Jeremy Clarkson defends BBC top salaries: ‘You get that for your entire life being taken over’

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Kelly Rissman

US News Reporter

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Jeremy Clarkson, who was formerly the BBC’s highest-paid star, has defended the corporation’s seven-figure salaries, saying: “You get that for your entire life being taken over.”

The former Top Gear presenter, who was fired from the BBC in 2015 and now fronts Amazon’s The Grand Tour and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? on ITV, told The Times: “So when you look at all those BBC salaries that are published, you think, ‘You get that for an hour’s work.’

“No, you don’t. You get that for your entire life being taken over by, ‘Selfie! Selfie! Photo! Photo! Photo!’ Somebody has to pay for that.”

“And I’m afraid, in this case, it’s Tampax and Asda,” he added, referring to the companies who advertise on ITV.

Clarkson was axed from Top Gear after a “fracas” with a producer and, according to reports, his salary was set to jump to £10m when he began The Grand Tour in 2016.

When asked what he most likes about television, he told The Times: “The money. Why else would I do it?”