One of the world’s more factual TV shows, “Top Gear” has likely come to an end, as we know it, after the decision was made by the British Broadcasting Corporation decided to not renew presenter and show collaborator Jeremy Clarkson’s contract.
If you have paid attention to TV news lately, you have probably seen the now famous incident pop up in various media outlets.
This is because the United Kingdom’s version of “Top Gear” has once again found itself in the midst of controversy.
The story I have seen the most has been about Clarkson getting into a “fracas” with one of the BBC’s producer Oisin Tymon on March 4 in a Yorkshire, England hotel.
Clarkson punched and verbally abused Tymon after not receiving hot food following a day’s worth of filming.
I have seen several reasons as to why Clarkson did this, from filming lasting longer than what it should have to that Clarkson was drinking.
Clarkson has been suspended since March 10, and BBC decided to not show the current series’ remaining episodes.
Because of this, BBC lost about four million viewers from “Top Gear’s” the show’s time slot.
This surely had a significant impact of the 350 million viewers worldwide that watch “Top Gear.”
Because the show has been universally syndicated starting this season, I can’t find the exact impact of the numbers.
Clarkson has been apologetic toward the subject and tried to seek out Tymon to personally apologize. Tymon decided to not press charges on Clarkson.
Following Clarkson’s suspension, more than one million people signed a petition to reinstate Clarkson.
This shows the kind of following Clarkson has in the world. I have seen several posts on Facebook and Twitter say there is no “Top Gear” without Clarkson.
Clarkson has been with the show since the 1980s and has played a large role in bringing the show back into its current format in 2002.
I was obviously not there so I have no idea what exactly happened, but as much as I love the show, BBC probably did the right thing.
The choice to not renew Clarkson’s contract was because no one should get away with punching an employee, no matter what his status is.
One of the cooler things about this situation has been how Clarkson’s fellow presenters Richard Hammond and James May have handled the situation.
Hammond and May’s contracts are supposed to run out in the next couple of months, and both men seem to dislike the idea of continuing the show without Clarkson.
The UK’s version of “Top Gear” has spawned several versions of the show around the world including an American spin-off but none of them compare to the UK version.
Clarkson, Hammond and May’s chemistry is something I haven’t seen on any TV show, real or fake.
This is part of the reason the show has garnered such success, along with the trio’s antics.
People do not have to like cars as much as “petrolheads” to enjoy the show.
Because of the success “Top Gear” has had, several outlets have expressed interest in signing these three men for a new TV show including Netflix.
I hope Netflix picks up the show because it will be hard to find a way to watch it since BBC America will no longer feature new episodes of this trio together.
I look forward to the ventures of these three men, and I doubt they are finished making programs together.
BBC plans to continue the show for 2016, but I guarantee it will not be anything like it has been.
