The BBC’s Top Gear television show and its quirky and irreverent host Jeremy Clarkson are not newcomers to international controversy. The show, hosted by a trio of odd ducks and one of the most popular on British and world television, often finds itself in questionable political territory during its filming. In its latest international incident, Top Gear was run out of Argentina by stone-throwing locals incensed by what they perceived as a mocking license plate on one of the cars being featured.
The plate, which had British marks and read “H982 FKL” was interpreted by some, it is said, to be a jab at the nation’s loss of the 1982 war with Britain in the Falkland Islands. Whether the plates were a fluke or were used on purpose, no one has said, but the cast and crew of Top Gear abandoned the cars in an airport and quickly fled to Chile to escape the stones.
A two-minute video surfaced showing the crew and its convoy of vehicles being stoned before fleeing.
The Daily Mail details the follow up commentary from Clarkson and crew after the fact.
