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Top Gear James May

James May rules out return to ‘lame’ Top Gear post-Clarkson

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By John Glenday | Reporter

April 24, 2015 | 2 min read

Top Gear co-host James May has broken his silence around the future of the show by insisting that he will not return to the format without Jeremy Clarkson as lead presenter, insisting that any attempt to replace him would be ‘lame’.

The decision puts the BBC in an awkward position as it seeks to chart a way forward through the mess after it sacked Clarkson over an off-screen fracas with a producer, increasing the likelihood that it will seek to re-launch the format with an entirely new team of presenters.

Describing any return to the show sans-Clarkson May told MediaGuardian: “Me and Hammond with a surrogate Jeremy is a non-starter, it just wouldn’t work. That would be lame, or ‘awks’ as young people say.

“It has to be the three of us. You can’t just put a surrogate Jeremy in and expect it to carry on. It would be forced. I don’t believe they would be stupid enough to try that.

“It doesn’t mean I won’t go back, we may all go back in the future. It might just be we have a break from it. I don’t know.”

Despite this May does not rule out the trio’s return to the broadcaster in future, pointing out that Clarkson has not been fired but has merely not had his contract renewed.

Top Gear James May

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