close
close

Andy Wilman from “The Grand Tour” argued with the BBC about the presenters of “Top Gear”

Andy Wilman has reflected on the turmoil in the weeks after Jeremy Clarkson Top equipment producer and was fired from the BBC.

The BBC fell into crisis in 2015 when the Top equipment “fracas” paved the way for Clarkson and his co-hosts Richard Hammond and James May to join Amazon Prime Video to The big tour. Wilman, then Top Gear The executive producer also changed.

Speaking at the Edinburgh TV Festival, the executive producer said he had had to “fight” the BBC to keep the trio of presenters together. The British broadcaster struggled to sign Hammond and May, with former creative director Alan Yentob playing a key role in the talks.

“We fought against the BBC and they wanted to keep Richard and James so we split up. They took a big step for them. Fair dos [they were like]”We don't want you four to run off and do another show,” Wilman said. “There were a lot of emotions. Both sides were pretty stupid, so I'm not saying we were great. But we stayed together.”

The Top equipment Former producers held talks with ITV and Sky, but it was clear that funding would be a problem. “Amazon got in touch and we started talking to Amazon and we liked the conversation, especially the one about money,” joked Wilman.

The team produced three complete seasons of The big tourto travel around the world with a tent. They then moved on to special episodes, the highlight of which was their trip The big tour: One for the road on September 13. Wilman said Clarkson, Hammond and May's final episode will be a stripped-down, “weepy” affair, with the trio reflecting on 22 years of working together.

“Not much is happening, I would say. Anyone who thinks they will get Avengers: Endgame will be disappointed because it's intentionally soft. But their camaraderie is on a whole new level,” he said. “They say goodbye better than any presenter ever could because they're so close. They can poke fun at each other and then be emotional too. It's pretty sentimental.”

You may also like...