Jeremy Clarkson reignites long-standing feud with BBC star… over Taylor Swift

In a recent article, Jeremy Clarkson took aim at nature enthusiast Chris Packham, who criticized Taylor Swift for using private jets on her tour.

The Springwatch presenter and Clarkson have been embroiled in an ongoing feud for several years.

Packham suggested that Swift should opt for commercial flights instead, a notion Clarkson dismissed as out of touch with the realities of global superstardom.

The Clarkson’s Farm star argued that Packham ‘simply doesn’t understand the real world,’ noting the logistical nightmare that Swift would face if she relied on commercial airlines.

Swift’s tour schedule is intense and expansive, with back-to-back performances in cities across different continents.

‘One day she was in Zurich, then she’d be off to Stockholm and London and Dublin and Paris,’ Clarkson highlighted in the opinion piece for The Sun.

He explained that using commercial airlines like BA or Ryanair would make it ‘impossible’ for her to meet such a demanding itinerary, leading to delays or missed shows.

Furthermore, Clarkson emphasized the constant attention and lack of privacy faced by celebrities of Swift’s calibre.

He stated, ‘Packham is reasonably well known among the nation’s ramblers and bingo enthusiasts, but he has no knowledge of what it’s like to be properly famous.’

For stars like Swift, there is ‘no escape, ever,’ whether in ‘remote villages in Africa, in the malls of the Middle East, [or] on the streets of Rome,’ he wrote.

Clarkson extended his argument by reflecting on the experiences of Formula One stars Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen.

He recalled how Hamilton, once an approachable and open figure, now uses a scooter and earbuds to avoid fan interactions due to the pressures of extreme fame. ‘When I first met him…he was a great kid. Wide-eyed, polite and not afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve,’ Clarkson reminisced.

But fame transformed Hamilton into someone who ‘arrives at the race track every other weekend on a scooter so no one can stop him, and he’s wearing earbuds so he can pretend he can’t hear the fans’ demands for a selfie.’

Clarkson predicted a similar trajectory for Verstappen, whom he recently met and described as a ‘straightforward, normal guy.’

However, Clarkson warned, ‘Soon, he’ll tire of the abuse he gets from the fans…and shortly after that he’ll realise it’s easier when you are in fame prison to ride a scooter and wear ear buds.’

Concluding his critique, Clarkson wished for Packham to experience the burdens of global fame himself.

‘I hope one day he releases an album that propels him to global superstardom,’ Clarkson mused, suggesting that only then would Packham understand the necessity of a private jet. ‘Because then we’d see how long it’d take him to ask his agent to book a G5.’

In 2023, Packham took aim at Clarkson for criticising Sir David Attenborough’s Planet Earth III.

Clarkson said that he hated the show in a column, prompting

In his new post about Jeremy’s Sir David remarks, Packham to write on X: ‘Not content with fantasies of throwing s**t over members of the royal family he now slams the worlds [sic] greatest broadcaster and the man who has done more than anyone has or ever will to protect life on earth . . .

‘What a massive c**kchafer.’

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