Top Gear is something of a British institution. I say 'something' of an institution, because it's been around in two forms, and because there are a lot of institutions in the UK. Nevertheless, the degree of its institutionality in this globalised world is confirmed by its popularity overseas. Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May have formed the most popular trio of British men since Emerson, Lake & Palmer.
There's only one problem: Jeremy Clarkson has been sacked. I'm sure, if you're reading this, you are very much aware of Clarkson's sacking following a 'fracas' involving him and a producer. It was the latest in a string of offences, some more valid than others, and appears to have been the last straw for the BBC, despite his personal popularity.
I'm not sure his past indiscretions are all that important in their decision, for the simple fact that he (allegedly) physically assaulted a crew member. Such behaviour really isn't acceptable. Would he have been sacked seven years ago? Possibly not, but that seems more a reflection of the BBC at the time than anything. The revelation that Clarkson himself reported the 'fracas' suggests that he himself believed it needed to be reported.
The fact that it happened in the first place may well be a reflection that he was feeling increasingly burdened by the dual behemoths of one of the world's most watched programmes, and one of the world's biggest media organisations. There is reason to believe that the kind of situation Clarkson was involved in before the incident is becoming quite regular at the Beeb, and Clarkson himself had suggested that a time comes when you 'wave goodbye to the big monsters' like him in a column for The Sun.
Can you have Top Gear without Clarkson? Well, you can certainly have a show called 'Top Gear' without him, as it did exist before he came into the picture, but the current version of the show is more or less his baby. Furthermore, it seems incredibly unlikely that both Hammond and May would be willing to go on without him. So, while the BBC may well continue to use the Top Gear name, it will not be the same show. And this may well be a good thing. Bringing in an entirely new team may be just the thing the show needs to go for another twenty seasons.
Meanwhile, the three hosts are still doing their Top Gear Live shows...without calling it Top Gear. It will be instead be given the unwieldy title of 'Clarkson, Hammond and May Live', and will contain not a speck of BBC branding. This may well reflect the future for the three, as they could comfortably go anywhere they wanted to, and do whatever they wanted to. The success of Top Gear has been due in no small part to the team the three of them make.
There's nothing especially, shall we say, 'BBC' about them. Top Gear has been called a 'bastion of heterosexual masculinity', and is gleefully adolescent. They don't want to be politically correct, they don't want to be sensible, they just want to have a bit of fun. This doesn't stop it from being relatively popular amongst females - while more men watch, about 40% of viewers are female. This raises all kinds of questions about the approach of modern media organisations towards gender, which probably deserve and get their own pages of words written about them, but it's worth simply suggesting that there is nothing wrong with these kinds of shows. Any well made form of media will appeal beyond its initial or expected target audience.
Nonetheless, it seems unlikely the BBC, for internal reasons as much as anything, will try the same formula again. It will be interesting to see what they do instead.
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