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| '''Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson''' (born ], ] in ]) is a |
'''Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson''' (born ], ] in ]) is a ] ] journalist and ] presenter. Some consider him to be hilarious in his manner while others consider him to be unfashionable.. He is forthright in his opinions in the press and on television. | ||
| ==Biography== | ==Biography== | ||
| Clarkson was educated at ]. He worked as a travelling salesman for his parents business - selling Paddington Bear toys. |
Clarkson was educated at ]. He worked as a travelling salesman for his parents' business - selling Paddington Bear toys. He took a job on the '']''. In ] he formed the ] with business partner Jonathan Gill, which aimed to supply road tests to local newspapers. During the 1980s he wrote for specialist car magazines such as '']''. | ||
| ==Television career== | ==Television career== | ||
| ] ] cover featuring Jeremy Clarkson]] | ] ] cover featuring Jeremy Clarkson]] | ||
| The television show he is most associated with is the motoring programme '']'', which he presented from 1989 to 1999, before devising a format change in 2002. It is now consistently the most watched show on BBC2 |
The television show he is most associated with is the motoring programme '']'', which he presented from ] to ], before devising a format change in ]. It is now consistently the most watched show on ] with 250 million viewers around the world. He also presented other motoring-related series such as ''Star Cars'' and ''Jeremy Clarkson's Motorworld''. | ||
| Non-motoring shows he has starred in include: | Non-motoring shows he has starred in include: | ||
| Line 17: | Line 19: | ||
| *''Jeremy Clarkson Meets The Neighbours'': A notorious Europhobe, Clarkson travelled around Europe, confronting (and in some cases reinforcing) his prejudices. | *''Jeremy Clarkson Meets The Neighbours'': A notorious Europhobe, Clarkson travelled around Europe, confronting (and in some cases reinforcing) his prejudices. | ||
| *'']'': hosted two episodes, the first in ] and the second in ]. | *'']'': hosted two episodes, the first in ] and the second in ]. | ||
| * ''Inventions That Changed the World'' |
* ''Inventions That Changed the World'': five episodes featuring the invention of the gun/computer/jet engine/telephone/television from a British point of view. | ||
| * '']'': co-hosted one episode on ], ] with ]. | * '']'': co-hosted one episode on ], ] with ]. | ||
| * '']'': twice he has been a guest of some repute. | |||
| * '']'': appeared on this in ] when ] was host. Clarkson's choices were ]s; ]; '']''; the mentality within ]s; and ]s. | |||
| ==Other interests== | ==Other interests== | ||
| Clarkson is interested |
Clarkson is interested in engineering in general, especially pioneering work, as his programmes on ] and the ] have shown. In ], Clarkson appeared on the British talk show '']'' and mentioned that he was writing a book about the ] he sees many machines as having. He cited ] as his primary example: when people heard it had ], quite aside from the sadness they felt for the loss of human life, there was also almost a sadness for the machine. The book, titled '']'', was published in October 2004. | ||
| Clarkson, being one of the passengers on the last ] Concorde flight on ], ], paraphrased ] to describe the retiring of Concorde: "''This is one small step for a man, but one huge leap backwards for mankind''". | Clarkson, being one of the passengers on the last ] Concorde flight on ], ], paraphrased ] to describe the retiring of Concorde: "''This is one small step for a man, but one huge leap backwards for mankind''". | ||
| His latest book |
His latest book is The World According to Clarkson was at number one in the charts for eight weeks. | ||
| ==Attacked with a banana meringue pie== | |||
| ==Honorary Degree Controversy== | |||
| Clarkson was awarded an ] from ] in ], partly because of his work popularizing ] topics and partly because of his advocacy of ] in the ] programme. In ], the School of Technology at ] awarded him with an honorary engineering doctorate on the same grounds. This led to protests from various hard line green organisations. | Clarkson was awarded an ] from ] in ], partly because of his work popularizing ] topics and partly because of his advocacy of ] in the ] programme. In ], the School of Technology at ] awarded him with an honorary engineering doctorate on the same grounds. This led to protests from various hard line green organisations because of his allegedly anti-] beliefs. | ||
| After receiving his honorary degree on September 12, a protestor hit Clarkson in the face with a banana meringue pie |
After receiving his honorary degree on September 12, a protestor hit Clarkson in the face with a banana meringue pie. He has defended his record on environmental issues, saying: “I do have a disregard for the environment. I think the world can look after itself and we should enjoy it as best we can.” His response to the incident was good-humoured, "Good shot!", followed by "Delicious... kind of banana taste but too much sugar." | ||
| ==Other Clarkson |
==Other Clarkson tales== | ||
| Jeremy Clarkson has often been the focus of controversy. In October ] a letter of complaint was made to the BBC by Hyundai cars in response to what they described as "bigoted and racist" comments Clarkson made at the Motor Show in Birmingham. Clarkson had quipped that the people working on the Hyundai stand had eaten a dog and that the designer of the Hyundai XG had probably had a spaniel for his lunch. Clarkson also allegedly referred to those working on the BMW stand as ']'. | Jeremy Clarkson has often been the focus of controversy. In October ] a letter of complaint was made to the BBC by Hyundai cars in response to what they described as "bigoted and racist" comments Clarkson made at the Motor Show in Birmingham. Clarkson had quipped that the people working on the Hyundai stand had eaten a dog and that the designer of the Hyundai XG had probably had a spaniel for his lunch. Clarkson also allegedly referred to those working on the BMW stand as ']'. | ||
| In the ] on ], ] he claimed to have spent the day hunting ] using tennis rackets and croquet mallets. He received a warning from the ]. | |||
| One of the biggest controversies arose from an article in the ] on ], ] where he reported that he had just spent "... I can't say how much, you'd faint ... on a day's ratting. The idea is that next February 10 of us will drive to a North Yorkshire farm where we will kill between 400 and 1,000 rats. No guns are allowed, but we will be able to use tennis rackets and croquet mallets. It sounds a hoot." The director of the ] Peter Davis ordered an inquiry as such 'ratting' events (where hundreds of rats are collected and then bludgeoned to death with pickaxe handles and other weapons) were known to be taking place. The RSPCA concluded that they were certain that the event Clarkson was due to attend was real but Clarkson refused to provide the RSPCA with any further details. He subsequently received a caution. (Sunday Express. May 11, 2003). | |||
| Clarkson's views on cyclists and promotion of motoring have caused concern among some cycling and road-safety organisations. ] have called for ''Top Gear'' to be replaced by a more safety and environmentally aware motoring programme. In ] Clarkson rammed a 30 year old ] tree with a ] Hilux pick-up truck to demonstrate how rugged the vehicle was. | |||
| Clarkson's views on cyclists (he has variously referred to them as being 'Lycra Nazis' and ' Guardian-reading, muesli freaks') and promotion of motoring have caused concern among some cycling and road-safety organisations. In 'The Sun' on ], ] Clarkson wrote an article in response to EU proposals to make it easier for pedestrians and cyclists to gain compensation should they be injured as a result with a collision with a car. In the article, entitled 'The Lycra Nazis are taking over' Clarkson wrote "Bicycle guerrillas? We've already got them...They have already taken over a third of the roads with their green tarmac cycle lanes. Now the Lycra Nazis want to take over the whole lot! When will people understand that roads are for cars and that there is no danger at all from speeding motorists if walkers and cyclists steer clear". The magazine of the ], the UK's National Cycling Organisation, featured Clarkson's comments saying the degree of abuse was 'farcical' ('Cycle Touring and Campaigning. October/November 2002). The National cycling press expressed similar concerns with 'Cycling Plus' of October 2002 also featuring Clarkson's comments. | |||
| ⚫ | In ] Clarkson and others from the show chained themselves to a bus in ], causing traffic chaos and the police to be called as an environmental protest modelled on a Greenpeace action. | ||
| In July 2005 Clarkson continued his anti-cyclist theme writing that he would run any cyclist down he saw going though a red light 'for fun' and also warning cyclists to ensure they did not stop in front of him at traffic lights either as he would "set off at normal speed and you will be crushed under my wheels." Clarkson also argued that cyclists whose safety was put at risk by irresponsible drivers had no right to complain saying ''if we cut you up, shut up.'' (The Sun July 16 2005) | |||
| ⚫ | In ] Clarkson punched ], editor of the ], after the paper had published photographs of Clarkson with another woman. He also threw a glass of water over Morgan whilst they were on the final flight of Concorde. | ||
| ], a group which campaigns for the development of a more sustainable transportation network, have called for ''Top Gear'' to be replaced by a more safety and environmentally aware motoring programme. In April ] the organisation issued a press release critical of they way the show is presented arguing that "It glamorises speed and fails to make the connection between speed and danger on the roads. It encourages an obsession with unnecessarily powerful and therefore heavily polluting cars." and that "It is in danger of promoting a ‘yobbish’ attitude on the road and inconsiderate behaviour towards other road users." The Association of British Drivers, have described T2000 as "the mouthpiece of the bus companies" and in an article responding to T2000's 'Third Gear' propsals entitles 'Turd Gear' claimed that T2000 lack an understanding of the basic transportation needs of many British commuters. | |||
| Clarkson and the ''Top Gear'' team have also caused controversy with some of the stunts staged especially for the show. In February ] Clarkson rammed a 30 year old horse chestnut tree with a Toyota pick-up truck, supposedly to demonstrate how 'rugged' it was. This led to the BBC having to compensate the local parish council who, until they saw the ''Top Gear'' broadcast thought that the damage to their tree had been caused by local vandals. In November 2004 Clarkson took a Land Rover up a trackless Scottish hillside, churning up fragile peat bogs and heather, causing much concern amongst environmental groups. The ] said that the stunt was irresponsible and likely to encourage similar destructive behaviour on other private estates. The Council's President, the ], said "The virgin land Clarkson has chewed up will now take hundreds of years to be regenerated. There's no excuse for this, no matter how good the Land Rover might have been. This sets a precedent and it is going to encourage even less disciplined individuals to act irresponsibly'." (Guardian 16 November 2004). | |||
| ⚫ | In |
||
| ''Top Gear'' has also been criticised for its biased reporting on road safety and other transportation-related issues. The BBC was forced to remake and rebroadcast one show after admitting that a feature about traffic management in Oxford was "biased, inaccurate and unfair". (Source, 'The Surveyor' 10 February 2000). | |||
| The ''Top Gear'' show has been criticised by road safety groups and bodies such as The Commons Environment, Transport and the Regional Affairs Select Committee who called the programme 'highly irresponsible'. The ] usually takes pains to defend Clarkson and the show. When the ''Top Gear'' returned to the air in 2003 BBC Two controller Jane Root said: "This is great news - Jeremy is motoring on television and it's great to have him back in his rightful place - bigger, bolder and ruder than ever before." Despite the criticism from road safety groups, the show is very popular, not only in Britain, but overseas. | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| Some, such as those who contributed to the petition opposing Clarkson's honorary degree from Oxford Brooks University, see Clarkson as having ], ] credentials, citing his articles in newspapers such as The Sun and the Sunday Times as evidence. In these Clarkson is often highly critical of anyone who, in his opinion, is a 'tree-hugging, sandal-wearing lefty." He has also been accused of being ] and ]. | |||
| In ] of ], ] Clarkson wrote "so, they're lowering the age of consent for homosexuals to four, teachers will be allowed to promote sodomy in schools and the Army is to become a hotbed of single-sex fumbling." Clarkson was also given the award of 'Homophobe of the week' by 'The Independent' newspaper on November 7, 1998 for his comments on his chat show where he quipped "I think gays are funny. I always find myself looking at their bottoms..." | |||
| His chat show also received criticisms for its supposed racism with Tony Parsons, writing in ] newspaper on June 19 2000 saying: "In Jeremy Clarkson, the BBC seem to think they have found a dazzling hero of political incorrectness, when what they really have is ] with a driving licence... the presenter of the worst chat show in broadcasting history-an abomination that was built around the kind of racist rubbish that would make Bernard Manning blush to the seams of his Union Jack boxer shorts." | |||
| In one edition of ''Top Gear'' Clarkson used three bikini-clad females to illustrate the differences between three different models of Porsche cars. When asked by ] on 13 September 2005 if his comments and actions on the show revealed him to be sexist, Clarkson replied "If you call me sexist, I'll grab you by the epiglottis and bash the back of your head repeatedly into the pavement." The newspaper dryly commented on this, saying "This from a man who so often deplores the decline of civil society." | |||
| He is recently said to have caused offence by referring to travel writer ] as 'that chap who looks like a cross between ]'s ] and ] ]' (Ariel magazine 11 September 2005). | |||
| Despite his love of fast cars Clarkson has little time for motorcyclists. In a 'Times' column in 2004 he wrote of how much he hated noisy motorcycles saying "One day I will silence them by stretching a piece of cheese wire across the road". Clarkson made similar comments during a ''Top Gear'' programme broadcast on 7 August 2005, this time saying that those with noisy motorbikes should be "shot in the face". | |||
| Clarkson caused further controversy when, in the November issue of the BBC 'Top Gear' magazine, he claimed that when travelling in Linconshire he drove 'fast and recklessly' because he found the county 'boring' (] 28/10/05). Lincolshire has one of the worst road-death rates for any area in Europe and Jean Graham of the 'Roadpeace' road safety charity criticised Clarkson's comments saying '“These remarks are so soul-destroying to the relatives of those who have died.” | |||
| Some, such as those who contributed to the petition opposing Clarkson's honorary degree from Oxford Brooks University, regard Clarkson as being ], ] and ]-] in outlook. For example, in The Sunday Times of 30 April 2000 Clarkson wrote about his fantasies of shooting a burglar dead with some 'cold Russian steel', and using the body to encourage ''more vigorous growth from my new yew hedge'', also arguing that " I want to see prisons where there are no warm radiators, no lavatories and no attempt to rehabilitate the wrongdoers. Two to a cell? No, think more in terms of about 25. I have in mind the sort of establishment where it costs about £2.50 a week to house each inmate. Locking people up would become cheap and that would mean people could be banged up for all sorts of things - first offences, shoplifting, evading paying the TV licence. Anything". Others regard his frequent criticism of environmentalists, those seeking a more egalitarian world and cyclists as being little more than at attempt to appeal to the similar views of his readers and to stir up controversy in order to maintain his high-profile position in the media. Clarkson has reputedly claimed that nothing sells like '"puerile political incorrectness". (Scottish Edition of the Express newspaper 15 September 2005). | |||
| When the ] abruptly removed Top Gear from American TV with no explanation, a link to an article from the appeared on many automotive forums cited as the reason why Discovery pulled the show. Clarkson's remarks about ] rescue efforts and the slow response of the US Goverment, plus attacks on American Society and it's gradual degradement into absurdity (in the column, he refernces such petty regulations as being told to put his shoes back on due to a state law and that he couldn't hand cameras to his collegues unless they were a specified ammount of feet away) generated a mixed bag of responses, from anger to outright disgust over his Anti-American remarks, to accusations that Discovery was being blantantly Pro-American and removed the program because of this article. Discovery answered in e-mails to disgruntled fans by stating thus: | |||
| ''Thank you for contacting Discovery Channel. We appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts and concerns with us regarding “Top Gear.” Your comments will be forwarded to our program management and executives and will be taken into consideration.'' | |||
| ''The "Top Gear" show was not "taken off the air" but rather ran its pattern. It is being revamped for a U.S. audience and will return later this year. Look for it in December.'' | |||
| Many people do not take everything Jeremy Clarkson says seriously. However, others are concerned that his comments may validate and reinforce the views of some of his readers. | Many people do not take everything Jeremy Clarkson says seriously. However, others are concerned that his comments may validate and reinforce the views of some of his readers. | ||
| ==The "Jeremy Clarkson effect"== | |||
| '']'', trade magazine to the fashion industry, ran an article where Louise Foster highlighted Clarkson's poor fashion image, and his association with "men in middle youth". | |||
| *"For a period in the late Nineties denim became unfashionable," said Foster, "501s - Levi's flagship brand - in particular suffered from the so-called 'Jeremy Clarkson effect', the association with men in middle youth." | |||
| Helen Martin of the ] claimed that Denim was 'stone dead' due to Clarkson and ] who both wear unfashionable jeans. | |||
| Clarkson was also featured on a "What Not to Wear" Celebrity Special T.V. show where ] and ] had the presenter on a list of "the world's worst dressed celebrities", they gave him a make-over on the programme. | |||
| ==Personal life== | ==Personal life== | ||
| Line 93: | Line 55: | ||
| Clarkson is 6' 4"' tall. He lives in the ] countryside near ], ]. He married his wife Francie (who is also his agent) on ] ], and they have three children, Emily, Finlo and Katya. Francie's father, Major ] VC, was awarded a ] for his gallantry during ]. | Clarkson is 6' 4"' tall. He lives in the ] countryside near ], ]. He married his wife Francie (who is also his agent) on ] ], and they have three children, Emily, Finlo and Katya. Francie's father, Major ] VC, was awarded a ] for his gallantry during ]. | ||
| He also spends some of his free time at his newly acquired house in the ]. In ], he road tested a range of |
He also spends some of his free time at his newly acquired house in the ]. In ], he road tested a range of BMW's aswell as the BMW Z4, Porsche Boxter and Honda S2000 on the Isle of Man for ''Top Gear'' and described the ] as "a thorn in the side of Tony Blair's nanny state" because of its lack of an upper ]. Clarkson's wife is from the Isle of Man. He has finished filming another Top Gear piece on the Isle of Man in October. The cars that were tested against each other were the Aston Martin Vantage, BMW M6 and new Porsche 911. The next series begins on November 13th 2005. The Stig raced all the cars against the clock across the mountain section of the TT course. | ||
| On a ] episode of the BBC ] '']'', Clarkson was invited to investigate his family history, including his descent from ] (]-]), of ] fame and (lost) fortune. | On a ] episode of the BBC ] '']'', Clarkson was invited to investigate his family history, including his descent from ] (]-]), of ] fame and (lost) fortune. | ||
| Line 105: | Line 67: | ||
| *"You do not just avoid the Suzuki Wagon R. You avoid it like you would avoid unprotected sex with an Ethiopian transvestite." | *"You do not just avoid the Suzuki Wagon R. You avoid it like you would avoid unprotected sex with an Ethiopian transvestite." | ||
| *"The Ferrari 355 is like a quail's egg dipped in celery salt and served in Julia Roberts' belly button." | *"The Ferrari 355 is like a quail's egg dipped in celery salt and served in Julia Roberts' belly button." | ||
| *"There are signs directing you away from Birmingham but nothing enticing you in." | *"There are signs directing you away from ] but nothing enticing you in." | ||
| *"We all know that small cars are good for us. But so is cod liver oil. And jogging." | *"We all know that small cars are good for us. But so is cod liver oil. And jogging." | ||
| *(On the Alfa Romeo Brera) "Think of it as ]. You've heard she's mad and eats nothing but wallpaper paste. But you would, wouldn't you?" | *(On the Alfa Romeo Brera) "Think of it as ]. You've heard she's mad and eats nothing but wallpaper paste. But you would, wouldn't you?" | ||
Revision as of 09:45, 4 November 2005
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Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson (born April 11, 1960 in Doncaster) is a British motoring journalist and television presenter. Some consider him to be hilarious in his manner while others consider him to be unfashionable.. He is forthright in his opinions in the press and on television.
Biography
Clarkson was educated at Repton School. He worked as a travelling salesman for his parents' business - selling Paddington Bear toys. He took a job on the Rotherham Advertiser. In 1984 he formed the Motoring Press Agency with business partner Jonathan Gill, which aimed to supply road tests to local newspapers. During the 1980s he wrote for specialist car magazines such as Performance Car.
Television career
The television show he is most associated with is the motoring programme Top Gear, which he presented from 1989 to 1999, before devising a format change in 2002. It is now consistently the most watched show on BBC2 Two with 250 million viewers around the world. He also presented other motoring-related series such as Star Cars and Jeremy Clarkson's Motorworld.
Non-motoring shows he has starred in include:
- Clarkson (1998): A chat show that ran for three series.
- Jeremy Clarkson's Extreme Machines (1998): where he rode all manner of machines, including a plane, and an airboat.
- Robot Wars (1997): Clarkson presented the first series of the UK version.
- Jeremy Clarkson Meets The Neighbours: A notorious Europhobe, Clarkson travelled around Europe, confronting (and in some cases reinforcing) his prejudices.
- Have I Got News For You: hosted two episodes, the first in 2002 and the second in 2005.
- Inventions That Changed the World: five episodes featuring the invention of the gun/computer/jet engine/telephone/television from a British point of view.
- Top of the Pops: co-hosted one episode on July 24, 2005 with Fearne Cotton.
- QI: twice he has been a guest of some repute.
- Room 101: appeared on this in 1995 when Nick Hancock was host. Clarkson's choices were caravans; flies; Last Of The Summer Wine; the mentality within golf clubs; and vegetarians.
Other interests
Clarkson is interested in engineering in general, especially pioneering work, as his programmes on Brunel and the Colossus computer have shown. In April 2004, Clarkson appeared on the British talk show Parkinson and mentioned that he was writing a book about the soul he sees many machines as having. He cited Concorde as his primary example: when people heard it had crashed, quite aside from the sadness they felt for the loss of human life, there was also almost a sadness for the machine. The book, titled I Know You Got Soul, was published in October 2004.
Clarkson, being one of the passengers on the last BA Concorde flight on October 24, 2003, paraphrased Neil Armstrong to describe the retiring of Concorde: "This is one small step for a man, but one huge leap backwards for mankind".
His latest book is The World According to Clarkson was at number one in the charts for eight weeks.
Attacked with a banana meringue pie
Clarkson was awarded an honorary degree from Brunel University in 2003, partly because of his work popularizing engineering topics and partly because of his advocacy of Isambard Kingdom Brunel in the 100 Greatest Britons programme. In 2005, the School of Technology at Oxford Brookes University awarded him with an honorary engineering doctorate on the same grounds. This led to protests from various hard line green organisations because of his allegedly anti-green beliefs.
After receiving his honorary degree on September 12, a protestor hit Clarkson in the face with a banana meringue pie. He has defended his record on environmental issues, saying: “I do have a disregard for the environment. I think the world can look after itself and we should enjoy it as best we can.” His response to the incident was good-humoured, "Good shot!", followed by "Delicious... kind of banana taste but too much sugar."
Other Clarkson tales
Jeremy Clarkson has often been the focus of controversy. In October 1998 a letter of complaint was made to the BBC by Hyundai cars in response to what they described as "bigoted and racist" comments Clarkson made at the Motor Show in Birmingham. Clarkson had quipped that the people working on the Hyundai stand had eaten a dog and that the designer of the Hyundai XG had probably had a spaniel for his lunch. Clarkson also allegedly referred to those working on the BMW stand as 'Nazis'.
In the Sunday Times on June 2, 2002 he claimed to have spent the day hunting rats using tennis rackets and croquet mallets. He received a warning from the RSPCA.
Clarkson's views on cyclists and promotion of motoring have caused concern among some cycling and road-safety organisations. Transport 2000 have called for Top Gear to be replaced by a more safety and environmentally aware motoring programme. In February 2004 Clarkson rammed a 30 year old horse chestnut tree with a Toyota Hilux pick-up truck to demonstrate how rugged the vehicle was.
In May 2005 Clarkson and others from the show chained themselves to a bus in Hammersmith, causing traffic chaos and the police to be called as an environmental protest modelled on a Greenpeace action.
In March 2004 Clarkson punched Piers Morgan, editor of the Daily Mirror, after the paper had published photographs of Clarkson with another woman. He also threw a glass of water over Morgan whilst they were on the final flight of Concorde.
Many people do not take everything Jeremy Clarkson says seriously. However, others are concerned that his comments may validate and reinforce the views of some of his readers.
Personal life
Clarkson is 6' 4"' tall. He lives in the Cotswolds countryside near Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire. He married his wife Francie (who is also his agent) on 8 May 1993, and they have three children, Emily, Finlo and Katya. Francie's father, Major Robert Henry Cain VC, was awarded a Victoria Cross for his gallantry during Operation Market Garden.
He also spends some of his free time at his newly acquired house in the Isle of Man. In 2004, he road tested a range of BMW's aswell as the BMW Z4, Porsche Boxter and Honda S2000 on the Isle of Man for Top Gear and described the Isle of Man as "a thorn in the side of Tony Blair's nanny state" because of its lack of an upper speed limit. Clarkson's wife is from the Isle of Man. He has finished filming another Top Gear piece on the Isle of Man in October. The cars that were tested against each other were the Aston Martin Vantage, BMW M6 and new Porsche 911. The next series begins on November 13th 2005. The Stig raced all the cars against the clock across the mountain section of the TT course.
On a 2004 episode of the BBC television series Who Do You Think You Are?, Clarkson was invited to investigate his family history, including his descent from John Kilner (1792-1857), of Kilner jar fame and (lost) fortune.
Clarkson and his wife perform charity work, especially in his locale. This includes supporting the Chipping Norton Lido and Helen House, a children's hospice.
Clarkson is a very heavy smoker of cigarettes which, he says, need to be "heterosexual cigarettes, like red meat on a stick."
Quotes
- "You do not just avoid the Suzuki Wagon R. You avoid it like you would avoid unprotected sex with an Ethiopian transvestite."
- "The Ferrari 355 is like a quail's egg dipped in celery salt and served in Julia Roberts' belly button."
- "There are signs directing you away from Birmingham but nothing enticing you in."
- "We all know that small cars are good for us. But so is cod liver oil. And jogging."
- (On the Alfa Romeo Brera) "Think of it as Angelina Jolie. You've heard she's mad and eats nothing but wallpaper paste. But you would, wouldn't you?"
- "Telling people at a dinner party you drive a Nissan Almera is like telling them you've got the ebola virus and you're about to sneeze."
- "I'd rather go to work on my hands and knees than drive there in a Ford Galaxy; Whoever designed the Ford Galaxy upholstery had a cauliflower fixation; I would rather have a vasectomy than buy a Ford Galaxy."
- (about the Ford GT40) "Was this the greatest hypercar of them all? Well, that's a question I've never really been able to answer, because the GT40 is 40 inches tall... and I'm not."
- "Racing cars which have been converted for road use never really work. It's like making a hard core adult film, and then editing it so that it can be shown in British hotels. You'd just end up with a sort of half hour close up of some bloke's sweaty face."
- "We start tonight with the highlight of my childhood. It's the Ladybird Book of Motorcars from 1963, and as you would imagine it's full of rubbish really. Just endless boring grey shapes, until you get to page 40, where you find the Maserati 3500 GT. Now this for me, when I was little, was like kind of Jordan and Cameron Diaz. In a bath together. With a Lightning jet fighter. And lots of jelly."
- "Speed has never killed anyone, suddenly becoming stationary... That's what gets you"
- "(Referring to the Porsche Cayenne) 0-60 takes 5 and a half seconds...and about 17 gallons of fuel...."
External links
- BBC World biography of Jeremy Clarkson
- Jeremy Clarkson at IMDb
- Archive of Clarkson's Sunday Times columns
- Brunel University on Clarkson's honorary degree
- Clarkson's family history at the BBC website for the programme Who Do You Think You Are?
- Petition opposing Clarkson's receiving an honorary degree
- Banana meringue news story from The Sun