Jeremy Clarkson Fired

[Neon Ignition]

All the news sites are now breaking that the BBC has confirmed they have opted not to renew Clarksons contract, endig his career with the BBC and his presenting role of Top Gear.

Though the BBC is sure to push ahead with a new season of Top Gear in some form it does make it highly likely that the show is set for a downward spiral in viewing figures which will effectively mean the end of one of the beebs big three cash cows.

It would take some epic casting genius to keep the shows popularity up, especially should May and Hammond also walk considering their contracts are also up for renewal.

What would you do with Top Gear now?

[Soundwave]

This will be on SKY before we know it with all 3 of the usual crew on board.

I expect most channels to fight to get this on their channel.

It surely has to have one of the highest viewing figures across all channels & any of them would be daft to not try & sign it up

Neil

[Dogg Thang]

I'm sure Roy Chubby Brown could do with the work.

[Asura]

There's a rumour that Chris Evans may come across to replace him and head a new line-up. I think that'd work; Evans is a petrol-head and has presented variety shows before.

[Lebowski]

If Even's takes over then the shows dead he wont want to do anything to risky to avoid upsetting his radio 2 listeners, they need a complete prat, to keep the show going in its current format. I like the idea of Steve Coogan as Alan partridge doing it, or maybe just Steve Coogan he's enough of a prat to do well at it.

[VR46]

As James May & Hammonds contracts are also up at end of 2015 is inevitable all three will move somewhere together. Would have to be Sky I guess, Five has Fifth Gear and can't see ITV/C4 willing to pay the money Clarkson will want - if he can be arsed - get the impression he's made his money and fancies putting his feet up.

Show won't be the same without Clarkson, really don't think Chris Evans or Steve Coogan are the right people either.

[importaku]

Sucks for people who like the show as thanks to old pubeheads childlike behaviour everyone now misses out on it. But i'm pleased that he's been disciplined over it, hitting someone in a baby strop because you couldn't get any steak & chips is pathetic. If you hit anyone in your workplace you deserve to be fired.

I doubt Steve Coogan would want anything to do with the show considering it's racist jibes

http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2011/feb/05/top-gear-offensive-steve-coogan

[Dogg Thang]

He would be a great choice though. If Clarkson as a satirical performance then I'm sure a lot of people would be cool with it. It's the fact that he seems completely oblivious that's the problem.

If Alan Partridge stepped in, I'd watch it.

[VR46]

Seems Chris Evans has rules himself out already, but time will tell.

importaku, I love the show also, and yes the viewers will be the ones missing out, and the BBC bank balance of course. He was going to get sacked sooner or later, and the fact he reported the incident rather than the victim does make you wonder about his motive.

Just hope they don't get Jamiroquai involved in the show in a big way. Don't like him much either.

Fear the show could go the way of the foreign versions, ie painful and cringeworthy to watch.

[importaku]

Its going to be very interesting how the BBC deals with this now as thats a lot of viewers in the UK they are going to lose because of all this. Maybe they can have Bo selecta with a Jeremy mask on playing him as a pisstake character like he did with Mel B

[CMcK]

My prediction is Stephen Fry to replace Clarkson. Or maybe Nigel Farage if he doesn't get a seat in May. Channel 4 will get the Top Gear 3 back together with a new, albeit similar, show in 2015.

[Neon Ignition]

I think the trouble with a lot of the presses suggestions is they're thinking it has to be a big named car enthusiast celebrity. In reality much of the shows popularity is born out of the dynamic between the presenters, they need someone who is from a car reporting background and has the right interplay with the copresenters. It's easier to generate if the whole presenting crew is replaced as otherwise Clarksons shadow will loom too greatly.

But Fry, Coogan, Evans etc were all never likely to even consider such a gig so I was surprised to see the papers be so keen to buy into the idea. Same with other suggestions like Jodie Kidd, she can drive but she's far too dry.

They probably need an unknown with the expertise of an enthusiast but the wit of s comedian

[QualityChimp]

I used to like Top Gear, but I'm completely bored with it.

I think the thing that frustrates me is that all the items are completely faked, but they still expect us to think they're real.
I caught one on Dave the other month and James May was officiating a race between a pair of freerunners and a pair of motorcyclists to see who could make it to the top of the old BBC building first.
Throughout the "race", the cameras were always in the right place and captured all the exciting footage like the freerunners diving through a sheet of glass, uninjured.

So many of them are faked too from the airship caravan going off-course to extra sound effects like car honks when they cause traffic jams to gunshots on the American special. They've been doing it for years, all the way up to rescuing Hammond off a Canadian mountain.

Basically it's a sketch show and once you lose the novelty factor of it being real, it's just three overpaid, over-opinionated fops pratting about.

As for his firing, I know if anyone punched me, if I resisted punching them back, I'd expect them to face some sort of disciplinary. Especially if they were a manager. It's depressing to think people are rallying around to sign a petition for his reinstatement when there's a general election coming up they probably have no interest in. Priorities, people.

Somehow he's managed to create this persona where he's a man of the people, saying what he thinks because he's one of us. Nonsense. He's incredibly wealthy as he's the highest-paid presenter at the BBC, with all his rights for the show bought out and he's great chums with David Cameron and Rebekah Brookes.

If his show doesn't come back on Sky, he'll probably stand for election for UKIP because Nigel Farage loves him and he too has managed to create a man-of-the-people character that hates Europe and the wealthy, despite having a German wife whom he nepotistically employs and the get a wage of ?109k from the European Union.

As for his replacement, Viz did a brilliant cartoon where Roger Mellie replaced him, but he got sacked when he dropped his trousers and tried to shag a Ferrari. The final panel of the cartoon showed Clarkson returning to the job and then shagging the car in exactly the same manner as Mellie - "...but I'm not going to drive it, I'm going to shag it. Up the exhaust!"
Naturally, he doesn't get fired, the production crew stand around applauding him for for his ironic humour and how he's a broadcasting genius.

I can't find that comic strip, so have this one instead:

[wakka]

Glad they're getting rid of him - not sure why there was even a debate over it. I don't watch the show myself as I've never enjoyed the antics of those three.

[QualityChimp]

Actually, I think a guy called Tim Shaw would be brilliant for the job: