Richard Hammond shared his position on the idea of erasing or canceling old TV series and films that may not be considered politically correct by today's standards.
Just days after publicly defending Jeremy Clarkson over the validity of his farming series, the former Top Gear presenter took to his podcast to defend the need to keep historical material alive – never mind the lack of a PC.
Along with their podcast co-host, his daughter Izzie, and their guest, comedian Jane Ives, the trio gets into a heated discussion about the place of historical comedy in today's world and how it should be approached.
The discussion began when Ives' point of view on the matter was discussed and the classic comedy The Young Ones was brought up in the conversation.
“It's good,” Ives said of the skit. “It's just that programs like this have probably influenced a lot of people and shaped their sense of who they are. A lot of people are very personal with their interests, and for a lot of people, their sense of humor is part of who they are.”
Hammond then stepped in to ask: “Because comedy is often at the forefront of what is acceptable, it dances around (that line) and sometimes gets on the wrong side of the line but what it actually does is point back.” Calligraphy and emphasize its importance. This is crucial.
Richard Hammond and his daughter Izzie host their own podcast
GT
“If people are intentionally playing a role in saying: ‘I don't think this is (funny) but wouldn't it be funny that someone would do that?'” Because it's up front, should it have an expiration date that can't be seen after that? Should it be abolished, should it disappear?
Hammond then referred back to comedies of the 1970s and 1980s which he claimed “aren't funny anymore” before adding: “It's almost funny that we used to find them funny.”
“Well, no, personally I think the problem with erasing that kind of stuff…it gives the people who made that stuff or the companies that issued that stuff a get-out-of-jail-free card as if,” Ives responded. It never happened.
“It's like Disney with Song of the South… It was a movie they made and it was set on a plantation right after the (American) Civil War, and it had really racist elements in it and Disney really buried it as it were.” Movie, you can't buy it anymore. We can't let Disney get away with this though-“
Hammond then interrupted Ives after suggesting that Disney should be reprimanded today for a film made in 1946.
“Wait a minute,” he said. “Everything I watched in my youth, almost all of it—when I say I wouldn't find it funny now… I actually mean I wouldn't find it funny because we've moved on.
“But no one can do that now, back then we did it because we were changing,” Hammond suggested, prompting Ives to ask: “Are you asking me if we should keep making this stuff?”
The 54-year-old stood firm: “No! I'm challenging Disney for making something that was contextually from a different time – or making It Ain't Half Hot Mum and so many other overtly racist series – clearly they shouldn't be celebrated (and) We won't watch them to find them funny because you won't find them funny.
“But I think as a comment, as animators, 'Whoa'… We don't want to go back there and think about that again. I don't want to outsmart the producers of the film because I used to laugh at it so much 'How can I outsmart its producers?'
“There's a difference between monsters and holding (people) accountable,” Ives responded, but Hammond was unwavering: “But they're not accountable because (times) are different. You can't take revenge for something that back then was 'not a crime.'”
Richard Hammond opposes retrospective abolition of comedy makers
GT
“This is not retaliation, this is not retaliation — I think this is greatly exaggerated. Let's not pretend this didn't happen,” Ives explained.
Hammond's daughter then entered the discussion to share her thoughts as she chimed in: “It's accountability. I think it's not accusatory, it's saying what you did there and you didn't think it was wrong but you have to understand now that's not cool and that's wrong.”
The debate came to a close with Ives suggesting that old material should come with a warning, using the cartoon show Tom and Jerry as an example, before Hammond signed off by insisting: “We need to really preserve (old comedies) to know how far we've come.”
This isn't the first time Hammonds' podcast, About Us Now, has been a platform for discussions on modern-day issues like the cancel culture war or toxic debates about masculinity.
Last month, James May appeared on the podcast to discuss his career in the spotlight amid ever-changing situations.
During their discussion, May claimed that “older white men” tend to be “written off” nowadays due to preconceived notions about toxic masculinity.
