James May says his BBC Top Gear exit was avoidable after Jeremy Clarkson punch
James May says his BBC Top Gear exit was avoidable after Jeremy Clarkson punch
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James May has said his exit from BBC's Top Gear was avoidable. The presenter, along with Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond, had been the face of the series for over a decade since he joined in 2002. However, an on-set altercation between Clarkson and a producer led to the trio's exit. They continued working together, however, and joined Amazon Prime Videos for The Grand Tour in 2015. Despite the success on a new platform, May believes the BBC could have dealt with Clarkson's fracas - in which he punched producer Oisin Tymon - in a different way. Following the incident, an investigation was launched. With Clarkson's exit sealed, both May and Hammond refused to sign a new contract, bringing the show's most successful era to an end.
Speaking to The Times about how their exit played out, May confessed: "I thought it was very unfortunate and I don’t actually think our Top Gear had to end because of it. I think it could have been patched up and put down to a bit of high stress and flightiness, to be honest. It happened. It’s regrettable and it’s unfortunate, but it didn’t need to lead to the collapse of something very successful." He added that he pondered their exit being down to people thinking it was "time of us to move on".
Clarkson's fury with Tymon was reportedly due to being unable to order hot food while he was filming with other cast at Simonstone Hall Hotel near Hawes, North Yorkshire. He is said to have returned to his hotel after a long day of filming and found there was only soup and a cold meat platter available. An onlooker told the Mirror at the time that the star, who had been drinking rosé wine, launched into an expletive-filled tirade using “every bad word you could think of”. They claimed he ranted “so there’s no food” when he was told he would not get the steak he wanted. The witness said: “We were surprised at his reaction because we were all thinking ‘surely soup is food’. The witness, who did not want to be named, further added: “When they arrived just after 10pm Clarkson got angry.
“It was more like a scuffle. But he did swear using every bad word you could think of. The producer stood there looking quiet and embarrassed. He was being blamed for not arranging hot food. The general manager ended up cooking himself for the three presenters.". It's said Clarkson got his way and was served a steak with fondant potatoes, cherry tomatoes, pan fried wild mushrooms and green peppercorn sauce. Following the trio's exit from the show, bosses turned to Chris Evans to present the iconic series. Matt Le Blanc, Freddie Flintoff and Paddy McGuinness have all featured as presenters post-Clarkson.