Jeremy Clarkson has admitted he regrets calling Chris Packham's views 'b******s' and says he should have 'kept schtum' after his cancer diagnosis prompted a revelation about his public image.
Clarkson Reflects on Public Response to Cancer Diagnosis
The former Top Gear presenter, now 66, has spent much of his career as an antagonist and provocateur. However, the public response to his cancer diagnosis has astonished him. In The Sunday Times, he wrote: 'Here's what I found strange: I liked it. Being seen as a nice person rather than a troublemaker was just so... relaxing. I didn't have to wake up every morning wondering if the Mirror had run some terrible story about me.'
This has led Clarkson to contemplate becoming a more compassionate and accepting individual. He said: 'And that brings me on to Chris Packham.'
Clarkson's Clash with Chris Packham
The Springwatch presenter and environmental campaigner had criticised the opening credits of Clarkson's Farm, claiming they were 'in no way representative of modern-day agricultural practices'. Clarkson initially responded angrily, writing in The Sun that Packham was 'talking b******s'. Now, he concedes: 'In the new age of tolerance and respect, I shouldn't have done that. I should have kept schtum.'
Clarkson referenced Gary Lineker as a model of the tactful persona he aspires to embody. He joked about the adjustments required, such as calling Berlin 'Germany or Deutschland' and Florence 'Florence or Firenze', adding: 'Sounds like being Gary could well be very time consuming.'
The Challenges of Becoming a National Treasure
Clarkson acknowledged that such forbearance would be 'exhausting'. He said: 'If I don't want to cause offence to anyone, ever, I must consider the food I eat, the shoes I wear, the holidays I take, the newspapers I read, the expressions I use, the political views I hold, the friends I keep, the car I drive, the actors I admire and the views I may or may not hold on Gaza and Hamas.'
He also noted the difficulty of tolerating amateur aviators whose light aircraft disrupt filming of Clarkson's Farm. He wrote: 'I was out there last week, in the sunshine, and we were having to stop all the time and I was consumed with a need to find out where the pilots lived so that I could go round to their houses that night and set fire to them. Yes, I'd lose my national treasure status, but at least I could get some work done.'
