The revised Top Gear TV show goes to air in Britain on 8 May.
We know that because new host, radio DJ Chris Evans, let it slip on his radio show.
We also know the other members of the revamped Top Gear team are former F1 racer David Coulthard, German racing driver Sabine Schmitz and journalist Chris Harris.
According to English media reports, the new motoring show to be hosted by Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond to be shown on Amazon Original has a budget of $8.1 million per episode – 10 times the Top Gear budget they say – but will not go to air until September (however as the Top Gear re-launch date is now known, expect some effort from the team at Amazon to rain on the BBC’s parade).
And to promote the new show, potential viewers in North America have been treated to Amazon Original drones flying over their back yards and delivering detailed responses to their on-line requests to sign-up.
In the meantime news has arrived that Evans, on his first outing at the Top Gear test track in Surrey, crashed a new Jaguar.
The BBC show has also been rocked by the resignations of key production staff Lisa Clark and Tom Ford.
And we’ve also read reports of tension between Evans and BBC executives.
It’s a high-stakes situation as Top Gear is claimed to be the BBC’s biggest earner, raking-in some $101 million from sales, magazines, merchandise etc.
In the meantime Clarkson, May and Hammond – the team which developed Top Gear into one of the world’s most-watched TV shows – are working away on their as-yet untitled new show for Amazon Original and have been spotted filming segments in London and Portugal.
It’s a fascinating drama even before one minute of either show has gone to air.
