The BBC is to make a decision early next week about whether to cancel Top Gear live shows due to uncertainty about Jeremy Clarkson’s suspension.
BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC, runs an annual global tour called Top Gear Live with the next event scheduled for Stavanger, Norway with four shows on 27-28 March.
The event is understood to be a sell-out, with as many as 25,000 to 30,000 tickets have sold, and the prospect of the stars of the Top Gear franchise not attending puts the event in jeopardy.
Jeremy Clarkson has appeared at every Top Gear Live event the BBC has run, while James May and Richard Hammond appear at some shows, and if it can not be confirmed that he will attend the corporation will have to make fans aware and consider cancelling the event.
“At present the forthcoming shows (both UK and international) are set to run as scheduled,” said a spokesman for BBC Worldwide.
Live Nation, which promotes the Top Gear Live events, has comprehensive insurance to cover eventualities such as cancellations and the cost of refunding fans.
Top Gear Live has a string of events lined up this year including in Sydney, Australia in April, Belfast in May, Sheffield and Johannesburg, South Africa in June and at London’s O2 in November.
Phil Bowdery, president of touring at Live Nation, guaranteed that the British shows would run as planned.
“The show must go on,” he said. “The British shows will go ahead as billed with Jeremy Clarkson.”
The Top Gear Live website says: “Fronted by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May, together with mystery racing driver the Stig, Top Gear Live brings to life the award-winning BBC TV programme. The show features breathtaking stunts, ridiculous challenges, some of the world’s most incredible cars, and the usual calamitous mucking-about synonymous with the Top Gear trio.”
