"signed an online petition to try to get the BBC to reinstate Clarkson. Perry McCarthy, a former Stig, criticised the BBC's decision to pull the next episode from the schedule. On 25 March, the BBC announced that they would not renew Clarkson's contract which finished at the end of March 2015. The show received widespread criticism after Jeremy Clarkson's contract wasn't renewed, and subsequent departure of James May and Richard Hammond, after the new episode hosted by Chris Evans was widely deemed sub-standard. Top Gear controversies The British motoring-themed television programme ""Top Gear"" was often the focus of criticism. The"
"to , the BBC chose not to renew Clarkson's contract with the show in March 2015. Both May and Hammond affirmed they would not return to ""Top Gear"" without Clarkson, even though the BBC offered them lucrative salaries to remain on for additional series. Along with their departure, their long-time producer and Clarkson's classmate Andy Wilman also opted to leave at this time. BBC retooled the show for 2016, bringing in new hosts Chris Evans and Matt LeBlanc. Shortly after his separation from the BBC, Clarkson stated his intent to start a new car show, saying ""I have lost my"
"Jeremy Clarkson Jeremy Charles Robert Clarkson (born 11 April 1960) is an English broadcaster, journalist and writer who specialises in motoring. He is best known for co-presenting the BBC TV show ""Top Gear"" with Richard Hammond and James May from October 2002 to March 2015. He also currently writes weekly columns for ""The Sunday Times"" and ""The Sun"". From a career as a local journalist in Northern England, Clarkson rose to public prominence as a presenter of the original format of ""Top Gear"" in 1988. Since the mid-1990s, he has become a recognised public personality, regularly appearing on British television"
"reported altercation with a producer. It was later established that Clarkson, in a ""fracas"", had punched producer Oisin Tymon during an argument over catering arrangements at the ""Top Gear"" production crew's hotel. A petition on change.org to reinstate Clarkson gained over one million signatories before it was delivered to the BBC. On 25 March 2015, the BBC announced that Jeremy Clarkson's ""Top Gear"" contract would not be renewed and that he would be dropped from the programme. After an internal investigation, the final decision had been taken by Tony Hall, director general of the BBC. This development led the other"
"Hammond and James May, while it was also Andy Wilman's last as the show's executive producer. The second controversial incident received extensive media attention, the greatest amount created for controversy caused by ""Top Gear"" in the show's history, which subsequently led to Clarkson being suspended by the BBC while they investigated the matter. On 25 March 2015, the broadcaster officially dismissed Jeremy Clarkson from the show, and in the aftermath of their decision, Hammond, May and Wilman announced their resignations from the show in April 2015; all three hosts made their final appearances on the last episode broadcast on 28"
"Foundation since 2011, and was appointed Deputy Chairman of Channel 4 in 2012, a post he was obliged to relinquish upon becoming Director-General of the BBC. On 29 June 2018 Tony Hall was elected as the new President of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). On 25 March 2015, Hall decided not to renew ""Top Gear"" presenter Jeremy Clarkson's BBC contract after an internal investigation found that Clarkson had assaulted the programme's producer. Hall and his wife received death threats which the BBC decided were 'credible', and they were subsequently guarded by police. On 28 March, Scotland Yard confirmed that officers"
"executive production. In March 2015, it was reported that Clarkson had come under fire by the BBC for entering an altercation with ""Top Gear"" producer Oisin Tymon while filming for the show. The BBC chose not to renew Clarkson's contract after news of the altercation came to light. Hammond, May, and Wilman also left the programme afterward. Later in the year, the four signed a deal with Amazon to have an Amazon Video original series. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos had described the deal as ""very, very, very expensive"" during an interview with ""The Daily Telegraph"". After the deal was made,"
"of the same cast and crew, as well as featuring jokes which relate to events or sequences in the parent series. The first series of three episodes began on 10 August 2014, bridging the gap between Series 21 and 22 of ""Top Gear"". A second series of three episodes was set to be broadcast in 2015; but was indefinitely delayed due to the scandal which saw presenter Jeremy Clarkson dropped from the parent series, which in turn led to the departures of both Richard Hammond and May. The second series was eventually broadcast in January 2016. May has confirmed that"
"the BBC Two motoring show ""Top Gear"", following the departure of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May. On his radio show the next morning he confirmed his acceptance and explained the offer came after James May and Richard Hammond had confirmed to the BBC they would not be returning to the show. Before the announcement, he sent text messages to May, Hammond and Clarkson and received supportive replies from all three. In February 2016, it was confirmed that Matt LeBlanc, Rory Reid, Sabine Schmitz, Chris Harris and Eddie Jordan would also be joining Evans for the twenty third series"
"was funny. Even my bosses allowed themselves the odd titter."" Clarkson then also presented the show's new format from 20 October 2002 to 8 March 2015. Along with co-presenters James May and Richard Hammond, he is credited with turning ""Top Gear"" into the most-watched TV show on BBC Two, rebroadcast to over 100 countries around the world. Clarkson's company Bedder 6, which handled merchandise and international distribution for ""Top Gear"", earned over £149m in revenue in 2012, prior to a restructuring that gave BBC Worldwide full control of the ""Top Gear"" rights. Clarkson presented the first series UK version of"
"new format. Wilman and Clarkson's company Bedder 6, which handled merchandise and international distribution for ""Top Gear"", earned over £149m in revenue in 2012, prior to a restructuring that gave BBC Worldwide full control of the ""Top Gear"" rights. In April 2015, Wilman announced that he had resigned as executive producer of BBC Television's ""Top Gear"" following Jeremy Clarkson's exit in March 2015, owing to Clarkson's attack on a producer. , Wilman is the executive producer of ""The Grand Tour"" that he, Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May are producing via their company W. Chump & Sons for release via"
"that Dawe would return to co-present the show. However, Chris Evans and Matt LeBlanc were announced as the new presenters, with it officially confirmed that Dawe would not return in favour of new presenters. Jason Dawe (presenter) Jason Henry Dawe (born 1967) is an English journalist and television presenter. He presented the first series of ""Top Gear"" on BBC Two alongside Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond. In 2005, he began presenting ""Used Car Roadshow""; the programme was cancelled two years later in 2007. Born and raised in Cornwall, England, Dawe worked at auto dealerships and as a motoring industry trainer."
"Top Gear (series 22) The twenty-second series of ""Top Gear"" aired during 2015 on BBC Two and BBC Two HD and consisted of 8 episodes, beginning on 25 January before abruptly ending on 8 March, and not fully concluding until 28 June. The series was preceded by a two-part special entitled """" which aired during 2014, the first part on 27 December, and the second part a day later on 28 December. The series is most notable for two controversial incidents that occurred during filming, and was the last series to feature the regular hosting line-up of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard"
"Top Gear (series 22) The twenty-second series of ""Top Gear"" aired during 2015 on BBC Two and BBC Two HD and consisted of 8 episodes, beginning on 25 January before abruptly ending on 8 March, and not fully concluding until 28 June. The series was preceded by a two-part special entitled """" which aired during 2014, the first part on 27 December, and the second part a day later on 28 December. The series is most notable for two controversial incidents that occurred during filming, and was the last series to feature the regular hosting line-up of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard"
"presenting his own shows for BBC and appearing as a guest on other shows. As well as motoring, Clarkson has produced programmes and books on subjects such as history and engineering. In 1998, he hosted the first series of ""Robot Wars"", and from 1998 to 2000 he also hosted his own talk show, ""Clarkson"". In 2015, the BBC decided not to renew Clarkson's contract with the company after a dispute with a ""Top Gear"" producer while filming on location. That year, Clarkson and his ""Top Gear"" co-presenters and producer Andy Wilman formed the production company W. Chump & Sons to"
"Andy Wilman Andrew Neville ""Andy"" Wilman (born 16 August 1962) is an English television producer who is best known as the former executive producer of the ""Top Gear"" show, from 2002 to 2015. He was responsible for much of the show's style and humour, along with Jeremy Clarkson. He has also presented segments of the original ""Top Gear"". He is primarily responsible for the creation of The Stig. Wilman and Clarkson both attended Repton School along with Formula One designer Adrian Newey. After the original format of Top Gear was cancelled by the BBC, Wilman and ex-presenter Clarkson pitched a"
"Richard Hammond Richard Mark Hammond (born 19 December 1969) is an English presenter, writer, and journalist, best known for co-hosting the BBC Two car programme ""Top Gear"" from 2002 until 2015 with Jeremy Clarkson and James May. He has also presented """" (2003–2008), ""Total Wipeout"" (2009–2012) and ""Planet Earth Live"" (2012). In 2016, Hammond began presenting ""The Grand Tour"" television series, produced by W. Chump & Sons. The show is co-presented with his former ""Top Gear"" co-hosts, Clarkson and May, as an exclusive distributed via Amazon Video to Amazon Prime customers. In November 2016 Hammond, alongside the co-presenters of ""The"
"a new motoring programme in the same vein as their former show, which debuted in 2016 under the title of ""The Grand Tour"". Following the dismissal of Clarkson, and the subsequent departure of May, Hammond and Wilman, the BBC began searching for their replacements. On 16 June 2015, Chris Evans was confirmed as one of the new hosts, with it later suggested he would be hosting the show alone as part of a new format, despite a previous announcement that the broadcaster was holding open audition for his co-presenters; this claim was later dismissed as untrue. Although former Formula 1"
"mentioned on the show again, though all three ""Top Gear"" presenters have since referred to it in jokes during the news segment of the programme. He told his colleagues, ""The only difference between me now, and before the crash, is that I like celery now and I didn't before"". Following the BBC's decision not to renew Clarkson's contract with the show on 25 March 2015, Hammond's contract expired on 31 March. In April he ruled out the possibility of continuing to present ""Top Gear"", commenting via Twitter that ""amidst all this talk of us 'quitting' or not: there's nothing for"
"James May James Daniel May (born 16 January 1963) is an English television presenter and journalist. He is best known as a co-presenter of the motoring programme ""Top Gear"" alongside Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond from 2003 until 2015. As of 2016 he is a director of the production company W. Chump & Sons (founded July 2015) and is also a co-presenter in the television series ""The Grand Tour"" for Amazon Video, alongside his former ""Top Gear"" colleagues, Clarkson and Hammond, as well as ""Top Gear's"" former producer Andy Wilman. May has presented other programmes on themes including science and"
"of the band. (as of Dec, 12, 2018, over 900,000 people have signed the petition.) On 10 March 2015, the political blogger Guido Fawkes, whose real name is Paul Staines, started a petition to reinstate Jeremy Clarkson, BBC co-host of TV series ""Top Gear"". This followed the BBC's decision to suspend him over a ""fracas"" involving a producer on the show. The petition gained over 500,000 signatures within 24 hours, making it the fastest growing petition to date for the site, while having the servers at Change.org in the UK regularly become unresponsive due to the high demand. It had"
"had done his best but that it had not been good enough for viewers. Following Jeremy Clarkson's dismissal from the show on 25 March 2015, after the BBC decided to not renew his contract, and the subsequent resignation of his co-hosts Richard Hammond and James May and executive producer Andy Wilman the following month, the broadcaster began work looking for a new production team and a new set of hosts for the next series of the show, as well as making changes to the show's format. People who were in the running to replace Clarkson included Jodie Kidd, John Bishop,"
"June with assistance from Wilman, with only Hammond and May hosting the studio segments. To mark the end of the trio's era of presenting ""Top Gear"", the BBC produced a two-part compilation special which aired near the end of December 2015 and was narrated by comedian John Bishop. The special consisted of moments from the 22 series that they presented the show, with the first part broadcast on 26 December, and the second part broadcast four days later on 30 December. News that production of the series was being planned was hinted by Clarkson on Twitter on 29 April 2014,"
"Instagram footage of him driving a new Lancia around the Eboladrome. The team wrapped up filming in Lincoln later on that month. On 27 November 2018, it was announced via the show's Facebook page that season 3 will premiere on 18 January 2019. Clarkson, Hammond and May had been presenters on BBC's Top Gear, both as part of the rotating hosts of the original, and permanent hosts for the 2002 rebooted series up through 2015. Under them, the show had an estimated worldwide audience of 350 million, and listed by ""Guinness World Records"" as the highest-viewed factual television programme. Due"
"BT Sport, believing this show would be a better fit on a network with a more global reach. In July 2015, Clarkson announced he had signed a deal with Amazon to develop a new car show that followed a similar format as ""Top Gear"", with both Hammond and May joining him as co-hosts, and Wilman producing. Amongst other personnel from Top Gear going to the new show included director Phil Churchward, the husband of ""Fifth Gear""'s Vicki Butler-Henderson. The deal included 36 episodes across three series which would be available to Amazon Prime members starting in 2016. Wilman stated that"
"time to the show. SBS subsequently announced that trumpeter James Morrison would be his replacement, joining Warren and Steve for season two. Morrison had previously appeared as a guest in the sixth episode. For the third season, early reports claimed that former Australian cricketer Shane Warne would take over the hosting of the show alongside original ""Top Gear"" host Jeremy Clarkson, although the BBC ultimately ruled out Clarkson's involvement in the Australian version. On 20 June 2010, it was announced that actor and comedian Shane Jacobson and ""Top Gear Australia"" magazine editor Ewen Page would join a returning Steve Pizzati"
"Amazon Video to Amazon Prime customers. Andy Wilman Andrew Neville ""Andy"" Wilman (born 16 August 1962) is an English television producer who is best known as the former executive producer of the ""Top Gear"" show, from 2002 to 2015. He was responsible for much of the show's style and humour, along with Jeremy Clarkson. He has also presented segments of the original ""Top Gear"". He is primarily responsible for the creation of The Stig. Wilman and Clarkson both attended Repton School along with Formula One designer Adrian Newey. After the original format of Top Gear was cancelled by the BBC,"
"Jeremy Clarkson and Andy Wilman decided to revive the show in a different format for the following year. These new changes included the use of television studio segments and challenges, and a revamped presentation of reviews, unlike the previous show which focused on the production of cars. Clarkson later announced that he would present the new show, with Wilman serving as executive producer, whilst motoring journalists Richard Hammond and Jason Dawe joined as the new presenters, both of whom had not hosted the previous format. Clarkson explained in late 2015 that he originally wanted James May to join him on"
"in a ""dance-off"" against former model and television presenter Lisa Snowdon. In 2014, Kidd was a finalist in the BBC's annual cookery programme ""Celebrity Masterchef""; she lost the championship to actor Sophie Thompson. In 2015 she appeared in series 2 of ""The Jump"", where she was sixth to be eliminated. In 2015 Kidd appeared as one of the hosts of the Channel 5 automotive show ""The Classic Car Show"" with co-host Quentin Willson. In the summer of 2015, Kidd was tipped to become Chris Evans's co-host on the revamped Top Gear following Jeremy Clarkson's exit. However she ruled herself out"
"I’m looking forward to showing them how the show is made and what goes on behind the scenes, giving viewers a different perspective on some of the coolest cars on the planet."" Reid won his place on the show after submitting a thirty-second audition video to a BBC open audition for the role. On 24 May 2016, a behind-the-scenes trailer revealed that Reid would be joined by fellow ""Top Gear"" presenter Chris Harris, who would act as his co-presenter. Harris' addition was confirmed on 29 May 2016. In 2017, the BBC announced following Harris and Reid's promotion to the main"
"later that year; Channel 5 originally wanted to carry on using the ""Top Gear"" name, but the BBC refused as it still operated the Top Gear magazine. Several of ""Top Gear's"" ex-presenters, including Quentin Willson, Tiff Needell, and Vicki Butler-Henderson, were hired by Channel 5 to present the series. The show's name was restyled as ""Fifth Gear"" in 2005. Needell announced the show's second cancellation on 24 May 2016. On 14 June 2018, Needell announced on his official Twitter account that he had been doing some filming work for a new series of Fifth Gear which would air in September"
"episodes. After the first series of ""Fifth Gear"" was completed, the BBC decided to relaunch ""Top Gear"", but in a new studio based format as opposed to the magazine format used until the cancellation. The idea came from producer Andy Wilman and Jeremy Clarkson, who presented the relaunched show with Richard Hammond and Jason Dawe. James May replaced Dawe from the second series onwards of the current format. The pre-cancellation show is referred to as ""Old ""Top Gear"""", when mentioned on the new show due to the differences in style. ""Top Gear"" was a title sponsor of the 1987 and"
"with two daughters. Jon Bentley (TV presenter) Jon Bentley (born 1961) is an English journalist and television presenter; he was educated at Millfield and at Oriel College, Oxford. Bentley specialises in television production and journalism in the field of motoring. Between 1987 and 1999, he was producer and executive producer of BBC Two's ""Top Gear"", and was series producer of ""Fifth Gear"" from 2002 to 2004. As a producer of ""Top Gear"", Bentley helped launch the television careers of Jeremy Clarkson and hired Quentin Willson and Vicki Butler-Henderson. He also has a corner named after him on the ""Top Gear"""