Hungover Top Gear presenters were warned not to swear when they appeared on The Late Late Toy Show, a new book has revealed.
The personal assistant to Top Gear stars Jeremy Clarkeson, Richard Hammond and James May has released a new book and details the lads’ “bizarre” appearance on the live children’s Christmas show.
Phillipa Sage was PA to Clarkeson, Hammond and May for nearly 20 years and released the tell-all book, Off-Road With Clarkson, Hammond and May, in April.
In December 2008, the boys appeared on The Late Late Toy Show.
Sage writes: “In Dublin on this trip, as a PR exercise, the boys had to attend the famous Irish Late Late Show, hosted by a Des O’Connor-type character, Pat Kenny.
“And I say HAD to attend, as all three presenters hated this kind of thing, and to make it worse it was filmed at about 11 o’clock in the evening and this was after performing two shows on a day that had started with a hangover.”
In an announcement before the Nine O’Clock News, Pat Kenny had revealed that Jeremy, Richard and James would be making an appearance that night.
Phillipa says the Top Gear presenters were only made aware that “it was a special edition of The Late Late Show and was in fact the Christmas special, The Late Late Toy Show,” upon arriving at the studio.
“Imagine their delight when they learnt they had to review toys as part of their interview and that the audience was filled with loads of innocent, good old Catholic Irish kids. We fuelled them with coffee and repeated the mantra ‘Don’t swear, don’t swear, don’t swear…’
Phillipa says the situation was made more “bizarre” after they were joined by former royal, the Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson.
The ex-wife of Prince Andrew “was there to promote one of her children’s books, about Budgie the Little Helicopter.”
Phillipa goes on to say that the group, including Ferguson, went out after the show wrapped at the RTÉ studios and partied all night in “an exclusive nightclub” in the city.
