Jeremy Clarkson: I didn't mean to use N-word - video

JEREMY CLARKSON has released a video statement in which he says he mumbled the N-word inadvertently while trying to obscure it during a recording of Top Gear.

"I did everything in my power to not use that word," he says. "I'm sitting here begging your forgiveness for the fact my efforts obviously weren't quite good enough."

Previously unseen footage obtained by the Daily Mirror and published yesterday appeared to show the presenter using the word while reciting a nursery rhyme as he tries to choose between two cars.

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"The Mirror hired a firm of audio forensic experts to analyse the Top Gear clip and they confirmed that the N-word was indeed used by Clarkson," the paper reports.

"An investigator – working for digital forensics company CY4OR – produced a transcript as part of the study. It stated Clarkson said the following: 'Eeny, meeny, miny, moe, catch a n***** by his toe, when he squeals, let him go, eeny, meeny, miny, moe'."

Clarkson, who now faces calls for his sacking, denied that he had intentionally used the N-word and said that he was "mortified" and "horrified" when he heard the recording.

"If you listened very carefully with the sound turned right up it did appear that I'd actually used the word I was trying to obscure," he said.

The presenter says he immediately emailed the Top Gear production office asking for the clip not to be used. According to his statement, the email read: "I didn't use the N-word here but I've just listened through my headphones and it sounds like I did. Is there another take we can use?"

The Guardian reports that the BBC has issued Clarkson with a warning about his future conduct.

"Jeremy Clarkson has set out the background to this regrettable episode," the corporation said. "We have made it absolutely clear to him the standards the BBC expects on air and off. We have left him in no doubt about how seriously we view this."

Jeremy Clarkson accused of using N-word on Top Gear

1 May

JEREMY CLARKSON has denied using the N-word in previously unseen Top Gear footage which was edited out of an episode broadcast in February last year.

It's the second time in recent weeks that Clarkson has been accused of using a racial slur. During a recent Top Gear special filmed in Thailand he appeared to refer to a Thai man as a "slope" – a derogatory term for Asians.

The Daily Mirror published the N-word claim after examining a recording of the incident passed to the paper after the programme had been edited. In the clip Clarkson is shown attempting to choose between two cars.

"The Mirror hired a firm of audio forensic experts to analyse the Top Gear clip and they confirmed that the N-word was indeed used by Clarkson," the paper says.

"An investigator – working for digital forensics company CY4OR – produced a transcript as part of the study. It stated Clarkson said the following: 'Eeny, meeny, miny, moe, catch a n***** by his toe, when he squeals, let him go, eeny, meeny, miny, moe'."

The presenter mumbles as he recites the rhyme, but in the broadcast version he clearly says "teacher" instead of the disputed N-word.

This morning Clarkson tweeted a denial of the Mirror's claims:

Amid calls for the presenter to be sacked, the BBC has launched an investigation, The Guardian reports.

"We've seen the story," a BBC spokesman told the paper. "The Mirror didn't approach us before publication. Clearly we will establish the facts before commenting."