Please join me in showing your disgust that Richard Hammond has been chosen, by the BBC, to present Planet Earth Live, a programme celebrating wildlife in all it's diversity.
Richard Hammond is a man whose previous claim to fame has been co-presenting Top Gear, with Jeremy Clarkson, James May and the anonymous ‘Stig’.
Top Gear is a programme which has repeatedly shown it's complete disregard for the environment by continuously promoting fuel-guzzling driving mehods. It has deliberately set fire to and burned a caravan to the ground and damaged a tree by deliberatly driving into it in order to demonstrate the 'indistructable' qualities of the vehicle being tested. It has also damaged the ecologically delicate Makgadikgadi salt pans, by irresponsibly driving a jeep through it, endangering the rare and fragile eco-system of animals and plants inhabiting one of the world's few remaining pristine wildernesses. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Makgadikgadi_Pan
And yet Richard Hammond, who now professes to love wildlife in all its diversity, is already a member of the Ross Harriers Hunt, and also wishes to join his local Ledbury Hunt in Gloucestershire, according to reports in the national press: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mandrake/3464458/Hunting-gives-Richard-Hammond-new-thrill.html
Obviously his professed ‘love of wildlife in all its diversity’, does not extend to our native hares and foxes! I am not suggesting that either of these hunts are indulging in any of the illegal activities prohibited by the Hunting Act 2004. However, both hunts are members of the Countryside Alliance and vehemently support the repeal of this Act against the wishes of the majority of people in Great Britain as shown by the IpsosMORI Poll, published 15/09/09. The results of this National Poll show that 75% of people were against reintroducing fox hunting; 84% in the case of hare hunting,
How on earth can someone who approves of, and wants to join in the barbaric practice of chasing a small inedible animal, with a crowd of bloodthirsty people mounted on huge horses and with large numbers of hounds, be presenting a wildlife series? How hypocritical can a man get? Shame on Richard Hammond and shame on the BBC.
It would be difficult to think of anyone less suited to follow Sir David Attenborough's inestimable legacy.
Dear Mark Thompson
I have signed a petition protesting at the fact that Richard Hammond was chosen to present your latest series, Planet Earth Live.
Richard Hammond, who now professes to love wildlife in all its diversity, is already a member of the Ross Harriers Hunt, and also wishes to join his local Ledbury Hunt in Gloucestershire, according to reports in the national press: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mandrake/3464458/Hunting-gives-Richard-Hammond-new-thrill.html
Obviously his professed ‘love of wildlife in all its diversity’, does not extend to our native hares and foxes! I am not suggesting that either of these hunts are indulging in any of the illegal activities prohibited by the Hunting Act 2004. However, both hunts are members of the Countryside Alliance and vehemently support the repeal of this Act against the wishes of the majority of people in Great Britain as shown by the IpsosMORI Poll, published 15/09/09. The results of this National Poll show that 75% of people were against reintroducing fox hunting; 84% in the case of hare hunting,
How on earth can someone who approves of, and wants to join in the barbaric practice of chasing a small inedible animal, with a crowd of bloodthirsty people mounted on huge horses and with large numbers of hounds, be presenting a wildlife series? How hypocritical can a man get? Shame on Richard Hammond and shame on the BBC.
It is too late to prevent the showing of Planet Earth Live, but in future please do not use Richard Hammond to present Wildlife programmes.
Yours sincerely
