Jeremy Clarkson blames 16-year-old 'idiot' Greta Thunberg for killing interest in car shows

"Everyone I know under 25 isn’t the slightest bit interested in cars", said Clarkson, in an interview with The Sun. The presenter also personally criticised Thunberg, 16, saying: "She’s an idiot. Going round saying we’re all going to die, that’s not going to solve anything, my dear."

The controversy-courting comments were made ahead of the release of the fourth season of The Grand Tour on Amazon Prime, the car-based reality show Clarkson presents alongside his former Top Gear co-hosts, James May and Richard Hammond.

Thunberg has made headlines over the past year for her activist work, which has included speaking at the United Nations and organising school climate strikes. She was nominated for the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize.

Clarkson, meanwhile, has finally admitted the reality of climate change, after years of denial. "Only an idiot doesn’t change their mind when faced with irrefutable evidence,’ he said. ‘The question is, what to do about it?"

The upcoming season of The Grand Tour takes Clarkson and the gang to a variety of Asian countries, including Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore. On their trip along the Mekong river, they witnessed the drastic effects of climate change first-hand.

"It’s the first time that we’ve ever admitted to there being global warming. We were completely screwed," he said.

The Grand Tour has undergone some changes ahead of its new season. The segments with a tented studio audience have been removed, and the programme has been reshaped into more of a specialised, adventure-based format.

Season 4 is released on Amazon Prime Video on Friday, 13th December 2019