Former 'Top Gear' host Jeremy Clarkson admitted that being dropped from the show "was my own silly fault." He also noted that the rumored plans to pitch a new car show dubbed 'House of Cars' to Netflix and other interested broadcasters are simply non-existent, so Clarkson's fans will have to wait for any release date of a 'Top Gear' replacement, or they can begin following Clarkson's global live show tour in Belfast, Northern Ireland on Friday
In an exclusive interview Thursday with Chris Evans of BBC Radio 2, 55-year-old Clarkson talked about his relationship with the British Broadcasting Corp., which decided not to renew his contract after he attacked a producer in March. He admitted to his role in the fracas that led to the sudden end of "Top Gear" after 22 series.
"It was my own silly fault, but I can hardly complain," Clarkson said.
Clarkson referred to "Top Gear" as his "baby," adding that he was "very sad" to leave the show after working for 27 years at the BBC.
"It was very much my baby, I absolutely adored it and I worked all the time on it, I worked all through the night on it," Clarkson said. "I paid attention to every tiny bit of it. Then suddenly, you're not asked to do that anymore ... I was very sad."
Clarkson felt that being let go from Top Gear left a "big hole" that he needed to fill. Evans then asked him about what he thought about leaving Top Gear versus the BBC.
"Equal, actually, because I like the BBC," Clarkson said. "There are some dreadful people in it, but there are also some really talented, brilliant people. I will never complain about it."
According to a report on Sky News, Clarkson indicated that he "would never say anything bad about the BBC." He also talked about life as an unemployed person.
"Being unemployed, you get busier, weirdly, than if you actually have a job," Clarkson said. "My [tennis] forehand has been improving immeasurably."
Evans told Clarkson that the live tour was now called the "Clarkson, Hammond & May Live Tour" after the BBC removed all "Top Gear" branding. He asked Clarkson on how the live shows would play out.
"I think it will be good fun," Clarkson quipped. "We've made some good films for this. We're able to make our own films now with no [BBC] meddling. Then there's obviously the parade of supercars."
Clarkson added that he, Richard Hammond and James May would be doing the same things they used to do under "Top Gear," except under a different brand.
"We'd have been doing this anyway," Clarkson said. "It's just that the name has changed."
According to a report in The Week, the former "Top Gear" hosts will begin their global live show tour in Belfast, Northern Ireland on Friday. Organizers have indicated that the 90-minute "action packed" extravaganza would include "never before seen sequences, as well as all of the supercars, stunts, explosions, tire smoke and irreverent humor you'd expect from the three biggest car presenters on the planet."
"The spectacular will also feature the return of the 'Cage of Death,' a small metal sphere filled with up to seven daredevil motorcycle riders," The Week wrote.
Clarkson indicated to Evans that the hosts have received offers from rival broadcasters, although he did not specify who reached out to them. However, he stated that they would take their time planning their next move.
"I have been at the BBC for 27 years," Clarkson said. "When you emerge after 27 years, you find the world is changed. When you learn how the world works, you can start to work out what to do. In the meantime, I'm just getting good at tennis."
Clarkson added that Hammond and May would probably "say the same thing" about their futures.
"I've just been listening," Clarkson said when Evans asked him about his future. "Talking would involve me saying something. I haven't had a single meeting [with broadcasters]."
He then elaborated on why his answers appeared to be somewhat evasive to Evans.
"It was very sudden. You'd be a fool to just jump into something," Clarkson quipped. "You have to look at what's out there and what's the best thing to do."
"Well I tried, everybody! I really tried," Evans quipped in his failure to get Clarkson to elaborate further on his future plans.
However, Clarkson reassured listeners that the remaining three episodes in the latest series of "Top Gear" that failed to air back in March are "currently being edited."
"They are being edited," Clarkson said. "Andy Wilman, the [executive] producer of this show, is actually in the edit [room] now doing them. They will get shown at some point, but it will be through someone else."
Clarkson noted that the remaining segments in production involved "cheap 4x4s" and "old classic cars." He stated that they would air eventually because the BBC is funded by license fees paid by the British people.
"Those two films are presently being edited," Clarkson said to the listeners. "They do belong to the license fee payer, so they should be shown. You paid for them, so you should get to see them if that's what you want. For those who do like it, there will be one last hurrah."
