Jeremy Clarkson claimed that the plates were an unfortunate coincidence but angry locals still almost lynched him

Oct 7, 2014 15:35 GMT  ·  By

The scandal in which Jeremy Clarkson has found himself yet again in trouble, this time very serious trouble with locals in Argentina, has taken on new proportions as it's been uncovered that the BBC motoring show seems to have broken driving laws by fitting a spare number plate on a car they were using for a special Top Gear episode.

By now, the story is well known: Clarkson and his team were forced to leave the country under police escort as locals got very angry with the license plate on his car, which read “H982 FKL” - something they considered was a reference to the Falklands War, an armed confrontation between Argentina and Great Britain over an archipelago in the Atlantic.

Clarkson has maintained his innocence in the matter since the scandal began

The presenter spoke with the British press and revealed how he feared for his life as angry protesters broke into their hotel and threatened to kill him and his two co-presenters, Brian May and Richard Hammond.

Of the incident, Clarkson said that it was an unfortunate coincidence, and when it was brought to their attention, they swiftly removed the plates. But a report from The Independent seems to contradict the TV presenter, who is famous for inciting similar scandals in the past.

An investigation shows that the FKL plates were the old numbers for the Porsche in question

The newspaper claims that its investigation shows that the aging car, a Porsche, was bought in August, which would indicate that it was purchased especially for the Argentina special episode. The car seems to have briefly had the number as H1VAE, before being changed again to H982 FKL.

Evidence points that the BBC team made the purchase knowing about the car's older number and that using the plate was not a coincidence. The fact that they chose to travel in Argentina with the old license plates shows at least some form of premeditation on their part.

Veterans from the Falkland's war in particular were angered by the plate, which they called “a mockery to us all.” On his Twitter page, Clarkson would dismiss the protests of these veterans saying that most of them were 20 years old, and hence could not have fought in the 1982 conflict.

Jeremy Clarkson is now in serious danger of being fired from Top Gear

Even if the number plates turn out to be a coincidence (a scenario that's looking more and more improbable at this point), Clarkson's position with Top Gear is seriously threatened. The presenter was already on the BBC's blacklist for two separate racist scandals.

One was related to the using of the word “slope” in the Burma special in 2013, when referring to an Asian man on a slanted bridge, and the other was using the N-word during an outtake of a regular show several years ago. The footage was never aired, but it somehow made its way into the media where it inflamed spirits.

It sparked a reaction from BBC executives such as Danny Cohen, director of television, who said in August that Clarkson was “not untouchable” and that if he was involved in one more scandal, he would be fired.