FOR many visitors it is one of Spain’s best hidden gems, renowned for its medieval old town, the world’s oldest functioning Roman lighthouse and jaw-dropping views of the Atlantic coast.
But for Jeremy Clarkson, the straight-talking British TV presenter best known for spearheading the popular car programme Top Gear across four different decades, the city of A Coruña is ‘one of the worst places [he’s] ever been to’.
The self-confessed petrolhead made the comments at a Q&A session two years ago following a private screening of the final episode of The Grand Tour, the Amazon-made show presented by the former Top Gear trio of Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond.
Asked by an audience member the worst place he had visited while filming, the outspoken motoring journalist turned country farmer told the crowd La Paz, the capital city of Bolivia, before adding the Galician port city and Kiruna, Sweden’s northernmost city situated in the province of Lapland.
He gave no reason for his decision, but the comments provoked fierce debate on social media.
READ MORE: Jeremy Clarkson brands major airport in Spain the ‘stupidest’ in the world – but do YOU agree?
One Irish expat made fun of Clarkson’s remarks, sarcastically tweeting: “He’s absolutely right, don’t come and visit – nothing to see here, dreadful place.”
Another user said ‘I tell you, he doesn’t have a clue’, while one local added: “Galicia is by far the best place in Spain […] better this way so we don’t get invaded by tourists and annoying foreigners.”
Almost one million tourists visited the wider metropolitan A Coruña area in 2025 – although the figures are modest in comparison to other Spanish cities, such as Barcelona, Madrid, Malaga or nearby Santiago de Compostela.
Clarkson, 66, is no stranger to making comments that land him in hot water.
While appearing on BBC’S The One Show in 2011, Clarkson said, ‘I would take them outside and execute them in front of their families’, referring to public sector workers taking strike action against austerity cuts in the UK.
In 2013 and 2014, Clarkson was almost sacked twice after two separate incidents involving racial slurs while filming.
He was eventually fired a year later after he punched Oisin Tymon, a producer, after an argument over a lack of hot food on set.
Earlier this week, Clarkson revealed he has been diagnosed with an ‘aggressive’ form of prostate cancer.
The news was announced in an episode of the latest series of Clarkson’s Farm, the hit Amazon Prime show that follows the petrolhead’s trials and tribulations on his farm in the Cotswolds.
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