Jeremy Clarkson: TV obsessed with hiring 'black Muslim lesbians'

[Peikko 1,575]

Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson. Photograph: Guardian

As the BBC tries to draw a line under the Strictly Come Dancing racism row, Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson has added his thoughts on the television industry's diversity policies.

In a column for the new issue of Top Gear magazine, the BBC presenter ridicules TV bosses for being obsessed with having "black Muslim lesbians" on shows to balance out the numbers of white heterosexual men.

In response to questions about the lack of female presenters on BBC's Top Gear, Clarkson said: "The problem is that television executives have got it into their heads that if one presenter on a show is a blond-haired, blue-eyed heterosexual boy, the other must be a black Muslim lesbian.

"Chalk and cheese, they reckon, works. But here we have Top Gear setting new records after six years using cheese and cheese. It confuses them."

The comments come just days after it emerged that dancer Anton Du Beke had referred off-screen to his dance partner Laila Rouass as a "Paki". Du Beke apologised and the BBC tried to draw a line under the incident.

But the show's presenter Bruce Forsyth said yesterday the nation should get a "sense of humour" over Du Beke's "slip up".

Forsyth was later forced to clarify his views in a statement issued through the BBC, in which he said that "racially offensive language is never either funny or acceptable".

In his column Clarkson went on to defend women drivers and ask why there are not more of them in Formula One. He said: "Unlike furious thin-lipped feminists, I tend not to draw distinctions between men and women, apart from in bed where you really do need to spot the differences.

"At work, girls are just people. It's the same story at parties and it's especially the same on the road. The worst driver in the world is Top Gear's studio director ... He cannot park without kerbing the wheels and he cannot get into his own drive without crashing into his house. And he has a #######."

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Edited October 9, 2009 by Madame Cleo

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

To be honest Clarkson can be a complete ####### sometimes.

At least Bruce Forsyth, being a thousand years old is a product of his generation.

[Peikko 1,575]

I think he has a point about a certain type of beeb dweeb boss who is more obsessed with the politically correct makeup of a show than its content validity. Not being 'in' in the Beeb though, it's hard to say how prevalent an attitude that is.

[Peikko 1,575]

Hmm, I apologize, it seems his comments were industry wide, not beeb in particular - I think the sentiment is the same though. The validity of the content of the show must come first.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

I'd say there are fairly few shows that require specialist presenters.

[meowmeowmeow 1]

where are these black lesbian muslims?

[Pooky 3,781]

To be honest Clarkson can be a complete ####### sometimes.

Not this time. I'd say he was pretty close to the mark.

I think he has a point about a certain type of beeb dweeb boss who is more obsessed with the politically correct makeup of a show than its content validity. Not being 'in' in the Beeb though, it's hard to say how prevalent an attitude that is.

The BBC itself is pretty left-wing in its policies, which reflects in a number of its opinion programmes. Its news broadcasts, however, are down-the-line neutral , which is what you need in a news source.

Hmm, I apologize, it seems his comments were industry wide, not beeb in particular - I think the sentiment is the same though. The validity of the content of the show must come first.

No apology necessary.

I'd say there are fairly few shows that require specialist presenters.

Top Gear, though, in its current incarnation, is one of those shows. The presenters make the show - Clarkson, May, The Hamster and The Stig (whoever he might be). I just wish our local cable provider didn't charge an arm and a leg for the package that's got BBC America.