BBC Apologizes to Mexicans. Sort of...

The talk of the week has been the last episode of Top Gear. We know, you are used to talking about the show for days to come after the air date, but this time the debate of different in nature. So, if you were caught in themiddle of the Egyptian riot or stranded on the mountain peak for the past week, here's a quick sum-up.

During the last Top Gear episode, the three hosts have engaged, as they usually do, in an avalanche of jokes. One thing led to another and, before you knew it, Richard Hammond had this to say about the attributes of Mexican supercar Mastretta MTX.

“Mexican cars are just going to be a lazy, feckless, flatulent, oaf with a moustache leaning against a fence asleep looking at a cactus with a blanket with a hole in the middle on as a coat."  It would all probably have stopped there, but Jeremy Clarkson picked up the idea and took it to whole new heights.

The result was a letter from one offended Mexican ambassador sent to BBC, followed shortly after by news that another offended Mexican, Iris de la Torre, is planning to sue BBC and Top Gear for racism.

It took the network quite some time to react to the whole affair, in a short statement cited by the Associated Press. A sort of apology, if you like.

"Our own comedians make jokes about the British being terrible cooks and terrible romantics, and we in turn make jokes about the Italians being disorganized and over dramatic; the French being arrogant and the Germans being over organized. We are sorry if we have offended some people, but jokes centered on national stereotyping are a part of 'Top Gear's' humor."