By Danielle Lobito
Jeremy Clarkson (Photo: EPA)
BBC2’s Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson is probably the most controversial man in Britain at the moment. Clarkson said on the BBC1 programme The One Show that public sector workers ‘should be shot’ in front of their families for going on strike. The BBC has received over 21,000 complaints against Clarkson’s comments. The BBC has apologized and so has Clarkson but more complaints may be received.
Clarkson was forced to apologise after defending his comments on strikers. UK’s biggest public sector union UNISON was initially seeking legal advice and called for Clarkson to be sacked by the BBC until he apologised. UNISON later accepted Clarkson’s apology but ‘media lawyer Mark Stephens said Unison had no chance of succeeding in a prosecution against Mr Clarkson’.
Some supporters of broadcaster and writer Clarkson said he was joking and people should have known that it was a joke. The Mayor of London Boris Johnson supported Clarkson. Prime Minister David Cameron said he did not see the remark but it was a silly thing for Clarkson to say. Labour leader Ed Miliband said Clarkson’s remarks were "absolutely disgraceful and disgusting".
Clarkson claimed that he initially discussed the comments with BBC TV producers before going on air. He earns around ‘£2 million a year’ therefore he did not have to throw jibes at poor public sector workers said a TV commentator.
Clarkson has made another controversial comment by criticising people that commit suicide in front of trains. He said it is ‘very selfish’ and called the act 'Johnny Suicide' in his column; today’s edition of The Sun newspaper. According to the Mirror, ‘The comments have sparked criticism among suicide and mental health charities’.
In 2008, the BBC received 1,800 complaints against Clarkson… The broadcasting and telecommunications regulator Ofcom received over 500 complaints and cleared Clarkson on comments about truck drivers murdering prostitutes. ‘The United Road Transport Union said it had been inundated with complaints from its 17,000 truck driver members’.
