Jeremy Clarkson has accused Nicola Sturgeon of having a “hatred of the English” as the Grand Tour star slammed Scotland’s coronavirus restrictions.
The 60-year-old travelled north of the border with TV pals Richard Hammond and James May to film the latest series of the Amazon Prime show.
Locals spotted the trio travelling from Edinburgh to North Uist during the round of filming over the summer.
But Clarkson had fears that the First Minister was going to “close the border” as he hit back at Scottish Government's rules on slowing the spread of Covid-19.
The TV presenter also recalled how he was prevented from meeting Absolutely Fabulous star Joanna Lumley when they crossed paths in the Outer Hebrides.
Writing in his Sunday Times column, Clarkson said: “In the summer, when it seemed as if the virus were receding, we decided to fire up the Grand Tour machine and head north of the border to spend a week or so watching Richard Hammond crash into things.
“We were to take our own testing lab on the 1,000-mile journey and the key players were to be tested every day, after filling out an online form that began by asking if we’d been tested before.
“Everyone on the crew had to maintain a distance of 6ft from one another, which is pretty tricky when you’re in a car. And anything anyone touched had to be sterilised before someone could touch it again.
“The cost of meeting all these requirements was enormous. And that’s before we get to the fact we had to take over entire hotels, rather than rooms, and fly our own plane.
He later added: “And that’s before we get to the problem with Scotland. Nicola Sturgeon seems to be driven solely by a deep-seated hatred of the English, so we were expecting her to close the border at any moment. Which would have meant throwing away all the money that had been spent.
“We were not allowed to socialise with or even speak to people from outside our bubble. When we got to North Uist, we were greeted on the docks by Joanna Lumley.
"I wasn’t allowed to get within 6ft of her. That hurt. Well, it hurt me.
“Astonishingly, thanks in part the rule but mainly to luck, not one of us tested positive on the whole nine-day shoot.”
The trio’s trip to Scotland didn’t go without its controversy after locals accused the crew of hosting an after party at their accommodation in Benbecula.
Hotel bosses were force to reject what they called “misinformation” about their involvement with The Grand Tour.
A spokesperson for the Dark Island Hotel on the Outer Hebrides said that the production team had been “exemplary” during their stay.
