Is Jeremy Clarkson too rich to be the new host of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?? I was going to say “upmarket”, but then I remembered his wardrobe and that’s even when the dad jeans are absent, presumably on “showbiz builder’s-crack” duty elsewhere.
Anyway. Clarkson is fine on Millionaire – if you’re in the market for Harry Flashman as a gameshow host. However, before there was finally a big win, Clarkson seemed increasingly irate that contestants not only scored low but also aimed low. As they talked about conservatories or holidays, setting their “safety net” figures low, he kept moaning about lack of ambition. Doing so, he betrayed himself as a spoiled, overgrown, rich kid.
Clarkson didn’t seem to understand that, for many people, eight or 16 grand is a fortune. Or that “small” ambitions such as building a conservatory could mean the world.
As Clarkson sighed and rolled his eyes, it became clear that here was a pampered, affluent man who could afford to take risks and, while “despising” is too strong a word, couldn’t understand how anybody else couldn’t.
Back in the real world, the likes of Clarkson are in no need of lifelines – just, perhaps, a modicum of empathy.
• Barbara Ellen is an Observer columnist
