Apologies if this has been done in the ‘Clarkson Suspended’ thread but at 30+ pages it’s got a bit unwieldy and cluttered now.

We’ve yet to find out if James May and Richard Hammond will be staying for 2016 but if JC decided to take a bit of time off TV they would be well placed to negotiate more lucrative packages even short term to aid a transition to new presenters. In the past they’ve been reported to have grumbled that JC was paid far more.
In the absence of JC I would also expect the BBC to pay for top scripters.

Here are a few potential replacement presenters that spring to my mind:

Suzi Perry, reportedly turned down the opportunity to be part of the team back when the modern format started. She has quite a following but I haven’t seen enough of her work myself to judge.

Vicki Butler-Henderson. I found her quite watchable on old Top Gear and I believe she’s known to Richard and James. I wasn’t drawn enough to ever watch much of Fifth Gear though.

Sabine Schmitz. Well known to the team, plenty of experience on German TV. Writers could make much of the male-female and Anglo-German rivalry.

Tiff Needell. Known to the team and has guested but is he a big enough character to fill the gap?

Steve Parrish. Truck racer and former motorcycle racer and with a history of elaborate practical jokes and laddish behaviour. Maybe a bit of an outsider but could fit the role?

PS. Top Gear haters, this thread is not for you so please don’t clutter it with your negativity

I think the idea of Kevin Bridges for the the comedy

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/entertainment/celebrity/look-no-further-boays-kevin-5404109

and Guy Martin for the geekery would be a great combo! 😆

If we’re going with an ex-presenter theme then my money’s on Angela Rippon. I think she’d step into JC’s shoes perfectly. Or Chris Goffey.

Chris Evans keeps being suggested.

I can see Sabine Schmitz doing it

How about Mark Webber?

Do keep up:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2865123/One-Direction-fans-panic-Zayn-Malik-quit-band-Niall-Horan-shares-group-shot-without-pop-hunk.html

The three are a package and the remaining two have contracts coming to an end. Can’t see them staying.

Doubt the programme will survive, certainly not in the current format.

Piers Morgan.

downshep – Member
certainly not in the current format.

No a bad thing, I like top gear, but it’s been tired for a while.

outspoke, bigoted, loves controversy…

Can’t they just play Dave repeats for a while? Not sure anyone would notice.

It is a bit like Dr Who isn’t it. Why can’t we have a black person ? or woman ? Or gay person ? They all drive cars too you know. And if you buy into the whole time traveller who regenenerates thing, why is it such a leap that Dr Who comes out a woman ?

Has anybody mentioned they like Top Gear but its been tired for awhile, yet?

I believe there was a petition to have Alan Partridge do it, which would definitely have had me watching it again.

Or Kaesae off here, (sorry if I spelt it incorrectly) that’d be entertaining.

I think Chris Harris has got it about right;
http://jalopnik.com/how-top-gear-made-us-all-care-about-cars-1688464737

Dom Jolly.

Drac – Moderator
Has anybody mentioned they like Top Gear but its been tired for awhile, yet?

I don’t believe they have! 😆 but now you mention it…

STW’s favourite man crush

Guy Martin

I wouldn’t be surprised if they all move to an online only subscription channel.

Stuff like Amazon Prime are crying out for exclusive TV shows with a wide appeal to get people to use the online subscription services. They’d pay a fortune.

You’d need to pretty much rebrand and relaunch the show and start from scratch. May and Hammond although perfectly capable presenters in their own rights and able to carry their own shows are on TG as foils to Clarkson’s persona. Its their job to be right so that Clarkson can claim to be right then proven to be wrong. Most of the set up of the show revolves around that, it would be bogus to put anyone else in that role but the show also doesn’t function without someone doing that

I’d speculate that whoever you replaced JC with, one or both of the others would have to go and be replaced to get the correct mix of three idiots (meant in a nice way).

A fresh start is long overdue and just as ‘new’ top gear was nothing like ‘old’ top gear, post clarkson TG needs to be a complete start from scratch. Not consumer journalism, not buffoonery filmed with fancy filters, something else that hasn’t been done yet.

It is a bit like Dr Who isn’t it. Why can’t we have a black person ? or woman ? Or gay person ? They all drive cars too you know.

Maybe Russel Davis work the same magic on TG that he did on Dr Who – maybe relocate from an Aerodrome in the home counties to Canal Street. 🙂

Dame Edna Everidge …. “HELLO POSSUMMSSS”

Noel Gallagher

Or maybe Bez

Or maybe Bez

Now we’re onto something

Dominic Diamond. Anyone who doubts this, never saw his cookery show.

I didn’t see his cookery show – what did I miss?

Dominic Diamond being a ****.

Terry Christian?

What about that Jody whatserface that wears huge amounts of make-up and does body building. Try and pull in the skeevy slapper demographic.

Adam Hart-Davis.

you heard it here first!

I’m not sure about Guy Martin. From what I’ve seen he appears to work best solo and having read his book I think he’d hate the exposure. Does like fast cars though.

The guy who plays the boss in the IT Crowd, but only in that character

Same presenters different channel I reckon.

I think the BBC will play it safe- Clare Balding, Shami Chakrabarti, Graham Norton. Lovely safe trio for Sunday night.

Dominic Diamond being a ****.

Perhaps its time for the BBC to do its Nations and Regions thing and move TG to Pacific Quay. Whenever I’m there Alan Yentob is just stepping out of lift – I mean like every time, its like Groundhog Day. So he’s obviously available.

so Alan Yentob, Dominic Diamond and the lassie who present the regional news on Breakfast and always starts with a cheery ‘hulloooo’. Then the same ‘TV Bronze’ production team that make ‘The Adventure Show’ so achingly dull to watch just to be sure the programme never makes it to network.

The guy who plays the boss in the IT Crowd, but only in that character

Matt Berry. That would be hilarious 🙂

Ant & Dec in the Hammond/May roles and Ross Noble in place of Clarkson.

Actually, Ross Noble with any 2 random co-presenters and I would watch it 🙂

Knowing the BBC, Poly Toynbee is more than likely.

buy in Quentin Willson & Jodie Kidd from The Classic Car Show – the “chemistry” these two have is almost as cringey as that of the Top Gear asshats.
they could keep Hammond the Sycophantic Whelk and just let May the Comatosed Labrador do cameos.

Jodi Kidd is a bit of a petrol head.

Kevin Bridges and Guy Martin sounded pretty good…