Former Top Gear hosts Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May will be back behind the wheel and in front of the camera next year, after inking a deal with Amazon for a new car show.
The new show will begin streaming on Amazon Prime sometime in 2016 and will include three seasons, according to Reuters. Producer Andy Wilman — one of the main behind-the-scenes forces during Clarkson’s reign at Top Gear — will also reportedly join the Amazon show.
The deal comes roughly four months after Clarkson was let go by the BBC following an incident in which he punched a producer. The British network refused to renew his contract after that, and Hammond and May subsequently walked, opting not to continue Top Gear without their colleague.
There was some speculation that the trio would move to Netflix to do a show under the working title “House of Cars.” Clarkson announced the deal with Amazon on Twitter but gave no substantive details about what is in store for viewers.
“I feel like climbed out of a biplane and into a spaceship,” Clarkson said in a press release. With the first episodes set to appear on Amazon Prime in 2016, production is expected to start before the end of the year.
Clarkson’s transformation of Top Gear from a staid informational program to a riot of power sliding supercars, stunts, humor, and beautiful photography attracted an estimated worldwide audience of some 350 million viewers, but the show received steady criticism during his time there for political incorrectness.
As the former Top Gear trio moves on to the world of streaming, the BBC is looking to overhaul its prized car-show property with radio personality and Ferrari fan Chris Evans as the new main host.
The show is currently conducting a talent search to find two more hosts, and could return next year in time to compete with Clarkson, Hammond, and May’s new program.
