Top Gear Causes Stir in Poland
“A state of emergency has been declared in Poland today as the mass exodus continues,” a female newsreader grimly states, as a shaky hand-held camera captures images of people running away from an unknown foe.
Next, a male voice announces, “Sources in Warsaw report mass panic, as those left in the city making increasingly frantic efforts to escape.” Shots of a deserted canteen, food left on plates, drinks spilled and chairs pushed over are cut together with footage of riot police keeping crowds at bay and people cramming onto trains. The report continues: "The Army says its now powerless to prevent the ongoing mass exodus...”
The casual observer would assume they are witnessing a trailer to a new sci-fi movie set in Poland, but only seconds later all becomes clear. A blue Volkswagen appears with the words 'Volkswagen Scirocco TDI' underneath. Finally, the slogan 'Berlin to Warsaw in one tank' slowly fades in.
The fake advertisement, which has caused a mini furore in Poland, was part of a feature on the British award-winning series Top Gear. Producers challenged hosts James May and Jeremy Clarkson to see if they were able to produce their own Volkswagen Scirocco television advertisement. Clarkson's effort was the offending commercial.
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) confirmed that a few complaints had been made, but that wasn't enough for Polish news channel TVN24, who ran a poll on their website asking viewers what they thought of the advertisement.
Out of six thousand polled, 17 percent believed Clarkson's clip was 'fun' while 12 percent thought it was 'okay'. Twenty-two percent found the commercial insulting, and 33 percent thought it simply wasn't funny.
However, a TVN reporter decided to take the matter further, and took it upon himself to make a commercial poking fun at the British.