Jeremy Clarkson
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Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson (born 11 April 1960) is an English television presenter, journalist, farmer, and author who specialises in motoring. He is best known for hosting the motoring television programmes Top Gear (2002–2015) and The Grand Tour (2016–2024) alongside Richard Hammond and James May. He also currently writes weekly columns for The Sunday Times and The Sun. Clarkson hosts the ITV game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (2018–present), and stars in the farming documentary show Clarkson's Farm (2021–present). From a career as a local journalist in northern England, Clarkson rose to public prominence as a presenter of the original format of Top Gear in 1988. Since the mid-1990s, he has become a recognised public personality, regularly appearing on British television presenting his own shows for the BBC and appearing as a guest on other shows. As well as motoring, Clarkson has produced programmes on subjects such as history and engineering; he has also written numerous books, primarily on cars. In 1998, he hosted the first series of Robot Wars. From 1998 to 2000, he also hosted his own talk show, entitled Clarkson. In 2002 Clarkson, alongside producer Andy Wilman, devised the relaunched Top Gear, which he hosted alongside Richard Hammond and later James May. The revised show became the most widely-broadcast factual television show in the world. In 2015, the BBC elected not to renew Clarkson's contract after he assaulted a Top Gear producer while filming on location. That year, Clarkson and his Top Gear co-presenters and Wilman formed the production company W. Chump & Sons to produce The Grand Tour for Amazon Prime Video. Clarkson's opinionated but humorous tongue-in-cheek writing and presenting style has often provoked a public reaction. His actions, both privately and as a Top Gear presenter, have also sometimes resulted in criticism from the media, politicians, pressure groups, and the public. He also has a significant public following, being credited as a major factor in the resurgence of Top Gear as one of the most popular shows on the BBC. In 2006, the British public ranked him number 19 in ITV's poll of TV's 50 Greatest Stars. Since 2019, he has become a farmer at Diddly Squat Farm for his show, Clarkson's Farm. The show received a positive reception and became a popular show on Prime Video upon its release. In May 2024, the "Clarkson's clause" amendment, named after Clarkson, was introduced; this clause makes it easier to convert unused agricultural buildings to commercial usage, something he did in Season 2 of the show when planning permission for his restaurant was denied.