constructed had ‘a slope on it’.
‘Slope’ has been used as an offensive term and Ofcom said it should not have been broadcast.
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Drink good me drink when young me no problem
Never done me any harm, hard to know what to believe thesedays
@Jonny: “did” and “these days”
@Jonny: clearly it has though, thanks for proving the point
@Yzo Sirrius: Quality
@Jonny: should be Johnny not Jonny
@Barry Somers: weirdo
@Yzo Sirrius: grammar nazi are we
@Figo murphy: I know how my own name is spelt.. Shouldn’t you be doing something more productive with your time than posting ridiculous comments like this
@Jonny: ah bless, too much booze as a teen I’d say.
How are they still able to mess with monkeys like that?
@Stephen Small: You just get them drunk and they’ll let you do anything.
I would suggest teenagers who drink regularly to excess would have a lower level of brain activity before they started drinking
I not think that drink harm brain me ok
Ah so that’s what’s wrong with me brain!!
Ahhhh Jonny
That explains everything.
No bottle or can health warnings, no education, no penalties for underage drinking, no support for those who become addicted.
I could never become an alcoholic after what I saw it do to relatives. Meanwhile my friends never shut up about how funny and grand drink it. Oh well …
So everyone in Mediterranean Europe has stunted brain growth? After all most of those countries have a culture of drinking wine with meals from an early age.
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