Clarkson And Top Gear Forced Out Of Argentina After Supposed Falklands War Joke

It’s rare for a series of Top Gear to come and go without someone taking offence, but for the boys’ latest effort, controversy has come before it’s even hit TV screens. The offence was caused while filming in Argentina, with Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May driving a Porsche 928, Ford Mustang and Lotus Esprit in the country. The 928 - driven by Clarkson - had a number plate reading ‘H982 FKL’ which was interpreted by some as a reference to the Falklands War, a conflict between Britain and Argentina over the Falklands Islands in 1982.

A number of Argentinean politicians were less than impressed by this, and a group of Falklands War veterans protested outside of one of the crew’s hotels. The BBC confirmed that due to this, the Top Gear team left Argentina earlier than planned.

Top Gear executive producer Andy Wilman denied this was intended as a deliberate jibe, saying: “Top Gear production purchased three cars for a forthcoming programme; to suggest that this car was either chosen for its number plate, or that an alternative number plate was substituted for the original is completely untrue.”

Earlier in the year, Clarkson was given a ‘final warning’ by the BBC after allegedly using the ‘N word’ during filming.