Jeremy Clarkson sparks outrage with ‘disgusting’ Grand Tour drink-drive joke

has sparked a wave of surprise among fans after making a tongue-in-cheek remark about drink-driving during the filming of finale in Zimbabwe.

While participating in a Q&A session after a screening of the last episode, now available on , Clarkson together with his fellow presenters are seen drinking copious amounts of beer and spirits on boats carrying their cars across Zimbabwe’s Lake Kariba.

The 64-year-old presenter joked at the event, saying: “Hopefully nobody will notice that at the end of that lake crossing all of that drink had gone.” But a woman in the audience pointed out: “No, we did notice!”

Clarkson quipped back: “You did notice… did you then notice we set off driving the next day? Well I’m duty-bound to tell you there was a three-day gap between arriving and setting off – but there wasn’t,” reported .

Clarkson’s comment refers to a scene in the newly released show, titled , where he and his co-hosts embarked upon a boat trip with an onboard bar brimming with alcohol choices ranging from lager to gin, whiskey, and vodka – all under Zimbabwe’s strict drink-drive regulations that mirror those of the UK.

During a captivating episode, Hammond humorously refers to the vessel as “a floating drinks cabinet” and excitedly points out to Clarkson: “You’ve bought a bar!” As they sail off, Clarkson joyfully announces: “HMS s***-faced is underway!”

Later, cracking open a beer, he chuckles to viewers: “Right, seat checks complete, there’s only one thing I can think to do.”

Clarkson then confides in the audience: “We’ve done some daft things in our time, but I’m really enjoying this one. I’m sailing a bar with a Lancia on it and I’ve got a lot of drink to get through.”

At times, Clarkson appears to be slurring his words as he muddles his liquors, saying: “I’ve got three quarters of a bottle of vodka, half a bottle of gin, no, no, that’s not gin. What is that? I can’t see. This is a blended brandy and I also have here a blended whiskey.”

During a candid Q&A session at his pub, The Farmer’s Dog in Asthall, Oxfordshire, when asked about how much alcohol was consumed during the filming of the popular driving series, Clarkson frankly admitted: “We do drink a lot. We are mostly smashed, really.”

But road safety specialists were quick to criticise the ex-Top Gear star, highlighting the irresponsible nature of his on-screen drinking while driving. Brake’s campaign manager, Lucy Straker, said: “It is important for any person in a position of influence to act responsibly when talking about driving so that those who look up to them can follow their example.”

“We would encourage to reach out to us and take a positive step towards making our roads safer by raising funds to support our work helping people bereaved by road death. Or maybe he would prefer to speak to a member of the Brake team to get a true picture of the impact drink driving has on communities across the UK.”

Clarkson had previously incited outrage in 2008 for what appeared to be an act of drink-driving in the Arctic during a Top Gear episode filming. The scene where Clarkson and James May enjoyed gin and tonics while at the wheel led to reprimands from the Trust for glamorising alcohol use.

At that time, the show’s executive producer defended the hosts, arguing they weren’t drunk or out of control, and claiming that as the footage was shot in “international waters”, drink-driving laws were not applicable.

Furthermore, Clarkson stirred up additional controversy with a tweet in 2014 about a drive in Australia with a beer in his cup holder, wording it as: “One of the best drives of my life. Gravel road. M6. Sun going down. iPod playing Blind Faith. Beer in cup holder.”

Clarkson responded to the Mirror about the article, saying: “Thanks for bothering to check. As we explained in the show, we are not interested in your call. But just so you know. It was a joke.”