Jeremy Clarkson

Jeremy Clarkson
Clarkson in 2012
Born
Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson

(1960-04-11) 11 April 1960 (age 64)
Doncaster, West Riding of Yorkshire, England
Education
Occupations
  • Journalist
  • broadcaster
  • columnist
  • writer
  • farmer
  • businessman
Years active1988–present
Employers
Known for
Notable workFull list
Height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)[1]
Spouses
  • Alexandra James
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1989; div. 1990)​
  • Frances Cain
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1993; div. 2014)​
Children3
RelativesRobert Henry Cain (ex-father-in-law)
Signature

Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson (born 11 April 1960) is an English television presenter, journalist, author and farmer, who specialises in motoring. He is best known for hosting the television programmes Top Gear (2002–2015)[a] 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 co-hosts 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 and books on subjects such as history and engineering, and has written numerous books. In 1998, he hosted the first series of Robot Wars; from 1998 to 2000, he also hosted his own talk show, Clarkson.

In 2015 the BBC elected not to renew Clarkson's contract after he assaulted a Top Gear producer while filming on location.[2][3] That year, Clarkson and his Top Gear co-presenters and producer Andy 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.

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 Amazon Prime upon its release.[4] In May 2024, the 'Clarkson's clause' amendment, named after Clarkson, was introduced which made 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.


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  1. ^ "Peel P50 feature". Top Gear. Series 10. Episode 3. 28 October 2007.
  2. ^ "Jeremy Clarkson dropped by BBC after damning report into assault on producer". The Guardian. 25 March 2015. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  3. ^ "Summary text of BBC's report into Jeremy Clarkson 'fracas'". The Guardian. 25 March 2015. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
  4. ^ "Jeremy Clarkson reacts as his farm show becomes massive hit". 20 June 2021.