The person that will be discussed in this article is widely known as a journalist, television presenter and writer. Jeremy Clarkson managed to grow from an ordinary correspondent to a well-known and respected person in the fields of journalism and the automotive industry. Read about how a famous TV presenter and writer moved up the career ladder, read the article.
Clarkson family: the beginning of the path of a famous journalist
Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson was born on April 11 in 1960 in the UK, in the family of a salesman and teacher. Father Jeremy Edward Clarkson and mother Shirley Gabriel Ward for the first time in his married life were engaged in the sale of tea. When it was time to send their son to school, they chose a private and expensive institution, although they did not know how they would pay, because they planned to sell the tea business. When Jeremy Clarkson was a thirteen-year-old boy, his parents made two soft toys, which they called Paddington Bear. Clarkson's neighbors praised their creation and ordered the same toy for their child. Soon, the production of unique soft bears turned into a real Clarkson family business. Toys were so popular that the proceeds of their sale allowed them not only to live in abundance, but also to pay for the expensive training of their son at Hill House School.
Jeremy Clarkson was engaged in social activities at school, helped parents develop the Paddington Bear, and, having received a certificate of secondary education, became interested in journalism.
First steps in a career
Jeremy's first work experience was selling teddy bears, which his parents made. After school, he decided to become a journalist, worked for several local publications, such as Wolverhampton Express & Star, Associated Kent Newspapers, Rotherham Advertiser, Lincolnshire Life and Rochdale Observer and many others.
In parallel with his work as a correspondent, Jeremy decided to open his own business. In 1984, Jeremy Clarkson and his good friend opened the Motoring Press Agency. The guys tested various cars, prepared the results in the form of articles and sent them to local magazines and newspapers. Later, their work began to be published in Performance Car magazine.
TV career
In 1988, a novice journalist was invited to television. It turned out that he came to the "Old Top Gear" as one of the regional speakers, and as a result remained as the main TV presenter of the show. On BBC, he was asked to host a Top Gear show specializing in automotive topics, along with Richard Hammond and James May.
Jeremy and James May set a world record by reaching the planet’s north magnetic pole by car. The video report of this event was included in one of the Top Gear issues, which undoubtedly increased the rating of the program.
Achievements
Over the years Clarkson’s work on Top Gear, the show has become one of the most popular on the BBC. The broadcast was broadcast in more than a hundred countries of the world. In addition to the automobile shows "World of Motors" and "Top Gear", Jeremy leads programs of a different orientation. Clarkson’s first non-car show was Robot Wars.
Jeremy Clarkson quickly gained popularity on television thanks to his purely English humor and caustic manner of communication. Since the 90s, he has been conducting a large number of different projects. In addition, often appears as a guest or consultant in a variety of shows.
For two years (1998-2000), Clarkson talked with politicians, musicians, fellow TV hosts on a variety of topics in his own show called "Clarkson."
Many viewers could also see Jeremy Clarkson's documentaries on technology, history, and, of course, cars.
Recognition and criticism
In 2005, the famous TV presenter was awarded the Emmy Award, and in 2007 he was awarded the prestigious National Television Awards.
Clarkson's frankness and specific manner of communication often attracted criticism from politicians, the public and the media. Nevertheless, he is rightly considered the main inspirer of the revival of the most popular car transmission of all ever broadcast on the BBC.
Writer career
Clarkson is the author of the weekly Sun and Sunday Times newspaper columns. His articles also periodically appear in an Australian newspaper called The Weekend Australian and The Times magazine. In addition, Jeremy writes automotive related articles for Toronto Avto Star.
In addition to journalistic publications, several books by Jeremy Clarkson on his favorite cars saw the light. Almost all of Clarkson's literary creations are written in a humorous style, which distinguishes him from other authors.
In 2011, with the help of Penguin Publishing House, Clarkson published a book entitled Dads with the introduction, "Gardening Is A Great Way To Pass The Time To Death."
Personal life
In May 1993, Clarkson married Francis Kane, who worked as his manager. The couple bring up three children - daughter Emily (born in 1994), son Finlo (born 1996) and daughter Katya (born 1998). The family lives in Chipping Norton in Southeast England.
In 2005, the couple purchased a summer house on the Isle of Man - a cottage and a lighthouse worth 1.25 million pounds. There they sometimes relax during the holidays.
Clarkson's Garage
It will not be surprising that a journalist who has devoted his entire career to automobiles has a whole collection in the garage. Jeremy Clarkson's cars are the dream of every car enthusiast. In addition to the fact that a well-known journalist and TV presenter owns many different cars, he is regularly supplied with automobile companies for testing.
For a long time, Jeremy wanted to become the owner of the Ford GT and several editions of "Top Gear" PR this car. When, finally, they sent him the long-awaited “iron horse”, he broke down the next day. Clarkson later called this car one of the most unreliable of all. For several years, the Ford GT was gathering dust in Clarkson's garage, after which he sold it to make way for the Gallardo Spyder.
In 2008, he sells Gallardo, and with it the second in his life Volvo XC90. Already in January 2009, Jeremy Clarkson again replenished another Volvo XC90.
In 2007, the TV presenter gave his wife a Mercedes-Benz 600 for Christmas. And the eldest daughter, Jeremy Clarkson, was spotted driving a stylish Ferrari 458 Spider.
The Clarkson family also owns (or had) cars like the Honda CR-X, Range Rover TDV8 Vogue SE, Ferrari F355, Aston Martin Virage, Mercedes CLK63 AMG Black, Volkswagen Scirocco 2, Ford Escort RS Cosworth, BMW M3 CSL, Lotus Elise 111S and others.
Outlook on life
Humor helped Clarkson not only overcome some problems in his life, but also made him famous. But in the comic statements of the TV presenter, you can always catch the elements of his real attitude to the real state of things both in the country and in the world.
For example, Clarkson is an ardent opponent of government regulation in the country. He claims that the task of the authorities is to put up benches in the park, and the rest will be decided by the people themselves. The TV presenter is particularly aggressive about the decisions of the government in the field of industrial safety and health. The work of politicians such as Gordon Brown and Tony Blair was very often criticized by Jeremy Clarkson. He also managed to express his opinion about Russia. In March 2013, he first visited our country and was so surprised by the Russians that he even wrote an article about his impressions. Russia seemed to the British as a country where they did not invent behaviors, he was shocked by the attitude of the inhabitants towards each other, their indifference and bad manners.
Jeremy is a big fan of the Chelsea football team and the Genesis rock band.
In 2007, Clarkson became a member of the Assistance for Heroes Foundation, which helps military personnel during World War II.