BBC loses 4m viewers after Jeremy Clarkson's suspension from Top Gear (2024)

FAQs

How many viewers did Top Gear lose? ›

Has the popularity of Top Gear (UK) fallen since the departure of the original trio, and if so by how much? Definitely. From 2007 to 2015 average viewers dropped below 6 or 7 million twice, but still over 5 million. From 2016 viewership has never reached 4 million.

Jeremy Clarkson has revealed why it's the end of the road for The Grand Tour. Clarkson said he and co-hosts, James May and Richard Hammond, decided to quit the Amazon Prime Video show after running out of steam.

Richard Hammond received a massive pay bump after moving from Top Gear to The Grand Tour where his annual earnings rose from £500,000 to a reported £7.2m. He also made money presenting Brainiac: Science Abuse from 2003 to 2006, Total Wipeout from 2009 to 2012, and Planet Earth Live in 2012.

What is the true reason behind Top Gear firing Jeremy Clarkson? The BBC did not renew his contract after he physically assaulted a producer. His fellow presenters elected also not to renew their contracts after his was not renewed and all three jumped ship and went to Amazon to do The Grand Tour.

Dismissal of Jeremy Clarkson from Top Gear.

"Top Gear's" large viewership set a Guinness World Record.

The series made it into the Guinness World Record 2013 Edition book for being the world's most-watched factual TV program. More than 350 million people in more than 200 countries watch the series, according to The Guardian.

'The Grand Tour' Not Moving Forward at Amazon Prime Video.

After poking fun at their limited options in terms of covering old ground (as well as terrorism and unrest, they've also managed to get themselves banned from Turkey, are persona non gratae in Argentina and Clarkson has been denied entry to India), they decide to try and complete a “road trip no one as ever done before ...

Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May have decided to stop filming Amazon's The Grand Tour. Any readers hoping that the trio that brought Top Gear to international prominence in the 2000s and 2010s may be disappointed, though. Clarkson said that he's done reviewing cars on film. “We're done.

It's little wonder that now The Stig wants to cash in on his own celebrity status. he has only ever been paid a flat fee of somewhere between £5,000 and £10,000 per episode - a pittance compared with Clarkson, who is reported to make about £2 million a year.

Did Top Gear actually film the Sweeney Car Chase? ›

BBC's Top Gear filmed a car chase for the production in Series 18, Episode 3. The car chase scenes filmed with Top Gear were filmed on the Isle of Sheppey, Kent in Queenborough and Sheerness and the presenters and production team from Top Gear assisted with planning and filming.

Impressively, Clarkson is estimated to have a net worth of £55.8million, much higher than that of his The Grand Tour co-stars. His personal car collection alone is estimated to be worth more than £500,000.

The BBC has not publicly disclosed the exact amount they paid Jeremy Clarkson or his former co-presenters following their departures from Top Gear. However, it is known that the BBC paid a settlement to Jeremy Clarkson after his contract was not renewed in 2015 following an altercation with a Top Gear producer.

Clarkson was suspended and then fired by the BBC after a fracas when he punched Top Gear producer Oisin Tymon. The incident occurred after Clarkson was told there was no hot food available after a day of filming.

In 2015, May and Hammond left the series after Clarkson was fired for punching a producer, and the trio went on to host a new automotive series, “The Grand Tour,” on Amazon Prime Video.

Their most recent series attracted an average audience of 4.5 million viewers. The BBC added it “remains committed to Freddie, Chris and Paddy, who have been at the heart of the show's renaissance since 2019, and we're excited about new projects being developed with each of them.

The official statement, published online by the BBC on Tuesday, says that the outlet has "decided to rest the U.K. show for the foreseeable future." The decision to halt production follows a crash last December during filming that involved presenter Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff.

In 2015, May and Hammond left the series after Clarkson was fired for punching a producer, and the trio went on to host a new automotive series, “The Grand Tour,” on Amazon Prime Video. However, May had a few words for fans who have been asking him to “come back and rescue” the show following Tuesday's news.

The BBC has announced it is cancelling Top Gear “for the foreseeable” future. Eight years after Clarkson lashed out and was subsequently sacked by the BBC, the often farcical saga of the show's decline has finally come to an end.