Former Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson has taken aim at the British public in his latest column, as he claimed that good manners were no longer at the forefront of people’s minds

Jeremy Clarkson claimed manners have disappeared from the UK (Image: James Sutton – Formula 1, Formula 1 via Getty Images)

Television host Jeremy Clarkson has delivered a scathing critique on the state of manners in Britain after thoroughly indulging in Downton Abbey.

The 65-year-old columnist lambasted the behaviour of the British public in his Sunday Times piece upon viewing a show he dubbed as “completely preposterous”. Despite his scepticism towards the popular series, he conceded that it did offer an interpretation of “what Englishness is”. Jeremy outlined Englishness as characterised by “impeccable manners”, which, according to him, entails standing up when a woman enters a room and exercising restraint with alcohol.

Television host Jeremy Clarkson has delivered a scathing critique on the state of manners in Britain after thoroughly indulging in Downton Abbey.

The 65-year-old columnist lambasted the behaviour of the British public in his Sunday Times piece upon viewing a show he dubbed as “completely preposterous”. Despite his scepticism towards the popular series, he conceded that it did offer an interpretation of “what Englishness is”. Jeremy outlined Englishness as characterised by “impeccable manners”, which, according to him, entails standing up when a woman enters a room and exercising restraint with alcohol.

Moving from the idyllic portrayal presented by the TV programme, Jeremy lamented the vanishing decorum he perceives in contemporary Britain compared to the genteel customs of Downton Abbey’s era.

Citing dining etiquette as a prime example, Jeremy noted: “If you go out for dinner now, the pub or restaurant is extremely unlikely to feature a family who sit up straight and are impeccably polite to the staff.

“Instead, it’s likely to be full of braying yobbos who talk with their mouths full and use their cutlery to point at things….No one strives to have good manners.

Jeremy complained about the decline of manners in the UK
“Instead, it’s likely to be full of braying yobbos who talk with their mouths full and use their cutlery to point at things….No one strives to have good manners.”

Reflecting on whether courteous behaviour was now obsolete, Jeremy concluded it was not entirely lost, suggesting that those holding onto politeness the most firmly were “the Arabs”.

Jeremy commented: “We had an actual Arab prince to the farm for lunch last week. Every time a lady came past the lunch table, he stood up and when our housekeeper arrived to clear away the plates, he leapt to his feet, helped her and even loaded the dishwasher.”

This isn’t the first time British public conduct has been scrutinised. A study conducted by King’s College London in 2023 investigated parenting priorities and the emphasis they place on instilling good manners.

The research indicated that while there is less emphasis on raising children who are strictly obedient, the importance of good manners remained critical.

Jeremy Clarkson
The Policy Institute at King’s College London carried out the study and noted that, although other countries have seen a waning interest in teaching good manners, this value has stayed steady in the UK.

Upon the release of the findings, Professor Bobby Duffy noted: “The qualities we’d like to see instilled in our children are important signals of what we value as a society.

“Good manners are still the quality we want to see most, there has been an increasing emphasis on the importance of hard work, and we’re also among the very most likely to value unselfishness.

“Instead, this is likely to reflect a more general shift towards valuing self-expression, while still wanting our children to be positive and productive contributors to society.”