The BBC has been forced to withdraw a Top Gear sat nav system voiced by Jeremy Clarkson just days after launch – after discovering the product breached its own editorial guidelines.
Jeremy Clarkson’s most infamous quotes
The TomTom GO LIVE Top Gear Edition sat nav set featured route guidance instructions voiced by Clarkson. Instructions included lines such as:
‘After 700 yards, assuming this car can make it that far, you have reached your destination, with the aid of 32 satellites… and me. Well done.’
However, BBC bosses have now decided it breaches a rule that says presenters must not endorse any products which could be covered in the programmes they work on. A motoring product is deemed to conflict with Clarkson’s work on a motoring programme.
It seems the rush to get the product out before Christmas led to it being launched before all necessary approval had been granted.
No more of the Top Gear TomTom sat nav systems will now be made. However, 54,000 have already been produced and many of them have been delivered to shops.
These will still go on sale, costing £189, but BBC Worldwide and TomTom have agreed that all the money that would have gone to BBC Worldwide will now go to Children In Need instead.
Let us know if you manage to track down one of the now highly collectable and limited edition TomTom Top Gear Edition sat nav sets!
