Jeremy Clarkson has been called a number of things but this could be the first time he’s been referred to as a “cultural tumour” – called that by comedian Frankie Boyle who is pleading for the Top Gear presenter to be sacked.

Boyle was speaking at the Edinburgh International Television Festival when he laid into Clarkson, who he said is only tolerated thanks to having friends in high places.

He said that Clarkson “comes from a very bad place and the reason he's tolerated is that he's recognised by people in power … in fact he's a friend of [David] Cameron's,” reports The Guardian.

“He's in there like a f***ing growth and he should be removed because he's horrible. Sack him because he's a cultural tumour.”

Boyle’s comments come after increasing infuriation at language and behaviour displayed by Clarkson that is considered racist, for example his muttering the N-word while reciting a version of children’s rhyme “Eeeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe” in an unaired clip of Top Gear that emerged earlier this year.

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Clarkson said at the time: “I was mortified by this, horrified, it is a word I loath. And I did everything in my power to make sure that that version did not appear in the programme that was transmitted.

“I'm sitting here begging your forgiveness for the fact my efforts obviously weren't quite good enough.”

Clarkson wasn’t the only public figure that Boyle aimed his vitriol at, also attacking media mogul Rupert Murdoch for being “obviously a c*** and f***ing tumour”, despite having been previously hired by the tycoon’s newspaper, The Sun, to write a column.

He then said that the newspaper was “easier to get jokes into than the BBC”, particularly those on thorny subjects like war.

Clarkson has been labelled a "cultural tumour" by Boyle (Reuters)

Scot Boyle also criticised the lack of female panellists on TV shows saying “how hard is it?” and claimed that he had tried to get more women on Never Mind the Buzzcocks while guest hosting it, but his suggestion had been dismissed.

Earlier this week the BBC’s Director of Television, Danny Cohen, also told an audience at the Edinburgh International Festival that Clarkson “does not see a problem” with his language.

Video: Jeremy Clarkson begs forgiveness over racism allegations

He had apparently warned the presenter that he was not untouchable as “no one show or person is bigger than the BBC” and that Clarkson had used language that Cohen found “entirely unacceptable”.

Clarkson also came under fire in March after he said “there’s a slope on it” when describing a bridge in Burma that had an Asian man crossing it at the time, during a Top Gear special.

Broadcaster regulator Ofgem criticised the BBC for allowing the “offensive material” to be aired.