‘Lost’ episodes of ‘Top Gear’ from the most recent series of the BBC show will be screened “within weeks”, after Richard Hammond and James May finished recording incomplete footage in secret, according to reports.
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Filming on the most recent series of ‘Top Gear’ was brought to a halt when Jeremy Clarkson was suspended from the show, following a “fracas” with a producer, which eventually led to him being sacked completely.
As well as links featuring Richard and James, footage recorded before Jeremy’s altercation will also be included in the two ‘Top Gear’ specials, which are set to air this summer.
Richard Hammond, Jeremy Clarkson and James May
An insider tells The Mirror: “Clearly, Clarkson’s absence was referenced but he was not there - not even as a cardboard cut-out.
"The films will be the last chance fans have to see him on ‘Top Gear’ for a long time, possibly forever. It is ‘end of an era’ stuff.”
Earlier this week, it was reported that the BBC were willing to bump up both Richard and James’s pay packets, in an attempt to stop them walking away from ‘Top Gear’, following Jeremy’s departure.
However, they’ve both said previously that they weren’t planning to return to the show, and rumours have since been circulating about whether the presenting trio were in talks with other networks about a new show altogether.
The BBC have also insisted that this isn’t the end for ‘Top Gear’, with Philip Glenister, Jodie Kidd and Will Mellor among the big names rumoured to be on producers’ wish lists for a revamped version of the show.