Jeremy Clarkson denies using n-word following leaked Top Gear footage
The outspoken Top Gear presenter has sparked another racism raw after he was apparently caught using the n-word while filming the motoring show.
13:28 01 May 2014
Jeremy Clarkson has sparked another controversy after he was apparently caught using the n-word while filming for Top Gear.
The unaired footage, which was edited out of the show before being broadcast by The Daily Mirror, shows the host while swinging his fingers between two cars while reciting a racist version of a children’s counting rhyme.
Clarkson can be heard chanting: “Eeny, meeny, miny, moe...” He then seems to mumble: “Catch a n***** by his toe”.
However, the TV presenter denied using the n-word and said that he has never used it. Writing on Twitter, he said: “I did not use the n word. Never use it. The Mirror has gone way too far this time.”
Legal experts quoted by The Daily Mirror said that the the language apparently used by Clarkson can result in a breach of the law in some cases.
Solicitor Lucy Scott Moncrieff said: “It is all about context. If there was a crew member who was distressed by it, then there could well have been a breach of equality legislation.”
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The BBC’s own editorial guidelines state: “Reclamation of the language has led to the term ‘n*****’ being used by some in the black community and terms such as ‘cripple’ are sometimes used humorously or ¬sarcastically by people with disabilities.
“But this usage may still cause distress within these communities and is also much more likely to cause offence when employed by someone who is not a member of the community in question.”
The new scandal comes weeks after Top Gear executive producer Andy Wilman was l forced to apologise about a racist slur used during the Burma Special in which Clarkson pointed out that a rickety bridge that the team had built had "a slope on it" just as a native man was walking across it. .
Wilman released a statement which said: “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. 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.
“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.”