Television personality Jeremy Clarkson invoked a notably retro cultural reference to voice his displeasure at being overlooked by Lord’s Cricket Ground officials: “I have two words for you: George Davis,” he remarked, alluding to a now half-forgotten 1975 justice campaign.
The 66-year-old presenter has been openly vocal about his disappointment after Italian lager manufacturer Peroni — part of the Japanese beverage conglomerate Asahi — won the three-year contract to provide lager to the venue’s hospitality areas. The crisp Italian brew was selected ahead of Clarkson’s own offering, Hawkstone, leaving him thoroughly incensed.
His frustration manifested through a cryptic historical reference. In 1975, bank robber George Davis was incorrectly found guilty of an armed hold-up in Ilford, Essex. This miscarriage of justice triggered widespread public outcry, with the painted declaration “G DAVIS IS INNOCENT” appearing on walls and bridges throughout Britain.
The movement reached its peak with a dramatic incident at Headingley during August 1975. Cricket supporters arriving at the Leeds cricket ground hoping to witness England achieve complete victory over Australia in the final Ashes Test were confronted with white-painted lettering near the ground’s entrance stating “sorry, it had to be done.”
Upon entering the stadium, they discovered crestfallen groundskeepers surveying a pitch that had been partially dug up and covered in oil. The fixture was abandoned, and the episode dominated headlines nationwide. While Clarkson is unlikely to actually repeat the actions of the George Davis supporters, he threatened: “We might just have a message about them in tar on the pitch, not that I’m bitter or anything.”
Clarkson introduced Hawkstone lager in 2021, utilising barley cultivated on his Diddly Squat Farm in Oxfordshire. Initially intended as an exclusive product for Clarkson’s Farm Shop, it’s now accessible online and stocked by several leading supermarkets.
He cleverly marketed the beverage by establishing a choir sharing the same name, which subsequently appeared on Britain’s Got Talent.
Multiple television commercials were allegedly produced but subsequently prohibited by the Advertising Standards Authority, reportedly due to Clarkson being heard uttering the phrase “f*** me, that’s good” in at least one advertisement.
A new commercial, featuring Clarkson’s popular sidekick Kaleb Cooper, is scheduled to broadcast on 17 June in the final advertising break on ITV before England’s opening World Cup group fixture against Croatia.
Speaking to The Times, Clarkson revealed the television spot will feature Kaleb in a thrilling stunt. “He’s Tom Cruise now,” he commented. “We have done online ads but never done a proper, full-on, all the bells and whistles, hair and make-up, two catering trucks, full ad-man-gone-mad television commercial before.”
“The star is Kaleb,” he added. “I am just in the back, where I belong.”
The Hawkstone owner also made the case that England fans ought to be reaching for an English pint while cheering on their side: “Supporting England with a glass of Peroni in your hand feels wrong to me. If you are supporting England you should have a Hawkstone in your hand,” he said.
