Don’t Blame Jeremy Clarkson For The Nigger Row: Top Gear Has No Black Faces To Control Him

ONE of the three white, middle-age men who present Top Gear on the BBC says he is not a racist.

Jeremy Clarkson, for it is he, says:

 “I absolutely do not use that word. I use the C-word, the F-word but I don’t use the N-word. Never do.”

He adds:

“I’m sitting here begging your forgiveness.”

Clarkson was picking a car when he chanted: “Eeny, meeny, miny, moe, cath a nigger by the toe”

Only, she says he never said nigger. He only used the rest of the rhyme.

The Sun says that he used the rhyme repeatedly.

In one he substituted the word “teacher” for the N-word, in another he mumbled incomprehensibly and in the third he mumbled in a way that could be construed as using the N-word.

He tells the Sun’s Colin Robertson (ethnicity: white):

“I accept that people will hear that on the unaired footage and be offended. I wish to God that my attempts to cover up that word were better than they were. I was simply mumbling — saying “ner ner” or something similar, anything but the N-word. It was my mistake and I apologise for not covering it up. But if you look at the footage you can see what I’m trying to do.”

Adding:

“I didn’t use the N-word here but I’ve just listened through my headphones and it sounds like I did. Is there another take? Or can we come out after eenie, meenie, miny, mo.”

And on he digs:

“This is the worst I’ve ever felt. Usually when I’m accused of saying something, I have done it. It went on air and there was a row. On this occasion it was me making an effort not to offend. It is such a horrible word. I don’t use it.”

And digs:

“I was mortified, horrified. It is a word I loathe and I did everything in my power to make sure that that version did not appear in the programme. Please be assured I did everything in my power not to use that word. And as I’m sitting here, begging your forgiveness for that, obviously my efforts weren’t quite good enough. Thank you.”

God it’s hard not saying nigger on the telly. Each day, hundreds of BBC types battle with it. “Morning Nig… el,” they say to the black faces. “Did you see that Nig…ella on the box last night?” Can we get more diverse faces on Question Nig… ht?”

The Sun – for which Clarkson writes; a paper edited by a middle-aged white guy – turns to an expert in race relations and words steeped in meaning and persecution to help us make sense of the furore. It’s white, middle-aged man James May.

JEREMY Clarkson’s Top Gear co-star James May called him a “bellend” last night — but insisted he was no racist.

The defence came as Clarkson was hauled in to see BBC Director-General Tony Hall amid fears he would be axed.

That’s the white, middle-aged Tony Hall.

But the BBC is a meritocracy. Just look at the board:

No hint of a monoculture or tockenism, there.

Anyhow, Top Gear is very enlightened and in no way bigoted. In no way does it uphold bias. It is equal and representative of the country at large in all things.

According to the imdb*, the directors of Top Gear are hereunder:

Brian Klein … (156 episodes, 2002-2014)
Phil Churchward … (107 episodes, 2005-2014)
Nigel Simpkiss … (80 episodes, 2002-2014)
Richard Heeley … (50 episodes, 2002-2005)
James Bryce … (43 episodes, 2003-2012)
Andrew Fettis … (26 episodes, 2003-2004)
Owen Trevor … (26 episodes, 2008-2012)
Konrad Begg … (18 episodes, 2011-2013)
Scott Weintrob … (13 episodes, 2006-2007)
Ben Duncan … (12 episodes, 2011-2013)
Chris Richards … (10 episodes, 2010-2011)
Kit Lynch Robinson … (10 episodes, 2013-2014)
Southan Morris … (9 episodes, 2008-2014)
Ben Hume-Paton … (7 episodes, 2004)
Edward Bazalgette … (7 episodes, 2007)
Chris Hooke … (6 episodes, 2002)
Simon Ludgate … (5 episodes, 2002)
Michael Tuft … (5 episodes, 2003)
Lee Ford … (5 episodes, 2010)
Jon Richards … (5 episodes, 2013-2014)
Ed Venner … (4 episodes, 2006)
Iain May … (4 episodes, 2007-2011)
Graham Sherrington … (4 episodes, 2007)
Ben Southwell … (3 episodes, 2003)
Dennis Jarvis … (2 episodes, 2003)
Richard Thomson … (2 episodes, 2003)
Rob Kaplan … (2 episodes, 2005)
Gary Broadhurst … (2 episodes, 2006)
Babak Zand Goodarzi … (2 episodes, 2007)
Michael Massey … (1 episode, 2002)
Michael Armitt … (1 episode, 2003)
Gerry Pomeroy … (1 episode, 2003)
James Wiseman … (1 episode, 2005)
Lionel Mill … (1 episode, 2007)
Hannah Springham … (1 episode, 2008)
Benji Edwards … (1 episode, 2012)

One woman. One Asian name. No Nig..els.

What about the presenters?

Richard Hammond …
Jeremy Clarkson
James May

Ben Collins …

Perry McCarthy
Jason Dawe
Andy Wilman

No Nig…els there, either.

How about the talent, guest drivers and the stars in that reasonably-priced car?

Jay Kay
Peter Jones
Brian Johnson
Anthony Reid
Matt Neal
Tom Chilton
Lewis Hamilton 
Rubens Barrichello …
Jimmy Carr …
Mark Webber …
Simon Cowell …
Jonathan Ross …
Bill Bailey …
Simon Pegg …
Sienna Miller …
Johnny Vaughan …
Amy Williams …
Steve Coogan …
Chris Evans …
Jay Leno …
Ray Winstone …
Mat Jackson …
Gordon Shedden …
Michael Gambon …
Sabine Schmitz …
Justin Hawkins …
Theo Paphitis …
David Coulthard …
Kris Meeke …
Ross Kemp …
Jenson Button …
John Bishop …
Ryan Reynolds …
Mick Fleetwood …
Tom Cruise …
Matt LeBlanc …
Cameron Diaz …
Al Murray …
Nick Robinson …
Louie Spence …
Daniel Bodin …
Peta Todd …
Dan Lang …
Tiff Needell …
Stephen Fry …
James Blunt …
Michael Schumacher …
Roger Daltrey …
Brian Wheeler …
Harry Enfield …
Gordon Ramsay …
Damon Hill …
Jodie Kidd …
Rob Brydon …
Boris Johnson …
Jamie Oliver …
Alan Davies …
Nick Mason …
Trinny Woodall …
Ranulph Fiennes …
Nigel Mansell …
Trevor Eve …
Ellen MacArthur …
Ewan McGregor …
Hugh Grant …
David Tennant …
Ron Wood …
Fiona Bruce …
Mika Häkkinen …
Ken Block …
Christa Ackroyd …
Dickie Bird …
Martin Brundle …
Harry Gration …
Phil Oakey …
Peter Stringfellow …
John Manlove …
Duncan Bannatyne …
Deborah Meaden …
Vic Armstrong …

Roger Becker …

Tara Palmer-Tomkinson …
Rick Parfitt …
Daniel Craig …
Rich Hall …
Carol Vorderman …
Eddie Izzard …
Patrick Kielty …
Ronnie O’Sullivan …
Katie Price …
Christian Slater …
Omid Djalili …
Eric Bana …
Usain Bolt …
Michael McIntyre … 100
Guy Ritchie …
Michael Sheen …
Danny Boyle …
Alastair Campbell …
Andy Garcia …
Jeff Goldblum …
Seasick Steve …
Rowan Atkinson …
Boris Becker …
Alice Cooper …
Nick Frost …
Bob Geldof …
Amber Heard …
Ross Noble …
John Prescott …
Sebastian Vettel …
Louis Walsh …
Michael Fassbender …
Guy Hamilton …
Alex James …
Slash …
Matt Smith …
Will i Am …
Ron Howard …
Hugh Jackman …
Damian Lewis …
Amy Macdonald …
James McAvoy …
Steven Tyler …
Hugh Bonneville …
Tom Hiddleston …
Aaron Paul …
Jack Whitehall …
Luca Badoer …
Steve Holland …
Carla Bruni …
Olivier Panis …
Rupert Grint …
Robbie Maddison …
Kimi Räikkönen …
Richard Briers …
Charles Dance …

Irving Milgrom …
Pete Townshend …
Madison Welch …
Roger Moore …
Eric Clapton …
Warwick Davis …
Joan Verger …
Ola Rapace …
David Haye …
Bruce Willis …
Zak Starkey …
Michael G. Wilson …
Paul O’Neill …
Rachel Riley …
Mike Rutherford …
Dougie Lampkin …
Joss Stone …
Ben Ainslie …
Timothy Shieff …
Paul Joseph …
Michael Blakey …
Colin Baker …
Chris Barrie …
Sanjeev Bhaskar …
Rory Bremner …
A.A. Gill …
Stuart Hall …
Vinnie Jones …
Martin Kemp …
Graeme Le Saux …
Neil Morrissey …
Anne Robinson …
David Soul …
Patrick Stewart …
Johnny Vegas …
Murray Walker …
Richard Whiteley …
Billy Baxter …
Martin Clunes …
Susannah Constantine …
Geri Halliwell …
Tim Harvey …
Rob Huff …
Joanna Lumley …
Paul McKenna …
Cliff Richard …
Lionel Richie …
Fay Ripley …
Junior Simpson …
Henning Solberg …
Denise Van Outen …
Terry Wogan …
Tim Wonnacott …
Antony Worrall Thompson …
Shirley Clarkson …

David Dimbleby …
Christopher Eccleston …
Tim Emmett …
Eileen Hammond …
Leo Houlding …
Stephen Ladyman …
Davina McCall …
Andrew Muir …
James Nesbitt …
Tim Rice …
Timothy Spall …
Roger Taylor …
David Walliams …
Ian Wright …
Brian Cox …
Steve Curtis …
Les Ferdinand …
Philip Glenister …
James Hewitt …
Daniel Ilabaca …
John Kerr …
Jim McGrath …
Jackie Stewart …
Rick Wakeman …
Keith Allen …
Lethal Bizzle …
Gareth Coombes …
Rob Coombes …
Lawrence Dallaglio …
Andy Dunlop …
Adrian Edmondson …
Tom Fletcher …
Daniel Goffey …
Fran Healy …
Jools Holland …
Mat Jackson …
Jamelia …
Danny Jones …
Harry Judd …
Lemar …
Matty McNair …
Helen Mirren …
Chris Moyles …
Dougie Payne …
Billie Piper …
Dougie Poynter …
Neil Primrose …
Michael Quinn …
Jennifer Saunders …
Kristin Scott Thomas …
Alan Carr …
Justin Lee Collins …
James Corden …
Peter Firth …
Tom Jones …
Kevin McCloud …
Michael Parkinson …
Rupert Penry-Jones …
Tim Schrick …
Kate Silverton …
Carsten Van Ryssen …
Mark Wahlberg …
Will Young …
Vernon Kay …
Rupert Maas …
Stuart Oliver …
Margaret Calvert …
Jock Kinneir …
Ayrton Senna …
Jean Alesi …
Helen Ashby …
Flavio Briatore …
Steve Brogan …
Murray Brown …
Steve Davies …
Bernie Ecclestone …
Christian Horner …
Shane Jacobson …
Darryn Lyons …
Ewen Page …
Steve Pizzati …
Pierce Brosnan …
Mauro Calo …
Sean Connery …
Timothy Dalton …
Ben Drew …
Francesco Fraulo …
Toni Gardemeister …
Jeff Gordon …
Mark Higgins …
Jimmie Johnson …
Christopher Lee …
Nick Love …
Juan Pablo Montoya …
Kyle Petty …
Yves Rossy …
Max Venturi …
Chris Boardman …
Alan Kennedy …
Martin Low …
Evan Davis …
Yasuyuki Kazama …
Noel Gallagher …
Brian Kehew …
Alan Rogan …
John Humphrys …
Dermot Murnaghan …
Steve Redgrave …
Freddy Koella …
Laurent Vernerey …
Fernando Alonso …
Felipe Massa …
Jarno Trulli …
David Cameron …
Jake Humphrey …
Claudio Cadman …
Chris Dunford …
Rob Entwistle …
Toby Wilkinson …

Not too many Nig..els. From 324 guests, 10 black faces. 3% of guest on Top Gear are black. 0.3% are black women. Maybe there’s a shortage of famous blacks who can drive? Maybe white presenters and white producers just prefer white guests?

What about the show’s producers? Any black faces there?

Andy Wilman … executive producer / series editor (169 episodes, 2002-2014)

He’s a white middle-age guy. Not a Nig..el.

What about the editors? Those with ten or more shows under their belts are:

Series Film Editing by
Dan James … (92 episodes, 2004-2014)
James Hart … (55 episodes, 2008-2014)
Guy Savin … (52 episodes, 2005-2009)
Andy Batten-Foster … (34 episodes, 2003-2004)
James Bryce … (29 episodes, 2003-2011)
Mark Talbot-Butler … (27 episodes, 2005-2014)
Chris Muckle … (26 episodes, 2003-2004)
Nik O’Dell … (22 episodes, 2010-2014)
Brin … (16 episodes, 2008-2010)
James Clement … (14 episodes, 2005-2007)
John Bisset … (12 episodes, 2009-2011)
Brian Hovmand … (10 episodes, 2004-2005)

Nope. No Nig..els.

Hmm. Three times Clarkson started the chant “een, meeni, minie mo catah a…” And three times no-one in the production team said “cut”. So. What you get is something that’s not brave or fearless. It’s just gratuitous, an in-joke for the gang. It’s an oral golliwog.

Don’t blame Jeremy for being an arsehole. It might be that he was just trying to appeal to his peers at the BBC…

* The imdb might not have the full details. We might have missed some black faces. But not many. If you want to have row about racism, don’t look in low places, like Clarkson’s to-deadline controversies. Look at the upper echelons, the people who hire and fire.

Anorak

Posted: 2nd, May 2014 | In: Key Posts, TV & Radio Comments (2) | TrackBack | Permalink