TOP Gear presenter James May said the show would never "mock people about their war casualties" and insisted a controversial number-plate which sparked protests in Argentina did not refer to the Falklands War.

The show's crew had to leave the country during filming after trouble when it emerged they were using a car with the registration number H982 FKL, which some suggested could refer to the Falklands War of 1982.

May said in an interview they bought the car in the UK and he had not noticed the plate until it was mentioned online. He 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."

The BBC2 team were in South America filming on a remote road passing through Chile and Argentina.

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

He said they changed the plate once they had finished filming, but it had not been possible to do it earlier.

The programme has run into problems already this year, with a row over one racially offensive term and Jeremy Clarkson having to apologise after apparently using another in unbroadcast footage. He denied saying it.