Jeremy Clarkson has admitted that he regrets his angry response to Chris Packham's criticism of the opening credits of Clarkson's Farm, saying he should have kept quiet instead of calling Packham's comments 'b******s'. The revelation comes as Clarkson reflects on the public reaction to his cancer diagnosis, which he says has made him realise he enjoys being seen as a nice person rather than a troublemaker.
Clarkson's Change of Heart
Writing in The Sunday Times, Clarkson, 66, confessed that for most of his life he has relished the role of contrarian and troublemaker. However, the response to his diagnosis surprised him. '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.'
As a result, Clarkson says he has been considering making an effort to become a kinder, more tolerant person. This introspection led him to reflect on his recent clash with Chris Packham, the Springwatch presenter and environmental campaigner. Packham had criticised the opening credits of Clarkson's Farm, claiming they were 'in no way representative of modern-day agricultural practices.'
The Chris Packham Row
Clarkson admitted that he let his anger get the better of him. '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.'
The row had previously drawn comments from other celebrities, including Vernon Kay, who weighed in on the dispute. Clarkson's outburst was a stark contrast to the more diplomatic approach he now admires in figures like Gary Lineker.
Gary Lineker as a Role Model
Citing Lineker as an example of the thoughtful and diplomatic person he would like to become, Clarkson outlined some behavioural changes he would need to make. These include calling people and places by their preferred names. 'So,' he joked, '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.'
He added that 'sounds like being Gary could well be very time consuming.' Clarkson admitted that he simply does not have the patience to be as saintly as Lineker, describing the effort as 'exhausting.'
The Exhaustion of Being Considerate
Clarkson elaborated on the challenges of being more considerate: '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 that he would need to take a more understanding view of the amateur pilots whose light aircraft interrupt filming of Clarkson's Farm. '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.'
Clarkson concluded with a wry admission: 'Yes, I'd lose my national treasure status, but at least I could get some work done.'
