Is Clarkson heading back to BBC’s Top Gear?

Jeremy Clarkson's ex wants him back...ex-employer, that is. Automologist MAC reports on the latest rumours surrounding his favourite Top Gear host.

The big question being asked around the media at the moment is whether Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May will be heading back to BBC’s Top Gear in the very near future, just one short year since Clarkson was fired for punching one of the producers of the show, and his co-hosts got the heave-ho as well.

According to people in the know, what once seemed to be an absolute impossibility now seems to be entering into the realms of possibility, after former BBC boss Mark Thompson told the UK’s Sunday Times that kicking Clarkson off the show was a huge mistake. The ratings would suggest that he is correct, with viewership figures plummeting ever since the trio left the series.

BBC radio host, Chris Evans, who was the appointed successor to Clarkson et al, failed to apply the emergency brake to the downhill slide in ratings and has since left the series somewhat unceremoniously. To add fuel to the rumours, co-host Matt LeBlanc has also announced that he is more interested in his new sitcom project whilst ratings have tanked even further, leading to the speculation that the BBC would like to revive its international bestseller by getting the old gang back together again.

So could or would Clarkson return to Top Gear? Well, "maybe" is the only answer at the present. The BBC has already removed the biggest obstacle to his return by removing Oisin Tymon, the man that he punched, referred to as “Lazy Irish”, from the show. The two have also already settled their lawsuit. I, for one, would love to see Clarkson return to Top Gear, but will he return? I guess a lot of that would depend on how he could get out of his Amazon contract. One thing I am sure about is that we will see many more stories on this one in the coming months. 

The water is too deep for Hammond.