National treasure Sir David Attenborough has still got love for Jezza, and reckons his employer should have retained his services.
You’ll need little reminding that the motor-mouthed motoring enthusiast was sacked from Top Gear by the BBC last year for allegedly punching a producer in the face, and he’s since signed a huge deal with Amazon to present the imminent rival to his former show, The Grand Tour, with James May and Richard Hammond.
But 90-year-old Attenborough, who narrates Planet Earth II, which kicks off this Sunday night on BBC1, reckons giving the controversial but hugely popular presenter his marching orders was the wrong decision.
Attenborough, who was once BBC2’s controller, told The Radio Times that having someone who refused to tow the line was actually beneficial to the broadcaster.
He said:Â “I regret letting Clarkson go, because it’s very good to have a voice that’s anti-establishment, or so profoundly anti-establishment.”
Clarkson’s infamous fracas with colleague Oisin Tymon left the Irishman requiring hospital treatment; pretty anti-establishment stuff indeed.
Attenborough had no such regret about the departure of The Great British Bake Off, however, saying in his wide-ranging RT interview that the Beeb was right not to get into a bidding war over the hit show.
Bake Off is moving to Channel 4 in a deal thought to be around £75m. The BBC reportedly offered around £15m per year to keep it, but Love Productions wanted more.
The BBC wouldn’t budge, though, a decision the veteran naturalist deemed to be the right one.
“Oh, absolutely right!” he said. “To say to them, ‘If you want another million, go ahead. We’ve got plenty more ideas where that came from’.”
