Veteran UK host secretly films loud talker on Chinese bullet train

World
Europe

Long haul travels can sometimes be stressful, especially when you sit next to an overly sociable fellow passenger or a stranger talking loudly over his phone.

Last Friday, veteran UK host Jeremy Clarkson shared his unpleasant experience while traveling on a Chinese high-speed train. In a video secretly shot and posted on his Instagram account, the seasoned TV presenter captured a man sitting behind him speaking loudly on his phone.

“Shut up. Shut up. Shut, up. Shut up!” Clarkson whispered four times in the video. “This has been going on for hours,” he wrote on his Instagram.

UK host Jeremy Clarkson shot a video telling a loud talker on a train to "shut up." /Screenshot via Instagram

The video, which was posted last Friday, has since been viewed over 3.2 million times on Instagram and was shared on Chinese social media platforms, provoking a heated discussion among netizens.

Clarkson shared the video he shot on Instagram. /Screenshot via Instagram

While some expressed empathy and called for better etiquette on public transportation, others criticized Clarkson for public shaming.

“I do find those people who yell to their phones, use speakers [instead of headphones] or leave their children crying really annoying,” @chaoliuyundongzongdian commented on Chinese social media platform Weibo.

Another disagreed, “Every place has people who like to talk loud, but I would not make a video and insult him,” @mjingyia commented on Instagram.

“On one hand you have this person with poor manner who made a racket. On the other hand, you have someone secretly filming others and sharing it online. Neither is applaudable,” @liushuang commented on Weibo.

Jeremy Clarkson is a veteran television presenter in the UK and currently hosts the TV series "The Grand Tour" with Richard Hammond and James May. It was reported that the team was in China shooting the show’s next season.

Jeremy Clarkson (R) with 'The Grand Tour' co-hosts Richard Hammond (C) and James May in China's southwestern municipality of Chongqing. /Photo via Instagram

Clarkson used to host BBC’s popular car show "Top Gear" until 2015, when he was fired for an “unprovoked physical attack” on a producer. The veteran presenter had a record of having “racist” and “culturally insensible” comments in the past, Forbes reported.