Clarkson's Meghan comments 'awful' but host will remain, says ITV boss

Comments made by Jeremy Clarkson astir the Duchess of Sussex successful a file for the Sun person been described arsenic "awful" by ITV's media and amusement boss.

Kevin Lygo said determination were nary plans "at the moment" to regenerate him arsenic big of gameshow Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

He said Mr Clarkson's comments did not correspond ITV's values.

More than 20,000 complaints person been made to the property regulator aft Clarkson wrote connected Friday that helium "hated [Meghan] connected a cellular level".

The file has present been removed from the Sun's website, astatine Clarkson's request, and replaced with a tweet successful which helium says helium is "horrified" aft "causing truthful overmuch hurt".

In his connection to followers, posted connected Monday, helium described a notation helium made to a country successful Game of Thrones arsenic "clumsy".

Speaking astatine a Broadcasting Press Guild lawsuit successful London connected Tuesday, Mr Lygo said helium had "no control" implicit what Mr Clarkson wrote successful his paper columns.

"We prosecute him arsenic a consummate broadcaster of the astir celebrated quiz connected television, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" helium said.

"So it's not rather successful our wheelhouse but I don't cognize what helium was reasoning erstwhile helium wrote that. It was awful."

Conservative MP Caroline Nokes has written to Sun exertion Victoria Newton calling for enactment to beryllium taken against Mr Clarkson, and for an "unreserved apology" to beryllium issued to the duchess.

The missive has been signed by much than 60 MPs.

SNP MP John Nicolson, who sits connected the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, has written to main enforcement of ITV Dame Carolyn McCall asking for Mr Clarkson to beryllium removed arsenic a big of the quiz show.

Mr Nicolson said helium had besides written to Amazon, which broadcasts Clarkson's Farm and The Grand Tour, wherever the presenter appears alongside James May and Richard Hammond.

In a telephone to Shelagh Fogarty's Monday amusement connected LBC, the parent of precocious tv presenter Caroline Flack condemned the comments.

Responding to Mr Clarkson saying helium would similar to spot the duchess humiliated, Christine Flack said it had "upset her truthful overmuch that Jeremy Clarkson was not lone allowed to deliberation that but to enactment it successful print".

Caroline Flack's decease successful February 2020 was ruled a termination by the coroner.

An inquest successful August 2020 heard "her trauma was played retired successful the nationalist press" and that was "incredibly distressing for her."

Writing successful his archetypal column, Clarkson said: "At night, I'm incapable to slumber arsenic I prevarication there, grinding my teeth and dreaming of the time erstwhile she [Meghan] is made to parade bare done the streets of each municipality successful Britain portion the crowds chant 'Shame!' and propulsion lumps of excrement astatine her.

"Everyone who's my property thinks the aforesaid way," helium added. "But what makes maine despair is that younger people, particularly girls, deliberation she's beauteous cool. They deliberation she was a captive of Buckingham Palace, forced to speech astir thing but embroidery and kittens."

His file followed the merchandise of the past 3 episodes of Netflix's docuseries Harry & Meghan connected Thursday.