Top Gear’s Original Trio Returns This Weekend: Fans Are Losing It!
Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May are set to return to Top Gear this weekend
Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May are set to return to Top Gear this weekend (Image: Faith Moran, GC Imagesvia Getty Images)
Former Top Gear presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May are set for a nostalgic return to the show that made them household names. The trio, who became synonymous with the popular BBC motoring series, left under a cloud in 2015 after a tenure of more than 13 years.
The departure was particularly controversial for Doncaster-born Clarkson, now 65, following an altercation where he punched producer Oisin Tymon, leading the BBC to decide against renewing his contract. This prompted the team to seek new opportunities, eventually creating the successful Amazon Prime Video series, The Grand Tour, which debuted to critical acclaim in 2016, reports The Express.
Their time on both shows has secured their status as British television legends, with their final special airing last year, showcasing adventures through Zimbabwe and Botswana. In an unexpected twist, fans will be delighted to hear that the trio is making a comeback to Top Gear this weekend.
BBC Two is set to air the iconic Botswana special from 2007 on Sunday, May 11, at 8pm, reigniting excitement among their dedicated followers. This development follows recent comments by James May regarding Clarkson’s exit from Top Gear, shared in a candid interview with The Telegraph.
May reflected on the incident, saying: “I thought it was very unfortunate, and I don’t actually think our Top Gear had to end because of it. I think it could have been patched up and put down to a bit of high stress and flightiness, to be honest.”
“It happened. It’s regrettable and it’s unfortunate, but it didn’t need to lead to the collapse of something very successful. Maybe these things are ordained and it was time for us to move on. We had been doing it by then for a decade, I think, more.
“And I never imagined it would last as long. I went into it from magazine journalism and I thought it would be a good laugh probably for a couple of years.”
In the same conversation, Richard Hammond shared his thoughts about the final day of filming for the BBC series. He confided: “The very last time I drove this road, on the way back from the very last studio record, I was a tear-soaked mess.
“It was a big moment, and I was driving a bronze Land Rover I still have now – I love that car – and it was low on diesel. But I was so tear-soaked I couldn’t stop to buy fuel, because it would have looked a bit odd, which mean I ran out when I got to the end of the M50 at home.”
