Jeremy Clarkson Branded ‘Racist’ Over Name He Gave His Dog

In his latest Sunday Times column, Jeremy Clarkson has written about the time he faced so much backlash over the name he gave his dog that it sparked an internal investigation by the BBC.

In 2014, Clarkson faced public accusations of racism after naming his black West Highland terrier Didier Dogba, a play on the name of the then-Chelsea footballer Didier Drogba.

Dogba sounds like Drogba, and Jeremy Clarkson is a Chelsea fan, so it actually makes all the sense in the world.

However, because the dog was black, the internet at the time freaked out and accused him of being a racist.

Recalling that period, Clarkson, 65, wrote: “Savile and Harris and Edwards were going about their business while I was being reprimanded for calling my new dog Didier Dogba. And it just keeps getting worse.“

Addressing the backlash on Twitter (now X) at the time, he asked: “Why is it racist to name our amazingly brilliant dog after a footballer?”

BBC investigated Clarkson as part of an internal review into the culture at Top Gear, with the then-director of television, Danny Cohen, ultimately confirming that Clarkson was not racist.

Discussing his exit from Top Gear in 2015: “Number one, since they ‘let me go’, my life has improved immeasurably and number two, when I look at what’s happened to them since, I can’t help feeling just a tiny bit smug.”

Of course, Clarkson and co-hosts Richard Hammond and James May went on to host The Grand Tour on Prime Video after Top Gear. All turned out alright in the end eh?

For the man who was arrested and deported after kicking an airport sniffer dog, click HERE. Too right!