A TV host is suing the
BBC for a reported £3.7 million after he sustained injuries when he volunteered to be a human crash test dummy.
Jem Stansfield took part in an experiment for the series Bang Goes The Theory in 2014, which saw him strapped to a specially-designed cart.
He was then catapulted towards a fake lamppost and was pulled forwards and backwards by the cart.
In a clip from the show, the presenter explains that he would be sent down the track into a makeshift lamppost, adding that he knew it wasn’t going to be a “wholly pleasant experience”.
The 46-year-old says that since he recorded the show he has disabling whiplash, brain damage, psychological scars and dizziness. According to The Sun, his lawyers told London’s High Court that his chances of recovery are “poor”, and claim he has lost out on a large number of earnings and “a career on the same level as Jeremy Clarkson”.
The BBC disputes the impact of his injuries and the payout figure, reportedly offering him two-thirds of his claim with a discount due to his “contributory negligence”.
A BBC spokesperson told HuffPost UK: “We wouldn’t comment on legal matters but this is with our legal team and insurers.”
Mr Stansfield has a degree in aeronautics from Bristol University and previously appeared as an on-screen ballistics expert for the show Scrapheap Challenge.