Jeremy Clarkson, perpetual annoyance to the perpetually offended, not sweating BBC suspension

Jeremy Clarkson is the outspoken and often politically incorrect BBC presenter of one of the most-watched shows in the world— “Top Gear.” During his tenure, Clarkson has frequently rankled the outrage brigades, particularly environmentalists as he extols the virtues of the internal combustion engine, guzzling gas in new and creative ways all over the world. The show also recently triggered a bizarre international incident when Argentinians were violently offended by a license plate they thought was a cheeky reference to the Falkands War. The BBC and “Top Gear” maintained it wasn’t.

Advertisement

This time, the irrepressible Clarkson is in trouble over a “fracas” with a “Top Gear” crew member. Some reports suggest he may have punched someone. The BBC suspended him and those who already wanted him gone have decided he should get the heave-ho. But Clarkson remains calm and Clarkson-y:

“I’m just off to the job centre,” he told reporters outside his home in London, a day after the BBC said it had suspended Clarkson and cancelled upcoming episodes of his show over a “fracas” with a producer.

“It means I’m going to be able to go to the Chelsea match tonight,” he added, later making an animated appearance at the Champions League match against Paris Saint-Germain.

More:

The presenter told the Sun: “I’m having a nice cold pint and waiting for this to blow over.”


There’s a Change.org petition asking for his reinstatement under the inspirational call to arms: Freedom to fracas. It has more than 650,000* signatories.


A petition to sack Clarkson has about 4,000.

Clarkson will no doubt be back. He’s popular and he’s worth a ton to the BBC, which doesn’t exactly have a ton of commercial mega-hits on its hands. People like him because he ruffles feathers, and when he does, he usually gives those hyperventilating the finger. Society’s oversensitivity has me rooting for Sean Penn, of all people, so I’m certainly Team Clarkson on this. Prime Minister David Cameron is, too.

Advertisement

For more on the always problematic, follow my new favorite Tumblr to learn about all the things you should be offended by, every second of every day.

*Corrected the number to reflect the actual 650K total. Oops, that mistake kind of destroyed my point.

Join the conversation as a VIP Member

Trending on HotAir Videos

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement