A show generally well-known for receiving complaints, either for the programme itself or its personnel, Top Gear‘s latest wave of angry letters has reportedly come from India, where a Christmas special was recently filmed.

The show is said to have been taken the wrong way by a selection of Indian diplomats, who alongside the High Commission of India (HCI) are leading complaints against the episode of the BBC show, suggesting that it was ‘offensive’ and ‘full of toilet humour’.

The episode, which aired on 28 December, saw presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May attempt to drive from the city of Mumbai (India), to the northern border with China, whilst attempting to promote products from England to symbolise and boost trade relations.

However, the 90-minute edition of the motoring series seemed to be most notable in India for what was thought to be utilising a number of stereotypes about the nation, with a number of jokes about local food, transport, and illness.

The HCI has written to the BBC after it claimed to have received complaints from ’too many people’ that had been ’very upset’ by the episode. The BBC themselves are reported to have recieved 188 letters of complaint about the special.

The letter from the HCI, sent to BBC general director Mark Thompson, read:”The programme was replete with cheap jibes, tasteless humour and lacked cultural sensitivity that we expect from the BBC. I write this to convey our deep disappointment over the documentary for its content and the tone of the presentation. You are clearly in breach of the agreement that you had entered into, completely negating our constructive and proactive facilitation.”

A BBC spokeswoman claimed that the broadcaster hoped an understanding could be reached, and said of their next move in the issue: “We have received a letter from the Indian High Commission and will respond to them in due course.”

The most common sources of complaints are thought to include Clarkson’s conversion of his car boot into an emergency toilet (along with an opinion made that all visitors to India ‘get the trots’), and an attempt to make advertising banners on the outside of a train, which were ripped off by a separate carriage moving off and leaving the banners reading ‘obscene messages’ (a scene which many feel was most likely staged).

An Indian diplomat recently added to the complaints, stating: “The BBC has to make amends, particularly to assuage the hurt sentiment of a very large number of people. We understand the free press – they are welcome to explain and to challenge as long as it is fair and above the belt. Can this pass as acceptable journalism? The BBC has a global reputation. We expect the BBC to make amends.”

As well as the fact that the magazine show (which begins its 18th season on 29 January on BBC2) may not technically be a documentary, it is likely that this issue will blow over like a number of other incidents that Top Gear has landed itself in over the years, with broadcasting regulator Ofcom generally deciding on most claims that it is part of the show’s brand of humour. How will this incident pan out?

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