"Top Gear" host Jeremy Clarkson posted a video statement begging for forgiveness after he appeared to use racially derogatory language in a video outtake from the autos show. The British Broadcasting Corp. is facing calls to fire the outspoken TV presenter. Photo: Getty Images
LONDON—The British Broadcasting Corp. is facing calls to fire Jeremy Clarkson after the outspoken television host appeared to use racially derogatory language while filming the driving show "Top Gear."
Mr. Clarkson, no stranger to controversy, is alleged to have used a racially offensive wordwhile reciting a version of the old-fashioned nursery rhyme "eeny, meeny, miney, mo" during filming for an episode of "Top Gear" broadcast in 2013. The clip itself wasn't included in the show but was later leaked to the U.K. media.
In a video statement released through his official Twitter TWTR -0.18% account Thursday night, Mr. Clarkson said he hadn't meant to use the word, and had attempted to mumble the offensive part of the rhyme.
"Please be assured I did everything in my power to not use that word, as I'm sitting here begging your forgiveness for the fact my efforts obviously weren't quite good enough," Mr. Clarkson said.
A file photo of British broadcaster Jeremy Clarkson attending the ceremonial funeral of former prime minister Margaret Thatcher. Mr. Clarkson has apologized for using the racially offensive word. Associated Press
The BBC said it had spoken to Mr. Clarkson about the incident, but it declined to comment on the host's future. Mr. Clarkson couldn't be reached for further comment.
"We have made it absolutely clear to him, the standards the BBC expects on air and off," the BBC said in a statement. "We have left him in no doubt about how seriously we view this."
The BBC faced renewed calls Friday morning to fire Mr. Clarkson, one of its best-known and best-paid stars. Ofcom, the U.K. media regulator, confirmed it had received a number of complaints about the incident but said it was powerless to act because the clip hadn't been broadcast.
"Top Gear" is made in the U.K. by the BBC but is sold to around 200 territories world-wide. In the U.S., it appears on BBC America with its British hosts and has a spinoff show with American hosts on the History Channel.
Mr. Clarkson, also a journalist and author, has courted controversy throughout his career. Less than a month ago, the BBC was forced to apologize for remarks made by Mr. Clarkson while filming a special episode of "Top Gear" in Burma in which he described a local man as a "slope." Andy Wilman, executive producer of "Top Gear," said the show's hosts hadn't realized the term was offensive.
Mr. Clarkson writes a regular column for the Sun and Sunday Times newspapers in the U.K., both of which are owned by News Corp, NWSA +0.06% also publisher of The Wall Street Journal. News U.K., News Corp's British publishing arm, declined to comment on the incident. The Sun, the U.K.'s biggest-selling newspaper, defended Mr. Clarkson in an editorial. "There's not a racist bone in Jeremy Clarkson's body," the newspaper said.
Aside from his TV career, Mr. Clarkson is perhaps best known for his long-running feud with Piers Morgan, the former CNN host and newspaper editor. In 2004, the pair came to blows at an awards ceremony in London, resulting in Mr. Clarkson breaking a finger after he punched his rival. Mr. Morgan recently challenged Mr. Clarkson to a boxing match for charity, which Mr. Clarkson declined.
When Mr. Morgan's CNN show was canceled earlier this year, Mr. Clarkson wrote in the Sunday Times that "his show failed because the viewers hated him." Mr. Morgan on Wednesday tweeted through his official account that Mr. Clarkson's career was now "toast."
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