Jeremy Clarkson has shared his thoughts on a potential return of Top Gear, suggesting the show should pivot to consumer journalism for electric vehicles. The 66-year-old, who presented the programme from 2003 to 2015 alongside Richard Hammond and James May, said there is an opening for someone to review electric cars because 'no one really understands them'.
Speaking to The Times, Clarkson said: 'There is an opening for someone to review electrical cars because no one really understands them. I'm not going to watch it, but there are lots of people who do want to know about all these Chinese cars because it's all completely changing.' He added that the show should be a consumer programme, comparing it to 'What Car? magazine on television', calling such a move 'quite a ballsy thing to do'.
Top Gear was rested by the BBC in 2023 after presenter Freddie Flintoff's injuries. A BBC statement at the time said: 'We know resting the show will be disappointing news for fans, but it is the right thing to do.' A BBC Studios spokesperson later added: 'The Top Gear brand continues to thrive across digital, publishing and global formats. As a commercial producer, we're always exploring new ways to develop the brand and reach audiences.'
Clarkson's former co-host Richard Hammond also commented on the show's hiatus last year, telling the Oxford Mail: 'It's been off-air before. It's been on and off air for the last 40 odd years... Yes, it ended after Freddie's crash, and my reaction to that was, "Oh god, poor Freddie, that sounds awful". To the show being taken off air, the BBC has big-name shows that it rests, and then it brings back.'
