HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson (born 11 April 1960) is an English
television presenter A television presenter (or television host, some become a "television personality") is a person who introduces or hosts television show, television programs, often serving as a mediator for the program and the audience. It is common for people ...
, journalist, farmer, and author who specialises in motoring. He is best known for hosting the television programmes '' Top Gear'' (2002–2015) and ''
The Grand Tour ''The Grand Tour'' is a British motoring television series, created by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, James May, and Andy Wilman, for Amazon Prime Video, and premiered on 18 November 2016. The programme was devised in the wake of the depar ...
'' (2016–2024) alongside
Richard Hammond Richard Mark Hammond (born 19 December 1969) is an English journalist, television presenter, and author. He co-hosted the BBC Two motoring programme ''Top Gear (2002 TV series), Top Gear'' from 2002 until 2015 with Jeremy Clarkson and James Ma ...
and
James May James Daniel May (born 16 January 1963) is an English television presenter and journalist. He is best known as a co-presenter, alongside Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond, of the motoring programme ''Top Gear (2002 TV series), Top Gear'' fr ...
. He also currently writes weekly columns for ''
The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...
'' and ''
The Sun The Sun is the star at the centre of the Solar System. It is a massive, nearly perfect sphere of hot Plasma (physics), plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core, radiating the energy from its surface mainly as ...
''. Clarkson hosts the ITV game show ''
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? ''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?'' (WWTBAM) is an international television game show franchise of British origin, created by David Briggs, Mike Whitehill and Steven Knight. In its format, currently owned and licensed by Sony Pictures Televis ...
'' (2018–present), and stars in the
farming Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...
documentary show '' Clarkson's Farm'' (2021–present). From a career as a local journalist in
northern England Northern England, or the North of England, refers to the northern part of England and mainly corresponds to the Historic counties of England, historic counties of Cheshire, Cumberland, County Durham, Durham, Lancashire, Northumberland, Westmo ...
, Clarkson rose to public prominence as a presenter of the original format of ''Top Gear'' in 1988. Since the mid-1990s, he has become a recognised public personality, regularly appearing on British television presenting his own shows for the
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
and appearing as a guest on other shows. As well as motoring, Clarkson has produced programmes and books on subjects such as history and engineering, and has written numerous books. In 1998, he hosted the first series of ''
Robot Wars Robot Wars may refer to: Film and television * ''Robot Wars'' (film), 1993 ** ''Robot Wars'' (soundtrack) * ''Robot Wars'' (TV series), a British TV competition, 1998–2004 and 2016–2018 ** '' Nickelodeon Robot Wars'', a U.S. TV game show ...
;'' from 1998 to 2000, he also hosted his own talk show, '' Clarkson''. In 2015, the BBC elected not to renew Clarkson's contract after he assaulted a ''Top Gear'' producer while filming on location. That year, Clarkson and his ''Top Gear'' co-presenters and producer Andy Wilman formed the production company W. Chump & Sons to produce ''The Grand Tour'' for
Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming television service owned by Amazon. The service primarily distributes films and television series produced or co-produced by ...
. Clarkson's opinionated but humorous
tongue-in-cheek Tongue-in-cheek is an idiom that describes a humorous or sarcastic statement expressed in a serious manner. History The phrase originally expressed contempt, but by 1842 had acquired its modern meaning. Early users of the phrase include Sir Walte ...
writing and presenting style has often provoked a public reaction. His actions, both privately and as a ''Top Gear'' presenter, have also sometimes resulted in criticism from the media, politicians,
pressure group Advocacy groups, also known as lobby groups, interest groups, special interest groups, pressure groups, or public associations, use various forms of advocacy or lobbying to influence public opinion and ultimately public policy. They play an impor ...
s, and the public. He also has a significant public following, being credited as a major factor in the resurgence of ''Top Gear'' as one of the most popular shows on the BBC. In 2006, the British public ranked him number 19 in ITV's poll of TV's 50 Greatest Stars. Since 2019, he has become a farmer at Diddly Squat Farm for his show, ''Clarkson's Farm''. The show received a positive reception and became a popular show on Prime Video upon its release. In May 2024, the " Clarkson's clause" amendment, named after Clarkson, was introduced, making it easier to convert unused agricultural buildings to commercial usage, something he did in Season 2 of the show when planning permission for his restaurant was denied.


Early life


Childhood

Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson was born on 11 April 1960 in
Sprotbrough Sprotbrough is a village in the City of Doncaster in South Yorkshire, England, with a population of 7,548 at the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census. The village is transected by the A1(M) motorway and is situated at the top of the Don Gorg ...
, then part of
West Riding of Yorkshire The West Riding of Yorkshire was one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the riding was an administrative county named County of York, West Riding. The Lord Lieutenant of the West Riding of Yorkshire, lieu ...
. He is the son of Shirley Gabrielle Clarkson (''née'' Ward), a teacher, and Edward Grenville Clarkson, a travelling salesman. His parents, who ran a business selling tea cosies, put their son's name down in advance for private schools, with no idea how they were going to pay the fees. However, shortly before his admission, when he was 13, his parents made two
Paddington Bear Paddington Bear (though his name is just Paddington; the "Bear" simply serves to confirm his species; and also known as Paddington Brown for some sources) is a fictional character in British children's literature. He first appeared on 13 October ...
stuffed toys for Clarkson and his sister Joanna. These proved so popular that they started selling them through the business. Because they were manufacturing and selling the bears without regard to
intellectual property Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, co ...
rights, upon his becoming aware of the bears Michael Bond took action through his solicitors. Edward Clarkson travelled to London to meet Bond's lawyer. By coincidence, he met Bond in the lift, and the two struck up an immediate rapport. Consequently, Bond awarded the Clarksons the licensing of the bear rights throughout the world, with the family eventually selling to Britain's then leading toystore, Hamleys. The income from this success enabled the Clarksons to be able to pay the fees for Jeremy to attend Hill House School, Doncaster, and later
Repton School Repton School is a 13–18 co-educational, private, boarding and day school in the public school tradition, in Repton, Derbyshire, England. Sir John Port of Etwall, on his death in 1557, left funds to create a grammar school which was th ...
.


Repton School

Clarkson has stated he was deeply unhappy at Repton School, saying that he had been a " suicidal wreck" there, having experienced extreme
bullying Bullying is the use of force, coercion, Suffering, hurtful teasing, comments, or threats, in order to abuse, aggression, aggressively wikt:domination, dominate, or intimidate one or more others. The behavior is often repeated and habitual. On ...
. He alleged that:
I suffered many terrible things. I was thrown on an hourly basis into the ice plunge pool, dragged from my bed in the middle of the night and beaten, made to lick the lavatories clean and all the usual humiliations that... turn a small boy into a gibbering, sobbing, suicidal wreck... they glued my records together, snapped my compass, ate my biscuits, defecated in my tuck box and they cut my trousers in half.
According to his own account, he was expelled from Repton School for "drinking, smoking and generally making a nuisance of himself". He famously left with one C and two U (fail) grades at
A level The A-level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational ...
. Clarkson attended Repton alongside future
Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...
engineer Adrian Newey and former ''Top Gear'' Executive Producer Andy Wilman. He played the role of a preparatory school pupil, Atkinson, in a BBC radio ''
Children's Hour ''Children's Hour'', initially ''The Children's Hour'', was the BBC's principal recreational service for children (as distinct from "Broadcasts to Schools") which began during the period when radio was the only medium of broadcasting. ''Childre ...
'' serial adaptation of
Anthony Buckeridge Anthony Malcolm Buckeridge (20 June 1912 – 28 June 2004) was an English author, best known for his ''Jennings'' and '' Rex Milligan'' series of children's books. He also wrote the 1953 children's book ''A Funny Thing Happened'' which was ser ...
's ''
Jennings Jennings is a surname of early medieval English origin (also the Anglicised version of the Irish surnames Mac Sheóinín or MacJonin). Notable people with the surname include: *Jennings (Swedish noble family) A–G *Adam Jennings (born 1982), A ...
'' novels until his voice broke.


Career


Writing career

Clarkson's first job was as a travelling salesman for his parents' business, selling
Paddington Bear Paddington Bear (though his name is just Paddington; the "Bear" simply serves to confirm his species; and also known as Paddington Brown for some sources) is a fictional character in British children's literature. He first appeared on 13 October ...
toys. He later trained as a journalist with the ''Rotherham Advertiser'', before also writing for the '' Rochdale Observer'', '' Wolverhampton Express and Star'', ''Lincolnshire Life'', ''
Shropshire Star The ''Shropshire Star'' is an English regional newspaper and reputedly the twelfth biggest-selling regional newspaper in the UK. It is based at Grosvenor House, Telford, where it covers the whole of Shropshire plus parts of Herefordshire, Worces ...
'' and the Associated Kent Newspapers. When writing in 2015 in his final column for ''Top Gear'' magazine, he credited the ''Shropshire Star'' as his first outlet as a motoring columnist: "I started small, on the ''Shropshire Star'' with little
Peugeot Peugeot (, , ) is a French automobile brand owned by Stellantis. The family business that preceded the current Peugeot companies was established in 1810, making it the oldest car company in the world. On 20 November 1858, Émile Peugeot applie ...
s and Fiats and worked my way up to Ford Granadas and Rovers until, after about seven years, I was allowed to drive an
Aston Martin Lagonda The Aston Martin Lagonda is a full-size luxury four-door Sedan (automobile), saloon manufactured by British manufacturer Aston Martin between 1974 and 1990. A total of 645 were produced. The name was derived from the Lagonda marque that Aston ...
... It was 10 years before I drove my first
Lamborghini Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. ( , ), usually referred to as Lamborghini or colloquially Lambo, is an Italian manufacturer of luxury sports cars and SUVs based in Sant'Agata Bolognese. The company is owned by the Volkswagen Group through its su ...
." In 1984, Clarkson formed the Motoring Press Agency (MPA), in which, with fellow motoring journalist Jonathan Gill, he conducted road tests for local newspapers and automotive magazines. This developed into articles for publications such as ''
Performance Car A performance car is a car that exhibits above-average capabilities in one or more of the following areas: acceleration (torque and throttle response), top speed (horsepower), cornering and braking. It is debated how much performance is requi ...
''. He has regularly written for '' Top Gear'' magazine since its launch in 1993. In 1987, Clarkson wrote for '' Amstrad Computer User'' and compiled
Amstrad CPC The Amstrad CPC (short for "Colour Personal Computer") is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the ZX Spec ...
game reviews. Clarkson writes regular columns in the tabloid newspaper ''
The Sun The Sun is the star at the centre of the Solar System. It is a massive, nearly perfect sphere of hot Plasma (physics), plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core, radiating the energy from its surface mainly as ...
'', and for the
broadsheet A broadsheet is the largest newspaper format and is characterized by long Vertical and horizontal, vertical pages, typically of in height. Other common newspaper formats include the smaller Berliner (format), Berliner and Tabloid (newspaper ...
newspaper ''
The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...
''. His columns in the ''Times'' are republished in '' The Weekend Australian'' newspaper. He also writes for the "Wheels" section of the ''
Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part of Torstar's Daily News Brands (Torstar), Daily News Brands division. ...
''. He has written humorous books about cars and several other subjects, with many of his books being collections of articles that he has written for ''The Sunday Times''.


Television

Clarkson's first major television role came as one of the presenters on the British motoring programme '' Top Gear'', from 27 October 1988, to 3 March 1999, in the programme's earlier format. Jon Bentley, a researcher at ''Top Gear'', helped launch his television career. Clarkson got the job after a
screen test A screen test is a method of determining the suitability of an actor or actress for performing on film or in a particular role. It is typically a secondary or later stage in the audition process. The performer is generally given a scene, or sel ...
in which he spent 20 minutes ranting about the awfulness of the Citroen 2CV. Bentley shortly afterwards became the show's producer, and said about hiring Clarkson:
He was just what I was looking for — an enthusiastic motoring writer who could make cars on telly fun. He was opinionated and irreverent, rather than respectfully po-faced. The fact that he looked and sounded exactly like a twenty-something ex-public schoolboy didn't matter. Nor did the impression there was a hint of school bully about him. I knew he was the man for the job. ..Clarkson stood out because he was funny. Even my bosses allowed themselves the odd titter.
Clarkson then also presented the show's new format from 20 October 2002, to 8 March 2015. Along with co-presenters
James May James Daniel May (born 16 January 1963) is an English television presenter and journalist. He is best known as a co-presenter, alongside Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond, of the motoring programme ''Top Gear (2002 TV series), Top Gear'' fr ...
and
Richard Hammond Richard Mark Hammond (born 19 December 1969) is an English journalist, television presenter, and author. He co-hosted the BBC Two motoring programme ''Top Gear (2002 TV series), Top Gear'' from 2002 until 2015 with Jeremy Clarkson and James Ma ...
, he is credited with turning ''Top Gear'' into the most-watched TV show on
BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matte ...
, rebroadcast to over 100 countries around the world. Clarkson's company Bedder 6, which handled merchandise and international distribution for ''Top Gear'', earned over £149m in revenue in 2012, prior to a restructuring that gave
BBC Worldwide BBC Worldwide Ltd. was the wholly owned commercial subsidiary of the BBC, formed out of a restructuring of its predecessor BBC Enterprises in January 1995. The company monetised BBC brands, selling BBC and other British programming for broadcas ...
full control of the ''Top Gear'' rights. Clarkson presented the first series of the UK version of ''
Robot Wars Robot Wars may refer to: Film and television * ''Robot Wars'' (film), 1993 ** ''Robot Wars'' (soundtrack) * ''Robot Wars'' (TV series), a British TV competition, 1998–2004 and 2016–2018 ** '' Nickelodeon Robot Wars'', a U.S. TV game show ...
''. In an on-set accident, a robot's weapon flew off and became lodged in the wall inches from Clarkson. His talk show, ''Clarkson'', comprised 27 half-hour episodes aired in the United Kingdom between November 1998 and December 2000, and featured guest interviews with musicians, politicians and television personalities. Clarkson went on to present documentaries focused on non-motoring themes such as history and engineering, although the motoring shows and videos continued. Alongside his stand-alone shows, many mirror the format of his newspaper columns and books, combining his love of driving and motoring journalism, with the examination and expression of his other views on the world, such as in ''Jeremy Clarkson's Motorworld'', ''Jeremy Clarkson's Car Years'' and ''Jeremy Clarkson Meets the Neighbours''. After Trinny and
Susannah ''Susannah'' is an opera in two acts by the American composer Carlisle Floyd, who wrote the libretto and music while a member of the piano faculty at Florida State University. Floyd adapted the story from the Apocryphal tale of Susannah and the ...
labelled Clarkson's dress sense as that of a market trader, he was persuaded to appear on their fashion makeover show '' What Not to Wear'' to avoid being considered for their all-time worst dressed winner award. Their attempts at restyling Clarkson were rebuffed, and Clarkson stated he would rather eat his own hair than appear on the show again. For an episode of the first series of the BBC's '' Who Do You Think You Are?'' broadcast in November 2004, Clarkson was invited to investigate his family history. It included the story of his great-great-great-grandfather, John Kilner (1792–1857), who invented the Kilner jar, a container for preserved fruit. Clarkson's views are often showcased on television shows. In 1997, Clarkson appeared on the light-hearted comedy show '' Room 101'', in which a guest nominates things they hate in life to be consigned to nothingness. Clarkson dispatched caravans, houseflies, the sitcom ''
Last of the Summer Wine ''Last of the Summer Wine'' is a British sitcom set in Yorkshire created and written by Roy Clarke and originally broadcast by the BBC from 1973 to 2010. It premiered as an episode of ''Comedy Playhouse'' on 4 January 1973, and the first seri ...
'', the mentality within
golf club A golf club is a club used to hit a golf ball in a game of golf. Each club is composed of a shaft with a grip and a club head. Woods are mainly used for long-distance fairway or tee shots; irons, the most versatile class, are used for a variety o ...
s, and vegetarians. He has made several appearances on the prime time talk shows '' Parkinson'' and ''
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross ''Friday Night with Jonathan Ross'' is a British chat show presented by Jonathan Ross and broadcast on BBC One between 2001 and 2010. The programme featured Ross' take on current topics of conversation, guest interviews (usually three per show ...
'' since 2002. By 2003, his persona was deemed to fit the mould for the series '' Grumpy Old Men'', in which middle-aged men talk about any aspects of modern life which irritate them. Since the topical news panel show '' Have I Got News for You'' dismissed regular host
Angus Deayton Gordon Angus Deayton (; born 6 January 1956) is an English actor, writer, musician, comedian and broadcaster. Deayton was the original presenter of two successful British comedy panel shows, ''Have I Got News for You'' (1990–2002) and ''Woul ...
in October 2002, Clarkson has become one of the most regularly used guest hosts on the show. Clarkson has appeared as a panellist on the political current affairs television show '' Question Time'' twice since 2000. On 2 October 2015, he presented ''Have I Got News for You'' again for the first time since his dismissal. Clarkson received a
BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...
nomination for Best Entertainment Performance in 2006. Jonathan Ross ended up winning the award. He won the
National Television Awards The National Television Awards (often shortened to NTAs) is a British television awards ceremony, broadcast by the ITV network and begun in 1995. The National Television Awards are the most prominent ceremony for which the results are voted o ...
Special Recognition Award in 2007, and reportedly earned £1 million that same year for his role as a ''Top Gear'' presenter, and a further £1.7 million from books, DVDs and newspaper columns. Clarkson and co-presenter James May were the first people to reach the
north magnetic pole The north magnetic pole, also known as the magnetic north pole, is a point on the surface of Earth's Northern Hemisphere at which the Earth's magnetic field, planet's magnetic field points vertically downward (in other words, if a magnetic comp ...
in a car also in 2007, chronicled in '' Top Gear: Polar Special''. He sustained minor injuries to his legs, back and hand in an intentional collision with a brick wall while making the 12th series of ''Top Gear'' in 2008. In 2014, he received a £4.8 million dividend and an £8.4 million share buyout from
BBC Worldwide BBC Worldwide Ltd. was the wholly owned commercial subsidiary of the BBC, formed out of a restructuring of its predecessor BBC Enterprises in January 1995. The company monetised BBC brands, selling BBC and other British programming for broadcas ...
, bringing his estimated income for the year to more than £14 million. On 30 July 2015, it was announced that Clarkson, along with former '' Top Gear'' hosts
Richard Hammond Richard Mark Hammond (born 19 December 1969) is an English journalist, television presenter, and author. He co-hosted the BBC Two motoring programme ''Top Gear (2002 TV series), Top Gear'' from 2002 until 2015 with Jeremy Clarkson and James Ma ...
and
James May James Daniel May (born 16 January 1963) is an English television presenter and journalist. He is best known as a co-presenter, alongside Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond, of the motoring programme ''Top Gear (2002 TV series), Top Gear'' fr ...
would present a new show on
Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming television service owned by Amazon. The service primarily distributes films and television series produced or co-produced by ...
. The first season was made available worldwide in 2016. On 11 May 2016, Clarkson confirmed on his Twitter feed that the series would be titled ''
The Grand Tour ''The Grand Tour'' is a British motoring television series, created by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, James May, and Andy Wilman, for Amazon Prime Video, and premiered on 18 November 2016. The programme was devised in the wake of the depar ...
'', and air from a different location each week. On 9 March 2018, it was announced that Clarkson would host a revamped series of ''
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? ''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?'' (WWTBAM) is an international television game show franchise of British origin, created by David Briggs, Mike Whitehill and Steven Knight. In its format, currently owned and licensed by Sony Pictures Televis ...
'' on ITV.


Opinions and influence


Politics

Clarkson is in favour of
personal freedom Civil liberties are guarantees and freedoms that governments commit not to abridge, either by constitution, legislation, or judicial interpretation, without due process. Though the scope of the term differs between countries, civil liberties of ...
and against government
regulation Regulation is the management of complex systems according to a set of rules and trends. In systems theory, these types of rules exist in various fields of biology and society, but the term has slightly different meanings according to context. Fo ...
, stating that government should "build park benches and that is it. They should leave us alone." He has a particular contempt for the
Health and Safety Executive The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is a British public body responsible for the encouragement, regulation and enforcement of workplace health, safety and welfare. It has additionally adopted a research role into occupational risks in Great B ...
. He often criticised the Labour governments of
Tony Blair Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He was Leader ...
and
Gordon Brown James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. Previously, he was Chancellor of the Ex ...
, especially what he calls the "ban" culture, frequently fixating on the bans on
smoking Smoking is a practice in which a substance is combusted, and the resulting smoke is typically inhaled to be tasted and absorbed into the bloodstream of a person. Most commonly, the substance used is the dried leaves of the tobacco plant, whi ...
and 2004 ban on fox hunting. In April 2013, Clarkson was among 2,000 invited guests to the funeral of
Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
Prime Minister
Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013), was a British stateswoman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of th ...
. In an attempt to prove that the public furore over the 2007 UK child benefit data scandal was unjustified, he published his own bank account number and sort code, together with instructions on how to find out his address, in ''The Sun'' newspaper, expecting nobody to be able to remove money from his account. He later discovered that someone had set up a monthly direct debit for £500 to Diabetes UK. Clarkson supported a Remain vote in the
2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum The 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, commonly referred to as the EU referendum or the Brexit referendum, was a referendum that took place on 23 June 2016 in the United Kingdom (UK) and Gibraltar under the provisions o ...
, three days before the referendum, he and fellow presenter/best friend James May posted a video stating their support. Clarkson did not support
Brexit Brexit (, a portmanteau of "Britain" and "Exit") was the Withdrawal from the European Union, withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU). Brexit officially took place at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February ...
, stating that while the European Union has its problems, Britain would not have any influence over the EU, should it leave the Union. He envisions the European Union being turned into a US-like " United States of Europe", with one army, one currency, and one unifying set of values. In 2019, Clarkson said: "Europe has to punish us—they can't allow us to leave without being damaged because then everyone will want to go. We don't want to go if we're going to be damaged." In a January 2019 interview with LBC, Clarkson called Brexit voters "coffin-dodging idiots", though also criticised the younger voters, who overwhelmingly supported Remain, for their voting inactivity. Clarkson's comments have both a large number of supporters and opponents. He often comments on the media-perceived social issues of the day, such as the fear of challenging adolescent youths, which he calls "
hoodie A hoodie is a type of sweatshirt with a hood that, when worn up, covers most of the head and neck, and sometimes the face. The most common 'pullover' style hoodies often include a single large knife pocket or muff on the lower front, whil ...
s". In 2007, Clarkson was cleared of allegations of
assault In the terminology of law, an assault is the act of causing physical harm or consent, unwanted physical contact to another person, or, in some legal definitions, the threat or attempt to do so. It is both a crime and a tort and, therefore, may ...
ing a young person while visiting central
Milton Keynes Milton Keynes ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in Buckinghamshire, England, about north-west of London. At the 2021 Census, the population of Milton Keynes urban area, its urban area was 264,349. The River Great Ouse forms t ...
, after
Thames Valley Police Thames Valley Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the Thames Valley region, covering the counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire in South East England. It is the largest non-metropolitan police force ...
said that if anything, he had been the victim. As a motoring journalist, he is frequently critical of government initiatives such as the
London congestion charge The London congestion charge is a fee charged on most cars and motor vehicles being driven within the Congestion Charge Zone (CCZ) in Central London between 7:00am and 6:00pm Monday to Friday, and between 12:00noon and 6:00pm Saturday and Su ...
or proposals on road charging. He is also frequently scornful of caravanners and cyclists. He has often singled out
John Prescott John Leslie Prescott, Baron Prescott (31 May 1938 – 20 November 2024) was a British politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and as First Secretary of State from 2001 to 2007. A member of the ...
, the former Transport Minister, and Stephen Joseph, the head of the public transport pressure group Transport 2000, for ridicule. In September 2013, a tweet proposing that he might stand for election as an
independent candidate An independent politician or non-affiliated politician is a politician not affiliated with any political party or bureaucratic association. There are numerous reasons why someone may stand for office as an independent. Some politicians have polit ...
in
Doncaster North Doncaster North is a Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, constituency in South Yorkshire that was created in 1983. The seat has been represented in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons of the Parliamen ...
, the constituency of the then Labour leader of the opposition,
Ed Miliband Edward Samuel Miliband (born 24 December 1969) is a British politician who has served as Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero since July 2024. He has been Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for D ...
, was retweeted over 1,000 times — including by John Prescott. Clarkson has been critical of the
Special Relationship The Special Relationship is an unofficial term for relations between the United Kingdom and the United States. Special Relationship also may refer to: * Special relationship (international relations), other exceptionally strong ties between nat ...
between the United States and the United Kingdom. He referred to the US as the "United States of Total Paranoia", commenting that one needs a permit to do everything except for purchasing weapons. In 2017, in response to the United States officially recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, Clarkson advised
Palestinians Palestinians () are an Arab ethnonational group native to the Levantine region of Palestine. *: "Palestine was part of the first wave of conquest following Muhammad's death in 632 CE; Jerusalem fell to the Caliph Umar in 638. The indigenou ...
to recognise London as the capital of the United States. In 2020, Clarkson stated that he usually votes for the Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party, claiming not to be a natural Tory but "it just happens to be that every time it comes around and you weigh up which is going to provide you with a better life, the better country to live in, then it's usually the Conservatives"; he also mocked the policies of
Tony Blair Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He was Leader ...
and Jeremy Corbyn, stating "only an idiot would vote for Corbyn". Clarkson is also a personal friend of former Prime Minister, Conservative leader and Foreign Secretary David Cameron. However, he also expressed support of incumbent Labour leader (current UK Prime Minister) Keir Starmer and maintained that he was prepared to vote for Labour "if there's an election tomorrow" citing Boris Johnson's British government response to the COVID-19 pandemic, handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, COVID-19 pandemic. However, in 2023 he expressed criticism of Starmer's proposed economic and education policies. Ahead of the 2024 United Kingdom general election, 2024 general election, Clarkson reversed his previous view on Starmer and stated "I get, of course, that people are fed up with the Tories, but I’d rather vote for my dog than Sir Starmer’s merry bunch of ideological nincompoops" and cited his opposition to Labour's stance on farming. In September 2022, he described Socialism, socialists as "disgusting people". Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Clarkson shared a statement written by Boris Johnson on Twitter and captioned it "I was trying to think of something to say but Boris Johnson has said it all" and referred to the Queen as a "magnificent monarch". In January 2023, Clarkson argued a left-wing "coup" had silently taken place in British politics, media and culture, writing "We laugh as they change the name of the Sir Francis Drake Primary School to something less slavey. We think it's all a big joke. But it isn't. Think about what typically happens in a military operation and then look what the woke left has done here." He finished "At least Arthur Scargill had the decency to get on a soapbox and state his aims in public. This lot don't. They sit at home, hiding in the impenetrable shadow of anonymity, inventing new rules to ensnare anyone and everyone they deem to be unworthy." In a March 2023 column for ''The Times,'' Clarkson criticised the response to JK Rowling's comments on transgender issues, writing "she wasn't just Cancel culture, cancelled. She was erased. They put her in the delete bin and then afterwards, all her former fans and even the actors and actresses she'd made famous emptied the bin into a landfill site." However, in the same article, Clarkson also argued that the existence of transgender people was not a new phenomenon, drawling parallels between the arrests of Alan Turing and Lucy Hicks Anderson, and that society could grow to accept trans people in the same way it has homosexuals. However, Clarkson also accused teenage members of transgender rights movements of turning the debate into a culture war. He concluded, "I realise, of course, that the whole trans debate has been hijacked by lunatics who glue themselves to stuff and claim to be from a gender that doesn't even exist, and I know too that there is some kind of civil war going on between fiercely women women and women who just say they're women. This creates a noise that's annoying to most of us, but think how infuriating it must be to those who really were born in the wrong body?"


Criticism of Keir Starmer

Since 2024, Clarkson has been extremely critical of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party. Clarkson attended the November 2024 United Kingdom farmers' protests, England farmers' protests in London where he called tax hikes a "hammer blow to the back of the head" of British agriculture. Clarkson later labelled Starmer "a nightmare for farmers". Starmer is banned from Clarkson's pub, The Farmer's Dog, near Burford; Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch was however invited to discuss Starmer's tax and the future of farming.


Environment

Clarkson is critical of the Green politics, green movement and environmentalism, including groups such as Greenpeace—he has called them "eco-mentalists" and "old trade unionists and Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, CND lesbians". He also said that, although he "hate[s] the movement, [he] loves the destination" of environmentalism and believes that people should quietly strive to be more eco-friendly. He has been dismissive of windfarms and renewable energy and has spoken in support of hydrogen cars. Clarkson Climate change denial, rejects the scientific consensus on Global warming, climate change, believing that anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions do not affect the global climate."Okay, you've got me bang to rights — I'm a secret green" ''The Times''
17 May 2009
He has also expressed doubt that the effects of climate change are "a bad thing", saying in 2005 "let's just stop and think for a moment what the consequences might be. Climate change in Switzerland, Switzerland loses its skiing resorts? The Miami Beach, beach in Miami is washed away? Climate change in North Carolina, North Carolina gets knocked over by a hurricane? Anything bothering you yet?" However, during a 2019 trip to Cambodia while filming ''The Grand Tour'', Clarkson acknowledged the "graphic demonstration" of climate change in Cambodia, climate change impacts on the Mekong, Mekong River and Tonlé Sap was "genuinely alarming"; however, he still expressed doubt that it was driven by human activity. Cambodia was undergoing a severe drought during the show's filming. Clarkson is against Individual and political action on climate change, climate activism, and has often made personal attacks against teenage activist Greta Thunberg, whom he has called "a spoilt brat". Environmentalists have protested or heckled Clarkson on a number of occasions for his views, including at his honorary degree ceremony at Oxford Brookes University, where a protester pieing, threw a banana meringue pie in his face in 2006, and in 2009 when activist group Climate Rush dumped horse manure on his lawn. Clarkson's comments on Greta Thunberg were criticised by his own daughter.


Himself

Whilst Clarkson states such views as described above in his columns and in public appearances, his public persona does not necessarily represent his personal views. He acknowledged whilst interviewing Alastair Campbell on ''Top Gear'', saying "I don't believe what I write, any more than you [Campbell] believe what you say". Clarkson has been described as a "skillful propagandist for the motoring lobby" by ''The Economist''. With a forthright and sometimes deadpan delivery, Clarkson is said to thrive on the notoriety his public comments bring, and has risen to the level of the wikt:bête noire, bête noire of the various groups who disagree with his views. On the Channel 4-organised viewer poll, for the ''100 Worst Britons We Love to Hate'' programme, Clarkson polled in 66th place. By 2005, Clarkson was perceived by the press to have upset so many people and groups, ''The Independent'' put him on trial for various "crimes", declaring him guilty on most counts.


Media

Responses to Clarkson's comments are often directed personally, with derogatory comments about residents of Norfolk leading to some residents organising a "We hate Jeremy Clarkson" club. In ''The Guardian's'' 2007 'Media 100' list, which lists the top 100 most "powerful people in the [media] industry", based on cultural, economic and political influence in the UK, Clarkson was listed as a new entrant at 74th. Some critics even attribute Clarkson's actions and views as being influential enough to be responsible for the closure of MG Rover Group, Rover and the Luton manufacturing plant of Vauxhall Motors, Vauxhall. Clarkson's comments about Rover prompted workers to hang an "Anti-Clarkson Campaign" banner outside the defunct Longbridge plant in its last days. The BBC often played down his comments as ultimately not having the weight they were ascribed. In 2007, they described Clarkson as "not a man given to considered opinion", and in response to an official complaint another BBC spokeswoman once said: "Jeremy's colourful comments are always entertaining, but they are his own comments and not those of the BBC. More often than not they are said with a twinkle in his eye." On his chat show, ''Clarkson'', he caused upset to the Welsh people, Welsh by placing a 3D plastic map of Wales into a microwave oven and switching it on. He later defended this by saying, "I put Wales in there because Scotland wouldn't fit."


Recognition

In 2005, Clarkson received an honorary Doctor of Engineering degree from Oxford Brookes University. His #Environment, views on the environment precipitated a small demonstration at the award ceremony for his honorary degree, when Clarkson was pieing, pied by road protester Rebecca Lush. Clarkson took this incident in good humour, responding "good shot" and subsequently referring to Lush as "Banana girl". In 2008, an internet petition was posted on the Prime Minister's 10 Downing Street, Number 10 website to "Make Jeremy Clarkson Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Prime Minister". By the time it closed, it had attracted 49,446 signatures. An opposing petition posted on the same site set to "Never, Ever Make Jeremy Clarkson Prime Minister" attracted 87 signatures. Clarkson later commented he would be a rubbish Prime Minister as he is always contradicting himself in his columns. In the official response to the petition, Number 10 agreed with Clarkson's comments. In response to the reactions he gets, Clarkson has stated "I enjoy this back and forth, it makes the world go round but it is just opinion." On the opinion that his views are influential enough to topple car companies, he has argued that he has proof that he has had no influence. "When I said that the Ford Orion was the worst car ever it went on to become a best-selling car." Clarkson was ranked 49th on ''Motor Trend'' Magazine's Power List for 2011, its list of the fifty most influential figures in the automotive industry. In 2023 and 2024, he was voted "sexiest man" in the UK.


Other interests


Military interests

Clarkson has a keen interest in the British Armed Forces. Several of his DVDs and television shows have featured a military theme, such as flying in military jets or several Clarkson-focused ''Top Gear'' spots having a military theme such as Clarkson escaping a Challenger 2 tank in a Range Rover, a Lotus Exige evading missile lock from an AgustaWestland Apache, Apache attack helicopter, a platoon of Irish Guardsmen shooting at a Porsche Boxster and Mercedes-Benz SLK, or using a Ford Fiesta as a Royal Marine landing craft. In October 2005, Clarkson visited Operation Telic, British troops in Baghdad. In 2003, Clarkson presented ''The Victoria Cross: For Valour'', looking at List of Victoria Cross recipients, recipients of the Victoria Cross, in particular focusing on his father-in-law, Robert Henry Cain, who received a Victoria Cross, VC for actions during the Battle of Arnhem in the Second World War. In 2007, Clarkson wrote and presented ''Jeremy Clarkson: Greatest Raid of All Time'', a documentary about St Nazaire Raid, Operation Chariot in the Second World War, a 1942 Commando raid on the docks of Saint-Nazaire in occupied France. At the end of 2007, Clarkson became a patron of Help for Heroes, a charity aiming to raise money to provide better facilities to wounded British Soldier, servicemen. His effort led to the 2007 Christmas appeal in ''The Sunday Times'' supporting Help for Heroes.


Engineering interests

Clarkson is passionate about engineering, especially pioneering work. In ''Inventions That Changed the World'' Clarkson showcased the invention of the gun, computer, jet engine, telephone and television. He has previously criticised the engineering feats of the 20th century as merely improvements on the truly innovative inventions of the Industrial Revolution. He cites the lack of any source of alternative power for cars, other than by "small explosions". In ''100 Greatest Britons, Great Britons'', as part of a public poll to find the greatest historical Briton, Clarkson was the chief supporter for Isambard Kingdom Brunel, a prominent engineer during the Industrial Revolution credited with numerous innovations. Despite this, he also has a passion for many modern examples of engineering. In ''Speed'' and ''Extreme Machines'', Clarkson rides and showcases numerous vehicles and machinery. Clarkson was awarded an honorary degree from Brunel University on 12 September 2003, partly because of his work in popularising engineering, and partly because of his advocacy of Brunel. In his book ''I Know You Got Soul'', he describes many machines that he believes possess a soul. He cited the Air France Flight 4590, Concorde crash as his inspiration, feeling a sadness for the demise of the machine as well as the passengers. Clarkson was a passenger on the last British Airways, BA Concorde flight, on 24 October 2003. Paraphrasing Neil Armstrong, he described the retirement of the fleet as "This is one small step for a man, but one huge leap backwards for mankind". He briefly acquired an English Electric Lightning F1A fighter aircraft, jet fighter XM172 former RAF Coltishall gate guard, which was installed in the front garden of his country home. The Lightning was subsequently removed on the orders of the local council, which "wouldn't believe my claim that it was a leaf blower", according to Clarkson on a Tiscali Motoring webchat. The whole affair was set up for his programme ''Speed'', the Lightning was later returned to Wycombe Air Park. In a ''Top Gear'' episode, Clarkson drove the Bugatti Veyron in a race across Europe against a Cessna 182 Skylane, Cessna 182 piloted by co-presenter James May. The Veyron was an £850,000 technology demonstrator project built by Volkswagen Group, Volkswagen to become the fastest production car, but a practical road car at the same time. In building such an ambitious machine, Clarkson described the project as "a triumph for lunacy over common sense, a triumph for man over nature and a triumph for Volkswagen over absolutely every other car maker in the world." After winning the race, Clarkson announced that "It's quite a hollow victory really, because I've got to go for the rest of my life knowing that I'll never own that car. I'll never experience that power again."


Cars

Vehicles Clarkson has owned: * Range Rover (L322), Range Rover Autobiography V8 * Mercedes-Benz 600 Grosser, Mercedes-Benz 600 Grosser LWB (featured in Top Gear Series 11 Episode 5, compared against James May's Rolls-Royce Corniche) * Alfa Romeo Alfetta GTV6 (from The Grand Tour, Series 3 — "Well Aged Scotch") * Range Rover (L405), Range Rover Vogue SE * Bentley Flying Spur (2005)#Third generation (2019–present), Bentley Flying Spur * "The Excellent" (Land Rover Discovery and Mercedes-Benz SL-Class, Mercedes SL Combination from the Grand Tour Series 1, Episode 9) * Lamborghini Trattori R8 270 DCR (a tractor for his Clarkson's Farm, farm) * Lincoln Continental Mark V (from The Grand Tour, Series 4 — "Lochdown") * Mini * Jaguar F-Type * Range Rover (L460), Range Rover P530 Autobiography * Jaguar F-Type, Jaguar F-Type S * Ford Cortina * Volkswagen Scirocco 1 * Volkswagen Scirocco 2 * Honda CR-X * BMW 3.0L CSL * BMW Z1 * Ford Escort RS Cosworth * Ferrari F355 * Toyota Land Cruiser * Jaguar XJ (X308)#XJR, Jaguar XJR * Mercedes-Benz SL55 AMG * Volvo XC90 * Lotus Elise 111S * Ford GT * Ford Focus * Mercedes-Benz SLK55 AMG * Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder * Aston Martin V8 Vantage (2005), Aston Martin V8 Vantage * Mercedes CLK63 AMG Black * Mercedes-Benz CL-Class (C215), Mercedes-Benz CL 600 * Volkswagen Golf GTI * Bentley Continental GT#Continental GT V8 (2012–2018), Modified Bentley Continental GT V8 (from The Grand Tour "A Massive Hunt" in Series 4) * Jeep Wrangler (TJ), Jeep Wrangler (from The Grand Tour, Series 3 — "Colombia Special") * Range Rover (L405), Range Rover TDV8 Vogue SE Clarkson wanted to purchase the Ford GT after admiring its inspiration, the Ford GT40 race cars of the 1960s. Clarkson was able to secure a place on the shortlist for the few cars that would be imported to Britain to official customers, only through knowing Ford's head of public relations, PR through a previous job. After waiting years and facing an increased price, he found many technical problems with the car. After "the most miserable month's motoring possible", he returned it to Ford for a full refund. After a short period, including asking ''Top Gear'' fans for advice over the Internet, he bought back his GT. He called it "the most unreliable car ever made", because he was never able to complete a return journey with it.''Top Gear'', Season 8, Episode 1 7 May 2006 In 2006, Clarkson ordered a Lamborghini Gallardo#Gallardo Spyder (2006-2007), Gallardo Spyder and sold the Ford GT to make way for it. In August 2008, he sold the Gallardo, because "idiots in Peugeots kept trying to race [him] in it". In October, he announced that he had sold his Volvo XC90. In January 2009, in a review of the car printed in ''The Times'', he wrote: "I've just bought my third Volvo XC90 in a row and the simple fact is this: It takes six children to school in the morning."


Likes

Clarkson has spoken highly of the Czech-made Škoda Yeti, calling it possibly the best car in the world, and used 20 minutes of a ''Top Gear'' episode putting the Yeti through a number of challenges to support his point. Clarkson called the Alfa Romeo Brera and Spider, Brera, Alfa's latest sports car, "Cameron Diaz on wheels". Clarkson has expressed fondness for late-model V8 Holdens, available in the UK Vauxhall Monaro, rebadged as Vauxhalls. Of the Holden Monaro, Monaro he said, "It's like they had a picture of me on their desk and said [Australian English, Australian accent] 'Let's build that bloke a car!'" and "I can't believe it... I've fallen in love... with a Vauxhall!" Clarkson suffered two Spinal disc herniation, slipped discs that he attributed to driving the Monaro, which he described as being "back-breakingly marvellous". Clarkson considers the Lexus LFA as the best car he has ever driven. During ''Top Gear''s Top Gear: Patagonia Special, Patagonia Special, Clarkson said that the Porsche 928 was a car that was close to his heart because he was given the car to test for the series in 1994 and used it unexpectedly to drive from London to Sheffield to visit his dying father in hospital. Clarkson said that had he not driven the Porsche 928 (which was fast enough that a chicken he had cooked was "still warm" by the time he arrived in Sheffield) he "wouldn't have had the opportunity to say goodbye to [his] dad".


Dislikes

Clarkson dislikes the British car brand Rover (marque), Rover, the last major British owned and built car manufacturer. This view stretched back to the company's time as part of British Leyland. Describing the history of the company up to its last flagship model, the Rover 75, he paraphrased Winston Churchill and stated "Never in the field of human endeavour has so much been done, so badly, by so many", citing issues with the rack and pinion steering system. In the latter years of the company, Clarkson blamed the "uncool" brand image as being more of a hindrance to sales than any faults with the cars. On its demise, Clarkson stated "I cannot even get teary and emotional about the demise of the company itself — though I do feel sorry for the workforce." Clarkson has also expressed hatred for the Toyota Prius, Nissan Juke and Citroen 2CV. Clarkson has also criticised Vauxhalls and has described Vauxhall's then parent company, General Motors, as a "pensions and healthcare" company which sees the "car making side of the business as an expensive loss-making nuisance". Clarkson has expressed particular disdain for the Vauxhall Vectra, describing it as: After a ''Top Gear'' piece by Clarkson for its launch in 1995, described by ''The Independent'' as "not doing [GM] any favours", Vauxhall complained to the BBC and announced, "We can take criticism but this piece was totally unbalanced."


Controversies


Activities on ''Top Gear''

In 2004, the BBC apologised unreservedly and paid £250 in compensation to a Somerset parish council, after Clarkson damaged a 30-year-old Aesculus, horse-chestnut tree by driving into it to test the strength of a Toyota Hilux. In December 2006, the BBC complaints department upheld the complaint of four ''Top Gear'' viewers that Clarkson had used the phrase "ginger beer" (rhyming slang for "queer") in a derogatory manner, when Clarkson picked up on and agreed with an audience member's description of the Daihatsu Copen as being a bit "gay". The '' Top Gear: Polar Special'' was criticised by the BBC Trust for glamorising Driving under the influence, drunk driving in a scene depicting Clarkson and James May consuming alcohol whilst Clarkson says to camera, "And please do not write to us about drinking and driving, because I am not driving, I am sailing," thereby implying that they were driving on frozen international waters. Despite the show's producers claiming that the incident occurred outside the jurisdiction of any drunk-driving laws, the BBC Trust maintained that the scene "was not editorially justified". In a later incident during a ''Top Gear'' episode broadcast on 13 November 2005, Clarkson, while talking about a Mini (BMW), Mini design that might be "quintessentially German", made a mock Nazi salute, and made references to Nazi Germany and the German invasion of Poland by suggesting the GPS "only goes to Poland". In November 2008, Clarkson attracted over 500 complaints to the BBC when he joked about lorry drivers murdering prostitutes.Jeremy Clarkson sparks fresh BBC row
The Times, 4 November 2008
Staff writer (6 November 2008).
MP calls for Clarkson to lose job
, ''BBC News Online''. Retrieved 6 November 2008.
The BBC stated the comment was a comic rebuttal of a common misconception about lorry drivers and was within the viewer's expectation of Clarkson's ''Top Gear'' persona. Chris Mole, the Member of Parliament for Ipswich (UK Parliament constituency), Ipswich, where Ipswich 2006 serial murders, five sex workers were murdered in 2006, wrote a "strongly worded" letter to BBC Director-General Mark Thompson (media executive), Mark Thompson, demanding that Clarkson be sacked. Clarkson dismissed Mole's comments in his ''Sunday Times'' column the following weekend, writing, "There are more important things to worry about than what some balding and irrelevant middle-aged man might have said on a crappy BBC2 motoring show." Andrew Tinkler, chief executive of the Stobart Group, Eddie Stobart Group, a major trucking company, stated that "They were just having a laugh. It's the 21st century, let's get our sense of humour in line." In July 2009, Clarkson was reported to have called then British Prime Minister
Gordon Brown James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. Previously, he was Chancellor of the Ex ...
"a silly cunt" during a warm-up while recording a ''Top Gear'' show. Although several newspapers reported that he had subsequently argued with BBC Two controller Janice Hadlow,Leigh Holmwood and Chris Tryhor
"Clarkson crashes into trouble with C-word attack on PM"
''The Guardian'', 24 July 2009.
who was present at the recording, the BBC denied that he had been given a "dressing down". John Whittingdale, Conservative chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, Culture Select Committee remarked: "Many people will find that offensive, many people will find that word in particular very offensive ..I am surprised he felt it appropriate to use it." In July 2010, Clarkson reportedly angered gay rights campaigners after he made a remark on ''Top Gear'' that did not get aired on 4 July episode. However, guest Alastair Campbell wrote about it on Twitter. Clarkson said: "I demand the right not to be bummed". The BBC later said that they cut this remark out, as they "edited down" the interview because it was too long to fit into the show. In an episode aired after the Watershed (broadcasting), watershed on 1 August 2010, Clarkson described a Ferrari F430 as "special needs". He said the car owned by co-presenter
James May James Daniel May (born 16 January 1963) is an English television presenter and journalist. He is best known as a co-presenter, alongside Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond, of the motoring programme ''Top Gear (2002 TV series), Top Gear'' fr ...
looked "like a simpleton". Media regulator Ofcom investigated after receiving two complaints, and found that the comments "were capable of causing offence" but did not censure the BBC. On 12 January 2012, the List of diplomatic missions of India, Indian High Commission lodged a formal complaint with the BBC over the "tasteless" antics of Clarkson's ''Top Gear'' Christmas special where he mocked India's culture and people. During the 90-minute special, which was aired twice over the Christmas break, Clarkson made a string of jokes about Indian food, clothes, toilets, trains and history. On an episode of ''Top Gear'' broadcast on 5 February 2012, Clarkson compared a Japanese car / camper van to a person with a growth on their face. A major UK charity that supports people with facial disfigurements, Changing Faces (charity), Changing Faces, complained to the BBC and Ofcom after Clarkson's remarks. In an unused take for a ''Top Gear'' feature recorded in early 2012, Clarkson is alleged to have mumbled the racial slur "nigger" when repeating the children's rhyme Eeny, meeny, miny, moe#American and British versions, Eeny, meeny, miny, moe. The clip later surfaced on the website of the ''Daily Mirror'' tabloid at the beginning of May 2014. In the take, Clarkson attempts to mumble the sentence so as to obscure the word, but admitted that upon a close listening, the word could still be heard. Clarkson apologised for his efforts not being "quite good enough" to ensure the footage was not used. It was reported on 3 May that the BBC had given Clarkson a final warning, with the presenter accepting that he would be sacked if he made another offensive remark. Near the end of the ''Top Gear: Burma Special'', which aired March 2014, Clarkson and Richard Hammond, Hammond were seen admiring a wooden bridge, which they had built during the episode. Clarkson is quoted as saying, "That is a proud moment, but there's a slope on it" as a native crosses the bridge, with "List of ethnic slurs#S, slope" being a pejorative for Asians. ''Top Gear'' Executive Producer Andy Wilman responded: "When we used the word slope in the recent ''Top Gear Burma Special'' it was a light-hearted word play joke referencing both the build quality of the bridge and the local Asian man who was crossing it. We were not aware at the time, and it has subsequently been brought to our attention, that the word slope is considered by some to be offensive." In October 2014, Clarkson attracted controversy when filming the ''Top Gear: Patagonia Special'' after driving a Porsche 928 in Argentina with the Vehicle registration plates of the United Kingdom, registration number H982 FKL, allegedly referring to the 1982 Falklands War. Also, during the broadcast, Clarkson was seen referring to the controversy that had risen after the Burma Special; when inspecting a bridge, which he and his colleagues had built during the episode, he was quoted as saying "That is a proud moment, Hammond, but... is it straight?" With Hammond replying "Yes".


Activities outside ''Top Gear''

In October 1998, Hyundai Motor Company, Hyundai complained to the BBC about what they described as "bigoted and racist" comments he made at the Birmingham Motor Show, where he was reported as saying that the people working on the Hyundai stand had "eaten a dog" and that the designer of the Hyundai XG had probably eaten a spaniel for his lunch. Clarkson also allegedly referred to those working on the BMW stand as "Nazis", with BMW saying that they would not lodge a complaint and giving Clarkson "the benefit of the doubt". In March 2004, at the British Press Awards, he swore at Piers Morgan and punched him before being restrained by security; Morgan says it left him with a scar above his left eyebrow. In April 2007, Clarkson was criticised in the Malaysian parliament for having described one of their cars, the Perodua Kelisa, as the worst in the world, adding that "its name was like a disease and [suggesting] it was built in jungles by people who wear leaves for shoes". A Malaysian government minister countered, pointing out that no complaints had been received from UK customers who had bought the car. In February 2009, while in Australia, Clarkson made disparaging remarks aimed at the British Prime Minister
Gordon Brown James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. Previously, he was Chancellor of the Ex ...
, calling him a "one-eyed Scottish idiot", and accused him of lying. These comments were widely condemned by the Royal National Institute of Blind People; they were also condemned by Scottish politicians, who requested that he should be taken off air. He subsequently apologised for referencing Brown's monocular blindness, but said: "I haven't apologised for calling him an idiot." His column for ''The Sun'' newspaper on 4 September 2011, drew angry remarks in response to Clarkson's call to abolish the Welsh language: "I think we are fast approaching the time when the United Nations should start to think seriously about abolishing other languages. What's the point of Welsh, for example? All it does is provide a silly maypole around which a bunch of hotheads can get all nationalistic." On 30 November 2011, while being interviewed on the BBC's ''The One Show'', Clarkson commented on the UK's public sector strike that day, lauding the capital's empty roads. After mentioning the BBC's need for balance, he said, "I would take them outside and execute them in front of their families." The programme later apologised for his remarks, with further apologies issued by Clarkson and the BBC. These remarks had attracted 21,335 complaints to the BBC within 36 hours; the BBC also received 314 messages of support for Clarkson. Clarkson was criticised by the mental health charity Mind (charity), Mind for his 3 December 2011, column for ''The Sun'', in which he described those who jump in front of trains as "Johnny Suicide" and argues that following a death, trains should carry on their journeys as soon as possible. He adds: "The train cannot be removed nor the line reopened until all of the victim's body has been recovered. And sometimes the head can be half a mile away from the feet." ... "Change the driver, pick up the big bits of what's left of the victim, get the train moving as quickly as possible and let foxy woxy and the birds nibble away at the smaller, gooey parts that are far away or hard to find."


Road safety

Clarkson often discusses high-speed driving on public roads, criticising road safety campaigns involving cameras and speed bumps. In 2002, a Member of the National Assembly for Wales, Welsh Assembly Member Alun Pugh wrote to BBC Director-General Greg Dyke to complain about Clarkson's comments that he believed encouraged people to use Welsh roads as a high-speed test track. A BBC spokesman said that suggestions Clarkson had encouraged speeding were "nonsense". Clarkson has also made similar comments about driving in Lincolnshire. In a November 2005 ''Times'' article, Clarkson wrote on the Bugatti Veyron, "On a recent drive across Europe I desperately wanted to reach the top speed but I ran out of road when the needle hit 240 mph," and "From the wheel of a Veyron, France is the size of a small coconut. I cannot tell you how fast I crossed it the other day. Because you simply wouldn't believe me." In 2007, solicitor Nick Freeman represented Clarkson against a charge of driving at 86 mph in a 50 mph zone on the A40 road in London, defeating it on the basis that the driver of the car loaned to Clarkson from Alfa Romeo could not be ascertained. In 2008, Clarkson claimed in a talk at the Hay-on-Wye, Hay Festival to have been given a speeding ticket for driving at 186 mph on the Limehouse Link tunnel, A1203 Limehouse Link road in London.


Dismissal from ''Top Gear''

In March 2015, Clarkson was suspended by the BBC from ''Top Gear'' following a "fracas" with one of the show's producers, Oisin Tymon. It emerged that Clarkson had been involved in a dispute over catering while filming on location in Hawes, North Yorkshire, having been refused a steak (the chef had gone home) and offered soup and cold meat instead. The BBC announced that the next episode of the show would not be broadcast on 15 March. It was later announced through the BBC's website that the network would be likely to drop the remaining two episodes of the series as well in the wake of the incident, which involved Clarkson punching producer Oisin Tymon, who was later treated in hospital. Tymon also said that Clarkson had called him a "lazy Irish cunt". Clarkson's contract with the BBC expired at the end of March, and a previously proposed three-year renewal was withdrawn. A Change.org petition, aiming to reverse the BBC decision, was started on 10 March by blogger Paul Staines, Guido Fawkes. The petition reached its target 1,000,000 signatures by the afternoon of 20 March, and was delivered to the BBC in an FV433 Abbot SPG, artillery vehicle by a man dressed as ''Top Gear'' test driver The Stig, with Fawkes as spokesman. The hosting website described the petition as the fastest-growing campaign in its history. On 19 March 2015, at a charity auction at the Roundhouse (venue), Roundhouse in Camden, north London, Clarkson launched into a verbal tirade against BBC studio bosses related to his suspension from the programme, saying "The BBC have fucked themselves." He later stated that this was "meant in jest". On 25 March 2015, the BBC released an official statement confirming that, as a result of the actions which led to his suspension, they would not be renewing his contract with the show. Following the statement, North Yorkshire Police requested to view the report and stated that "action will be taken by North Yorkshire police where necessary". However, Tymon informed the police that he did not wish to press charges against Clarkson, and Clarkson urged fans of the show to stop Troll (Internet), trolling Tymon on social media, as what happened was not his fault. British police investigated death threats made against BBC Director-General Tony Hall, Baron Hall of Birkenhead, Tony Hall over Clarkson's firing. Less than 24 hours after his dismissal, Clarkson was approached by Zvezda (TV channel), Zvezda, a Russian state broadcaster, to present a motoring programme. In his ''Sunday Times'' column on 19 April, Clarkson said that two days before he hit Tymon, he had been told by his doctor that a lump he had could be Oral cancer, cancer of the tongue. Testing later confirmed that it was not cancerous. In the same column, he stated that he had initially considered retiring from television following his dismissal, but was now planning a new motoring programme. In November 2015, Tymon sued Clarkson and the BBC for racial discrimination over the verbal abuse he received in the March incident. The following February, Clarkson formally apologised to Tymon and settled the racial discrimination and personal injury claim for £100,000.


''The Sun'' newspaper column on the Duchess of Sussex

In December 2022, he was criticised for one of his columns in ''The Sun'' on Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, which was deemed misogynistic by critics as he stated: He later said it was a reference to Mother's Mercy, a scene from the television series ''Game of Thrones''. He had used the same reference in an article published in ''The Sun'' in December 2018 to defend Meghan: In his other columns, Clarkson criticised Meghan for her "simpering victimhood", called her a "silly little cable TV actress", and stated that her climate change pleas make him want to "shoot a polar bear in the middle of its face." The Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) said it had received more than 25,100 complaints about the piece, making it the article with the most number of complaints attached to it since IPSO's establishment in 2014. The number is also more than the total number of complaints made to IPSO in 2021, which was 14,355. On 19 December 2022, ''The Sun''s website published a statement in response to the criticism: "In light of Jeremy Clarkson's tweet he has asked us to take last week's column down." In light of the controversy, Edward Faulks, the chair of IPSO, declined a private dinner invitation by Rupert Murdoch, who owns ''The Sun''. The Scottish first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, whose name was also mentioned in the column, described Clarkson's comments as "deeply misogynist and just downright awful and horrible" and warned that "words have consequences". The prime minister, Rishi Sunak, responded to the controversy by emphasising that "language matters". In a letter to ITV chief executive Carolyn McCall, Scottish National Party, SNP MP John Nicolson called on the organisation to sack Clarkson. On 20 December 2022, Conservative MP Caroline Nokes wrote to ''The Sun''s editor, Victoria Newton, calling for "action [to be] taken" against Clarkson and for an "unreserved apology". The letter was signed by more than 60 cross-party MPs. On 21 December, Kevin Lygo, the managing director of ITV, stated at a Broadcasting Press Guild event that Clarkson would remain host of ''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?'' "at the moment" as ITV had "no control" over what he said in ''The Sun'' newspaper column, but added that what he wrote "was awful" and "he should apologise" for his comments. On the same day the head of the Metropolitan Police Sir Mark Rowley stated Clarkson would not face criminal proceedings for his actions as it was not the job of officers to "police people's ethics" and the police could generally get involved when "things are said that are intended or likely to stir up or incite violence". Peter Herbert (lawyer), Peter Herbert, the chair of the Society of Black Lawyers, wrote to the Metropolitan Police requesting an investigation under the Public Order Act 1986 as he believed the column promoted racial hatred. The letter was co-signed by the Society of Black Lawyers, Operation Black Vote and Bandung Africa, as well as Lee Jasper, Viv Ahmun, Bell Ribeiro-Addy, and Claudia Webbe. A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said "The allegations have been assessed, no offences have been identified, and no further action will be taken." On 11 January 2023, culture secretary Michelle Donelan described Clarkson's comments as "outrageous" but not "illegal" and said that she "wouldn't have said what he said and I don't align myself with the comments that he made" but "I defend his right to be able to say what he wants" because "that's the nature of free speech — of course, that shouldn't stray into illegal content or go in certain directions." On 19 December Clarkson stated he was "horrified to have caused so much hurt" over his comments, which were also criticised by his daughter Emily and co-star James May. On 23 December, ''The Sun'' issued an apology, stating "columnists' opinions are their own" but they "regret the publication of this article" and are "sincerely sorry". On the following day, a spokesperson for the Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Duke and Duchess of Sussex described the apology as "nothing more than a PR stunt" and added that the publication had not contacted Meghan to personally apologise which "shows their intent". In an Instagram post on 16 January 2023, Clarkson said that he had emailed the Duke and Duchess on Christmas Day 2022 to apologise, saying that his language had been "disgraceful" and he was "profoundly sorry". A spokesperson for the couple said Clarkson wrote solely to the Duke and the article was not an isolated incident considering "his long-standing pattern of writing articles that spread hate rhetoric, dangerous conspiracy theories and misogyny." In the fallout from the comments, ''Variety (magazine), Variety'' reported that Amazon was likely ending its relationship with Clarkson; however, this report proved to be inaccuarate, as '' Clarkson's Farm'' was later renewed for a fourth season to be broadcast in 2025. In February 2023, IPSO announced that it was launching an investigation about the article, specifically taking forward two groups of complaints, from the Fawcett Society and the Wilde Foundation, which claimed "they were affected by breaches in accuracy, harassment and discrimination." In June 2023, IPSO concluded that the column was sexist and contained a "pejorative and prejudicial reference" to Meghan's sex, but it rejected complaints that the piece was inaccurate, meant to harass her or included discriminatory references on the grounds of race.


Personal life

Clarkson married Alex Hall in 1989, but she left him for one of his friends after six months. In May 1993, he married his manager, Frances Cain, daughter of Victoria Cross, VC recipient Robert Henry Cain, in Fulham. The couple had three children. Clarkson has been described as a member of the Chipping Norton set. Known for buying him car-related gifts, for Christmas 2007, Clarkson's second wife bought him a Mercedes-Benz 600. Clarkson and Cain divorced in 2014. While reviewing the TVR Sagaris in July 2005 for ''Top Gear'' at the test track, Clarkson slipped two Intervertebral disc, discs in his back due to him excessively oversteering; he was forced to stop driving for six months. Clarkson was involved in a protracted legal dispute about access to a "permissive path" across the grounds of his second home, a converted lighthouse, on the Isle of Man between 2005 and 2010, after reports that dogs had attacked and killed sheep on the property. Clarkson and his wife had claimed that four sheep were deliberately killed after being chased into the sea by a dog let off its lead. He lost the dispute after the Isle of Man government held a public inquiry, and he was told to re-open the footpath. The decision was affirmed by the High Court of the Isle of Man, Isle of Man High Court. Clarkson is a fan of the progressive rock band Genesis (band), Genesis and attended the band's reunion concert at Twickenham Stadium in 2007. He also provided sleeve notes for the reissue of the album ''Selling England by the Pound'' as part of the ''Genesis 1970–1975'' box set. Clarkson, along with his son, are fans of the football team Chelsea F.C., Chelsea FC. In September 2010, Clarkson was granted a privacy injunction against his first wife to prevent her from publishing claims that their sexual relationship continued after his second marriage (see ''AMM v HXW''). He voluntarily lifted the injunction in October 2011, commenting that: "Injunctions don't work. You take out an injunction against somebody or some organisation and immediately news of that injunction and the people involved and the story behind the injunction is in a legal-free world on Twitter and the Internet. It's pointless." Since 2017, Clarkson has been in a relationship with Irish-born former actress and screenplay writer Lisa Hogan, who features in his Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime series '' Clarkson's Farm''. Clarkson lives in Chadlington, near Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire. For his 60th birthday in 2020, Clarkson purchased a Bentley Flying Spur (2005), Bentley Flying Spur as a present to himself. On 23 August 2024, Clarkson opened a pub, The Farmer's Dog, formerly known as The Windmill, in Asthall, near Burford, in connection to his farming show ''Clarkson's Farm''. Clarkson later said he had banned Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Keir Starmer, his ''Top Gear'' and ''The Grand Tour'' colleague
James May James Daniel May (born 16 January 1963) is an English television presenter and journalist. He is best known as a co-presenter, alongside Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond, of the motoring programme ''Top Gear (2002 TV series), Top Gear'' fr ...
and a local named Maddy Hornby.


Health

On 4 August 2017, he was admitted to hospital after falling ill with pneumonia while on a family holiday in Majorca, Spain, and was being treated in a hospital there. He subsequently said he could "breathe out harder and for longer than a non-smoking 40-year-old" and had 96 per cent capacity for a person his age. "In short, getting on for three-quarters of a million Cigarette, fags have not harmed me in any way. I have quite literally defied medical science". On 19 October 2024, Clarkson revealed via his column on ''The Sunday Times'' that he had a stent fitted at John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford after experiencing a "sudden deterioration" in his health after returning from holiday in the Indian Ocean.


Filmography


Television


Music videos


Bibliography

* Two books containing the best columns from previous publications, titled "The Collected Thoughts of Clarkson" and "Never Played Golf", were issued by '' Top Gear'' magazine, in 2003 and 2004 respectively.


Britcar 24 Hour results


References


Further reading

* ''Jeremy Clarkson's Motorworld'' (1996), * ''Clarkson on Cars: Writings and Rantings of the BBC's Top Motoring Correspondent'' (1996), * ''Clarkson's Hot 100'' (1997), * ''Jeremy Clarkson's Planet Dagenham: Drivestyles of the Rich and Famous'' (1998), * ''Born to Be Riled: The Collected Writings of Jeremy Clarkson'' (1999) (re-published 2007), * ''Jeremy Clarkson's Ultimate Ferrari'' (2001), * ''The World According to Clarkson'' (2004), * ''Clarkson on Cars'' (2004), * ''I Know You Got Soul'' (2004), * ''Motorworld'' (2004), * ''The World According to Clarkson 2: And Another Thing...'' (2006),


External links

* *
Archive of Clarkson's ''Sunday Times'' columns
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Clarkson, Jeremy 1960 births Living people 20th-century English non-fiction writers 21st-century English farmers 21st-century English writers 2015 controversies BBC television presenters Britcar 24-hour drivers British motoring journalists English columnists English game show hosts English male journalists English male non-fiction writers English television presenters Journalists from Yorkshire People educated at Hill House School, South Yorkshire People educated at Repton School People from Chipping Norton People from Doncaster Television personalities from South Yorkshire British television show creators The Sun (United Kingdom) people The Sunday Times people British car collectors