Content deleted Content added
Line 64: In September and October 2014, the three presenters and a crew of 29 people were recording the ''[[Patagonia Special]]'' in [[Argentina]], featuring three cars—a [[Porsche 928|Porsche 928 GT]], a [[Lotus Esprit]] and a [[Ford Mustang|Ford Mustang Mach I]]. They had started in [[Bariloche]] on 19 September<ref name="Autoblog">{{Cite news |date=16 September 2014 |title=Primicia: Top Gear grabará un episodio en la Patagonia argentina |language=es |work=Autoblog |url=http://autoblog.com.ar/2014/09/top-gear-argentina/ |url-status=live |access-date=9 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140920104622/http://autoblog.com.ar/2014/09/top-gear-argentina/ |archive-date=20 September 2014}}</ref> and travelled southward on the trans-Patagonian [[National Route 40 (Argentina)|Route 40]], about {{convert|1000|mi|km}}. On 2 October they had arrived in [[Ushuaia]], at the southern end of [[Tierra del Fuego]]. The plan was to film for three more days, and then to continue in [[Chile]]. During filming, Twitter comments began to appear alleging the [[number plate]] "H982 FKL" on the In the evening, Falklands veterans and other Argentinians entered the hotel lobby to confront the team. Clarkson later wrote he "had to hide under a bed for a mob howling for his blood".<ref name="SundayTimes" /> Local police then told the team they could not and would not give them any assistance, and in the hostile atmosphere the team decided to leave Argentina. Believing that the presenters were the main targets of the controversy, the crew decided to send Clarkson, May, Hammond and the women from the crew to [[Buenos Aires]], while the rest would drive the cars and their equipment to the border into Chile. May later stated that, prior to flying back to [[UK|Britain]], he and the other presenters had assisted in planning possible [[airlift]]s if the journey to the border became too dangerous. The main Route 3 by which they had arrived in [[Río Grande, Tierra del Fuego|Rio Grande]] a day earlier, was closed to them because the ringway was filled with people, with "the mayor in front".<ref name="CronFueg-TopGearApredados" /><ref name="Guardian">{{Cite news |last=Plunkett |first=John |date=3 October 2014 |title=Top Gear driven from Argentina after Jeremy Clarkson number plate row |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/oct/03/top-gear-argentina-jeremy-clarkson-bbc |url-status=live |access-date=8 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141008053607/http://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/oct/03/top-gear-argentina-jeremy-clarkson-bbc |archive-date=8 October 2014}}</ref> They drove to the border at Radman by tertiary roads, about {{convert|250|km|mi|order=flip|abbr=on}}. In [[Tolhuin]], after {{convert|100|km|mi|order=flip|abbr=on}}, the convoy was stopped by an intimidating crowd, who threw eggs, rocks, and sticks. The team decided to abandon the three show cars, and reached the border with Chile later that night. At 2 a.m., they had to find a tractor to ford the camera cars through the river border. Pictures show that the abandoned cars had been attacked and damaged with stones. The Porsche now with the number plate "H1 VAE".<ref name="BBC3Oct">{{Cite news |date=3 October 2014 |title=Protests cut short Top Gear shoot |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-29474422 |url-status=live |access-date=20 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171231131523/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-29474422 |archive-date=31 December 2017}}</ref><ref name="SundayTimes">{{Cite news |last=Clarkson |first=Jeremy |author-link=Jeremy Clarkson |date=5 October 2014 |title=Make no mistake, lives were at risk |work=The Sunday Times |url=http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/focus/article1467360.ece |url-status=dead |url-access=subscription |access-date=8 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141013064338/http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/focus/article1467360.ece |archive-date=13 October 2014}}</ref><ref name="CronFueg-TopGearApredados">{{Cite web |date=3 October 2014 |title=Top Gear apedreados escapan a Chile por Radman y abandono los autos en la ruta 3 |url=http://cronicasfueguinas.blogspot.com/2014/10/top-gear-apedreados-escaparon-y-abandonaro-los-autos.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141005183408/http://cronicasfueguinas.blogspot.com/2014/10/top-gear-apedreados-escaparon-y-abandonaro-los-autos.html |archive-date=5 October 2014 |access-date=9 October 2014 |language=es}}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=June 2023|reason=no info found about changed plates}} However, over the years various humorous number plate changes had been made, for example referring to James May's age. Alternative number plates with the letters BE11 END for 'Bell End' were reportedly also discovered in the abandoned Porsche<ref>{{Cite web |last=Couzens |first=Gerard |date=2014-10-08 |title=Jeremy Clarkson's Top Gear Falklands row Porsche had 'BE11 END' number plate inside |url=http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/jeremy-clarksons-top-gear-falklands-4399408 |access-date=2022-03-31 |website=mirror |language=en}}</ref> by the Argentinian authorities. Additionally the original dealer has stated that the production team were aware of the registration plate history before purchase. On 31 October 2014, it was announced that the Argentine ambassador [[Alicia Castro]] met BBC Director of Television [[Danny Cohen (television executive)|Danny Cohen]] to demand a formal apology, but the [[BBC]] refused to do so, making it clear that they intended to broadcast the special as a fair representation of the events that occurred.<ref>{{Cite news |date=31 October 2014 |title=BBC refuses Top Gear apology over Argentina row |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-29852603 |url-status=live |access-date=20 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170201021016/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-29852603 |archive-date=1 February 2017}}</ref> The Christmas Special, split into two parts, aired on 27 and 28 December 2014. | |||