Jeffrey Bernard and Jeremy Clarkson would have understood each other

A lot of people seem to have confused the fact that Jeremy Clarkson is right wing and amusing (which they believe is at odds with the culture of the BBC) with the fact that he’s shown himself to be a brute (which is why he’s been sacked). The investigation into his attack on Oisin Tymon is pretty unequivocal. It was unprovoked and lasted more than 30 seconds until someone else intervened, and there was a lot of nasty verbal abuse thrown in for good measure. Tymon went to hospital afterwards to get his injuries checked out. Rather magnificently, he didn’t offer any resistance to Clarkson’s assault. The Duke of Cambridge in 1874 showed similar restraint when a disgruntled soldier attacked him in Pall Mall.

On Wednesday, the Duke of Cambridge was struck by Captain Charles Studdert Maunsell, on half-pay, who declared “his Royal Highness had done him a grievous wrong.” The Duke turned to call the police from Marlborough House, and was again struck, when a constable came up, and was ordered to take the assailant’s name and address, but not, as he imagined, to take him into custody.