With less than a week to go until his final appearance on the BBC's hit motoring show 'Top Gear', ousted presenter Jeremy Clarkson has confirmed that he will return to TV with a new automotive show during an interview with the Sunday Times. Clarkson will be joined at his new program by his long time co presenters James May and Richard Hammond, who turned down lucrative contract extensions from the BBC in order to come aboard.
The interview mentioned that an official announcement is set to be made in the next couple of weeks. No mention was made of what TV network has secured the Top Gear trio's services or if the new show will be aired on TV at all.
Earlier this month, The Daily Mirror reported that Clarkson, along with May, Hammond, and Top Gear producer Andy Wilman, were in advanced discussions with American streaming giant Netflix about possibly taking their new program to the internet.
"The three pals have actually been in talks with several media outlets - including ITV - but the source claimed the American outlet, whose hit shows include House of Cards, was now the favoured option."
The Sunday Times says the trio's new show will air sometime after March of next year.
Clarkson's 30 year tenure at the BBC motoring show came crashing to a halt in March of this year after the host got into a physical altercation with one of the show's producers. May and Hammond, whose contracts were up for renewal in April, elected to leave show as well. The BBC recently announced that radio 1 DJ Chris Evans, will be the show's new presenter when it returns for a 23rd season later this year.
The upcoming episode of Top Gear was made with footage of Clarkson already shot but not yet aired and will serve as a send-off for the three hosts who turned the show into a global phenomenon that rakes in nearly 350 million viewers weekly.
