The controversy centering on the actions of Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson has clearly hit the brakes on the show’s muscle car momentum. But while his involuntary departure resulted in rippled effects that could sideline the show permanently, the BBC announced that they will, at the very least, release a new episode cobbled together from the last shoot to cap off the short-changed Season 22.
Check out the first of two trailers for the extended episode below!
As we can see, hosts Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond remain firmly competitive friends. The trio are seen in inappropriately suave suits, ready to race some budget-friendly junkers they acquired through a mud-mired countryside course with the serious consequence of making an after-dinner speech ready to be bestowed upon the loser. Yet, almost apropos to Clarkson’s status with the BBC, it seems that rough driving has broken his vehicle’s protective windshield, resulting in mounds of mud being flung in his face.
And now for trailer 2.
This second clip seems to highlight the ignominious end that the trio of hosts have in store for their budget acquisitions, as we see them rolling down a hill for a gravity-induced collision course. The episode’s collection of clips show footage taped just before the shoot was derailed by the incident in which Clarkson allegedly punched producer Oisin Tymon in the face over an apparent lack of hot dinners. The clips are full of the maniacal mayhem that car-obsessed fans of Top Gear have come to expect from the eccentric series, which should be a nice, poetic way to end the unavoidably abbreviated season.
However, as fun as the clips appear, depicting the humorous hosts in repertory rambunctious form, the signature car carnage depicted here could very well represent the last of this show for the trio. In a clear sign of solidarity, Clarkson’s two fellow hosts, May and Hammond, have apparently refused to continue shooting without their third man. In fact, the duo reportedly turned down a two-year offer to return that is said to be near £4 million. Thus, the overall future of Top Gear now remains in question, with the BBC tasked with the problematic possibility of moving forward with replacement hosts, whose reception could be unwelcome; especially considering that BBC director general Tony Hall has received death threats over Clarkson’s dismissal.
At the moment, there are rumblings that the Top Gear trio may be looking to tell the BBC where to stick their unheated dinners, with rumors suggesting that they are in talks with other outlets such as Netflix on which to showcase a new car series. That idea, however, is still very much hypothetical, as the drama over the initial incident continues to unfold. For now, this upcoming extended episode will have to satiate fans of Clarkson/May/Hammond road-based mayhem long enough for some kind of resolution.
Other than the vague promise of "soon," no official date has been announced for the episode’s airing in the U.K. on the BBC or, for that matter, in the U.S. on BBC America.
