Jeremy Clarkson

Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson (born 11 April 1960) is an English broadcaster, journalist, farmer, game show host and writer who specialises in motoring. He has hosted the ITV game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? in the United Kingdom since 2018, replacing former host Chris Tarrant.

Before Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, Clarkson was known for presenting the motoring programmes Top Gear and The Grand Tour alongside Richard Hammond and James May. He has regularly appeared on British television, presenting his own shows for the BBC and appearing as a guest on other shows. As well as motoring, Clarkson has produced programmes and books on subjects such as history and engineering. In 1998, he hosted the first series of Robot Wars, and from 1998 to 2000 he also hosted his own talk show, Clarkson.

Clarkson hosted a revamped series of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? on ITV in 2018 to celebrate the show's 20th anniversary. This proved a success with viewers and led to a revival of the programme, with new series being commissioned by the broadcaster and a spin-off ordered in 2022 called Fastest Finger First. Clarkson's tenure saw the introduction of contestants choosing their own safety nets, as well as the new lifeline Ask the Host, in which contestants can ask Clarkson what he thinks the answer is. In total, he has recorded a total of 75 episodes and crowned one top prize winner, Donald Fear.

After viewing figures for Clarkson's revival remained strong, ITV confirmed that he would host a British version of Millionaire Hot Seat in 2026.

Early life and career

Jeremy Clarkson hosting Top Gear in the 1980s — Jeremy Clarkson hosting *Top Gear* in the 1980s

Jeremy Clarkson was born in Doncaster, West Riding of Yorkshire, the son of Shirley Gabrielle Clarkson (1934–2014), a teacher, and Edward Grenville Clarkson (1932–1994), a travelling salesman. From a career as a local journalist in northern England, Clarkson rose to public prominence as a presenter of the original format of Top Gear in 1988.

Since the mid-1990s, he has become a recognised public personality, regularly appearing on British television presenting his own shows for the BBC and appearing as a guest on other shows. As well as motoring, Clarkson has produced programmes and books on subjects such as history and engineering. Clarkson has a keen interest in the British Armed Forces and several of his DVDs and television shows have featured a military theme.

In 1998, he hosted the first series of Robot Wars, and from 1998 to 2000 he also hosted his own talk show, Clarkson. He also currently writes weekly columns for The Sunday Times and The Sun. His global popularity can be mostly attributed to the success of the Top Gear relaunch which Clarkson helped to devise, which at its peak had an estimated 350 million viewers per week in over 170 different countries.

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

On 9 March 2018, it was announced that Clarkson would host a revamped series of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? on ITV to celebrate the show's 20th anniversary. The show had previously been presented by Chris Tarrant. This proved a success with viewers and led to a full revival of the programme, with new series being commissioned by the broadcaster, leading to a 2022 spin-off in Fastest Finger First. Clarkson's tenure saw the introduction of contestants choosing their own safety nets, as well as the new lifeline Ask the Host, in which contestants can ask Clarkson what he thinks the answer is.

Since Clarkson began hosting the show, only one contestant, history and politics teacher Donald Fear, has won the top prize. In a publicity release before the broadcast of the programme, Clarkson said he believed Donald to be the ‘best entrant in the programme’s history’. Clarkson expressed his amazement at Donald's knowledge throughout his run of 15 correct answers. "It's like sitting next to the internet in a pink shirt," he said, describing him as "an encyclopaedia with a moustache".

Clarkson's Ask the Host record

Clarkson has the Ask the Host lifeline, in which he is asked to give his opinion. This is a work-in-progress record of when he has been asked.

Series 31

Ricky Holmes' £2,000 question:

£2,000 (6 of 15) - Not Timed
Which county cricket club play their home matches at the Oval? 'Ask the Host' lifeline used
⬥ A: Middlesex	⬥ B: Surrey
⬥ C: Essex	⬥ D: Hampshire

Jeremy's first sentence when being asked was "I hate cricket." Despite this, he knew where the Oval is, and said he was 60% sure it was Surrey.

Record so far: 1-0-0

David Reis' £32,000 question:

£32,000 (10 of 15) - Not Timed
According to the Highway Code, what shape is the standard sign giving the order to 'Stop'? 'Phone-a-Friend', 'Ask the Host' and '50:50' lifelines used
⬥ A: Pentagon	⬥ B: Hexagon
⬥ C: Heptagon	⬥ D: Octagon

Jeremy didn't know.

Record so far: 1-1-0

Louise Gourley's £16,000 question:

£16,000 (9 of 15) - Not Timed
'Cilantro' is the Spanish word for which herb? '50:50' and 'Ask the Host' lifelines used
⬥ A: Basil	⬥ B: Sage
⬥ C: Coriander	⬥ D: Rosemary

Louise had already used the 50:50, yet Jeremy still didn't know.

Record so far: 1-2-0

Tom Holmes' £2,000 question:

£2,000 (6 of 15) - Not Timed
The Hindu god Ganesh is traditionally depicted as having the head of which animal? 'Ask the Host' lifeline used
⬥ A: Elephant	⬥ B: Tiger
⬥ C: Rhinoceros	⬥ D: Cobra

Jeremy knew this.

Record so far: 2-2-0

Sarah Wilkinson's £16,000 question:

£16,000 (9 of 15) - Not Timed
In René Magritte's portrait 'The Son of Man', the subject wears what type of hat? 'Ask the Host' lifeline used
⬥ A: Bobble	⬥ B: Beret
⬥ C: Bowler	⬥ D: Boater

This is the first time Jeremy answered incorrectly.

Record so far: 2-2-1

Chris Best's £4,000 question:

£4,000 (7 of 15) - Not Timed
Who is the Roman Catholic patron saint of hopeless causes? '50:50', 'Phone-a-Friend' and 'Ask the Host' lifelines used
⬥ A: St Jude	⬥ B: St Julian
⬥ C: St Jerome	⬥ D: St Jeremy

Jeremy didn't know.

Record so far: 2-3-1

Lynn Buckingham's £64,000 question:

£64,000 (11 of 15) - Not Timed
In 2016, whom did Boris Johnson succeed as Foreign Secretary? 'Ask the Host' and 'Phone-a-Friend' lifelines used
⬥ A: Liam Fox	⬥ B: Philip Hammond
⬥ C: Kenneth Clarke	⬥ D: William Hague

Jeremy thought it wasn't B or C but didn't know.

Record so far: 2-3-1

Mustafa Ahmed's £300 question:

£300 (3 of 15) - Not Timed
The youngest members of a UK Scout group are called what? 'Ask the Host' and 'Ask the Audience' lifeline used
⬥ A: Chipmunks	⬥ B: Beavers
⬥ C: Gophers	⬥ D: Capybaras
Ask the Audience Results: A: 5% ⬥ B: 93% ⬥ C: 1% ⬥ D: 1%

Mustafa wasn't a scout growing up and after eliminating C and D he decided to Ask the Host. Jeremy also had never been a scout and didn't know. Mustafa then Asked the Audience with the majority voting B. Mustafa went with the audience and won £300.

Record so far: 2-4-1

Emma Graham's £500 question:

£500 (4 of 15) - Not Timed
In 2018, Sarah Clarke became the first woman to hold which position in the UK Parliament? 'Ask the Host' lifeline used
⬥ A: Black Rod	⬥ B: Red Club
⬥ C: Green Cane	⬥ D: Brown Stick

Jeremy got this one right.

Record so far: 3-4-1

Gareth Kendall's' £8,000 question:

£8,000 (8 of 15) - Not Timed
The National Health Service was founded in which decade? 'Ask the Host' lifeline used
⬥ A: 1920s	⬥ B: 1930s
⬥ C: 1940s	⬥ D: 1950s

Jeremy thought it was 1947 it was founded (it was 1948). He was >90% sure it was C. He was right.

Record so far: 4-4-1

Gallery

Trivia

Clarkson once said in a Dock10 Studios flyer for the Series 34 celebrity specials run: "What I do say to them is to research me. There's nothing you can do about Ask the Audience. 50:50 is what it is. You've chosen your Phone-a-Friend. The only one that's verifiable is me. And if you think I'm just a guy who knows about cars - which I don't really - and there's no car question, which is likely, then you're wasting your time. There was a guy in the last series and one of his questions was about torque. He asked the audience. Really? Okay, fine. His next question was about tiramisu. He asked me. Are you mad? I said to him, 'There's no point asking me about Greek mythology or tiramisu. If it's about the 1981 Volkswagen Golf GTI I'm your man. Or anything about the 1970s prog rock band Curved Air. Fashion is another one that's cropped up in this run. He asked me a question about some fashion designer. I know Levi's and that's it. So my advice is research me, and set your safety net higher than you feel comfortable with. If you're a gambler, gamble on setting that higher. If you set it at £32k and you're at £125k and get it wrong that's a big drop. Lots of money to lose."
Clarkson's opinionated but humorous tongue-in-cheek writing and presenting style has often provoked a public reaction. His actions, both privately and as a Top Gear presenter, have also sometimes resulted in criticism from the media, politicians, pressure groups, and the public. He also has a significant public following, being credited as a major factor in the resurgence of Top Gear as one of the most popular shows on the BBC.
Clarkson is supposed to wear a hearing aid on the show, however he prefers not to as he was worried viewers would mistake it for a producer's earpiece.