After being booted earlier this year from British car show ‘Top Gear,’ host Jeremy Clarkson and his co-stars, Richard Hammond and James May, have opted to produce an independent new show similar to their previous BBC series. The new show, which remains untitled, has just been signed for production by Amazon Prime.
BBC’s ‘Top Gear’ is the most popular factual television program in broadcast history, and, as of its most recent season, starred Clarkson, Hammond and May as witty purveyors of all things automobile, sharing the ins and outs of car culture with their millions of viewers worldwide. Clarkson took the reigns of the long-running program in 2002 and added a humorous twist to the previously strait-laced show, revamping it into the smash success it is today.
As we reported earlier this year, Clarkson was let go from the show in March, following a series of personal allegations against him. Chris Evans was chosen as his replacement host, and will take over ‘Top Gear’ for its twenty-third series, which will premiere in 2016. Following Clarkson’s departure, co-stars Hammond and May chose to leave alongside him, and in June, the three declared their plans to start a car show of their own, à la ‘Top Gear.’
Now, Amazon Prime’s pickup has ensured that the ‘Top Gear’ trio haven’t seen the last of their television days – although their transition from the small screen to the computer screen should present a unique challenge and opportunity for them to bring the car show platform to an even more modern audience.