The crew of BBC’s Top Gear have flown out of Argentina after facing protests over a number plate which appeared to refer to the 1982 Falklands War.
The team, including host Jeremy Clarkson, have been filming in South America for a Top Gear special.
The show apparently provoked anger among locals by using a Porsche with the registration number H982 FKL.
The BBC confirmed the crew had left the country, but denied the offending car was chosen for its number plate.
Andy Wilman, executive producer of Top Gear, said on Thursday: “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.”
The team departed three days early after being denied permission to film by local authorities.
It was reported their cars had been abandoned by the roadside and the crew were escorted to the airport.
Clarkson flew into the country earlier last month to film a special which saw him and co-stars Richard Hammond and James May drive the famous Patagonian highway – Route 40 – to the southernmost city of Ushuaia.
Reports in the South American press suggested the Top Gear crew had left the country amid angry protests from politicians and war veterans, and demands for their withdrawal from Argentina.
Protests were held outside the hotel being used by the crew.
Juan Manuel Romano, secretary of social development for Ushuaia in the Tierra del Fuego province of Argentina, said: “They have taken the decision to leave.”
It is not the first time the show has met with controversy, in July Ofcom ruled that Top Gear had breached broadcasting rules …read more
Source:: BBC Entertainment
