To many petrolheads, there’s little doubt the rating juggernaut that was Top Gear was at its best during the time Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May were at the helm. Transforming the relatively small consumer advice car show into the global entertainment phenomenon that it is today was no small feat. And even after the show was retooled multiple times, no set of presenters seems to be able to do it as well as the famous trio.
Things came to a swift halt when Clarkson’s contract with the BBC was not renewed, following the infamous “fracas” that saw him punch a Top Gear producer back in 2015. Of course, Clarkson, Hammond, and May are now quite happy at their new Prime Video home, hosting The Grand Tour, and each having their own successful independent shows on the streaming platform — Clarkson’s Farm receiving particular praise for its down-to-earth yet entertaining look at the plights of British farming.
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But many have wondered — if perhaps academically — what if Clarkson made a return to the BBC? Could such a possibility ever arise, and what are the chances that it would happen? It would seem that Clarkson himself has given it some thought, but his reasoning may disappoint fans.
Writing in his Times column, Clarkson compared the suspension of BBC Football commentator Gary Lineker from the network with his own dismissal. Lineker was dropped from local soccer coverage after he tweeted about the UK government’s migrant policies, comparing it to the language used in 1930s Germany.
“Remember, what everyone on every BBC platform fears more than anything is a Twitter backlash, so to try to keep that festival of left-wing madness happy, they have to be even more left wing and even more right-on,” wrote Clarkson. “And they have to make sure that every show is pitch-perfect to the BLT+ community and the ethnic minority communities and the community communities, and when you’re thinking defensively like that, the concept of informing and educating and entertaining pretty much goes out of the window.”
“Could I do Top Gear there now? Not a chance,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, the air date of the next series of Top Gear, presented by Chris Harris, Paddy McGuiness, and Andrew Flintoff, is still unknown. Production was paused after Flintoff had to be airlifted to hospital following a crash at the Dunsfold test track.
