Voices: If Jeremy Clarkson’s public persona has really been an act – he has some explaining to do

All of us put up a bit of a front for work. For most people there’s nothing more mortifying than our boss seeing the real us, so we do all we can to hide it – the weird hobbies, the bad language. Once we step into the office we lock in, go full “work mode”, and conceal some of our less desirable traits.

While for most of us, that means dialling the politeness and sociability up to 11. The 21st century has given. For these people, those less-than-desirable traits – the strange hobbies, the swearing, and the fringe politics – are a big part of the selling point. That remains true even if those things aren’t really a part of their genuine personality – which can create problems when they want to distance themselves from that persona, and finally start living a normal, controversy-free life.