PA ImagesJeremy Clarkson has attributed the ‘death of the car show’ to Greta Thunberg. However, his The Grand Tour co-host James May disagrees.
Clarkson has long expressed his concerns over the young activist, calling her a ‘spoilt brat’ and telling her to ‘go back to school’.
He recently cited the 16-year-old’s efforts to raise awareness over climate change as the reason under-25s aren’t ‘the slightest bit interested in cars’ – but that’s just b*llocks, isn’t it?
PA ImagesClarkson, 59, and James May, 56, shot to stardom while presenting Top Gear, with their stint amassing a loyal following and a number of awards (until the former punched a producer and was subsequently sacked).
Discussing young people’s relationships with cars today, May told the MailOnline:
We have to lament that something we were very excited about in our twenties maybe doesn’t excite 20-year-olds as much now, because they have other things to be excited about. We didn’t have anything else, getting a car and learning to drive was a massive moment in our lives, maybe it isn’t such a big thing anymore.
But I don’t think Greta has destroyed car programmes, we’re still making ours and as far as I saw the BBC are still making theirs, and there’s a few on the internet. So, I don’t know, maybe he’s feeling threatened.
May added he doesn’t think it’s a case of young people not being interested – it’s simply that they don’t need to be in this day and age.
PA ImagesRichard Hammond, part of the trio that hosted Top Gear and now present The Grand Tour, agreed more with Clarkson, commenting: ‘I hate to say it, but I think Jeremy is right. Young people don’t care about cars. How many kids now are growing up with posters of cars on their bedroom wall?’
Thunberg has never attacked the car show – rather, in her efforts to be eco-friendly, she opts for boats over aeroplanes and electric cars rather than traditional motor vehicles, all in service of reducing her carbon footprint.
While he may take issue with her message, Thunberg’s climate change warnings are clearly sinking in.
Clarkson recently explained his thoughts on climate change to The Sun:
For the first time ever, we’ve had global warming rammed down our throats – and we’ve not been idiotic, it’s very definitely a thing. You can change your mind.
Only an idiot doesn’t change their mind when faced with irrefutable evidence. The question is, what to do about it? That’s a more interesting debate than what is happening.
While it’s one thing promoting action on climate change, it’s rather sad that a grown man is similarly campaigning against a 16-year-old trying to change the world for the better.
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After graduating from Glasgow Caledonian University with an NCTJ and BCTJ-accredited Multimedia Journalism degree, Cameron ventured into the world of print journalism at The National, while also working as a freelance film journalist on the side, becoming an accredited Rotten Tomatoes critic in the process. He’s now left his Scottish homelands and took up residence at UNILAD as a journalist.