Jeremy Clarkson is cleared of making “offensive” comments

Jeremy Clarkson got into a lot of trouble earlier this year with some…well…dodgy remarks that he made about a car on Top Gear. But according to Ofcom, the UK communications watchdog, Clarkson did not breach any broadcasting codes.

The Irish Independent reports that the presenter got himself into some major trouble after 41 people got in touch with the BBC to complain about comments that he had made on Top Gear back in February.

What did Clarkson say exactly? Well he basically compared the shape of a new car to someone suffering from a facial disfigurement. Yep. He said that the Japanese car, which had a large bulge on the back of it, had a “really ugly” growth and that people “wouldn’t talk” to the car if it were at a party.

In typical Clarkson fashion, he didn’t stop there. Oh no. He made things worse by then going on to do an impression of the Elephant Man – a Victorian character who suffered from extreme facial disfigurement.

Needless to say, people were angry, VERY angry, about the comments.

James Partridge, the chief executive of Changing Faces – a charity for people with facial disfigurements, said that Clarkson’s comments did nothing except “create a culture of ridicule and bullying” for people who are disabled or who have unusual features.

“Mocking people with a disfigurement, a facial growth in this case, is irresponsible and extremely offensive. People with disfigurements experience discrimination and bullying which occasionally includes violence,” said Mr Partridge at the time.

But despite all the backlash, Ofcom has now cleared the presenter of any accusations and said that he did not breach any broadcasting codes. So Jeremy? You can breathe a sigh of relief now.

This isn’t the first time that Clarkson has been accused of going too far with his words…

At the end of December, he mocked the Indian culture. Last November he said that public sector workers who were going on strike “should be shot” while their families watched. He’s made distasteful remarks about Asian people, Mexican people and said that people who throw themselves under trains are “selfish.”

But for now, Clarkson is safe…eh…until he makes another offensive remark about someone else anyway…