Jeremy Clarkson has admitted he regrets calling Chris Packham's criticism of his show 'Clarkson's Farm' 'b******s', after his cancer diagnosis prompted him to consider becoming a kinder person.
Clarkson Surprised by Public Reaction to Cancer Diagnosis
After announcing his cancer diagnosis, the 66-year-old presenter said he was surprised by the public's warm response. 'Boxes and boxes of letters and cards arrived from well-wishers all over the world,' he wrote in The Sunday Times.
Admitting he had spent most of his life working hard at being controversial, Clarkson said he was both surprised and pleased to discover he is regarded—by some at least—as a national treasure. 'Here's what I found strange,' he wrote. '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.'
Clarkson's Regret Over Chris Packham Row
Consequently, Clarkson revealed he has been contemplating whether he ought to become a gentler, more accepting individual. 'And that brings me on to Chris Packham,' he said.
The Springwatch host and environmental activist had criticised the opening credits of 'Clarkson's Farm', claiming they were 'in no way representative of modern-day agricultural practices'. Clarkson acknowledged that after hearing Packham's criticisms, he acted on impulse. 'I was very incensed by this and immediately wrote in The Sun that he was talking b******s. But in the new age of tolerance and respect, I shouldn't have done that. I should have kept schtum.'
Striving to Be More Like Gary Lineker
Clarkson pointed to Gary Lineker as another illustration of the more considered and tactful person he aspired to become. He detailed some of the alterations in his conduct he would need to implement, including addressing people and locations by their own preferred names.
'So when I next go to Berlin, I must say that I'm going to Germany or Deutschland, and when I next visit the Uffizi, I must say I'm visiting Florence or Firenze, having crossed the English Channel, or La Manche, and used the motorway or autoroute. Sounds like being Gary could well be very time consuming,' he added.
Patience Not in His Nature
Acknowledging that he lacked the patience to match Lineker's saintly demeanour, Clarkson confessed that being more thoughtful would prove far too 'exhausting' for him. '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 claimed he would need to adopt a more tolerant attitude towards the amateur pilots who disrupt filming of 'Clarkson's Farm' with the racket from their light aircraft. '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.'
