MM
seen clearly by comparing the gender balance of the studio audience in the early seasons of the show to the more recent studio makeup, which is now far more balanced in terms of gender. So the question is: What has brought about this change in audience appeal, and how do the representations of masculinity and masculine traits inherent in the show reflect and influence its appeal? A key area to explore is the way in which the
team of presenters represents and promotes ‘typical’ male values, and how far these values are also subverted. The representation of the three presenters as characterised by stereotypically masculine traits is balanced by more individual characteristics with which the audience can associate each presenter. Whether by encouraging audience identification with one or more of the Top Gear presenters or purely as escapism, Top Gear demonstrates various aspects of Uses and Gratifications theory. Clarkson, May and Hammond may baulk at the thought of being role models, but there is a certain aspirational aspect to watching three middle- aged men ‘cocking about’ in very expensive cars, indulging in foreign travel and blowing things up.
36 MediaMagazine | December 2009 | english and media centre
Jeremy – alpha male Jeremy Clarkson’s TV persona is outspoken,
forthright, middle-aged and seemingly dominant. He is the alpha male in the pack. In terms of narrative structure, his role is reflected by the fact that he is the first to speak in every show – the camera pans from a high-angle shot of the whole studio to Clarkson as he delivers his opening line, which is the typically all encompassing ‘Hello and welcome.’ This greeting firmly establishes Clarkson as the leader of the gang. He embodies classic hegemonic male values of strength, dominance, heterosexuality and arrogance. He is the one who does the road tests, takes very expensive cars out onto the track and makes their tyres smoke. He demonstrates mastery of the machines under his control (for the most part) and his use of similes and hyperbole to describe the features of these machines That [Pagani] Zonda, really! It’s like a lion in orange dungarees. Kind of fierce, but ridiculous all at the same time reinforces his dominance over the machines themselves, and, indeed, the narrative of the show. Never one to avoid controversy, Clarkson has been at the centre of some spectacular media
rows during his career. These have included a very public ongoing feud with Piers Morgan and being accused of insensitivity following a jibe about lorry drivers murdering prostitutes in the most recent series of Top Gear. However, his position as one of the BBC’s most highly paid broadcasters is seemingly secure, and he is often asked to participate in other television shows such as Have I Got News For You and QI. It is interesting to note that on such shows, his persona is often more muted than it is on Top Gear, giving rise to the idea that the representation of masculinity and male values in Top Gear is mainly constructed or exaggerated for the format of the show.
Richard the rival Similarly, Richard Hammond’s Top Gear
‘character’ embodies many of the masculine traits that are conventionally to be admired. Although often ridiculed by Clarkson for his clothing, his hair, his height and even his teeth, Hammond shows the stereotypically male traits of dominance (challenging Clarkson frequently about the positioning of cars on the ‘Cool Wall’), heterosexuality (being accosted by dancing girls) and courage (driving the Vampire jet car). These
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