Doing a Clarkson: five other jokers who caused outrage

JEREMY CLARKSON has conceded his joke about shooting strikers “wasn't perfectly judged”, as the total number of complaints to the BBC passed 21,000 this morning. But the Top Gear presenter is hardly unique in generating outrage from a misjudged attempt at humour...

Sachsgate
In 2008, Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand were two of the BBC’s most popular entertainers. Then Ross made a guest appearance on Brand’s Radio 2 show one Saturday morning. The pair called Andrew Sachs (Manuel from Fawlty Towers), and left a message on his answerphone. In the message, Ross told Sachs that Brand had “fucked” his granddaughter. Although only two complaints were received in the week after the show aired, belated media coverage led to 38,000 more and a suspension for both men. Brand resigned soon after.

Andy Gray and Richard Keys
Sky Sports’ top presenters had a casually sexist discussion about female assistant referee Sian Massey in the presence of a microphone they believed was turned off. They were recorded agreeing that Massey couldn’t possibly know the offside rule, before Keys moved onto West Ham vice-chairman Karren Brady. She had written a piece in a newspaper about sexism in football, which Keys dismissed with the now infamous line: “Do me a favour love.” Amid public outcry - even Rio Ferdinand called the pair “prehistoric” - Sky fired them both.

Frankie Boyle
The Scottish stand-up kept media watchdog Ofcom busy with his Tramadol Nights series, with cancer patients and ethnic minorities on the receiving end of his scabrous humour. But he generated most outrage with a joke about Katie Price’s disabled son Harvey. “Jordan married a cage fighter - she needed a man strong enough to stop Harvey from fucking her”, Boyle quipped.

Ricky Gervais
Gervais united Hollywood in fury over his gags as host of the Golden Globes this year, including digs at “gay scientologist” Tom Cruise. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association lobbied the NBC network not to invite Gervais back, and producer Harvey Weinstein said “knowing that Ricky Gervais will never work again means a lot to me, I'm going to make sure of it”. Unfortunately for both, he’s been booked for 2012.

David Cameron
Appropriately enough, Clarkson’s friend, the Prime Minister, has seen his own attempt at humour fall flat. Earlier this year he told Labour MP Angela Eagle to “Calm down dear” in a Commons debate. Eagle described the remark as “outdated and sexist”, and several women’s groups agreed. Cameron explained he said it because his wife uses the line on him, but quickly apologised. ·