Jeremy Clarkson has blasted former Top Gear presenter Chris Harris after he ‘perpetuated the myth’ that the show’s notorious Tesla road test was faked.
The hit BBC series ran into legal trouble after a 2008 episode saw the 64-year-old presenter – alongside co-stars Richard Hammond and James May – air a failed Tesla roadster test in which the car broke down.
During the episode, Jeremy claimed the Roadster would ‘run out after just 55 miles’ on their test track and at one point the trio was forced to push the vehicle to be able to recharge it.
A three-year libel battle, brought to the BBC by Elon Musk and the Tesla company, ensued which resulted in the Appeal court judge concluding that the show did not libel Tesla.
However, years later there is still furious speculation that the entire test was ‘fabricated’ and pre-scripted for the entertainment factor – something Jeremy still denies and has now slammed Chris, 49, for agreeing with.
When host Chris joined the Joe Rogan podcast earlier this week the conversation turned to the Tesla road test which media personality Joe confidently stated was made up.
‘They were naughty with that,’ Chris agreed, adding that he had to be ‘careful’ with what he said. He added: ‘That’s the way those car shows are made. Ultimately, you reverse engineer an outcome.’
Reflecting on his own experience on the show, he said: ‘You’re being told “this is what’s gonna happen, you need to help us get there.’
Now, the ex-presenter – who left the show after he punched a producer – has shared his own frustration at Joe and Chris’ scepticism in The Sun.
‘It does wind me up something rotten when Joe and Chris perpetuate the myth that my Tesla road test was unfair.
‘And the fact is, Elon Musk took the BBC to court on the matter and lost. He lost the appeal, too. I know no one believes me,’ he wrote.
He then reiterated that it was ‘true’ and ‘our road tests were always scrupulously fair.’
Elsewhere, in the op-ed Jeremy also debunked the theory that Top Gear has purposefully chosen the licence plate ‘H982 FLK’ when he was driving in Argentina which led to him being chased out of the province Tierra Del Fuego.
Residents believed he was mocking the 1882 Falkland Islands conflict which Jeremy claimed was also ‘made-up’.
But after two decades of various scandals, the TV personality is finally hanging up his car show presenting hat as the finale of Prime’s The Grand Tour – in which Jeremy, Richard and James reunited post-Top Gear – finally airs.
Speaking about his decision to leave the show, Jeremy said in The Sunday Times: ‘After 36 years of talking about cars on television, I’m packing it in, because I’m too old and fat to get into the cars that I like and not interested in driving those I don’t.’
Instead, Jeremy is putting his all into the majorly successful Clarkson’s Farm series which sees him run the 1,000-acre Diddly Squat Farm. And he recently opened his own pub which came with its own set of troubles.
As for Top Gear star Chris, earlier on in the podcast he also opened up about his perspective on Freddie Flintoff’s near-fatal crash which has resulted in the series being put on an indefinite hiatus.
According to Chris, he raised his concerns months before the incident.
‘What was never spoken about was that three months before the accident, I’d gone to the BBC and said: “unless you change something, someone’s going to die on this show.”
‘So I went to them, I went to the BBC and I told them of my concerns from what I’d seen as the most experienced driver on the show by a mile.
‘I said if we carry on at the very least we’re going to have a serious injury at the very worst we’re going to have a fatality.’
Metro.co.uk has reached to Chris Harris’ representative for comment.
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