Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Jeremy Clarkson hits out at Chris Packham over Taylor Swift ‘bullying’ as feud rumbles on

‘He has no knowledge of what it’s like to be properly famous,’ Clarkson said of the ‘Springwatch’ host

Annabel Nugent
Sunday 28 July 2024 06:33 EDT
Comments
Chris Packham reveals that he has contacted Taylor Swift over use of her private jets

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 hit out at Chris Packham over his recent comments about Taylor Swift.

Last month, the Springwatch host and nature enthusiast criticised the pop singer over her frequent use of private jets.

Packham, 63, called on Swift to use a different mode of transport to travel between locations on her worldwide Eras Tour, which saw her perform in London earlier this month. She will return for five more shows at Wembley stadium in August.

In his latest column for The Sun, Clarkson, 64, said it was “hard to keep up” with Packham’s “pontifications” and claimed his comments to the “Cruel Summer” singer amounted to “bullying”.

He went on to claim that Packham’s criticisms of Swift prove that he “has no knowledge of what it’s like to be properly famous”.

“Packham is reasonably well known among the nation’s ramblers and bingo enthusiasts, but he has no knowledge of what it’s like to be properly famous," Clarkson wrote.

“So famous that you are physically mobbed by a braying hoard wherever you are in the world.”

The former Top Gear host continued by listing the reasons why it would be unreasonable to expect Swift to use a commercial aeroplane, such as the inevitable hordes of fans and the scheduling troubles caused by delayed flights.

(Getty Images)

“So what Mr Packham is doing by kind of ordering her to fly with the masses is tantamount to bullying. Because she can’t,” he concluded.

Clarkson took one last swipe at Packham’s level of fame, writing that he “hopes one day [Packham] releases an album that propels him to global superstardom because then we’d see how long it’d take him to ask his agent to book a G5”.

Speaking on Good Morning Britain in June, Packham revealed that he had personally reached out to Swift over the issue.

(Getty)

“I’ve asked her to think about the future of all her young fans,” he said. “She could send a very symbolic gesture to millions of people by saying that she was going to stop using those jets.”

Clarkson’s latest comments are part of an ongoing feud between the two presenters, who have locked horns on previous occassions.

Last year, Packham called Clarkson a “cockchafer” for criticising Sir David Attenborough’s for highlighting climate change on Planet Earth.

“There used to be a time when Sir Attenborough would tell us all about the animal he’d found. Now all we ever get is: ‘Here’s a see-through fish with an orange stomach, and its future is threatened by climate change,’” wrote Clarkson in his column.

Responding to Packham’s foul-mouthed tweet, the Clarkson’s Farm star corrected Packham’s grammar. “It’s world’s. Not ‘worlds,’” replied Clarkson.

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