In a quick about-face Jeremy Clarkson has moved his position from denying he said the n-word in footage from Top Gear, to admitting his mistake and begging for “forgiveness”.

Clarkson, 54, made a video statement where he said that he made three takes of the clip in question, eventually replacing his mumbles with the word “teacher” for the rhyme “Eeny, meeny, miny, moe”.

He said that he mumbled to avoid using the n-word, and making the rhyme:

“Eeny, meeny, miny, moe, catch a n***** by his toe…”

However, he admits that the take in the leaked footage above, which was never broadcast, it does sound like he used the n-word, which he said left him “mortified…horrified”. He went on to beg for the public’s “forgiveness” for the clip.