Nobody is going to question whether or not Top Gear is one of the most popular shows on TV. Whether you want it to be or not, it just is. But since its revival in 2002, it has had viewers firmly divided. You either love it, or you love to hate it. For some, the irreverent and often shocking humour is all in good fun, and the show represents a light-hearted and jovial look at not just motoring, but life in general. But for others, it's offensive, puerile rubbish. Whichever side of the fence you stand behind, it's difficult to ignore when Clarkson, Hammond and May don't quite get it right. Over the last thirteen years, there's been a few questionable comments made, some slightly wide of the mark jokes told, and a few instances of (*ahem*) 'bad taste'. Rarely an episode goes by without being followed by somebody having a public whinge about the show, or without a few complaints being sent the way of Ofcom (the submitter's nose usually turned firmly upwards), so it's hardly surprising that Top Gear has racked up an impressive list of controversies by now. But are they really the cretinous hoodlums that certain daily publications make them out to be? Here are nine instances which, as much as you may or may not want to admit, do support the theory.
