Top Gear's original trio preps Amazon show as new team revamps original
Jessica Wong | CBC News | Posted: January 4, 2016 8:31 PM | Last Updated: January 4, 2016
BBC unveils former F1 driver, female racer, YouTube motoring journalist as new Top Gear co-hosts
Motoring fans are gearing up for more fast cars, jokey banter, daring driving and world travels in 2016, with original Top Gear trio Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May busy prepping their lavish new Amazon series, as Chris Evans and his newly revealed teammates revamp the original BBC-TV car series.
The outspoken Clarkson, known for provocative statements, and colleagues Hammond and May posted images Monday of moving into new offices for their new series, which they are producing for streaming service Amazon Prime.
The trio have already been shooting elements for their as yet untitled new show since last fall.
The BBC fired Clarkson from Top Gear — which set a record in 2012 as the world's most widely watched factual TV program — in March 2015 after he punched a producer in an off-set altercation. Co-hosts May and Hammond left shortly thereafter, along with Top Gear executive producer Andy Wilman.
Amazon snapped them up to launch its own version of the beloved car show, reportedly signing a very expensive deal with the team and giving the new series a hefty production budget.
Top Gear team expands
The BBC announced radio and TV presenter (and avid car collector) Evans as Top Gear's new host in June. The British public broadcaster revealed his co-hosts just before Christmas:
- Motorsport commentator and former British Formula One driver David Coulthard.
- German BMW and Porsche race car driver Sabine Schmitz, who has previously participated in Top Gear driving challenges.
- British motoring journalist and popular YouTube video blogger Chris Harris, who has earned a devoted online following for his no-holds-barred reviewing.
The news of the new hires comes amid potential turmoil for the hit series, with two editorial staffers — executive producer Lisa Clark and script editor Tom Ford — quitting in December. A BBC spokesperson said the departures would not affect the show's planned schedule.
It's very hard to be new and innovating when you're producing that many shows every year and the audience becomes wise to your tricks...There are very few formats that survive. It's usually three or four years max. Top Gear had that format for about 12 or 13 years. - Ben Collins
Evans has vowed to shake up the Top Gear format and Ben Collins, who was the program's masked mystery stunt driver The Stig for seven years, agrees the show needs to be reinvented.
"It was an absolute riot coming up with this off wall stuff, but it's very hard to be new and innovating when you're producing that many shows every year and the audience becomes wise to your tricks and they expect more with bigger and better all the time and it does become very hard," he told the Mirror in an interview published earlier this month.
"I think there are very few formats that survive. It's usually three or four years max. Top Gear had that format for about 12 or 13 years so it was a very long time and I think that definitely everyone gets to come back with something different."
The revamped Top Gear is set to return for a new season in May, with Clarkson's new Amazon show expected to debut in the fall.