Richard Hammond has addressed criticism of The Grand Tour, after some viewers accused himself and fellow presenters Jeremy Clarkson and James May of making homophobic comments.
In an interview with Digital Spy and other media, Hammond said: "Listen, it's bloody annoying, because we are not remotely homophobic as a show. If anybody takes something as homophobic, then yeah, I think we should remove it, because I don't want to cause offence."
The response comes after Will Young condemned the show earlier this year as being "homophobic" and "bigoted", prompting Jeremy Clarkson to offer an apology, though perhaps not the one Young was aiming for.
Related: The Grand Tour's James May thinks new Top Gear line-up "feels a bit forced" occasionally
One particular 'gay car joke' was picked up, to which Hammond replied "Oh, that's because Jeremy was in the Jeep, which is! [laughs] It is! It's the number one gay car."
Commenting on whether they specifically avoid homophobic language, he said: "But no, we don't sit down and… Because to say, 'We're going to be really careful not [to] be homophobic in this series' would be to say: 'well, you must be, then, because you're having to try not to be.'
What to Read Next
"So I just don't think – no, we don't set out to try and adjust that kind of thing, because we're not. And never have been.
Related: The Grand Tour season 4 - everything you need to know
He continued: "But then, to be honest, people are always looking for it. The favourite one we used to get was about sexism. People were always saying, 'Well, we know what you lot are like about women and cars.'
"'What! We've never said anything.' Apart from that I've got [a] wife and two daughters who could beat the shit out of me silly.
"But we've never, ever said any of those things, but people used to level the accusation at us, on the assumption that we were – probably because we're middle-aged, probably quite middle-class blokes. So the assumption is, that's what we would be, and do. But we're not."
The Grand Tour presents: Seamen will be available on Amazon Prime on Friday, December 13.
You Might Like...
Digital Spy now has a newsletter – sign up to get it sent straight to your inbox.
Want up-to-the-minute entertainment news and features? Just hit 'Like' on our Digital Spy Facebook page and 'Follow' on our @digitalspy Instagram and Twitter accounts.
Hannah Bird is a freelance sub-editor with over 10 years of experience in content creation and editorial across digital and print media.
Beginning as a Lifestyle and Travel Editor, Hannah's expertise has since spanned entertainment, health, wellness and science, developing a keen eye for copy editing. Bringing her research skills as an Earth Science academic, Hannah enjoys thoroughly delving into topics to explore new angles and offer fresh stories to readers, as well as priding herself on the content's accuracy.
