Thursday, 1 May 2014

Jeremy Clarkson denies racism and says he 'did not use the n-word'


  • Top Gear presenter reportedly used term in unaired footage
  • He was allegedly heard reciting the rhyme while comparing two cars
  • But Jeremy Clarkson took to Twitter this morning to deny the allegations
  • Tweeting about the furore, he said: 'I did not use the n-word. Never use it.'
  • Allegations come after he was involved in row over the word 'slope'

By
Lucy Crossley
and Steph Cockroft



Published:



23:26 GMT, 30 April 2014



|
Updated:



11:52 GMT, 1 May 2014






Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson has today denied allegations that he was caught on camera using the n-word during filming of the hit BBC series.

In unaired footage the 54-year-old presenter was heard reciting the rhyme 'eeny, meeny, miny, mo' before apparently muttering 'catch a n***** by his toe'.

The allegations, reported in the Mirror, come just weeks after Clarkson was accused of racism over referring to a 'slope' on a bridge in an episode filmed in Thailand.

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Mr Clarkson, shown filming for Top Gear, when it is alleged he used the n-word - a claim he denies

Mr Clarkson, shown filming for Top Gear, when it is alleged he used the n-word - a claim he denies


But Mr Clarkson this morning took to Twitter to deny the allegations, telling his 3.29m followers: 'I did not use the n word. Never use it. The Mirror has gone way too far this time.'



The presenter was allegedly caught on camera using the word as he filmed an episode of Top Gear

The presenter was allegedly caught on camera using the word as he filmed an episode of Top Gear

According
to the Mirror, Clarkson uttered the n-word during filming of the third
episode of Top Gear series 19 as the star reviewed the £25,000 Toyota
GT86 and the Subaru BRZ - which costs around the same amount.

Telling
viewers that they may find it difficult to differentiate between the
two vehicles he demonstrated how to do it using the child's counting
rhyme.

Audio forensic
experts studied the clip and confirmed to the newspaper that, in their view, Clarkson
had used the word, which is deemed highly offensive.

In the version of the show which aired in February 2013 he was heard to say 'teacher'.

Legal
experts have said that if the presenter used the word, he could have breached equality
legislation, depending on the context in which the word was used and
whether a crew member had been offended by what was said.

'If it had been brought to the attention
of the police they would have considered whether an offence had taken
place and whether it was in the public interest to prosecute,' said
solicitor Lucy Scott Moncrief.

'All
employers and programme makers have policies on discrimination and I
would have thought that this kind of language would have been a breach
of those and could have led to disciplinary action.'
















A BBC spokesman said the corporation wanted to establish the facts before commenting. MailOnline has also contacted Mr Clarkson's agent but there has not yet been a response. 

Clarkson was also accused of racism after he tweeted a picture of his black
West Highland terrier and revealed he had named it after Ivory Coast
footballer Didier Drogba.

Last week the
executive producer of Top Gear admitted Clarkson
had called an Asian man a 'slope' when he joked about the construction
of a bridge in Thailand during an episode.



There was outcry when he used the word, a derogatory term for people of Asian descent, during the show's two-part Burma special, screened in March this year.

Producer Andy Wilman said he regrets the
'light-hearted' wordplay and realises 'that it can be considered
offensive to some here and overseas'.

Mr Wilman made the
statement after Indian-born actress Somi Guha instructed lawyers to make
a formal complaint about the use of the word, which she described as
'casual racism'.



In BBC footage said to have been edited out of the programme the 54-year-old presenter was heard reciting the rhyme 'eeny, meeny, miny, mo' before muttering 'catch a n***** by his toe'

In BBC footage said to have been edited out of the programme the 54-year-old presenter was heard reciting the rhyme 'eeny, meeny, miny, mo' before muttering 'catch a n***** by his toe'


CONTROVERSIAL CLARKSON'S PREVIOUS RACE ROWS

This is not the first time that Jeremy Clarkson has sparked controversy with some of his comments.

In March, Indian-born actress Somi Guha, 36, threatened to sue the BBC for up to £1million after Mr Clarkson allegedly used the word 'slope' - a derogatory term for people of Asian descent - in the Top Gear Burma special.

In
the series finale, the three hosts - Richard Hammond, James May and
Jeremy Clarkson - are tasked with building a bridge over the River Kwai
in Thailand.

After
completion, Clarkson said: 'That is a proud moment, but there's a slope
on it', as a man walked towards him on a makeshift bridge.

A BBC spokeswoman for Top Gear said the Corporation had no comment on Miss Guha's action.

On
April 21, Jeremy Clarkson was accused of racism yesterday for naming
his black West Highland terrier dog Didier Dogba after former Chelsea
star Didier Drogba, who is from the Ivory Coast.

Clarkson,
who often mocks political correctness, asked: 'Why is it racist to name
our amazingly brilliant dog after a footballer?'

Clarkson later used his Twitter account
to respond to the allegation, and said: 'I'm not a racist. I am
currently sitting in a bar with a man who lives quite near Wales.'

In December 2011, the controversial host came under under fire for suggesting public sector strikers 'be shot in
front of their families'.

Weeks later, he provoked a fresh storm of protest after describing people who kill themselves by jumping under trains as 'selfish'.

In his newspaper column in The Sun, Clarkson
wrote that 'foxy woxy and the birds' should be left to 'nibble' at the
'gooey parts' of people who die by jumping in front of trains.

'When we used the word 'slope' in the recent Top Gear Burma Special it was a light-hearted word play joke referencing both the build quality of the bridge and the local Asian man who was crossing it,' he said.

'We were not aware at the time, and it has subsequently been brought to our attention, that the word 'slope' is considered by some to be offensive and although it might not be widely recognised in the UK, we appreciate that it can be considered offensive to some here and overseas, for example in Australia and the USA.

'If we had known that at the time we would not have broadcast the word in this context and regret any offence caused.'

In the show, presenters Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May build a makeshift bridge over the River Kwai in Thailand.

As the challenge came to a conclusion, Clarkson said: 'That is a proud moment – but there's a slope on it.'

Richard Hammond replies: 'You're right, it's definitely higher on that side.'

At the same time, an Asian man is seen walking across the bridge towards the two presenters.

Ms Guha, 36, later claimed that broadcasting Clarkson's comment amounted to unlawful discrimination by a public body.  

Her lawyers, Equal Justice, claimed her
action could cost the BBC £1 million in punitive damages under equality
laws unless it apologised and took the hit motoring show off the air.

They said
she was one of a group of people who were offended by the term - and so
sought legal advice from the firm, who previously worked on racism
allegations surrounding reality show Celebrity Big Brother.

Clarkson
later used his Twitter account to respond to the allegation, and said:
'I'm not a racist. I am currently sitting in a bar with a man who lives
quite near Wales.'

Today James May, who features on Top Gear with Mr Clarkson, tweeted his support for his colleague.

After news of the controversy broke, Mr May - also known as Captain Slow - wrote: 'Jeremy Clarkson is not a racist. He is a monumental bellend and many other things, but not a racist. I wouldn't work with one.'

He then used the hashtag #ThatIsAll to make his point.

Earlier this month, Mr Clarkson was also criticised after tweeting the picture of the dog, named Didier Dogba.

He asked: 'Why is it racist to name our amazingly brilliant dog after a footballer?'

Twitter
user Gbolade Oguntomole said: 'It's racist man! Casual racism! You
should be ashamed of yourself. I like you Jeremy Clarkson but this is
wrong!'

Others,
however, defended the television host, saying that the name was funny
and labelling Clarkson a racist was an over-reaction.



Last week the executive producer of Top Gear admitted Clarkson had called an Asian man a 'slope' when he joked about the construction of a bridge in Thailand during an episode

Last week the executive producer of Top Gear admitted Clarkson had called an Asian man a 'slope' when he joked about the construction of a bridge in Thailand during an episode



















Clarkson recently hit back at Twitter users who accused him of racism after he tweeted a picture of his black West Highland terrier and revealing he had named it after Ivory Coast footballer Didier Drogba

Clarkson recently hit back at Twitter users who accused him of racism after he tweeted a picture of his black West Highland terrier and revealing he had named it after Ivory Coast footballer Didier Drogba

















































Comments (709)


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The comments below have been moderated in advance.






















People posting here are being disingenuous and you know it. It may have been acceptable in the 70's but it certainly isn't now. You are at best ignorant or indeed racist. Would you say in the presence of anyone from the Caribbean? You wouldn't have the nerve























Are they sure he used the n word the rhyme as I was taught is catch a nicker by his toe. I had a similar incident where I was misheard in a church enviroment working with children,























So what.... Its a rhyme old and out dated but most of us over a certain age have used it ......























Cry me a river! People need to grow up, and stop crying about old nursery rhymes.























This rhyme was an innocent part of British children's culture as recently as the 1960s and 1970s. Half a century on and YES, we do live in a society which is in many ways alien and otherwise better to how it was back then but it is a mistake to 'airbrush history' and young British Black people need to learn to understand and respect the recent social past of THEIR country and the mores of those who experienced it and what they are 'giving up' in order to appreciate just what a relatively great place we are striving to become. Jeremy Clarkson is a wordsmith and he likes to challenge and provoke. We need more people like him!























George Orwell's world has now really arrived. The 'n' doesn't exist. It has never existed. There has never been or is such a word.























If you don't like grownups using naughty words, then you should put your fingers in your ears and say la la la.























He's an odious man. Give him the chop BBC.























PC PC PC PC rubbish. A bunch of sad pathetic people just get on with your lives before you start moaning its over and blame everyone else. Sad sad people ruin this country.. Team Jezza























Reporting incidents like this belittles the actual racism happening in the world today...












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Source: http://www.news.myanmaronlinecentre.com/2014/05/01/jeremy-clarkson-denies-racism-and-says-he-did-not-use-the-n-word/
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