Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Jeremy Clarkson is ‘annoyed’ he’s never won a Bafta and blames it on David Cameron friendship

Presenter believes he should be nominated for some of the ‘bloody good shows’ he’s made over the years

Ellie Harrison
Tuesday 16 November 2021 03:47 EST
Comments
Clarkson's Farm trailer

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Jeremy Clarkson has complained about never having been nominated for a Bafta, blaming the situation on his friendship with David Cameron.

Since being dropped by the BBC’sTop Gear in 2015, the presenter, 61, has co-hosted four series of The Grand Tour on Amazon Prime Video and recently fronted an agriculture documentary, Clarkson’s Farm, where he works as a farmer on his own land.

The series has been a hit with many, and led sheep farmer and author James Rebanks to say that Clarkson had done “more for farmers in one series than Countryfile achieved in 30 years”.

In a new interview with The Guardian, when asked if he thinks he could win an OBE, Clarkson replied: “You’re very sweet. But I’m more annoyed I’ve never won a Bafta. I’ve done some bloody good shows over the years: a good one on Brunel and some military documentaries.

“You’d think the Bafta committee might think, ‘We should at least nominate him. Drag him to London to disappoint him.’ But as soon as the newspapers say, ‘Jeremy Clarkson, friend of David Cameron’, that’s it: ‘He’s not having a Bafta.’”

Clarkson and Cameron have been friends for many years. The then-prime minister backed Clarkson after he was suspended from Top Gear.

The suspension came after Clarkson punched a BBC producer because he was offered a cold meat platter instead of a steak.

Cameron praised Clarkson as a “huge talent” at the time and said he hoped the situation could be resolved so his children would not be left “heartbroken”.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in