Murder a Prostitute...

Classic Clarkson.

That's all it was, nothing more. In the last Top Gear episode, the first of a new Series, Jeremy Clarkson made a gag about truckers changing gears and murdering prostitutes. It was a joke that made me laugh, and I like to think that I have a very wide sense of humour. I can handle the darker, dirtier side of comedy, and I can find the humour in a simple, classic style of joke. Clarkson's joke was nothing more than a mild one.

I don't think that Jeremy should apologise for it, nor should the BBC try to remove it. I most certainly do not think that calls from MP for Ipswich, Chris Mole, for him to be fired are right. Chris Mole decided to complain to the BBC, and call for Jeremy Clarkson to be fired, even though the families of the victims of Steve Wright, a serial-killing trucker, had not complained about the comments that were made. When a friend of one of the victims heard the gag, it didn't even cross her mind that Clarkson may have been referring to the Ipswich murders.

Jeremy Clarkson's persona on TV is that of an over-exaggerating, highly opinionated, and rather conservative stereotype. He makes jokes of many topics, and his humour is always expected to be close to the mark. I saw nothing out of the ordinary, or distasteful about the joke he made on Top Gear.

I do love how our society gets on a band wagon. If it's not a recession, or constant killings in a country far away, its upheaval in the BBC - with a lets fire everyone mentality. I do, however, agree that Ross and Brand's joke went far beyond the line of taste. How funny really is it to listen to two men shouting to someone's voicemail... I would have wanted Sachs to be on the phone, at least he could offer something in return.

With Russell Brand's sense of humour, you could see this coming. Brand was always pushing the boundaries of what he could say on TV and radio, and most of the time his ramblings and over-excited nature did little to tickle my funny bone. But if we've learnt a lesson, it's that if you're going to throw insults at someone on their voicemail, do it to an old person. Sachs didn't even know about the messages until the complaints started pouring in.

I don't think Jeremy Clarkson needs to be fired, nor do I agree with the complaints that people put in. Comedy can explore almost every subject you can imagine, even death, birth, driving... and I believe that no comedian should have to apologise for a joke that offends an individual, it is a comedians job to bring laughter to the many. But, perhaps I can see past the laughter and see the cogs working.