May defends Top Gear over number plate row

Top Gear presenter James May claims a number plate which forced the show's team to leave Argentina over suggestions it could refer to the Falklands War went unnoticed.

May said the team bought the Porsche, with the registration plate H982 FKL, in the UK because it was the best available vehicle of its type. He said they did not notice the plate until it was mentioned online.

The show's crew were forced to leave Argentina after protests erupted over the suggested link to the Falklands conflict.

May defended Top Gear, saying the show would never "mock people about their war casualties".

Speaking to Absolute Radio, May said: "How could we have done it deliberately? All we've done is buy some secondhand cars.

"It's actually meaningless if you look at it. You have to want to see the meaning."

He added: "We do muck about but we weren't going there to mock people about their war casualties."

He said they decided to change the plate once they had finished filming on the country's roads, but it had not been possible to do it earlier.

He said: "Go outside and change the number plate on your car and then see what happens the next time you meet a policeman. You just can't do that."