Brunel University this week showed its gratitude to Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson by awarding him an honorary doctorate. Mr Clarkson may appear an unlikely choice for the ultimate academic accolade but students wanted to reward him for his efforts in promoting Isambard Kingdom Brunel in last year's BBC television series Great Britons. The engineer at one point led the field and Brunel students were accused of rigging the poll - a charge that the BBC vehemently denied. Ultimately, Brunel was beaten into second place by Sir Winston Churchill.