Goodbye Downton, and perhaps goodbye Top Gear too. When family sagas run out of steam, they’re buried with Christmas specials. When the middle-aged joshing of saloon-bar white males takes a malevolent turn, the problem is replacing an old, honed cast with something fresh that doesn’t wreck the franchise.
Mission impossible. Hammond, May and the Rampaging Hulk were a team beyond formula. Recruiting a tribute band of brothers to fill their boots is a mug’s game. Better by far to find a new hit show and make new stars. The bell tolls at Clarkson Abbey.
