“Gutted at such a sad end to an era. We’re all three of us idiots in our different ways but it’s been an incredible ride together.”
This was Richard ‘The Hamster’ Hammond’s tweet immediately following the verdict that the BBC has sacked Jeremy Clarkson following his fracas with a Top Gear producer. And it rightly is, for us, the fans too. There are a lot of souls worldwide who got their first taste of automotive nirvana living vicariously through the episodes of Top Gear on the telly and its accompanying magazine.
Top Gear’s official website has now removed not only Clarkson, but Richard Hammond and James May from their lead banner. It is widely believed that the two co-presenters have also chosen not to renew their contracts with the Beeb, choosing to work as a ‘package deal’ as May explained to a Sky News reporter.
Here’s what the banner looked like a few days ago. Now the image of the three middle-aged men has been replaced by an anonymous Stig, with LaFerrari, the Porsche 918 Spyder, and the McLaren P1 reflected on his visor. As you may recall, the makers of these three hybrid hypercars had finally agreed to a shootout, when the debacle ensued. Had that not happened, we might have had a chance to see three of the automotive world’s greatest marvels slug it out, accompanied by the ever-entertaining commentary and Hollywood-rivaling visuals that we have come to expect frm Top Gear.
BBC contends that they’re working out ways to see if they can broadcast the two remaining episodes of Top Gear, and keep the show alive. Does that mean that we can expect the silent Stig finally giving us his views on the trio for the first time? Only time will tell.
Well said Saeed, but do you expect him to be able to mend his ways after all these years, even with a new company? The man literally survives on insulting people, including, of course, celebrities.
Well put, Rahul. Clarkson, no matter how much we respect him, got what he deserved. The BBC had to let him go lest they be accused of double standards.
But I don’t think he wanted an exit from BBC yet. He has apologized a number of times to retain his job, and did it this time too.
The three combined will be a tour-de-force on any channel, and they know it. Netflix is looking like the most viable option for now, given how often one can get away with political incorrectness on that.
What happened was very unfortunate.. BBC had no option but to kill their golden egg laying goose..
Clarkson got what he deserved may be my view.. But who knows the background is.. He may have been pissed with BBC and he might have been looking for an exit..
And the three know that their value will be 10 times more as a team rather than just individuals..
Those three are way too big as of now.. Even though Sky and Channel 4 have ruled out working with Clarkson, iTv has not commented.. Then again they do not need anyone.. They can start on their own and still make millions..
I second that!
BBC seems to have forgotten that we watch the show for the chemistry between the trio, and not just the cars. RIP Top Gear