Jeremy Clarkson

Credentials

• Hill House School and Repton School. [1], [2]
• Honorary Doctor of Engineering, Oxford Brookes University (2005). [3]

Background

Jeremy Clarkson is a broadcaster and journalist best known for the BBC motoring programme Top Gear from which he was dismissed in 2015 after a assaulting producer Oisin Tymon. [4], [5]

After a failed attempt to reverse the BBC decision by blog Guido Fawkes, Clarkson co-created The Grand Tour, an Amazon-released series which follows a similar format to Top Gear. [6], [7]

Clarkson has also written for a number of papers, namely as a columnist for The Sun and The Sunday Times and is the author of over 10 books. [8], [9], [10]

He is well known for his opinionated comments both on and off screen about various subjects, including lorry drivers, Mexicans, and people with special needs, which have led to numerous complaints. When asked about his responsibility as an influential journalist, Clarkson said: “I enjoy this back and forth, it makes the world go round but it is just opinion”. [11], [12], [13]

Clarkson is passionate about motoring and has owned many cars. In 2005, Clarkson was awarded an honorary Doctor of Engineering degree from Oxford Brookes University, during which Road protestor Rebecca Lush threw a pie in his face. [14], [15]

Clarkson is an outspoken critic of the green movement, casting scorn on environmentalist groups including Greenpeace and Extinction Rebellion. [16], [17], [18]

Stance on Climate Change

Jeremy Clarkson has for decades cast doubt on climate science and human’s impact on the environment – but it appears he has recently changed his mind. [19]

November 24, 2019

Clarkson spoke to The Times about his recent trip to Cambodia to film The Grand Tour and the “graphic demonstration of global warming” that he had witnessed there: [19]

“The irony is not lost on me. A man who hosted a car programme for 30 years, limited to 7mph by global warming.

It’s the first time that we’ve ever admitted to there being global warming. We were completely screwed on that trip.

It was alarming, genuinely alarming. But we don’t blame mankind for it. We’ll let Greta do that.”

January 20, 2017

In a Sun column, Clarkson wrote: [20]

“I bet I can argue with every single point. Like, for example: Is the world heating up at all? And if it is, does man have anything to do with it?

Because let’s face it, when it cooled down and there was an ice age, there was no such thing as a Range Rover or a patio heater”.

Key Quotes

November 12, 2021

In an opinion piece for The Sun, Clarkson wrote that climate activist Greta Thunberg was “a petulant little brat who cannot possibly know what she’s talking about” and an “annoying little bucket of ego”. [37]

After receiving backlash for his comments, particularly that “someone needs to smack her bottom,” Clarkson said that he stood by his comments about Thunberg. [38]

December 6, 2019

Clarkson was asked by a journalist from Sky News Australia whether if he would ever “align” himself with Greta Thunberg. Clarkson responded: [21]

“No, I would never align myself with her. She’s mad and dangerous, and she’s causing young children sleepless nights with her idiocy. I think she needs to get back to school and shut up”.

November 30, 2019

After the Cambodia episode of The Grand Tour aired, Clarkson wrote a column in The Sun about his renewed thoughts on climate change: [22]

“So is the climate changing? It certainly looks that way. Does Man have something to do with it? Possibly. And is it necessarily a bad thing? Who Knows?”

October 7, 2016

In a Sun column titled “Drilling for gas is way forward if we want lit homes and central heating”, Clarkson wrote: [23]

People in Lancashire are desperate fracking shouldn’t happen near them – but it won’t make a difference to their lives and will create a more self-sufficient Britain”.

July 12, 2012

Clarkson tweeted: [24]

            “If it is true that carbon emissions heat up the world, plainly we should be burning more.”

Key Deeds

March 21, 2021

The Metro reported that during a trailer for his new Amazon Prime series Clarkson’s Farm, in which Clarkson would buy a 1,000 acre plot of land and attempt to manage it himself, he was criticised by a local resident who condemned the environmental impact of Clarkson’s lifestyle, stating: “This is global-warming and you race about all your life racing vehicles.” Clarkson replied: “Unbelievable horse s**t.” [36]

March 1, 2021

Clarkson was quoted in The Daily Express, stating that he had felt “alarmed” by a BBC weather report that forecasted extreme heat. He went on to joke that there was nothing “extreme” about the unseasonably warm February weather: “I’d call it: ‘Lovely weather for the time of year…But I guess that wouldn’t sit well in the BBC plan to mention climate change in every single show,” adding: “They haven’t managed it on Antiques Roadshow yet, but it’s only a matter of time.” [35]

October 16, 2020

Clarkson wrote an article for The Sun entitled, “Without insects we could all be dead in 50 years – we need to save them,” which acknowledged the causal link between climate change and depleting insect numbers, stating that it was “the biggest threat, by far, to our long-term future on Earth.” [34]

However, the article also castigated “serious people” who had warned against the dangers of climate change, stating that “to make matters worse, some of the serious people were seriously annoying. Whenever Greta Thunberg popped up on television, I was overcome with the urgent need to buy another patio heater. When Meghan Markle told me to leave the car at home, I wanted to shoot a polar bear in the middle of its face.” [34]

September 11, 2020

Commenting on Extinction Rebellion’s attempt to prevent the distribution of Murdoch-owned newspapers, Clarkson stated that, “Blocking a highway is against the law. Preventing the free press from operating is even worse. And I’d have recognised that and armed my officers with bulldozers and tasers and permission to use both.” [31]

April 24, 2020

In an article for The Sun, Clarkson compared the consensus on climate change to eugenics, stating:

“today, we are told that all of science is agreed on global warming. We hear it IS happening and it IS our fault. No argument is allowed. History has taught us that this is ­dangerous. A hundred years ago, someone came up with a new idea called eugenics.” [32]

March 22, 2020

In an article for The Times entitled: ‘My old age is cancelled, society’s about to collapse and the greens just can’t stop smiling’, Clarkson argued that environmentalists welcomed the COVID-19 pandemic as a solution to overpopulation, stating that, “of course, we could explain to our idiotic green friends that thousands and thousands of people are dying. But let us not forget that ‘eco-ists’ have been calling for a Thanos-level cut in the world’s population for years. In 2018, their spiritual leader, Sir Attenborough, said ‘our population growth has to come to an end’. Clarkson also stated: “so, a virus that kills 10% or 20% of us? That’s something the greens would welcome. Especially if it’s essentially a cull of the old and the sick.” [33]

August 11, 2019

Clarkson spoke about his distaste for cyclists in London and argued that cycle lanes aren’t good for the environment. He claimed that cycle lanes will soon be thought of as a bad idea, using the example of the U-turn on diesel cars. [25]

March 1, 2017

In a Sun column, Clarkson called the proposed ban on diesel cars in the city centres of Paris, Madrid and Athens as “draconian”. He went on to say, “one day we will learn to ignore the messages of doom from climate ‘scientists’”. [26]

January 28, 2017

Clarkson criticised the London air pollution warning issued by London mayor Sadiq Khan and the subsequent media coverage, suggesting that “the air was so clear and so fresh and so beautiful that I even went for a walk”. In the same piece he claimed that Prince Charles had “loony climate-change mates running amok”. [27], [28]

October 30, 2012

Clarkson expressed his views on the “BBC2 iceberg show”, likely to be Operation Iceberg, a documentary presented by Chris Packham which explores the unknown world of icebergs. Clarkson tweeted; “Amazing. The BBC2 iceberg show managed 44 minutes without bringing fucking climate change into it. Good show, now ruined.” [29]

January 9, 2010

In what looks to be a Top Gear Live panel show sponsored by Shell V-Power, Clarkson was asked about why he thinks Australia is dangerous when the UK has “arctic weather”. Clarkson blamed the weather on “too many green people in the world, not buying enough Range Rovers, to warm it up”. [30]

Affiliations

• Amazon Studios — Presenter for The Grand Tour. [7]
• The Sun — Columnist. [8]
• The Times — Columnist. [9]
• BBC — Former presenter for Top Gear. [7]

Social Media

• @JeremyClarkson on Twitter.

Publications

• “This week I was outed as a climate change enthusiast and everyone is expecting me to turn off my central heating,” Sun, November 30, 2019.
• “I’ve read Prince Charles’ new eco yarn about climate change… hope he likes my ladybird book on the V8 engine,” Sun, January 20, 2017.
• “Jeremy Clarkson,” Penguin Books.

Resources

1. “Hill House Association,” Hill House School. Archived February 19, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/O1VaJ
2. “Repton School,” Independent Schools Show. Archived February 19, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/ARRS0
3. “Jeremy Clarkson – Surprising honorary degree recipients,” Telegraph. Archived February 19, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/X69cC
4. “Jeremy Clarkson,” Top Gear. Archived February 19, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/gwNoy
5. Tara Conlan. “Jeremy Clarkson apologises to former Top Gear producer Oisin Tymon,” Guardian, February 24, 2016. Archived February 19, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/u73yg
6. Mark Jefferies. “Jeremy Clarkson petition reaches a million signatures and is delivered to BBC headquarters by tank,” Mirror, March 20, 2015. Archived February 19, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/i3khV
7. Mark Sweney. “Jeremy Clarkson TV firm made £8 million profit after Amazon’s Grand Tour,” Guardian, July 14, 2017. Archived February 19, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/WffQi
8. “Jeremy Clarkson,” The Sun. Archived February 19, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/lzRbi
9. “Jeremy Clarkson,” The Times. Archived February 19, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/ZOrKm
10. “Jeremy Clarkson,” Penguin Books. Archived February 19, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/GSig9
11. Dugald Baird. “Top Gear: Jeremy Clarkson’s biggest controversies – in quotes,” Guardian, March 25, 2015. Archived February 19, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/efsDl
12. “Clarkson’s suspension follows a string of complaints,” BBC News, March 10, 2015. Archived February 19, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/X8y7R
13. “Clarkson: I’d be a rubbish PM”, BBC News, May 27, 2008. Archived February 19, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/x2gnq
14. “Jeremy Clarkson’s Cars – What Cars Does He Own,” Grand Tour Nation. Archived February 19, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/H99p0
15. “The People vs Jeremy Clarkson,” Independent. Archived February 19, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/aj0IJ
16. John Vidal. “Jeremy Clarkson targeted in manure dump protest by climate campaigners,” Guardian, September 17, 2009. Archived February 19, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/QWEnx
17. Ciar Byrne. “Scourge of the greens: Clarkson branded a bigoted petrolhead,” Independent, May 31, 2006. Archived February 19, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/PJJ57
18. Katie Harris. “Jeremy Clarkson shames embarrassing Extinction Rebellion protests – so much to dislike,” Express, October 12, 2019. Archived February 19, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/VGY5V
19. Nick Rufford. “Jeremy Clarkson is a climate change believer,” Times, November 24, 2019. Archived February 19, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/QUSUr
20. Jeremy Clarkson. “I’ve read Prince Charles’ new eco yarn about climate change… hope he likes my ladybird book on the V8 engine,” Sun, January 20, 2017. Archived February 19, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/TJ8Sa
21. “Jeremy Clarkson calls Greta Thunberg mad and dangerous,” video uploaded to Sky News on December 6, 2019. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog.
22. Jeremy Clarkson. “This week I was outed as a climate change enthusiast and everyone is expecting me to turn off my central heating,” Sun, November 30, 2019. Archived February 19, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/M1csV
23. Jeremy Clarkson. “Frack off, eco-mentalists – drilling for gas is way forward if we want lit homes and central heating,” Sun, October 7, 2016. Archived February 19, 2019. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/4SVsl
24. Jeremy Clarkson. “If it is true that carbon emissions heat up the world, plainly we should be burning more,” Tweet by @JeremyClarkson, July 12, 2012. Retrieved from Twitter.com. Archived .png on file at DeSmog.
25. “Clarkson explains why cycling is actually bad for the environment,” YouTube video uploaded by user DRIVETRIBE on August 11, 2019. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog.
26. Jeremy Clarkson. “Why I won’t be buying a car powered by the work of Dr Diesel,” Sun, March 1, 2017. Archived February 19, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/hFtD4
27. Jeremy Clarkson. “Cry havoc and let slip the smog of war… but don’t worry, London’s not Beijing, Calcutta or Chernobyl yet,” Sun, January 28, 2017. Archived February 19, 2020. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/77hg6
28. Nicola Davis. “London on pollution high alert due to cold air, traffic, and wood burning,” Guardian, January 23, 2017. Archived February 19, 2020. Archived.fo URL: http://archive.fo/PtQSf
29. Jeremy Clarkson. “Amazing. The BBC2 iceberg show managed 44 minutes without bringing fucking climate change into it. Good show, now ruined,” Tweet by @JeremyClarkson, October 30, 2012. Retrieved from Twitter.com. Archived .png on file at DeSmog.
30. “Jeremy Clarkson on Global Warming,” YouTube video uploaded by user AMR JSlim on January 8, 2010. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog.
31. Jeremy Clarkson, At Extinction Rebellion newspaper print protests the police did what they do best: Nothing, The Sun 11th September 2020. Archived September 14, 2020. Archive URL: https://web.archive.org/save/https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/12646981/extinction-rebellion-newspaper-print-protests-police-did-nothing/ 
32. Jeremy Clarkson, ‘Scientists don’t agree on what to do about coronavirus – at least it shows they’re thinking properly’, The Sun, April 24, 2020. Archived October 5, 2020. Archive URL: https://archive.vn/p3Z72
33. Jeremy Clarkson,  ‘My old age is cancelled, society’s about to collapse and the greens just can’t stop smiling’, The Times, March 22, 2020. Archived October 5, 2020. Archive URL: https://archive.vn/nbdd7 
34. Jeremy Clarkson. “Without insects we could all be dead in 50 years – we need to save them,” The Sun, October 16, 2020. Archived October 19, 2020. Archive vn URL: https://archive.vn/11EKZ 
35. Kathryn Ingate. “Jeremy Clarkson ‘alarmed’ by BBC weather update: ‘Disaster-movie terrors coming our way,’” The Daily Express, March 1, 2021. Archived March 2, 2021. Archive.vn URL: https://archive.vn/GiWqz 
36. Adam Miller. “‘Unbelievable horse s**t!’ Jeremy Clarkson rows with locals over global warming in trailer for new Amazon Prime series Clarkson’s Farm,” The Metro, May 21, 2021. Archived May 24, 2021. Archive.ph URL: https://archive.ph/7UA6E
37. Jeremy Clarkson. “JEREMY CLARKSON Greta Thunberg will swap eco war for gas guzzler and central heating when she grows up,” The Sun,  November 12, 2021. Archived December 15, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/9sf4t  
38. Sabina Rouse. “Jeremy Clarkson ‘stands by’ Greta Thunberg ‘smacked bottom’ remark despite facing backlash” Express, November 12, 2021. Archived December 15, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/UXIfi 

Image credit: Ed Perchick/Wikimedia Commons CC BY–SA 2.0