Jeremy Clarkson has been tipped to make a sensational return as host of BBC motoring show Top Gear, according to new odds.
The TV presenter-turned-farmer-turned publican, 65, was a firm fixture of the show from 1988 to 1998 and then again from 2002 to 2015.
Things turned sour however when he punched producer Oisin Tymon and the broadcaster opted not to renew his contract.
Clarkson’s co-stars James May and Richard Hammond decided to stand by him and the trio then deflected to Prime Video for an all-new motoring show.
The big money deal resulted in several specials, culminating in one final adventure, released last year, in Zimbabwe and Botswana.
Top Gear has been “resting” since presenter Freddie Flintoff suffered a horrific crash in 2022, but many are calling for a return of the classic show with Clarkson, May, and Hammond together.
They have been spotted together on several occasions lately, the most recent being a meet-up at Clarkson’s Diddly Squat Farm.
Clarkson has said that a car show is needed more than ever and he would be very sad if Top Gear was to never return again, so could he be the person for the job?
They have Clarkson at current favourite to be the lead presenter, giving him a 33 per cent change to rejoin the show.
Other names in the running include Paddy McGuinness at four to one, Romesh Ranganathan at 11 to two and Gordon Ramsay at eight to one.
Betideas.com spokesman Steven McQuillan said: “Top Gear is without a doubt one of the most successful shows in TV history and many people were gutted when Top Gear ended and The Grand Tour came to a close.”
“By the sounds of things, Jeremy Clarkson is keen to get the show back on air and if Clarkson is brought back, you’d have to imagine Hammond and May would both be up for reuniting on the classic show.”
“There would likely be disappointment if Top Gear did come back and it wasn’t Clarkson as the lead presenter. However when the trio left Top Gear, the show did still have some success with Freddie Flintoff, Paddy McGuinness and Chris Harris, so it wouldn’t be a massive shock for the show to return with a new cast.”
The question is, would Clarkson actually have time to commit to a new series of Top Gear?
Currently, his time is split between the daily running of his 400-hectare farm in the Cotswolds, and his pub, The Farmer’s Dog, in Oxfordshire.
The upcoming fourth series of his hit Amazon Prime show Clarkson’s Farm will see him right in the thick of it as he deals with several issues on the day of the pub’s big opening.
He has since admitted that finds running the pub “more stresseful” than the farm, so would he really want to pile even more of it on?
The Standard has contacted a representative for Clarkson and for the BBC for comment.
