Richard Hammond, a presenter from Top Gear, may have defended the show’s ‘naughty’ and ‘outspoken’ stars yesterday, yet Jeremy Clarkson has now made a derogatory comment regarding Katie Price.
Following an apology for a series of offensive comments about Mexico, Clarkson referred to the model’s pink horsebox as a ‘pink whore’s box’ during the latest episode.
When Richard Hammond inquired about Clarkson’s remark, the 50-year-old presenter quickly attempted to clarify, saying, ‘Horsebox, what did you think I said?’
Clarkson then continued his jest, suggesting that the glamour model might want to consider a license plate that reads ME11ONS, which elicited laughter from the audience.
Katie Price, however, took the joke in stride, stating, ‘Well I’ve got BA11S if they want to swap!’
Later, sources close to the show defended Clarkson, asserting that he did say ‘horsebox’, marking yet another controversy for the BBC program.
Richard Hammond, aged 41, along with co-hosts Jeremy Clarkson and James May, had recently been compelled to apologize for quipping that Mexican cars mirrored national traits, being ‘just going to be lazy, feckless, flatulent, overweight.’
He remarked, ‘One reason Top Gear succeeds is that we are three quite ordinary guys. You can relate to one or the other of us, whether it’s age, height, presentation, or manner… and a quality we share as a team is a certain outspoken trait.’
He also added, ‘We can be naughty at times. Who isn’t?’
The television presenter refrained from commenting on former BBC chairman Michael Grade’s remarks, who deemed the incident ‘disgraceful’ and ‘horrible.’
‘I don’t really (want to comment) at this point. I do have views on it, but now is not the right time,’ he stated.
He asserted that the banter among the three presenters contributed to the show’s popularity, despite the unfavorable press attention.
‘We enjoy what we do and put a lot of effort into it. We’re proud of appealing to a wide audience, and we hope to maintain that,’ he expressed.
‘We’re still producing the show to the best of our ability. Our goal was never to become famous or have it become a huge hit
– we aimed to create the best show possible, which also involves everyone working behind the scenes.
‘That’s what we’re about and what we aim to accomplish. We will keep striving for improvement as long as the show airs because that’s our job.’
Hammond previously discussed this issue on his Facebook page, stating, ‘I was referring to the cartoon characters in western movies we all enjoyed as kids and I genuinely apologize if I’ve offended anyone.
‘Yes, we were engaging in stereotyping on Top Gear, and yes, that can go awry – as it unfortunately has – but it can also be quite humorous, which is what we intended to achieve.’
He added, ‘The BBC is aware of this, which is why they have clearly stated that “stereotype comedy is allowed within BBC guidelines in programs where the audience has clear expectations of that being the case”.
by John Jackson
