Clarkson leads Top Gear team to Amazon for new show

While ostensibly about cars, “Top Gear” was actually a playground for hosts Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond, in which they got to do any silly, ridiculous or insanely risky thing (like turning cars into boats and crossing the English Channel, or building a space shuttle from a three-wheeled Robin Reliant) that the hosts or the show’s producers dreamed up. Clarkson reported himself to BBC management after admitting to shouting at and hitting Oisin Tymon, giving him a bleeding lip for which the producer sought hospital treatment.

Amazon said the first show will go into production shortly and will air on Amazon Prime in 2016.It has not yet revealed the name of the upcoming show. May added: “We have become part of the new age of smart TV”. “I can’t tell you how good it feels to get the chance to produce something from scratch”.

The deal between Amazon and former Top Gear presenters pits them for three year contract. Clarkson is reuniting with Richard Hammond and James May for the show.

“Millions of Prime members are already enjoying our ground-breaking original shows”.

The new show could strengthen Amazon’s hand in the increasingly competitive market.

It is not clear whether the new Clarkson show will be made available to viewers week by week – similar to Amazon’s British drama Ripper Street – or in a cache of shows which can be watched back-to-back, as was the case with Transparent. That Clarkson has chosen a streaming TV service like Amazon Prime to launch his comeback says a great deal about the latter’s ambitions and willingness to spend (Clarkson’s wages alone are notoriously steep), as well as the changing perceptions held by TV talent about non-traditional broadcast options.

Chris Evans has been unveiled as the man trusted with reinventing the show for the BBC and he will reportedly be joined by Formula One driver Jenson Button as co-host.