During a live TV broadcast, Jeremy Clarkson criticized Sky Sports for their treatment of Andy Gray, asserting that he and his colleagues deserved to have been ‘sacked 100 times’ due to their off-air remarks.
Recently, Clarkson intensified the sexism debate and implicated Richard Hammond by disclosing inappropriate comments made by his Top Gear co-star off-camera.
In his weekly column for a newspaper, Clarkson detailed a highly suggestive, and arguably offensive, comment made by Hammond towards a female paramedic involved in their production.
Referencing the controversy involving Gray and his colleague Richard Keys, Clarkson reminisced about some immature antics he and Hammond engaged in the previous year.
He wrote in The Sun, a British publication, “Just last year, while at a venue in South Africa, Richard Hammond and I found the paramedic to be quite attractive.”
“We would craft new injuries and ailments daily just to have a reason to see her.”
“Then, on the final day, Hammond remarked to her, ‘Nurse, I think my willy tastes funny.'”
“Should he face termination for that? Some would argue yes, and these are the people who truly warrant scrutiny. They seem to lack the essential quality that keeps the world turning…tolerance.”
Hammond, who has been married to his wife Mindy for nearly nine years and has two daughters, Isabelle and Willow, did not provide any comments yesterday.
Clarkson’s column defended Keys and Gray, questioning where the threshold lies for potentially offensive remarks.
On Wednesday night, as he and his Top Gear co-hosts Hammond and James May accepted the Best Factual Programme award at the National Television Awards, Clarkson addressed the Sky Sports sexism controversy.
In front of a full house at the O2 Arena in London, he came to Gray’s and Keys’ defense, stating that the situation raised the risk of facing consequences for ‘heresy by thought’.
He expressed, “If that’s the new standard, the three of us would have probably been fired 100 times for the remarks we’ve made.”
Referencing an old Monty Python sketch about the Spanish Inquisition, he remarked, “We have entered a troubling era where one can be penalized for mere thoughts, which is a horrifying reality.”
“We make a concerted effort on Top Gear to avoid being sexist. We would never claim that women are incapable of parking or driving; that would be absurd. If a man chooses to believe that, that’s his prerogative. Everyone should have the freedom to think what they wish.”
by John Jackson
