The story so far...

Jeremy Clarkson was born in Doncaster, South Yorkshire to a teacher mother and travelling salesman father. The young Jezza attended public school but was thrown out for drinking, smoking and being generally naughty – but that didn’t stop him going on to train as a fledgling journalist on the newspaper, the Rotherham Advertiser.

Although better known for his television work these days, Jeremy still writes newspaper columns for The Sunday Times and The Sun. One of the original presenters of Top Gear, he fronted the programme from 1988-2000, and returned to the re-formatted version of the ever-popular motoring show in 2002.

When not making often-controversial remarks on screen and in print, Mr Clarkson lives a more sedate life in the country with his wife Francie and three children. The family reside in the Cotswolds alongside a number of donkeys and a variety of vehicles. Jeremy and Francie are also actively involved in the charity Help for Heroes, and at the end of 2007 the couple became founding patrons.

When asked to list his pet peeves on the BBC show Room 101, Clarkson revealed that his top five dislikes include flies, vegetarians, caravans, the mentality of golf clubs and the vintage comedy programme Last of the Summer Wine.

And a few random facts thrown in for good measure...

Broadcasting debut

Pre-pubescent Clarkson was the voice of public schoolboy, JCT Jennings, in a BBC Radio Children’s Hour serial adaptation of Anthony Buckeridge’s novels until his voice broke. Unlike his well-meaning character, Clarkson was expelled from his real-life private school for drinking, smoking and generally making a nuisance of himself.

Toying with journalism

The future of motor journalism was in precarious balance when a young JC quit his first job as a trainee reporter on the Rotherham Advertiser to become a travelling salesman for his father’s Paddington Bear toy business. Thankfully, it was not long before he realised he was more geared-up for high-speed reportage than driving the length of the country selling novelty goods. His U-turn back to journalism led to the formation of the Motoring Press Agency in 1984, which conducted road tests for automotive magazines.

Licence to thrill

Clarkson passed his driving test at the age of 17, behind the wheel of his grandfather’s R Type Bentley. The teenaged Clarko was oblivious to the fact that he would come to have his own collection of rare and desirable engines along the road – including a Ferrari F355, a Ford GT and a Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder. He recently announced in his regular column for The Sunday Times newspaper that his latest acquisition was another Volvo XC90 – the third in a row.

Chat show controversy

Between 1998-2000 JC was in a very different driving seat – that of his self-titled chat show, Clarkson. Alongside steering lively conversation with celebrity guests, he demonstrated his reserve for Wales by microwaving a plastic map of the country. True to form, he thrived on the backlash it caused and announced “I put Wales in there because Scotland wouldn't fit".

Top Gear

Clarkson’s return to a newly formatted Top Gear in 2002 secured the motoring show the honourable title of BBC Two’s most watched programme. It has since attracted up to 8.6 million UK viewers per episode, and has been seen by an estimated 350 million viewers worldwide.

Classic quotes

Colourful similes have become one of JC’s humourous trademarks. The list is endless, but highlights include: “The Ferrari 355 is like a quail’s egg dipped in celery salt and served in Julia Roberts’ belly button” and “Telling people at a dinner party you drive a Nissan Almera is like telling them you’ve got the ebola virus and you’re about to sneeze”.

A fashion car crash

Ill-fitting jeans have earned Jezza notoriety as a celebrity fashion disaster. The term ‘Jeremy Clarkson effect’ was coined to link his denim wearing to the reduced sales of Levis 501s in the 1990s. Fashion gurus Trinny and Susannah attempted to reform his “market trader” style on their makeover show What Not to Wear, but to little avail. “I'd rather eat my own hair than shop with these two again,” declared Clarkson. Bypassing expert fashion advice has made him a regular on GQ magazine’s annual ‘Worst-dressed Men in Britain’ list – he bagged 6th position in 2009.

Towering sex appeal

He’s no Brad Pitt, but all six feet five inches of Jezza exudes a strange appeal according to readers of the British celebrity magazine Heat. In its 2008 ‘Weird Crush’ poll, he was voted the number one odd sex symbol, beating Barack Obama to the winning post. Top Gear co-presenter Richard Hammond informed Clarkson of his accolade on the show, to the bemusement of both Jezza and the audience.

Road to politics

In 2007, a fan of Clarkson’s acerbic wit and outrageous opinions started a petition on the official 10 Downing Street web site demanding that he become British Prime Minister. It gained 49,457 signatures. JC was flattered, but commented he would make a “rubbish” Prime Minster due to his tendency to contradict himself.

Engineering geek

Clarkson’s 2004 I Know You Got Soul book about pioneering machinery, along with his 2005 Honorary Doctorate in Engineering from Oxford Brookes University, are testament to the fact that his passion for slick engineering extends beyond the engine of a car. In fact, his quest to experience the ultimate propulsion capacity of domestic aviation lead him to fastening a seatbelt onboard the retirement flight of the Concorde. "This is one small step for a man, but one huge leap backwards for mankind," Clarkson commentated before take-off.