He’s the outspoken star of shows such as Amazon Prime’s The Grand Tour and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, and now Jeremy Clarkson has offered up his decisive verdict on female writers in the world of TV and film.
Writing in the Sun Online, the 59-year-old argues that ‘women are cleaning up’ in this sector pointing to the work of award-winning actress and writer Phoebe Waller-Bridge of Fleabag and Killing Eve fame.
'It’s always annoyed me that writers are never really recognised for their contribution to a show or a movie, and that’s why I’m thrilled to bits that Phoebe Waller-Bridge has been invented.
‘Because she’s become something we’ve never really had before — a superstar writer,’ he writes.
MORE:Brilliant podcasts by women that will inspire you to do great things
Continuing he goes on to highlight the work of equally impactful female scriptwriters including Jane Goldman (Kick-Ass/Kingsman) who he describes as another ‘writing genius’, Nicole Perlman (Guardians of the Galaxy) and Sofia Coppola (The Beguiled/Lost in Translation).
Outlining what makes these female writers so special, he adds:
‘They’re not sitting on Twitter demanding better pay.
‘They’re sitting at their laptops, long into the night, and earning it. And I hope they’re being rewarded.’
Before continuing:
‘Because they’re putting some va-va-voom into what is easily the most important part of any production.
‘It’s not the direction or the acting or the battle scenes. It’s the writing.’
Figures published last year by the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain revealed some encouraging statistics when it came to female film screenwriters, though there was definitely room for improvement.
Among its findings, it revealed that 28 per cent of all UK TV episodes between 2001-16 were predominantly female-written.
It also showed that 14 per cent of primetime programming was predominantly female-written, while this figure stood at 27 per cent for morning programming.
Do you think the proportion of female scriptwriters will continue on an upward trend?
-
Kate Middleton's red puffer snow coat and white bobble hat combination is one of the cutest winter looks she's doneWe're suddenly in the market for a red puffer this winter
-
Pamela Anderson's 'hibernation' bedroom with sloped pine ceiling and fresh floral bedding is so cosy
We want to take a nap just looking at it
-
A mixed-race educator’s view of race, identity, and the everyday work of being Black
Grace Francis on the problem with labels and why there is hope for the future
-
What it’s really like working at sea—three women share their fascinating stories
We deep dive to find out what it’s like to be a woman working at sea
-
What it’s really like to be a female police officer: 3 women share their stories
Three brave women police officers tell us about life in the force
-
Nominate a community hero at our Amazing Women Awards 2021
Here's your chance to nominate an amazing woman you know
-
Five times Kirstie Allsopp stood up for issues she believed in on Twitter
-
A new podcast series has been launched to celebrate strong women – and here’s why you’ll love it
-
The UK’s first 100 per cent female line up music festival is coming soon – and it’s in the prettiest location
-
The female celebrities you didn’t realise were charity patrons revealed
