Clarkson Cleared Over 'Shoot Strikers' Jibe

Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson did not break broadcasting rules when he said striking public sector workers "should be shot", TV watchdog Ofcom has ruled.

The controversial star was forced to apologise after he made the remark on The One Show last November.

His comment sparked nearly 32,000 complaints and led to condemnation from union leaders and politicians, including David Cameron, who said the statement was "silly".

On November 30, on the evening of Britain's biggest public sector strikes for 30 years, Clarkson said that he would take the striking workers outside and "execute them in front of their families".

Ofcom launched an investigation in December but said that the comments, while "potentially offensive", were justified by the context.

Hosts Matt Baker and Alex Jones introduced Clarkson by alluding to his provocative and outspoken nature, the watchdog said.

It added that viewers of the BBC1 show would have expected Clarkson to make "potentially controversial or offensive statements" because of his "well-established public persona and that it would have been clear "that his comments were not an expression of seriously held beliefs".

Some viewers, less familiar with Clarkson's style, may have considered the comments offensive but the programme ended with an apology, Ofcom said.

The comments "were not made seriously and were not at all likely to encourage members of the public... to act on them in any way", it added.

Last year, the BBC apologised about an item on BBC2's Top Gear which led to the Mexican ambassador complaining about the "outrageous, vulgar and inexcusable insults" made about Mexicans by Clarkson and co-hosts James May and Richard Hammond.