In a recent interview, current Top Gear host Chris Evans called former host Jeremy Clarkson "one of my heroes," and said that his ouster was "bizarre" considering his impressive list of offenses.

"What is fascinating is that he went for what he went for, considering what had gone on before," Evans told interviewer Alastair Campbell. "If you look at the chronology of controversy of Top Gear over the last five or six years, it is bizarre that he went for losing his rag over his dinner when there had been international incidents before that..."

Clarkson's list of international incidents includes offending all of Mexico (with help from May and Hammond), allegedly murmuring the N-word while reciting "Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Mo," and making an obscure, racist reference to an Asian person during the Myanmar special. And of course, there was that whole Argentina thing. The list of things he's said to offend British citizens is even longer.

"But he is one of my heroes," Evans told GQ. "He's entertaining. He was great on Top Gear and I love his writing. I agree [that he is a bit of a bigot], but I just take the things I like. He is funny. He deconstructs things really well. They say if you can explain complicated things to a six-year-old you know what you're talking about, and I am like his six-year-old."

"We used to get on," Evans added. "I don't know if we still get on because I haven't seen him in ages."