Jeremy Clarkson

Admired and loathed in equal measure, motoring enthusiast Jeremy Clarkson may have been one of the most divisive personalities in British TV history, but his no-nonsense, politically incorrect style was undeniably the driving force behind the unexpected world domination of "Top Gear" (BBC2, 1977- ). Following several years in local journalism, Clarkson joined the landmark show in 1988 where his near-the-knuckle humor and outspoken views helped attract a much wider audience, and by the end of the '90s he had established himself as the BBC's senior authority on all things vehicle-related. But it was the 2002 studio-based reboot of the show that turned him into an icon for petrolheads across the globe, with audiences in over 100 countries tuning in for its mix of novelty challenges, factual information and middle-aged banter. However, Clarkson soon became just as renowned for his tabloid-baiting behavior, and regularly came under fire thanks to derogatory comments on everyone from lorry drivers, to former Prime Minster Gordon Brown, to the entire population of India. A physical attack on one of the show's producers eventually cost him his job in 2015, but the millions of fans who protested at his dismissal only highlighted just how much of an impact he'd made on the cultural landscape.