What’s next for Top Gear?

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]op Gear presenter and expert diplomat Jeremy Clarkson has finally been axed by the BBC, following a ‘fracas’ in which he punched and verbally attacked producer Oisin Tymon. Clarkson’s axe raises a lot of important questions, such as what it means exactly for the future of Top Gear – a show that has an estimated global audience of 350 million and generates £150 million in revenue for the BBC.

First of all, it was recently confirmed in the BBC Director-General’s statement that the BBC were now looking to bring Top Gear back to our screens in 2016, an endeavour he referred to as a “big challenge”. So the show is definitely returning, presumably along with the Stig, the Top Gear test track, the spectacular stunts and the often amazing cinematography – all of which helped ensure the show’s success for over a decade. However, it’s undeniable that the biggest appeal of the show was the chemistry between Clarkson, Hammond and May and their sitcom-esque antics that often ended with something going disastrously wrong (and then set on fire for good measure).

Photo: Flickr/Tony Harrison

However, it appears that none of the three presenters will return to the show following Clarkson’s axe. James May has ruled out his return to Top Gear, saying in an interview that the trio came “as a package”. Furthermore, he now seems to be spending his time hosting polite media conferences about Top Gear’s future on his doorstep and posting videos of himself playing the recorder on his new Youtube channel ‘JM’s unemployment tube’.

Richard Hammond also seems to be against returning to the show without his colleague Clarkson, stating that “it’s been an incredible ride together” when Clarkson’s axing was announced.

With none of the three original presenters seemingly returning then, an entirely new line-up will be at the helm of the show when it returns to our screens in 2016. Media speculation about Clarkson’s replacement in particular has included Chris Evans, Boris Johnson, Keanu Reeves, Jim Davidson and a few more controversial figures such as Nigel Farage and (shudder) Katie Hopkins, who could more than easily continue Clarkson’s long-standing tradition of insulting just about everybody on the planet.

No matter who is chosen as the new replacements however, some fans believe new Top Gear will be doomed without Clarkson, Hammond and May when it returns in 2016. Others are more optimistic, pointing out that the show existed before the trio rebooted it in 2002, and will continue to do so after they have left. Also, after 22 series, it could be argued their motoring mishaps and challenges were getting a bit stale anyway: perhaps the three new presenters will revive the tired format in a really exciting and interesting way.

Although it’s hard to envision a new Top Gear being the huge worldwide success it was under Clarkson, there’s no reason why it couldn’t be successful in its own right

Top Gear already has a huge global audience that is engaged with the show and brand, so as long as the BBC gives the reboot its own strong identity and doesn’t simply attempt to replicate the past (by hiring another controversial, outspoken media personality for instance), then it could continue to be a popular and beloved show.

Another question that currently remains unanswered is what Clarkson will now do following his departure from the BBC. Over the next few months, he will be present at an unofficial Top Gear tour (retitled ‘Clarkson, Hammond and May Live’) that was planned before he was axed. More importantly, there have been suggestions that he will start his own motoring show on another rival channel or maybe even on Netflix, along with his colleagues Hammond and May (who are both currently free agents). Whatever happens, it’s clear that both Top Gear and Jeremy Clarkson have an uncertain and potentially difficult road ahead of them.