h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

ur completely right. anne robinson is one of the most self-righteous stuck-up women i have ever seen on tv, so what r the bbc thinking by using her, even for one week, on one of their most popular shows?!

“he didn't break any laws “

He did though. The laws in this country a pretty strict when it comes to Class A drugs, and rightly so. Wether you or Angus Deayton agrees with them or not is irrelevant.

Stuart

I don't think he should have been sacked- he didn't ask to be slated into the ground about all this. Remember the first time around, when Hislop and Merton wouldn't leave him alone. Show me a person who thinks he enjoyed that and I'll show you a liar.

As you say Lizzi, you are only a teenager and have not much experience of life.

However, when you get a job, you will almost certainly be asked to sign a Contract of Employment. Nearly all Contracts of Employment contain a clause along the lines the any action that brings the organisation into disrepute will be classed as gross misconduct and can lead to instant dismissal. This is especially true when the job brings the employer into the public eye.

So Angus Deayton was probably guilty of breach of contract if nothing else. His biggest mistake though was believing that he was indispensable. Many people have believed that and found out the hard way that is not the case. He’s a big boy. He knew what he was doing when he started. Nobody forced him to take drugs.

Stuart

I don't give a monkeys about it. That contract sounds so unfair to me. If you were in class one day and people were laughing because you gave the teacher a wrong answer(Been there, seen it), you wouldn't expect the teacher to give you detention because of them!
I'm completely missing the point, but I have a very abstract view of life.

Whats that got to do with Employment Contracts. An abstract view of life is putting it mildly. Yes, you are missing the point, completley and utterley. You will find that every Contract of Emploment will say that you have a duty of care to your employer as they have to you. A Duty of Care means that you do not do anything the will bring the employers reputaion into disrepute. If cannot handle that you are going to have some serious problems when you grow up.

Stuart

The only reputation Angus trashed was his own. If he'd tried to rape one of the producers(Sorry, Angus, I know you wouldn't really)it'd be different. But it's nothing to do with the producers. So they've got a presenter with a past. SO WHAT? He's good at his job, and as far as I can see, he tried to keep his work and his social life separate. The producers are just being weak, because they don't know how to handle it.
By the way, I don't appreciate your implications that I'm going to have problems when I grow up. Just because I've got trouble now doesn't mean I always will have. I'm in the process of improving and I'm not going to be put down by the likes of you just because you happen to think there's a remotely good excuse for what the BBC did.

The only reputation his actions destroyed was his own. If he'd done something like beat one of the producers up(God forbid), it'd be different. So they've got somebody with a past. SO WHAT? As far as I can see, he tried to keep his work and social life separate. He didn't want all this to blow up. I was once friends with a bunch of boys who trashed up a classroom. What should I have done? Disowned the lot of them because they threatened to wreck my good-girl image? No I did not. The produces are too busy thinking of how slated they'd get over it to think that Angus'd get ten times as much through the neck.
By the way, I don't like your implications that I'm still going to have problems when I grow up. Just because I stuggle now doesn't mean I always will. I'm already getting better, and I'm not going to be ground down by the likes of you, just because you think I'm stupid. Cos I've got news for you- I'm not.

"just because you think I'm stupid"

Maybe you are not, but you are giving a very good impression.

"The only reputation his actions destroyed was his own."

Not true. As a employee of the BBC and in the public eye, the BBCs reputation was at stake as well. The BBC cannot afford to employ disreputable people if they wish to maintain the confidence of the majority of lawabiding people who pay their liscence fees.

The simple fact is that he broke the law. Not some petty regulation, the Law of the Land which you I and the BBC are subject to. If you think that breaking the law is acceptable then you do have a lot of growing up to do before you see the inside of Hollaway Prison.

Stuart

If they want to maintain the confidence of the law-abiding people, then why don't they listen to us? They hear that we don't give a stuff about what he did, and that we want him back. So why don't they listen?

Becasue you are a minority, a very, very small minority.

Fortunaely, majority do give a stuff about people who break the law.

Stuart

If I am in a minority, then why have the Radio Times recieved 58 letters against the sacking of Angus, and only 2 in favour? It seems that the majority of people don't care about what Angus did.

I'm afraid 58 is not much of a majority. It isn't even much in the way of an reaction.

Researcher PSG

58 is hardly a majority of the vewing public. It is a fact of life that people will only put pen to paper when thay have something they disagree with. The other five million or so who were happy with the decision didn't feel a need to say anything.

Stuart

What about the people who disagree with everybody else, and think it was the right choice? I've been keeping an eye on the Radio Times, and there have been several about this over the last month, some of them quite strong, too. So why doesn't anybody write in to contradict them,like some people do on other issues?
"58 is hardly majority of the viewing public". OK, let's assume that it is a fraction of some kind of overall number. Assume that there were 5 million people who were just happy to say nothing but think it was right, then on a ratio of 2:58, then I make that 5 million in favour, and 145 million against. Just a rough estimate, but probably closer to the majority of the viewing public.

I’m afraid your logic is flawed. Statistical analysis requires at least 1000 random samples to produce any meaningful figure. You figure of 58 isn’t random and as there are only 58, you cannot draw any conclusion from such a small sample.

The only way the figure of 58 could be used to sustain your argument is if the total viewing figures for HIGNFY were around 100. Not a reasonable assumption.

Besides, as the population of the UK is only round 65 million, you would be pushed to get 145 million to agree with anything

The only conclusion you can draw is the fact that the vast majority did not write in, therefore the vast majority agree with the decision. That’s not statistical analysis, that just human nature.

Stuart

Maybe. I suppose it would seem a bit wooly-I wish somebody would do a poll on this and see for sure. But I still don't believe the majority of people would agree to it. Angus Deyton made the show what it is(or was), and if there's one thing I've noticed about the few replacements we've had so far it's how, however funny they may be, they don't seem nearly as relaxed as Angus. I know they've only been doing it for a week and he's been at it for over 10 years, but by the time they settle down and we're used to them, it may be too late. Time will tell.

I agree that Angus Deyton made the show and Anne Robinson was a total waste of space, but nobody is irreplaceable. I have not seen Boris. Being funny and popular never gives you the freedom to break the law and generally act like a fool.

Somebody will come along and fill the gap eventually, it just takes a bit of time. I can remember many presenters that moved on for various reasons and people said that their shows would not survive, but they did - going back as far as Eamon Andrews and This is You Life.

Stuart

Yeah, but it'll still be a bit different. Every comedian/presenter has their own fingerprint in the sort of jokes they tell and how, and he was a pretty unique sort of person.

I don't mind presenting it if you guys don't object?!!...