9151
Pottsy
This list doesn't include the latest faux pas involving India ....
Here we look back over some of the the Top Gear presenter's previous gaffes:
1. February 2011 – Mexicans
The BBC was forced to apologise to the Mexican ambassador over comments Clarkson and fellow Top Gear presenters Richard Hammond and James May made about his fellow countrymen. Hammond joked that Mexican cars reflected national characteristics, saying they were “a lazy, feckless, flatulent oaf with a moustache, leaning against a fence asleep”. Clarkson waded in suggesting they would not receive any comeback over the remarks because “at the Mexican embassy, the ambassador is going to be sitting there with a remote control like this [snores]. They won’t complain, it’s fine.” The Mexican government promptly complained and demanded an apology. Ofcom received 157 complaints about the comments on the BBC2 show, which viewers complained were derogatory, cruel, xenophobic, discriminatory and racist.
2. August 2010 - Special needs
Just a week after the BBC had extinguished the flames from another Clarkson gaffe, the presenter provoked the ire of disability charities with a remark about people with “special needs”. Comparing two Ferraris, the 51-year-old described the older one as a “simpleton” that should be called the “430 Speciale needs” instead of the 430 Speciale. The remark prompted a backlash from the National Autistic Society.
3. July 2010 – Burkas and lingerie
Clarkson came under fire following a discussion on Top Gear about dangerous driving conditions. He and fellow presenters agreed that scantilly-clad women were the biggest distractions on the roads, before Clarkson chipped in: “Honestly, the burka doesn’t work. I was in a cab in Piccadilly the other day when a woman in a full burka crossing the road in front of me tripped over the pavement, went head over heels and up it came, red g-string and stockings.”
4. November 2008 - Lorry drivers
Clarkson found himself in hot water again when he made a joke about lorry drivers being murderers. Referring to Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe during a segment on driving lorries, Clarkson described the experience as: “Change gear, change gear, change gear, check mirror, murder a prostitute, change gear, change gear, murder. That’s a lot of effort in a day.” Despite numerous complaints to the BBC and Ofcom, and a call from an MP for him to lose his job, Clarkson gave only a mock apology on the following week’s show.
5. April 2007 - The Perodua Kelisa
Clarkson began a war of words with Malaysia when he described a car made in the country as the worst in the world. After attacking the Perodua Kelisa with a sledgehammer and blowing it up, Clarkson likened its name to that of a disease and implied that it was built by “jungle people who wear leaves as shoes”.
6. December 2005 - Germans
The journalist courted controversy after he gave a Nazi salute during a segment about German company BMW during an episode of Top Gear and suggested that one of its cars would have a sat-nav that “only goes to Poland”.
7. February 2009 - Gordon Brown
Clarkson hit headlines again when he dismissed then Prime Minister Gordon Brown as a “one-eyed Scottish idiot” during a press conference in Australia. Though the majority of complaints seemed to be levelled at the “Scottish idiot” part of the insult, Clarkson’s subsequent apology only referred to his comments on Mr Brown’s appearance.
8. October 2009 - Black Muslim lesbians
Clarkson infuriated readers of Top Gear magazine when he accusing television producers of being fixated with having “black Muslim lesbians” on programmes to balance out the number of white heterosexual males. His comments followed on from the Strictly Come Dancing row over Anton Du Beke branding his partner Laila Rouass a “Paki”.
9. July 2008 – Drink driving
The presenter was censured by the BBC’s governing body for glamorising drink-driving after he was filmed sipping on a gin and tonic behind the wheel of a pickup truck during a special episode of Top Gear in which he and May tried to drive to the Magnetic North Pole.
10. October 2007 - Smoking
Clarkson was criticised by anti-smoking campaigners after he lit up a Porsche-branded pipe during an episode of Top Gear. Clarkson, himself a smoker, was accused of breaking the law by puffing on the pipe, filled with herbal tobacco, in the studio.
Love him or hate him: you can't ignore him! :sigh:
Here we look back over some of the the Top Gear presenter's previous gaffes:
1. February 2011 – Mexicans
The BBC was forced to apologise to the Mexican ambassador over comments Clarkson and fellow Top Gear presenters Richard Hammond and James May made about his fellow countrymen. Hammond joked that Mexican cars reflected national characteristics, saying they were “a lazy, feckless, flatulent oaf with a moustache, leaning against a fence asleep”. Clarkson waded in suggesting they would not receive any comeback over the remarks because “at the Mexican embassy, the ambassador is going to be sitting there with a remote control like this [snores]. They won’t complain, it’s fine.” The Mexican government promptly complained and demanded an apology. Ofcom received 157 complaints about the comments on the BBC2 show, which viewers complained were derogatory, cruel, xenophobic, discriminatory and racist.
2. August 2010 - Special needs
Just a week after the BBC had extinguished the flames from another Clarkson gaffe, the presenter provoked the ire of disability charities with a remark about people with “special needs”. Comparing two Ferraris, the 51-year-old described the older one as a “simpleton” that should be called the “430 Speciale needs” instead of the 430 Speciale. The remark prompted a backlash from the National Autistic Society.
3. July 2010 – Burkas and lingerie
Clarkson came under fire following a discussion on Top Gear about dangerous driving conditions. He and fellow presenters agreed that scantilly-clad women were the biggest distractions on the roads, before Clarkson chipped in: “Honestly, the burka doesn’t work. I was in a cab in Piccadilly the other day when a woman in a full burka crossing the road in front of me tripped over the pavement, went head over heels and up it came, red g-string and stockings.”
4. November 2008 - Lorry drivers
Clarkson found himself in hot water again when he made a joke about lorry drivers being murderers. Referring to Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe during a segment on driving lorries, Clarkson described the experience as: “Change gear, change gear, change gear, check mirror, murder a prostitute, change gear, change gear, murder. That’s a lot of effort in a day.” Despite numerous complaints to the BBC and Ofcom, and a call from an MP for him to lose his job, Clarkson gave only a mock apology on the following week’s show.
5. April 2007 - The Perodua Kelisa
Clarkson began a war of words with Malaysia when he described a car made in the country as the worst in the world. After attacking the Perodua Kelisa with a sledgehammer and blowing it up, Clarkson likened its name to that of a disease and implied that it was built by “jungle people who wear leaves as shoes”.
6. December 2005 - Germans
The journalist courted controversy after he gave a Nazi salute during a segment about German company BMW during an episode of Top Gear and suggested that one of its cars would have a sat-nav that “only goes to Poland”.
7. February 2009 - Gordon Brown
Clarkson hit headlines again when he dismissed then Prime Minister Gordon Brown as a “one-eyed Scottish idiot” during a press conference in Australia. Though the majority of complaints seemed to be levelled at the “Scottish idiot” part of the insult, Clarkson’s subsequent apology only referred to his comments on Mr Brown’s appearance.
8. October 2009 - Black Muslim lesbians
Clarkson infuriated readers of Top Gear magazine when he accusing television producers of being fixated with having “black Muslim lesbians” on programmes to balance out the number of white heterosexual males. His comments followed on from the Strictly Come Dancing row over Anton Du Beke branding his partner Laila Rouass a “Paki”.
9. July 2008 – Drink driving
The presenter was censured by the BBC’s governing body for glamorising drink-driving after he was filmed sipping on a gin and tonic behind the wheel of a pickup truck during a special episode of Top Gear in which he and May tried to drive to the Magnetic North Pole.
10. October 2007 - Smoking
Clarkson was criticised by anti-smoking campaigners after he lit up a Porsche-branded pipe during an episode of Top Gear. Clarkson, himself a smoker, was accused of breaking the law by puffing on the pipe, filled with herbal tobacco, in the studio.
Love him or hate him: you can't ignore him! :sigh:
