Should we overlook Jeremy Clarkson’s bad behaviour because of his excuse?

Jeremy Clarkson has publicly given an excuse for his bad behaviour that saw him removed from the hosting cast of BBC television series, Top Gear. The question that remains is, do we think this excuse is good enough?

He has a regular column in the Sunday Times and his last piece said, “Two days before the ‘fracas’, I’d been told, sternly, by my doctor that the lump on my tongue was probably cancer and that I must get it checked out immediately. But I couldn’t do that. We were in the middle of a Top Gear series. And Top Gear always came first.”

A health scare is enough to make the most normal of us go crazy. When something like this happens and more so because he had to delay finding out whether or not he had cancer, it is understandable that the anxiety builds up and at some point everyone cracks.

But are we willing to excuse his bad behaviour – attacking a show producer – for the compassionate understanding of a health scare?

In his column he confirmed he has since been given the all-clear and that is a relief that he can be level headed now, as he should always be. But that scare will undoubtedly play on his mind for a long time.

I can remember when Mum had a scare one year ago. It was either something completely harmless or it was cancer at quite an advanced stage. The three days between the final test and receiving the results were awful. She was touchy, anxious and we were all scared for her. Luckily it was harmless and came down a chronic condition that wasn’t life threatening. But the fear was paramount.

People everywhere have stories like mine and like Jeremy’s. A health scare can be the most terrifying time in one’s life. But does that excuse behaviour quite so dramatic and dangerous?

We’re not sure so we’d love to hear your thoughts tonight. Can we overlook bad behaviour for a health scare? Does our compassionate side tell us that if it was us, we’d want forgiveness? Share your thoughts in the comments below…