While Jeremy Clarkson’s two co-hosts, Richard Hammond and James May, openly said they were not interested in working without him on the Top Gear show, a recent post in The Mirror contradicts them.
Apparently, the two have not ended their contracts with the BBC, and according to Kim Shillinglaw, BBC2 boss, “conversations are on-going with James and Richard about a whole variety of projects at the BBC.” This means they won’t be doing top gear sans Clarkson but that they could be enrolled in a series of unrelated shows – both have experience here so it’s no wonder their services would still be required (primarily because they didn’t punch anybody they worked with…).
Shillinglaw adds that “while those conversations are on-going, they have to remain private.” The source article suggests the two could actually host Top Gear without Clarkson as a distinct possibility, but what’s written in the above paragraph seems a lot more plausible – they will lose credibility if they supported Clarkson merely with words and then their actions revealing something completely different.
The BBC2 shot caller ads that she thinks “what viewers of Top Gear really care about and what I care about is getting a really exciting show. That is a process that will take a little bit of time because my God we really care about this show, I really care about this show. Rest assured any viewers of Top Gear out there, we care about our baby, we care about your baby, we will be determined to bring it back in a really exciting way.”
Additonal, if slightly unrelated news is also brought forward in the same source; Clarkson was reportedly spotted outside a London pub with ex-model and TV presenter Jodie Kidd. Apparently, she’s tipped as being a possible replacement for Clarkson. Would she work alongside Hammond and May? Share your thoughts below!
The Mirror also ran a poll in the same post, asking readers if they wanted the duo to return to Top Gear, and 61 percent of voters said “no.”