The presenter is no stranger to controversy

Jeremy Clarkson has admitted he expects to cause controversy in the near future but insists he is unconcerned about facing cancellation.

“Oh I’m bound to stand on a landline in the very near future! It’s so easy to tread on one these days,” the presenter told ITV.

The 64-year-old suggested that age plays a role in his tendency to speak without filtering his thoughts.

“When you are older and you aren’t really paying any attention to what you can and can’t think, you blunder through life and say something which can now be the case of, ‘Oh no, you can’t say that anymore,'” he explained.

Jeremy Clarkson reflected on cancel culture

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Asked directly whether being cancelled concerns him, Mr Clarkson responded with characteristic bluntness: “Not anymore. If it were to happen, well there we are!”

The comments come after several calls in recent years for the former Top Gear host to be removed from screens.

In March 2015, he was axed from the BBC car show for a “physical and verbal attack” on one of the show’s producers.

In 2022, he came under intense criticism for writing in a column for The Sun that he hated Meghan Markle “on a cellular level”.

Jeremy Clarkson was axed from BBC Top Gear, which prompted the trio to launch Amazon Prime’s The Grand Tour

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He went on to write that he fantasised about her being publicly shamed, which prompted a record number of complaints to the press regulator IPSO, which later ruled the column was sexist.

The comments come as Mr Clarkson prepares to launch his latest television venture, Millionaire Hot Seat, which debuts on ITV in January.

The programme puts a tactical spin on the familiar quiz format, featuring six contestants who compete around a rotating chair.

Only the player occupying the hot seat at any given moment can tackle questions on the money ladder.

Jeremy Clarkson has in the past faced calls to be cancelled

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Correct answers allow contestants to progress up the ladder, while incorrect responses eliminate them from the game and reduce the top prize.

Those who choose to pass remain in contention but must rejoin at the back of the queue.

The series comprises eight 30-minute episodes, with several contestants already having secured £100,000 prizes during filming.

Mr Clarkson revealed he was initially hesitant when approached about the hosting role, noting he already juggles nine other jobs.

Jeremy Clarkson is launching a new ITV quiz show

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“I have got nine jobs already, so I don’t really need to do it and it’s obviously another quiz – but they sent me the Australian version and I watched it once and I thought, ‘Yes, this can work,'” he said.

The presenter has likened the format to “a very expensive game of musical chairs” where outcomes can prove unpredictable.

He noted that highly skilled players can leave empty-handed while less capable contestants might walk away with the prize.

“Only one person wins and it is down to who is in that chair at the end. The prize is fantastic!” Mr Clarkson added.