BBC vows to reform Top Gear as Clarkson remains unrepentant following racism storm
Danny Cohen, head of BBC television, has vowed to reform Top Gear after he revealed recent scandals will have an ‘impact’ on how the show is produced – despite its star presenter, Jeremy Clarkson, remaining unrepentant in the use of racist language.
The controversial motoring magazine platform is one of the BBC’s biggest hits but Cohen warned Clarkson is not ‘untouchable’ when it comes to sanctions.
Speaking at the Edinburgh international television festival Cohen acknowledged that Clarkson ‘doesn’t see a problem’ with some of the language and believes his bosses are ‘overreacting’.
Cohen said: “I was very, very clear in public and in private that I was incredibly unhappy with his (Clarkson’s) language. I have made that really clear. Jeremy knows that's my position and that's going to impact on the way the show is thought about in the future.
"I talked to loads of people who thought me being so angry about it is an overreaction – I disagree. I don't think it's an overreaction.
"He disagrees too, by the way. He doesn't see a problem with some of the language used – I do. I think it's unacceptable, I've made that really, really clear to him and we'll go from there."
In recent months Clarkson has been accused of uttering the n-word in unaired footage and was reprimanded by Ofcom for describing an Asian man as a ‘slope’ during a Burma special.