Jeremy Clarkson has taken aim at the BBC, revisiting his controversial exit from the corporation while launching a broader attack on what he sees as the failure of British broadcasting.
Writing in his newspaper column for The Times, Clarkson says that while many might expect him to ‘launch into a tirade of abuse’ against the BBC because it ‘rather publicly let me go,’ he insists he bears no grudge.
In fact, he claims his life has ‘improved immeasurably’ since leaving the corporation, adding that watching events unfold at the BBC since then has left him feeling ‘just a tiny bit smug.’
‘When I was there, I was seen as the ultimate bad boy,’ Clarkson writes, recalling how he was ‘forever’ in the papers for one transgression or another, with producer Andy Wilman repeatedly being hauled in to answer for his behaviour.
At the time, he says, he was regarded as a serious problem within Broadcasting House, even before he was let go for his involvement in an altercation with a producer in 2015.
But in hindsight, Clarkson argues that his controversies pale in comparison with what he describes as far more serious scandals that emerged at the BBC.
He characterises his own behaviour as that of a ‘naughty scallywag,’ contrasting it with the crimes and misconduct of figures such as Jimmy Savile, Rolf Harris, and Huw Edwards, while he was, he notes, being reprimanded for comparatively trivial matters — including naming his dog Didier Dogba.
Clarkson goes on to list what he sees as a series of editorial and moral failures at the BBC in recent years, including the controversial editing of a speech by Donald Trump, the use of a reporter in Gaza with alleged links to terrorism, and what he calls a ‘woeful’ episode of Panorama examining racism in policing.
He also takes aim at Russell T Davies, accusing him of ‘ruining’ Doctor Who with ‘ham-fisted climate change dialogue,’ and criticises the broadcast of a Glastonbury performer chanting ‘death to the IDF.’
According to Clarkson, these cumulative failures have had tangible consequences.
He claims the BBC suffered its ‘worst-ever ratings on Christmas Day’ and lost more than £1 billion in revenue last year as households opted out of watching.
All of this, Clarkson argues, raises a fundamental question: what is the future of broadcasting in the UK?
Central to his argument is the abolition of traditional TV schedules. Clarkson criticises the thousands of hours of low-cost daytime programmingthat broadcasters are obliged to churn out simply to fill airtime.
While individually cheap, he argues, the sheer volume of such content drains resources that could otherwise fund ambitious, high-quality drama capable of competing with shows like Landman.
Instead, Clarkson proposes making fewer but more expensive programmes, all hosted on BBC iPlayer, which he praises as ‘one of the best bits of tech in the business.’
As for who would pay, Clarkson is blunt: ‘Duh. We all will,’ he writes, arguing that audiences already accept subscription models from companies like Apple and Disney.
He insists that Britain has the creative talent to rival the US, provided it sheds what he sees as ideological baggage. ‘Imagine an Adolescence every week,’ he suggests, referencing the acclaimed British drama.
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