Richard Hammond's bizarre “eating ice cream is gay” comments were sparked by a famous Finnish TV advert, The Sun understands.

Viewers were left both mystified and outraged by the Grand Tour star’s bizarre and tasteless “homophobic” joke which was shot in Finland.

4 Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May on The Grand Tour Credit: The Grand Tour / Amazon Prime

And Hammond, 47, was condemned by LGBT equality campaigners for insisting he didn’t eat ice cream - because he is straight.

Many took to social media to condemn the TV star - and questioned what possessed him to make the tasteless remarks in last week’s streamed Amazon Prime episode.

But it is now understood the odd comment - which sparked outraged in the UK - was inserted by writers as an “in-joke” for the Finnish audience, who laughed raucously in the studio.

A source revealed the comment referred to the Finnish TV commercial which saw a hunky guy making an epic journey to deliver a Kingis ice cream bar to a girlfriend - only to end up going off with her straight boyfriend.

4 Richard Hammond makes his ice cream joke Credit: The Grand Tour / Amazon Prime

The insider said: “This advert is one of the most famous and controversial in Finland - it’s like Peter Kay’s John Smiths advert in the UK. Everyone knows it.

“Writers like to insert local jokes in the script to amuse the audience - they did the same in Holland and South Africa - and they put this ice cream reference for them.

“Sadly it backfired badly because while the Finns in the audience laughed and cheered the British viewers were baffled and upset by it.

“It wasn’t an off-cuff remark - the show is scripted - but a daft comment which wasn’t meant to offend.”

4 Richard Hammond makes his controversial comments

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The source added: “It was totally innocent – but maybe hindsight it wasn’t such a good idea.”

Hammond, known as “The Hamster” made his controversial comment after co-host Jeremy Clarkson claimed the cream coloured decor of a luxury car meant you couldn’t enjoy a chocolate Magnum ice cream.

Hammond responded: "That's alright, I don't eat ice cream. I think it's something to do with being straight."

Clarkson replied: "So you're saying that everyone who eats ice cream. So you're saying that all children..."

4 Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond star in The Grand Tour Credit: PA:Press Association

Hammond retorted: ”No, there's nothing wrong with it. It's just, a grown man eating an ice cream, it's that way rather than that way.”

The controversy over the comments in the Finnish episode came as it was revealed The Grand Tour has been one of Amazon Prime’s most-streamed programmes of the year.

A spokesman for The Grand Tour declined to comment.