Top Gear host slams Jeremy Clarkson as a 'massive show-off and egotist'
A former Top Gear presenter has confessed that he "never got along" with Jeremy Clarkson. The BBC motoring show has since come to an end after a serious on set crash involving Freddie Flintoff, who had been co-hosting the series with Paddy McGuinness and Chris Harris.
Prior to that era, Top Gear was famously fronted by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May - a trio that proved hugely popular with viewers. Now, former presenter Steve Berry has shared his true thoughts on Jeremy.
The motoring journalist described Jeremy as a "massive show-offs and egotist" but notes that was what made him appealing to the show's producers, the Mirror reports. Steve made the comments during an interview on Al Arabiya News.
"The first shoot that I went along on was presented by a certain Mr. Jeremy Clarkson. And I'll never forget this, he turned up two hours late. I turned up half an hour early because I wanted to impress."
"He turned up to hours late and the crew were fuming. Absolutely fuming, I thought. Right, make a point, don't do that because you want the crew on your side," he recalled.
Steve also shared what Jeremy was actually like behind the scenes, describing him as a "less bombastic version of that person that you see on the screen."
He stated: "So in real life, Jeremy is a less bombastic version of that person that you see on the screen. You couldn't act that persona for all the years that he has."
"He is kind of like that, and like I said, even though he and I never really got on together, the last time I met him in person, there was a bar, it was at a car show and there was an open bar and he said, Barry, people know we don't like each other, I'll buy you a pint and we'll stand over there pretending we like each other."
Now, Jeremy runs a successful farm in the Cotswolds as well along with a pub called The Farmer's Dog, which specialises in selling local produce. His colleagues on the Oxfordshire farm have spoken more positively about it, offering praise for their boss.
The anonymous worker told the Oxford Mail: "I've been working here well over a year and I do enjoy it to be honest, because you meet completely different people from all over the world and all around the UK."
"Jeremy and Kaleb come up every now and then and chat with us and check that we're alright. Jeremy is just really funny, but he takes things seriously if we struggle with anything, which is nice, but he is just really funny and makes us feel comfortable."
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