Union Threat to Top Gear's Jeremy Clarkson Over 'Strikers Should be Executed' Outburst

The public sector union UNISON is taking "urgent" legal advice over Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson's comments on BBC's The One Show that he would "take [strikers] outside and execute them in front of their families".

Clarkson was making a close-to-the-bone joke about the November 30 strikes, which saw two million public sector workers down tools in a pensions dispute with the government. .

"You can't make jokes about taking people outside and killing them," said Sophie Madden, spokesperson for UNISON.

A statement from UNISON said it was looking to see if there were any grounds to make a complaint to police.

She confirmed that the union is taking legal advice on what they should do about the comments, mentioning that there are "laws against inciting hatred".

However she insisted that the union is not thinking of suing Clarkson or the BBC.

Madden added that UNISON's 1.3million members, including many health and social care workers, provide "vital" services for society and that she'd "like to see Clarkson wiping people's bottoms or snotty noses" because "he wouldn't last five minutes".

The BBC has apologised for Clarkson's comment.

Dave Prentis, General Secretary of UNISON, is calling on the BBC to sack Clarkson.

"Public sector workers and their families are utterly shocked by Jeremy Clarkson's revolting comments," he said.

"We know that many other licence fee payers share our concerns about his outrageous views. The One Show is broadcast at a time when children are watching - they could have been scared and upset by his aggressive statements.

"An apology is not enough - we are calling on the BBC to sack Jeremy Clarkson immediately. Such disgusting statements have no place on our TV screens."

Some are calling UNISON's response a PR disaster and an over-reaction. Clarkson is well known for making controversial and inflammatory comments.

In 2008 he got into trouble for joking that lorry drivers routinely murder prostitutes.