Bring Back Clarkson: Twitter campaign rallies support – of a kind
Jokes, songs, celebration and protest greet BBC decision, as 350,000 people sign petition to 'bring back Clarkson'
![Clarkson.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/6BTavRhnVPYk4Tb2TFDYnC-415-80.jpg)
A campaign to bring back Jeremy Clarkson to the BBC's Sunday-night schedule got underway the moment the Top Gear presenter was suspended by the broadcaster for getting into a "fracas" with a producer.
By early this morning, a petition started by political blogger Guido Fawkes had been signed by more than 350,000 people, and many more took to Twitter to express their dismay at the decision to cancel the next two episodes of Top Gear.
Some supporters had their own reasons for believing Clarkson deserves a second chance:
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He might be an idiot. But he's our idiot. #BringBackClarkson pic.twitter.com/3JTLowJZm2— James Hayes (@mrhayes_mfc) March 10, 2015
Please please please #BringBackClarkson. He is our Gandhi and we're 70-80% pretty sure he didn't touch any children #JeSuisClarkson— RHYS HOWELL (@rhys_isterix) March 11, 2015
Have a bit of sense @BBC. He's the greatest entertainer you've ever had. #BringBackClarkson pic.twitter.com/NB7EInmfqw— Danny Ings Fan (@FutbolFinn) March 10, 2015
POLITICAL CORRECTNESS GONE MAD CAN'T A MAN BE RACIST HOMOPHOBIC AND VIOLENT AND KEEP HIS JOB ANYMORE? I BLAME THE LEFT #BringBackClarkson— John Gibby (@john_gibby) March 10, 2015
Bring back that fat, ugly, oftentimes idiotic bloke we love so much @BBC_TopGear @JeremyClarkson #BringBackClarkson pic.twitter.com/XLkEzZDR8W— Haris Nurfadhilah (@ayahbababa) March 11, 2015
As the controversy raged, Clarkson himself spent the evening joking with his fellow presenters about what the BBC could screen instead of Top Gear:
@MrJamesMay @RichardHammond I did some pretty good war documentaries. They could screen one of those.— Jeremy Clarkson (@JeremyClarkson) March 10, 2015
Some people felt that Clarkson's suspension was reason enough to stop paying their licence fee:
Honestly think we should boycott paying the bbc licence in mass if they don't bring him back #BringBackClarkson— TVXTRA (@TvXtra) March 10, 2015
#BBC, please return me my TV licence in full as you have removed the only BBC program worth watching #BringBackClarkson @JeremyClarkson— Brendan Dyson (@brendan_dyson) March 10, 2015
Channel Four noted that this is not the first time the presenter has been in trouble. The broadcaster tweeted a compilation video of some of Clarkson's most controversial moments:
160,000 people sign a petition to #BringBackClarkson after Top Gear presenter was suspended for a "fracas".http://t.co/OVAISFOtfp— Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) March 11, 2015
But some people felt that the defence of Clarkson came from somewhat unsavoury quarters:
I bet the Venn diagram of people who want to #BringBackClarkson overlaps almost perfectly with people who want to bring back hanging— David Lamb (@DavidLamb93) March 11, 2015
Touching to see the outpouring of love for racist, bigot and steadfast supporter of Rebekah Brooks... Take a bow Britain #BringBackClarkson— Martin Samuel (@themartinsamuel) March 10, 2015
If you're undecided which side of #BringBackClarkson you are: Katie Hopkins has come out pro-Jeremy— Alistair Coleman (@scaryduck) March 10, 2015
And others were just moved to song:
To the tune of Eleanor Rigby: Jeremy Clarkson In a fracas, over food On the set of Top Gear Could cost him dear — Martin Belam (@MartinBelam) March 11, 2015
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