London - The BBC breached broadcasting rules by allowing Top Gear’s Jeremy Clarkson to deliberately use a racist term, UK television regulator Ofcom announced on Monday.
Ofcom rejected producers’ claims that his use of the word “slope” was a “light-hearted joke.”
In the Burma Special episode, shown in March, presenters Richard Hammond, James May and Clarkson built a temporary bridge over the River Kwai. Just before they had to drive trucks over the finished bridge, and as a local man appeared in shot, Clarkson said, ‘That is a proud moment, but there’s a slope on it.’ Hammond replied: ‘You’re right, it’s definitely higher on that side.’
Ofcom ruled that slope was an offensive racial term which was deliberately used and had been scripted in advance. It comes three months after Clarkson, 54, apologised over his use of the word ****** in a TV out-take.
Daily Mail