Jeremy Clarkson has responded to the backlash surrounding a comment he made about a barrister with dyslexia in an episode of his docuseries Clarkson’s Farm.
The second season of the Amazon Prime doc debuted last week, with one episode showing Clarkson walking out of a meeting about planning permission to potentially extend his farm.
On his way out, the former Top Gear host was heard telling barrister Charles Streeten – who was representing the local council – to “learn to spell”.
After the episode began streaming, Streeten shared an open letter in which he spoke about his dyslexia and explained how it had not impacted his career as a barrister.
He also added that he had not been expecting Clarkson’s remark to be televised.
In a statement shared with The Times, Clarkson said: “It’s great that Mr Streeten has overcome his dyslexia to such an extent that he’s able to send such a well-spelt letter from Jamaica.
“It’s just a shame he chose not to mention his learning difficulty when we met at the planning meeting more than a year ago. Because if he had, the exchange would not have been televised.”
Of course, this is not the first controversy Clarkson has had to fend off in recent history.
Two months ago, the Grand Tour presenter was faced with a widespread backlash over a column he wrote in The Sun about Meghan Markle, describing how much he hated the Duchess of Sussex on a “cellular level”.
Alluding to a scene from Game Of Thrones, he added that he “dreamed” of the day she’d be “made to parade naked through the streets” while crowds “throw lumps of excrement at her”.
The Sun and Clarkson have both apologised for the piece, with press regulator Ipso announcing last week they’d be launching an investigation after receiving a record-breaking number of complaints.