Saturday Night Live UK spoofs Jeremy Clarkson! š
Posted by FlipStig1@reddit | thegrandtour | View on Reddit | 130 comments
Apparently SNL has a UK edition now, and this is a screenshot where an attempt was made to parody Jeremy Clarkson. Havenāt seen the actual video myself (yet), but for those who did, feel free to share your reactions in the commentsā¦
No-Kiwi-1868@reddit
Can nobody take a joke these days?? Seriously, unless Clarkson himself was hurt by the comments, I don't see why anybody has to feel so offended on behalf of him.
ErectPotato@reddit
It baffles me how many people are basically ride or die for Clarkson. He sure knows how to entertain but every single one of his political takes are utter nonsense and he comes across as an absolute bellend at the best of times.
The main reason he bought that farm was as a tax loophole. He would not have got involved if not for that.
KamakaziDemiGod@reddit
It's baffles me how many people are basically ride or die for Clarkson, and how many people don't understand that he puts on a public persona
He partly bought the farm for the tax aspects (if you had that much money you would too) but he also liked the idea of owning a farm and producing food, which lead to him growing as a person and realising how important farming is, and how difficult it is for farmers.
Demonising him is just as short sighted and inaccurate as idolising him
No-Kiwi-1868@reddit
It's just that people never realise that Clarkson loves pissing others off, and he loves it even more when others piss him off, it's all intentional and he's the sort of person who can take a good laugh even if you insult his mother (RIP Shirley Clarkson). He's been like this forever, way before Top Gear. In modern terms it's what you call a "ragebait"
That's why I disagree when people compare him with Trump. Clarkson may whine and complain and mock everyone but you don't see him cancel/sue someone every time they get at him, Trump isn't like that. Our Jezza may be a tit, but he means no harm (unless you're Oisin Tymon I guess)
ErectPotato@reddit
This kind of defence really really confuses me.
āThis guy pisses me offā
āAh well you see what you donāt get is heās doing it on purposeā
Whatās the conclusion here? That Iām mean to like a guy that pisses me off?
cmerchantii@reddit
Youāre missing the key part: you donāt know Jeremy Clarkson enough to be pissed at him, you know a character he plays who is also named Jeremy Clarkson.
Saying Clarkson pisses you off is fine, but itās not an argument against the guy itās about the entertainment character he portrays.
The weird parasocial relationship people who love OR hate a tv character is ridiculous either way you slice it. You might as well say āI hate Chandler Bing from friends he pisses me offā, ok fine but you know heās not a real person right?
ErectPotato@reddit
I donāt know enough about him? Do I need to go on holiday with him to judge his extremely consistent bad takes on global warming and inheritance tax and general horrible negative attitude to everything? I donāt need to personally know him to make a conclusion about if I donāt like him. If thatās all heās putting out there. You could use the exact same logic to question whether he has any actual fans because none of them āknow enough about himā what secret insight do you possess about him?
Ok then, weird bit of pedantry in my opinion because I donāt know any other Jeremy Clarkson. Itās not like hating Sacha Baron Cohen because I think heās Borat. Jeremy Clarkson isnāt some stand up comedian. Heās obviously there for peoplesā entertainment but donāt try and act like heās some sort of method acting genius.
I donāt have that much experience of Jeselnik but he came across as a proper c*nt when he was on off menu. Sure I might be judging his ācharacterā but I have nothing else to judge him on.
The thing is, I can understand what youāre getting at. If Clarkson was playing up a caricature of a certain type of tax dodging global warming denying millionaire but it his personal life actually made it clear he those arenāt his real view through his actions then fine. But I seem to recall him being pretty publicly pissed off about the farming tax loophole being closed, meanwhile Iām waiting for the other shoe to drop to prove that itās just some character.
The truth is he isnāt a character, heās just him. People find him entertaining and a lot of people like him purely for who he is. I donāt think any of his fans pretend like thatās not him, so I donāt see why I should also do that for some reason.
ErectPotato@reddit
Iām not demonising him, Iām judging him by the things heās said and done. I agree he does have a public persona, unfortunately that persona is one I take issue with. (I also donāt think that the public persona is that different to his private persona. See: punching manager in the face). So I donāt feel a need to go out of my way to make up a different private version of him that I like.
As a non-millionaire I think that millionaires shouldnāt be able to use the good faith inheritance tax easements on farms to avoid tax their estate would otherwise pay. If Clarkson wasnāt a millionaire he would also have an issue with this loophole. š¤·š¼ Itās not a great excuse to me and I donāt feel the need to bend over backwards to make excuses for people not only trying to avoid tax but actively protesting their tax loopholes being closed.
Meh him laundering his image with his farming programme and āgrowing as a personā is just another part of his public persona you want to imply is just fake for the sake of entertainment. You canāt just say āoh heās only a prick because of his public personaā and then believe that heās actually a decent guy when that could equally be his public persona. He could just as easily be doing these things and raising awareness whilst also paying his fair share of tax.
KamakaziDemiGod@reddit
Your judgement appears to be comimg from taking things he says literally, which is not how its intended to be interpreted. Most of what he says is satire and sarcasm, he just doesn't care enough to correct people who don't understand it. This is demonstrated by how you don't know who Oisin Tymon is, he was an assistant on the show, not a manager (TV shows don't even have managers), and that incident had nothing to do with politics, it's because people were hungry and angry (most of the production were) and a dispute that had been going on between Oisin and Jeremy came to a head because of it.
I absolutely agree, millionaires and billionaires shouldn't be allowed to avoid or evade taxes, and having more definitely shouldn't mean paying less. The farm inheritance tax is not directly connected to millionaires, most farms aren't run by wealthy people as clarksons farm demonstrates, and by protesting the change in taxes while he was literally admitting his personal motivation, shows Jeremy was using his position to help the people who need and deserve it even if it meant he would be omitted from that benefit. Pretty much every person who earns a couple hundred thousand a year have a financial advisor and legally avoid tax just as Jezza has, that is not enough to judge him as a person. He has definitely changed during his farm ownership and anyone who cared to actually see him as a person not just a persona should be able to see that
I'm not and didn't say hes not a prick, I was pointing out how your opinion is clearly based on his public persona and misinterpretted facts, which you redemonstrated here. Yeah he could do better, but there's much worse people and problems we should be dealing with before that.
kernowgringo@reddit
So you're on the "ride" side then.
Ok_Impact9745@reddit
My opinion is very much the same as James may I think Jeremy is an arsehole but I enjoy his programs. He's a good entertainer.
I also think he's often playing a persona and he exaggerates being an arsehole for engagement.
Yes he bought his farm as part of a tax loophole but he has also raised awareness for British farmers.
Yes people like Jeremy are part of the problem with farming but I also think a lot of farmers problems are self-inflicted too. The vast majority of farmers blindly vote Tory and they voted for brexit despite losing EU subsidies.
FourEyedTroll@reddit
I bloody love James for this "interview", it's clear and honest without any PR BS.
Ok_Impact9745@reddit
His response is absolutely perfect.
I think we all have a Jeremy in our lives. That weird uncle, the colleague or the friend etc who comes out with the most unhinged shit. Any social interaction comes with a warning but you kind of enjoy their company and the chaos.
I used to work with a guy who was a die hard Nigel Farage fan. The guy was absolutely unhinged and had some really fucked up political views. I enjoyed his company because he was actually quite funny. I also enjoyed watching him get decked on a night out for being a racist prick.
It's fine to hold two opposing viewpoints at the same time. People are pretty complex and nuanced and you can like someone for one reason whilst also disliking them for a different reason.
ErectPotato@reddit
Apologies for making an assumption that might not be accurate but I wouldnāt personally feel safe around a racist bigot. Having to work with people like that every day at a previous job meant I had to actively hide parts of myself from my colleagues for fear of bullying.
So sure one guy in particular was the charismatic āclass clownā of the workplace, and often was fun. But if you got on his bad side it was truly awful. I can imagine you were not in the frame when it came to your Farage loving colleagueās hatred and thatās why itās easier for you to dismiss him as just āanother one of those Jeremy Clarkson typesā but for others its like āwill this guy start a fight with me if I go on the work night out?ā
OcelotInevitable5631@reddit
but you're the bigger flight-risk here
ErectPotato@reddit
Sorry what do you mean by that?
OcelotInevitable5631@reddit
of all of us, you're the most likely to go postal.
Ok_Impact9745@reddit
Yes I'm 100% privileged being a white male that it didn't bother me. I'm willing to acknowledge my privilege.
He wasn't a violent man and he didn't start fights (but he often found himself in them). He was just a cheeky little gobshite. He got knocked out because he was being a racist gobshite and someone (rightly so) took offense to it. Miraculously nobody saw it happen š
I think you are right when you say "class clown"
We used to wind him up something rotten. He had a picture of a topless model in his locker and we ripped it out and replaced it with a picture of Dianna Abbott.
I wouldn't be worried about him bullying you. He probably got bullied more by us for being a little right wing moron. He'd been put in his place more often than not.
OcelotInevitable5631@reddit
have some self-respect, man.
Azalea_Field@reddit
Have you ever seen a farmer with a small house and a crappy car?
AmNoSuperSand52@reddit
In total assets farmer are doing better than most. But thatās because their assets are their employment livelihood versus most of us who are paid by someone else
Ok_Impact9745@reddit
In rural communities the crappiness of your car is directly proportionate to your wealth.
Heaven forbid you spend your money on garish flamboyant cars that's something for the new money and working class chavs. Your 1997 fiat punto is still a perfectly sufficient vehicle.
Then you look and they've got a brand new new-holland or John Deere rig which probably costs more than most supercars.
No-Kiwi-1868@reddit
And Clarkson himself has stated that he's aware that he's a tit at times, and generally expects no one to take him seriously, like, at all, because he knows that he contradicts himself in his own columns.
ErectPotato@reddit
Ok but that doesnāt make me like him, and means I understand even less why people like him and defend him. āHey I might be a dick sometimes but hey I canāt help that for some reasonā
Itās almost like heās asking you to make excuses on his behalf to ignore when he has sincere unpopular views e.g. being a tax dodging climate denier. āOh heās doesnāt really mean it heās just a titā
OcelotInevitable5631@reddit
but you're a dick ALL the time, I can tell you don't know how to switch this conformity aspect off.
Fearless-Dust-2073@reddit
This is a bit of a smokescreen or deflection to protect himself when he comes out with political bollocks that he actually does believe. "If I say something you don't like, I didn't mean it"
ErectPotato@reddit
Exactly. Itās so pathetic how easily it works
Redhawk911@reddit
I enjoy Jeremy in TG and TGT other than that heās a massive cunt who shouldnāt be writing shit in papers.
BenXL@reddit
I got downvoted for calling out his political takes in another thread, then I had a literal white supremacist arguing with me. smh
ErectPotato@reddit
Yeah doesnāt surprise me he attracts that type. Clarkson defenders are like āheās just trolling you by saying opinions I happen to 100% agree withā
d15p05abl3@reddit
Reminds me of the Stew Lee bit.
Amazing that Clarkson can hold these reactionary views, every week, in a national newspaper to a deadline. For money. Almost as if they arenāt real.
mad-un@reddit
Even if he was hurt by the comments, it doesn't matter. People need to realise that it's a joke, that's all. Many laughed, even if you didn't, that's a you problem
OcelotInevitable5631@reddit
"many" lol
mad-un@reddit
Yes many... You could hear what sounded like a majority laughing in the live audience
OcelotInevitable5631@reddit
you need to break that habit of pretending to speak for others
reddit users often forget they represent the niche-pariah minority of the internet, there is no world in which you could ever represent a "many" lol
mad-un@reddit
I don't represent the many, but I heard many laughing. I'm not saying THE many, but many people laughed, of those watching it, many of them laughed.
To stress the point, I don't mean most, or the majority, but many people.
OcelotInevitable5631@reddit
are you one of those types to fall for background laugh-tracks? be honest
mad-un@reddit
Yes, especially on live broadcasts.
Are you one of those people that has no ability to laugh at people taking the piss out of people they like?
Lighten up, bozo!
OcelotInevitable5631@reddit
lol
lmao even
stop trying so hard, performative responses were built to backfire in real interactions.
mad-un@reddit
You're right... Well done
Opposite_Radio9388@reddit
That's easy to say when it's not aimed at you. I don't like Clarkson at all, but when someone specific is being made fun of, it's generally accepted that their feelings matter. It doesn't become a "them" problem because of some utilitarian notion that as long as most people laugh, it's okay.
Puzzleheaded-Gap2689@reddit
Get over yourself
Klakson_95@reddit
Yeah but if you're going to be the sort of person that Clarkson is, you need to be able to take it on the chin
Which I think he usually does tbf
MrFlow@reddit
Yeah, Clarkson is definitely a good sport about jokes, when that british comedian was a guest on Top Gear, he made fun of Clarkson and he even showed the clip on Top Gear during the SIARC interview.
Way-twofrequentflyer@reddit
When he got hit in the face with that Pie he said ānice shotā. Thatās being a pretty good sport
RatherNerdy@reddit
Especially Clarkson. Like hoky shit, the guy goes out of his way to piss on folks on the regular.
humanmanhumanguyman@reddit
His entire public personality is being a bombastic asshole, it's a completely intentional act
ErectPotato@reddit
And thatās a good thing why?
OcelotInevitable5631@reddit
because being like you is LEGITIMATELY ten times worse
Fearless-Dust-2073@reddit
It's entertaining
Spiritual-Archer118@reddit
The people who complain about āwoke cultureā, ācancel cultureā and those who are āeasily offendedā are always the ones who themselves cannot take a joke and are easily offendedā¦
geniusgravity@reddit
Agreed, and people should feel the same about every column and talking head he's ever written. They don't. But they should.
BurtEdits@reddit
I wasn't offended by the insults, I was insulted by how unfunny the whole show is.
Most of the sketches seem to be "what do 2 other people that I know find slightly amusing" and then run with it.
Also they perform with such smugness that it doesn't even feel like comedy.
I enjoy sketch comedy but fuck me this is bad.
Again before anyone jumps down my throat, couldn't give two shits about the content anythings fair game in comedy.
BaBaFiCo@reddit
You weren't offended š
BurtEdits@reddit
Talking about the whole show you silly cunt.
DimensionMediocre439@reddit
It's the rule of SNL. Anytime anything from SNL gets posted at least half the comments are about how this isn't funny at all and how bad comedy is these days compared to their childhood. They genuinely go out of their way to tell you how much they don't like SNL.
These comments never show up at other satirical shows, only SNL. I have no idea why that show pisses people of so much. 99% of the jokes are very harmless.
ian9outof10@reddit
Even if Clarkson was hurt, he doesnāt care when he makes jokes at the expense of others
Several_Cold_7160@reddit
Cult of Clarkson is wild
gonzalbo87@reddit
Okay and? Unless you are sharing this because you enjoyed the joke, there is no point to this post. A joke of a joke show made a joke of a joke. Big whoop. And I say that as a huge Clarkson fan and an SNL detractor.
StephanieMirage@reddit
Probably written by James May
pinewind108@reddit
They give Clarkson the gentlest treatment possible, lol. There's nothing there to get worked up about.
Starmer, on the other hand, lol! Holy fuck, do they roast him.
https://youtu.be/CCkIVZtDVJs
Decard_Pain@reddit
They're doing anything and everything they can to try get a little notice, no ones watching and it's likely getting cancelled.
They know clarkson is way bigger than them and might get some people to watch, they won't because the show is horse shit, but that's what they're hoping for.
Also I doubt anyone was offender here, good people and proper British people don't get offended easilyĀ
Unitedthe_gees@reddit
Lmao what the fuck is that comment š
Stop chortling on clarksons balls.
Decard_Pain@reddit
SNL has terrible viewing figures and is getting cancelled.
Twinkubusz@reddit
It gets massive engagement on social media, which is obviously what they're looking for. It's definitely not getting cancelled, sorry mate
Decard_Pain@reddit
It will.
Twinkubusz@reddit
It won't though
Decard_Pain@reddit
We shall seeĀ
Unitedthe_gees@reddit
Thatās some magic ball youāve there bud.
Living_Masterpiece80@reddit
Does anyone actually watch this?
pussy-enthusiast@reddit
Harry enfield did it better
MLoganImmoto@reddit
My reaction is that it's comedy...whether you find it funny or not is up to you. If anyone else is offended by it other than Clarkson, go outside and touch grass
WySLatestWit@reddit
I kind of feel like they fail to recognize a good portion of those farmers are on Clarkson's side these days.
ErectPotato@reddit
On his side for what? Moaning about an inheritance tax loophole being slightly less beneficial to abuse?
ian9outof10@reddit
Just 2mil now š but only for farmers, for some reason, the rest of us have to pay
ErectPotato@reddit
Exactly and they donāt even have to pay it all at once, they can pay it over several years IIRC.
GreenT1979@reddit
Lol you think anybody writing at SNL is even remotely in touch with rural UK?
Hopeful_chap@reddit
Clarkson duped a load of idiotic farmers to join his cause of not taxing rich people that buy farms as tax breaks. The farmers supporting him are literally the ones left unable to afford to keep doing their jobs because farms are a decent tax avoidance scheme.
AbsolutelyHorrendous@reddit
Yeah, I really enjoy Clarkson's Farm, but there's a bit in it where he goes on about Kaleb most likely never having the money to buy his own farm, and its like... hmm, I wonder if there's some reason why land prices in the area might have rocketed up, some millionaire buying up vast swathes of the countryside perhaps
ccReptilelord@reddit
This is SNL UK, not the American show.
r34changedmylife@reddit
Do you think everyone who lives rurally is a farmer? Plenty of us who work normal jobs and donāt have millions in assets mate
BaBaFiCo@reddit
OP watches Emmerdale as a documentary
Redhawk911@reddit
Itās not like Jezza is a working manās hero. Heās just a rich Tory blabbing about what benefits him.
Regular-Figure9822@reddit
Or comedy for that matter
Redhawk911@reddit
Itās SNL who gives a fuck. Itās just jokes.
ian9outof10@reddit
Honestly seeing that original thread calling it abuse. Are Clarkson and Top Gear fans entirely unaware of the deep fucking irony š¤£
Stock-Magician1097@reddit
Some of the comments on here, you'd have thought he'd snagged their mums and run off with their daughters š¤£š¤£
Dennyisthepisslord@reddit
*inheritance tax Dodgers with a media profile or millions
christo08@reddit
Farmers are also gigantic idiots who voted for Brexit against their own benefit.
inbruges99@reddit
And then got outraged when their EU subsidies stopped
bad-life-advice@reddit
SNL UK strikes me as an attempt to make a UK SNL for a non-UK audience...
AndreMeyerPianist@reddit
I think when it's just a screenshot with a caption, it's very easy to label it as "abuse" when in fact it is nothing of the sort. I don't even know about this but I'm sure it's just some kind of parody right?
PianoMiddle346@reddit
Painfully unfunny
I-LOVE-TURTLES666@reddit
Sounds bout right
Volley-Boat@reddit
Sickening amount of licking Clarkson's hoop here, from people who I assume are mainly grown men.
Get a grip š¤£
Lazy-Strawberry-3401@reddit
Proper wetwipes.
Volley-Boat@reddit
Fannies, the lot of them
hattorihanzo5@reddit
The irony being they'd be the first people to accused others of being "easily offended snowflakes"
Jezza's a grown man. He can take it.
Volley-Boat@reddit
Yeah exactly, just weird behaviour all round. He loves having a pop at people, made a career of it in fact.
Wonderful_Syllabub85@reddit
I was today years old when I found out there was a SNL UK. Is it as cringey as the American SNL? Can we do anything that didn't originate in the US. Feels like we're becoming Americanised in our viewing.
BaBaFiCo@reddit
It's okay. Straightforward Saturday night TV. I'd say each episode has 1-2 sketches that are genuinely good. 4-5 that are okay and 2-3 that are pretty shit.
Fearless-Dust-2073@reddit
Yeah. Everything, eventually, becomes American. Scripted short-form satire in general is very hard to make not-cringey, it's mostly caricature and 'roasting'
sensitiveCube@reddit
I love British humor because it's usually self spot and mostly not predictable. The Americans don't have this.
FourEyedTroll@reddit
I've only watched two clips, but can confirm that so far, it is. Honestly, good quality British satire is head and shoulders above the SNL format and content quality, whilst also usually being much more informative (see The News Quiz, Have I Got News For You, Private Eye, amongst others). Idk why anyone though importing SNL was a sensible move.
RecentRegal@reddit
Yes, itās new.
Life_Equivalent_2104@reddit
I never knew UK had a Saturday night live
WySLatestWit@reddit
The only people watching it are SNL US fans online.
BaBaFiCo@reddit
It got about 600,000 views for the first episode. I'm not saying it's zeitgeist TV, but your point is just wrong.
ian9outof10@reddit
Incorrect, Iām watching it and enjoying it. Lot of talent on that show.
sensitiveCube@reddit
There are not many people I think.
UsidoreTheLightBlue@reddit
Itās new itās like 4 episodes in.
metal_jester@reddit
Comedy should be about people who need to be taken down a peg. Those that qualify are the rich, highly opinionated arseholes among others. Those that don't are marginalised or down trodden people or cultures.
Love Clarkson, but he fits the criteria. He probably thought it was hilarious.
Phonixrmf@reddit
In other words: comedy punches up, not down
Charlesdance83@reddit
āThe ladsā captured the zeitgeist. Middle aged men on council estates in the midlands with St Georgeās flags love to loudly bray about āthe boys!ā & āthe lads!ā & their entirely scripted tv shows. They were always toffs pandering to the lower working classes & it paid off hugely for them
ian9outof10@reddit
The way people talk about āthe trioā god, it makes me want to yack. And Iām a Top Gear and Grand Tour fan, and their work makes me laugh. But for Christās sake, the discourse around them is just insane.
Charlesdance83@reddit
Watch some late 80s Clarkson with his plummy tones and serious dress & that says it all.
He transformed around the early 90s into the āladā persona which suited the era perfectly. A clever guy but letās not get carried away with the cult of personality š¤£
johncmk1996@reddit
Just because we enjoyed Jeremy talking about cars doesnāt mean he isnāt a massive arsehole š¤·āāļø
Andries89@reddit
I see conservatives can take a joke well, definitely men who aren't snowflakes...
CaptainMcSlowly@reddit
Let's see those ratings...
Oh right. They're titanically poor.
AiHangLo@reddit
Doing OK/good on online views clip views.
Not sure how much that is good or bad thing.
TheHarkinator@reddit
Something like SNL is no longer really there to dominate the broadcast ratings, theyāre basically made to generate content for the internet. Thereās a reason they put a huge amount of their own stuff on YouTube right after broadcast.
killersoda275@reddit
James and Richard have made these jokes several times
baggister@reddit
Never liked him. Horrible bloke, racist. Never found anything he ever said remotely funny.
FlipStig1@reddit (OP)
Update: SNL UK posted the clip on their YouTube page. Turns out that sketch served as their cold open!
Great_Gabel@reddit
I see this SNL thing has crashed and burned hilariously.
nikhkin@reddit
It hasn't, though. It has been getting a lot of viewers and the clips uploaded to the YouTube channel have been incredibly popular.
No-Lingonberry-8603@reddit
When did someone taking the piss out of Clarkson become at all notable? The others used to take the piss out of Clarkson on top gear/grand tour. It's basically a national pass time at this point and he gives as good as he gets. He's also a bit of a douche.
ArtisianWaffle@reddit
Oh god the plague is spreading. I'm so sorry.
Bionic_Ferir@reddit
And truer words have never been said.
CaptainAksh_G@reddit
Dude, Clarkson used to make jokes like these during Top so called Gear