BBC rules out Jeremy Clarkson 'racism' rap

The popular but often controversial presenter mumbled the n-word while reciting the children’s nursery rhyme “eeny, meeny, miny, moe” to choose between two cars. It was not screened but Clarkson found himself at the centre of a media storm in May when the Daily Mirror reported on the footage.

Several viewers complained to the BBC Trust and then asked it to review its decision not to take their complaints any further, after its senior complaints adviser said there was no case to answer.

In a report published today, the Complaints and Appeals Board agreed with her that the “incident did not engage editorial standards as the material had not been broadcast” and noted the BBC had left Clarkson “in no doubt about how seriously we view this”.

It stated: “The panel concluded that there was no reasonable prospect of success for an appeal.”

Shortly after the tape was made public, the BBC put Clarkson on a final warning and he wrote in his newspaper column that he believed he would be sacked by the broadcaster if he made another offensive remark.