Top Gear co-creator and producer Andy Wilman has revealed BBC execs had a meeting where they debated whether they should sack one of the ‘white, middle-class, middle-aged’ hosts

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Top Gear producer claims BBC felt presenter line-up was too white and wanted to sack one host(Image: BBC)

At the peak of Top Gear’s success producer Andy Wilman has claimed the BBC wanted to axe one of the former three hosts stating they needed more diversity. Richard Hammond, Jeremy Clarkson and James May fronted the revamped version of the show from 2002 to 2015.

Clarkson had previously presented Top Gear between 1988 and 1999, before rejoining alongside Hammond and Jason Dawe. Dawe left after the first season in 2003, and was replaced by James May.

Andy, who was a co-creator of Top Gear, and a childhood friend of Clarkson, has claimed he was invited to a meeting with BBC bosses. where execs told him that Top Gear and begun to pull in young Black and Asian viewers, adding they suggested they reflect the new viewership in the hosting team.

In his new book, titled Mr Wilman’s Motoring Adventure, the producer, who also worked on Amazon’s The Grand Tour, explains how he was asked by a TV exec: “So, how about replacing one of your line-up with a young . . . black or Asian presenter.”

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James May, Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond worked together on Top Gear(Image: PA)

In the extracts, obtained by the Sun, Andy recalled his reply was: “So hang on, you’ve got young black and Asian viewers who have chosen, seemingly quite happily, to watch three white, middle-class, middle-aged men doing what they do, and in response to that, we should now break that team up — the one they enjoy watching — and give them something they’re most likely not asking for?

He says he asked them: “Isn’t that sort of patronising to . . . young black and Asian viewers?” The Mirror has contacted the BBC for comment.

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Andy Wilman worked with Jeremy Clarkson and has known him since school(Image: PA)

Jeremy Clarkson ended up being fired from his role on the show in 2015, following claims of a violent outburst and subsequent investigation into his conduct. He allegedly got into an altercation with Top Gear producer Oisin Tymon at a Yorkshire hotel, which was said to have kicked off because no hot food was provided after a day’s filming.

Clarkson reported himself to BBC bosses, and Tymon didn’t lodge a formal complaint When the decision was made to fire Clarkson, Tymon said in a statement: “I’ve worked on Top Gear for almost a decade, a programme I love. Over that time Jeremy and I had a positive and successful working relationship, making some landmark projects together. He is a unique talent and I am well aware that many will be sorry his involvement in the show should end in this way.”

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The three hosts went on to front The Grand Tour between 2016 and 2024(Image: PA)

Chris Evans took over as show host from 2016-2019 and was joined by Matt LeBlanc, but after a negative reaction from viewers, Chris left and Matt shared presenting duties with Chris Harris and Rory Reid. The final line-up comprised of Chris, Freddie Flintoff and Paddy McGuinness. But following Freddie’s serious accident, in 2023 the BBC retired Top Gear.

At the time the BBC said there would be “more to say in the near future”, nothing has ever been released. Clarkson admitted it would be “very sad” if Top Gear never came back.

Speaking to the Times, he said: “It would be sad if it never came back, that would be very sad. There’s room for a car programme at the moment because cars are changing so fast and electrical cars are coming along and nobody really understands what’s a good one and what isn’t.”