{"id":3087,"date":"2025-03-25T12:56:07","date_gmt":"2025-03-25T13:56:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pilotshopworld.com\/?p=3087"},"modified":"2025-03-26T18:44:14","modified_gmt":"2025-03-26T18:44:14","slug":"10-years-after-jeremy-clarkson-punched-top-gear-producer-his-career-has-never-been-brighter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/pilotshopworld.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/25\/10-years-after-jeremy-clarkson-punched-top-gear-producer-his-career-has-never-been-brighter\/","title":{"rendered":"10 years after Jeremy Clarkson punched Top Gear producer his career has never been brighter"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\"Jeremy\t<\/div>
It’s been a decade since his dramatic exit from the BBC series (Picture: Rex Features\/BBC\/Amazon Prime Video)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A decade ago, some might have thought that Jeremy Clarkson<\/a>\u2019s career was well and truly over.<\/p>\n

The man widely regarded as one of Britain\u2019s most controversial TV stars seemed to seal his fate when he literally punched a Top Gear<\/a> producer in a highly-publicised clash.<\/p>\n

Yet 10 years later, his career is still going strong. Even more than that \u2013 it seems to be brighter than ever before.<\/p>\n

Who knew that it was possible to salvage a besmirched reputation after walloping a colleague square in the face?<\/p>\n

It was the year 2015. The revival of Top Gear had been on the air for 13 years and soared to stratospheric heights of success.<\/p>\n

In its heyday, it was crowned the most widely-watched factual TV programme in the 2013 Guinness World Records, with 350 million people tuning in from 250 countries across the globe to become the BBC\u2019s most exported programme ever.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"Mandatory\t<\/div>
Top Gear became a British insitution in itself (Picture: Marbella Photo\/Rex\/Shutterstock)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Making Top Gear wasn\u2019t always a smooth ride. The series received criticism over the years for incidents deemed highly offensive, such as the mockery of different cultures on the show, including complaints of racism over the programme\u2019s Burma special.<\/p>\n

However, it remained an enormous success for that 13-year stint, becoming a linchpin of British TV culture despite the controversies it faced.<\/p>\n

Aside from its impressive ratings, over the years Top Gear was recognised with multiple high-profile awards, including National Television Awards and Bafta nominations, while it was also hailed the best TV show of the decade in a 2009 Channel 4 survey.<\/p>\n

And then, everything came crashing down in 2015 when Clarkson became embroiled in a \u2018fracas\u2019 with Top Gear producer Oisin Tymon.<\/p>\n

The BBC initially released a statement<\/a> on March 10 that year announcing that the now-64-year-old had been \u2018suspended pending an investigation\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u2018No-one else has been suspended. Top Gear will not be broadcast this Sunday. The BBC will be making no further comment at this time,\u2019 the statement read.<\/p>\n

It was the beginning of the end. Or so fans might have thought.<\/p>\n

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class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder\">\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-headline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder\">\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-headline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder\">\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-headline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder\">\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"metro-related-video-carousel__related-video-placeholder-headline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t\t\twindow.addEventListener(‘metroVideo:relatedVideosCarouselLoaded’, function(data) {<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tif (typeof(data.detail) === ‘undefined’ || typeof(data.detail.carousel) === ‘undefined’ || typeof(data.detail.carousel.el_) === ‘undefined’) {<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\treturn;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t}<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tvar player = data.detail.carousel.el_;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tvar container = player.closest(‘.metro-video-player’);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tvar placeholder = container.querySelector(‘.metro-video-player__up-next-placeholder’);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tcontainer.removeChild(placeholder);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tcontainer.classList.add(‘metro-video-player–related-videos-loaded’);<br \/>\n\t\t\t});<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Two weeks later, it was confirmed on March 25 that Clarkson had been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/entertainment-arts-32052736\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">officially dropped<\/a> from Top Gear, despite more than 500,000 people signing a petition to have him reinstated.<\/p>\n<p>An internal investigation conducted by Ken McQuarrie, the director of BBC Scotland, found that Tymon had been the victim of an \u2018unprovoked physical and verbal attack\u2019, which resulted \u2018in swelling and bleeding to his lip\u2019 after he was hit.<\/p>\n<p>The broadcaster\u2019s then-director general Tony Hall stressed that a \u2018line had been crossed\u2019, leading to Clarkson being sacked.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018There cannot be one rule for one and one rule for another dictated by either rank, or public relations and commercial considerations,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018This decision should in no way detract from the extraordinary contribution that Jeremy Clarkson has made to the BBC. I have always personally been a great fan of his work and Top Gear.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>A year later, Clarkson issued a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/entertainment-arts-35648682\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">public apology to Tymon<\/a>, stating: \u2018I would like to say sorry, once again, to Oisin Tymon for the incident and its regrettable aftermath,\u2019 after reaching a settlement agreement of \u00a3100,000 for the producer, which both the presenter and the BBC contributed towards.<\/p>\n<p>Clarkson\u2019s departure from Top Gear didn\u2019t just mark the exit of one presenter. He was followed by his co-stars Richard Hammond, James May and producer Andy Wilman, marking the true end of an era for British television.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"435\" src=\"http:\/\/pilotshopworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/SEI_245085351-0d23.jpg\" class=\"article-image wp-image-22787573\" alt=\"Mandatory Credit: Photo by REX\/Shutterstock (677162d) Jeremy Clarkson off the beach in Dover, with engine problems - Top Gear presenters James May, Richard Hammond and Jeremy Clarkson attempted to sail the Channel in three cars. The three vehicles involved were a VW Camper van, a Triumph Herald and a Nissan with a motor . Unfortunately, two of the three vehicles sank shortly after leaving Dover, but the Nissan made it across, accompanied by a coastguard. The episode of Top Gear is due to be shown in the Autumn 'Top Gear' presenters attempt to sail the Channel in three cars, Dover, Kent, Britain - 19 Jul 2007\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t<\/div><figcaption>Top Gear survived after the trio’s exit with new presenters (Picture: Rex Features\/Shutterstock)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Top Gear, however, did not end. A few months later, it was announced that radio presenter Chris Evans would be taking over as one of the new hosts, alongside Friends actor Matt LeBlanc and other stars including motoring journalist Chris Harris.<\/p>\n<p>Ratings drastically plummeted with Evans at the helm. In July 2016, the final episode of the Top Gear series that aired brought in a mere average 1.9m viewers with 2.4m at its peak \u2013 a far cry from its past success.<\/p>\n<p>By 2018, cricketing legend Freddie Flintoff had entered the fold along with Take Me Out host Paddy McGuinness as they joined Harris in a new iteration of the show that lasted until 2022, when Flintoff was involved in an extremely serious car accident.<\/p>\n<p>The new era of Flintoff, McGuinness and Harris felt like a fresh start for Top Gear, when some had feared that it would never recover from the exodus of the former trio and from the poor ratings that Evans\u2019 tenure brought in.<\/p>\n<p>As for Clarkson, he did not rest on his laurels by any means.<\/p>\n<p>In 2016, he, Hammond and May reunited for a project that saw a plethora of Top Gear fans switch over from the BBC to Amazon Prime Video \u2013 the launch of The Grand Tour.<\/p>\n<p>Their venture was described in The Standard as \u2018one of the biggest coups in TV history\u2019, and one that propelled the streaming platform to new heights when competing with linear TV broadcasters.<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.standard.co.uk\/news\/celebritynews\/amazon-sign-top-gears-jeremy-clarkson-richard-hammond-and-james-may-for-new-show-10426102.html\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/www.standard.co.uk\/news\/celebritynews\/amazon-sign-top-gears-jeremy-clarkson-richard-hammond-and-james-may-for-new-show-10426102.html<\/a><\/p>\n<p>It was claimed that the deal for three series of The Grand Tour cost Amazon a sensational \u00a3160m. An amount that has certainly been worth the cost in the years since.<\/p>\n<p>At the time, Jay Marine, the vice president of Amazon Prime Video in Europe, said: \u2018This is a golden age of television, a great time for TV makers and storytellers. Our approach is to give programme makers creative freedom to be innovative and make the shows they want to make.\u2019<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"364\" src=\"http:\/\/pilotshopworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/SEI_245085482-dbe7.jpg\" class=\"article-image wp-image-22787565\" alt=\"No Merchandising. Editorial Use Only. No Book Cover Usage. Mandatory Credit: Photo by Amazon\/Everett\/REX\/Shutterstock (14213993a) THE GRAND TOUR PRESENTS, from left: co-hosts James May, Richard Hammond, Jeremy Clarkson, 'Carnage a Trois', (Season 4, ep. 404, aired in the US on Dec. 17, 2021). photo: ?Amazon \/ Courtesy Everett Collection Everett Collection - 17 Dec 2021\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t<\/div><figcaption>Amazon made a huge investment with The Grand Tour \u2013 but it paid off (Picture: Amazon\/Everett\/Rex Features\/Shutterstock)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Some might have assumed that The Grand Tour could in no way compete with Top Gear., despite the enormous financial backing that Amazon injected into the show. But following a similar format to their old series (under certain legal limitations so as to not infringe on the BBC\u2019s copyright), their success once again reached new heights.<\/p>\n<p>Across an eight-year period, it became one of the most-viewed shows ever on the streaming platform.<\/p>\n<p>And then of course, Clarkson also gained a new legion of fans in the pastoral community with the premiere of the mega hit Clarkson\u2019s Farm in 2021, which is due to return with season four this May after already being renewed for a fifth outing.<\/p>\n<p>Following the release of the third outing in May last year, it was reported that 3.7million people had watched the opening episode of the new season overnight, with more than three million reaching episode two, 2.5m watching the third and just over two million watching the fourth and final instalment.<\/p>\n<p>He originally purchased the land for his farm in 2008, but took over trying to run it himself from 2019, when it was renamed Diddly Squat Farm.<\/p>\n<p>His venture spawned a shop, as well as a pub that opened in August last year called The Farmer\u2019s Dog.<\/p>\n<p>Clarkson has spoken candidly in recent months about the <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/01\/25\/jeremy-clarkson-dealt-another-blow-suffering-multiple-disasters-1-000-000-pub-22432339\/\">\u2018disasters\u2019 the pub has faced<\/a>, having reportedly spent a hefty \u00a31,000,000 on the business.<\/p>\n<p>But that doesn\u2019t mean to say that he is no longer a success in his career overall. On the contrary \u2013 his popularity has seemingly never waned, currently boasting close to nine million followers on Instagram.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"430\" src=\"http:\/\/pilotshopworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/SEI_230041652-ee93.jpg\" class=\"article-image wp-image-22692483\" alt=\"Clarkson's Farm Jeremy Clarkson and Kaleb\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\t<\/div><figcaption>Clarkson’s farming venture has been another huge success for him (Picture: Amazon Prime Video)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In December 2022, he sparked an uproar for a vile column that he wrote about Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, which included comments deemed <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2023\/06\/30\/jeremy-clarkson-meghan-markle-article-sexist-ispo-ruling-says-19045916\/\">\u2018pejorative and prejudicial\u2019 by Ipso<\/a> in a landmark ruling several months later after a record number of complaints.<\/p>\n<p>Following the backlash, Clarkson apologised for the column written in The Sun, describing the language he\u2019d used as \u2018disgraceful\u2019 and saying that he was \u2018profoundly sorry\u2019 towards Meghan and Prince Harry.<\/p>\n<p>It was claimed in January 2023 that following his apology, <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2023\/01\/17\/jeremy-clarkson-event-cancelled-after-harry-and-meghan-address-apology-18112958\/\">Amazon was not going to work with Clarkson<\/a> beyond the seasons of The Grand Tour and Clarkson\u2019s Farm that had already been commissioned at that time.<\/p>\n<p>But then, just four months ago in November 2024, it was announced that Clarkson\u2019s Farm had been renewed for its fifth season. So clearly, this was not the case.<\/p>\n<p>The Grand Tour might be over, but the brand of \u2018Jeremy Clarkson\u2019 is not fading into obscurity any time soon.<\/p>\n<p>Clarkson\u2019s Farm is still a roaring success, while the presenter has also proven a massive hit as the host of ITV\u2019s Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, which made a massive return in 2018 with an average of 5m viewers tuning in to the premiere.<\/p>\n<p>So 10 years after Clarkson punched his way to a firing on Top Gear, it\u2019s surely no understatement to say that his career has not suffered. And given all that\u2019s transpired since, it\u2019s doubtful that it ever will.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Got a story?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">If you\u2019ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\">Metro.co.uk<\/a> entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/submit-stuff\/\">Submit Stuff<\/a> page – we\u2019d love to hear from you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It’s been a decade since his dramatic exit from the BBC series (Picture: Rex Features\/BBC\/Amazon Prime Video) A decade ago, some might have thought that Jeremy Clarkson\u2019s career was well<\/p>\n<p class=\"more-link\"><a href=\"http:\/\/pilotshopworld.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/25\/10-years-after-jeremy-clarkson-punched-top-gear-producer-his-career-has-never-been-brighter\/\" class=\"readmore\">Continue reading<svg class=\"icon icon-arrow-right\" aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"img\"> <use href=\"#icon-arrow-right\" xlink:href=\"#icon-arrow-right\"><\/use> <\/svg><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">10 years after Jeremy Clarkson punched Top Gear producer his career has never been brighter<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3089,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[10],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/pilotshopworld.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3087"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/pilotshopworld.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/pilotshopworld.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/pilotshopworld.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/pilotshopworld.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3087"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/pilotshopworld.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3087\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3095,"href":"http:\/\/pilotshopworld.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3087\/revisions\/3095"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/pilotshopworld.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3089"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/pilotshopworld.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3087"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/pilotshopworld.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3087"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/pilotshopworld.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3087"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}