Hamster has a bad day

Heard the news today about Richard Hammond having his accident. Once again there is a rift between what the media think we think, and what we think we think.

We are shocked at the news of his accident, in the same way we are about Steve Irwin because we see them on the TV, and we think we know them. So of course we are shocked when we hear things like this, we are only human after all.

I can remember when Diana died. I hate the gossp magazines, Heat, Chat, Hello, Crap and so on, and because I don't read things like this I think I am not succumbing to the gossip, but because it is everywhere you look, front pages, television, websites etc, you forget that you absorb details about these people without realising.

So when something happens to them it is like hearing about a colleague or friend of a friend having an accident or being hurt, or something.

Except with this you get angry at all the nanny stuff. "Top Gear idolises speed", "Ban it now" etc etc.

We forget that Richard is doing something he always wanted to do and he lives his life as a result - it pays his not insubstantial salary after all.

I heard someone on TV today say that presenters in the days of yore never felt the need to do these things, they would stand at the side and interview the participants. Try telling that to John Noakes after he went down the bob sleigh run on his head - he couldn't wait to show off his bruises on Blue Peter.

What about the steeplejack chap? he became a presenter after a while, the Dibner chap. So which is worse, a chap who goes up the side of huge tall chimneys and steeples and then becomes a presenter, or someone like Hamster who is a presenter first and then takes on things that people would not usually do.

All I can say is that to take advantage of an accident like this to call for banning the programme, to start quoting Health and Safety before the facts are known, to behave as if the producers and Richard would attempt something like this without taking as much care as they possibly can, is insulting.

get well soon Richard and hope to see you back doing what you love soon.