Jeremy Clarkson has shared what he calls the 'secret sauce' that made Top Gear a global ratings winner, a revelation the BBC may not appreciate as it prepares to reboot the show.
Writing in his column for The Sun, the 66-year-old former host said his weekly approach was simple: 'Every Monday morning, I'd arrive in the production office, sit down and think: "Right. What can I do this week to annoy the BBC?"' He added that the key to attracting viewers was 'making a show the BBC absolutely hates'.
Clarkson's advice for the reboot
Clarkson, who has consistently backed the show since leaving, earlier this year suggested rebooting the series to review electric cars. 'It will work if they do it right,' he explained. 'There is an opening for someone to review electric cars because no one really understands them.'
He told The Times: 'They should do it as a consumer programme, which would be quite a ballsy thing to do because no one wants to go back to the Seventies, like What Car? magazine on television.'
BBC confirms Top Gear's return
The BBC announced Top Gear's return at the Edinburgh TV Festival earlier this week. Ed Havard, the BBC's director of entertainment, told attendees: 'There has been a lot of speculation about this and we can confirm that Top Gear is coming back.'
Havard declined to address speculation that comedian Jimmy Carr and Traitors star Joe Marler were being lined up to present. 'Jimmy would be a great host, but I won't be discussing that today,' he said. 'We will have more information on Top Gear shortly.'
History of the show's hiatus
Top Gear was a BBC staple until 2022, when host Freddie Flintoff was involved in a serious accident. The former cricketer suffered serious facial and rib injuries described by his legal team as 'life-changing'. Flintoff reached a settlement reportedly worth £9 million with the BBC, which apologised and launched a health and safety review.
The decision was made to 'rest' Top Gear, with the BBC saying at the time: 'We know resting the show will be disappointing news for fans, but it is the right thing to do.' Clarkson concluded: 'I wish them well with the project and will even tell them about the secret sauce I used to make the show a ratings winner around the world.'
