[Official] Clarkson announces new show! / Amazon Video [Hammond & May too]

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$250m for 36 episodes...holy shit. IIRC the budget for TG was around ?500k per episode so 36 episodes would cost ?18m. So what all this means is they pretty much multiplied their old budget by (almost) 10 and they don't have to deal with BBC political correctness bullshit. Ladies and gentlemen, our boys have hit gold! :D

Awesome news, but knowing I have to wait for more than a year makes me kinda sad (IIRC the longest gap between TG series' was just under a year due to the Olympics or World Cup). :(

I heard the budget before was a LOT more when you included what the hosts were paid, which the Amazon price includes.
 
Plus not forgetting that a huge chunk of any operating costs are salaries and the BBC would have retained staff that also worked on other shows when TG wasn't on or who have other jobs. Series producer Alex Renton is also a journalist, who writes for the Guardian for instance.
 
I was foolishly hoping their new show would be ready to go early in 2016, but thinking about it, a year makes sense. They still have to find a base, get a crew together (don't know how many, if any, of their last crew will be joining them). I'm sure there's a lot that has to go into a new show. I'm okay with waiting a year. The guys just need to keep themselves in the public eye, be it on social media or whatever. Out of sight, out of mind. At least that's how it works over here.
 
Andy Wilman lifts bonnet on Top Gear team?s Amazon deal

30 July, 2015 | By Jake Kanter

Andy Wilman has lifted the bonnet on the former Top Gear team?s landmark deal with Amazon Prime Video, explaining that they will be ?left alone? to take the best of their old show and update it for a ?new world? audience.

Speaking exclusively to Broadcast, the executive producer said Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May are beginning development on the yet-to-be-titled new series after a frantic few months of negotiation since leaving the BBC.

Wilman revealed that he and the presenting team received several offers immediately after the BBC confirmed it would not be renewing Clarkson?s deal in March for punching Top Gear producer Oisin Tymon.

This included ?very early chats? with ITV, which were ultimately scuppered by a non-compete clause in their BBC contract that meant they were unable to sign for a terrestrial rival within two years of leaving the corporation.

Despite this, Wilman said the ?strongest and most intelligent offer? came from Amazon, which bought into their vision for the show and desire to be trusted to make it on their own terms.

?Everyone we have talked to has said to us: ?They leave you alone to make your show?. That?s a big one for us - we don?t like interference, we don?t need to be policed,? he explained.

The value of the deal was undisclosed, but it represents Amazon?s biggest single investment in original content to date and Wilman revealed that they have been backed with a ?really good budget? to make the programme.

?Money, freedom and a love of quality. Those three things are what was attractive,? he said.

The ex-Top Gear team personally brokered the deal with Amazon UK film and TV strategy director Chris Bird and Conrad Riggs, the US online giant?s head of TV production.

The former echoed Wilman?s sentiments on creative freedom, telling Broadcast: ?It would be crazy for us to interfere with a creative process that has been so successful in the past.?

The ?new look? Top Gear

Clarkson and co will produce 12 episodes of roughly 60 minutes in length for each of the three series, which they will begin delivering in autumn next year. Wilman said the show will build on the successful Top Gear formula, but there will be ?lots of newness?.

There will be ?indoor? studio elements, as well as the signature global adventures that Clarkson, Hammond and May have become famous for.

Importantly, Wilman stressed, the programme will be anchored in the UK and the presenting trio are likely to be given ?more time to yak? about cars away from the road. The deal also gives the hosts the freedom to pursue non-motoring television projects away from Amazon, keeping the door open for them to remain fixtures on the BBC.

Wilman added: ?You can?t reinvent the sideways, Last of the Summer Wine-type relationship they have because that is outside of television, that is theirs. But there will be a new look, new elements, new home. We?ve been so busy doing the bloody deal?that [the development] process now begins in earnest.?

He and Bird hinted that the show could be scheduled on a weekly basis, rather than making the whole series available in one go to binge-watch. Both said Top Gear?s audience is used to the habit of having a fresh episode to watch every seven days and Wilman joked: ?We?re a one trick pony, I wouldn?t watch 12 episodes in a row.?

Clarkson and co?s new indie

The show will be produced by a new production company established by Wilman, Clarkson, Hammond and May. Named W Chump & Sons, it is a nod to their northern backgrounds, where Wilman said a lot of companies in the 1960s/70s had ?& Sons? in their names. W Chump also includes the first letter of all four of their surnames.

Wilman is beginning to crew up for the show and is on the hunt for staff at all levels of the production process. He is particularly keen to bring in a ?shit hot? production manager, joking that they used to ?run fucking riot with money? while they were at the BBC.

Amazon will help oversee the distribution of the motoring brand to broadcasters and platforms outside of its existing territories of the US, UK and Germany. Bird also said the show will be used as a tool to help it grow its footprint and launch in new countries.

Merchandising and events are also on the radar, but more thought will be given to the programme?s life away from the screen nearer the time of launch.

Wilman said they would have remained at the BBC had the Clarkson ?fracas? not occurred.

?We didn?t plan this and we would have carried on but that?s life, and crikey it?s looking pretty good right now,? he explained.

?We get to carry on working, we get new challenges and Top Gear is in good hands. The viewers get two car shows, there?s nothing wrong with that.?

W(ilman) C(larkson)h(ammond)um(ay)p & Sons. :D
 
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That's reassuring. When I heard how much money was being thrown at them, I assumed Amazon wanted TopGear 2.0 and would settle for nothing else. Glad to hear they're giving the boys creative freedom.
 
I hope you naysayers are being sarcastic... Amazon Prime saves me a ton of money, getting legal access to this new show is icing on the cake.

As for international access, I wouldn't be surprised if they offer access to other markets outside of the traditional Prime/Instant Video. I think this is the first time an internet service has "bought" a major international show.
 
I like the fact Hammond and May will now be in the loop of the production company.

I am reading where Amazon is being questioned on how they plan to rein Clarkson in. Some people are so damn stupid, and instead of Amazon saying that is our business and if you don't like it, don't watch, it seems to me, they are squirming a bit.

They could definitely takes lessons from the BBC or google on handling complaints.

But it is a long time before any of this has to be bothered with. I am sure Amazon has not got all the details worked out, but they will.

I just can't see the new show taking a year to come out though. But, if it does, I will be waiting.
 
Why would they bother with complaints? They don't have any authority to report to as it's a private "buy it or don't" kind of scenario....there is no public backer like the BBC had in the UK?
 
I wonder if they will continue to film the in studio segments in the week of broadcast - especially if there will be more chat between them outside of the films.

That way they can still do the news and chat about current issues - it will also give them a reason for not just pump it out in one go.

Amazon Prime actually do more week in releases than Netflix anyway.
 
Why would they bother with complaints? They don't have any authority to report to as it's a private "buy it or don't" kind of scenario....there is no public backer like the BBC had in the UK?

"I will never buy anything from Amazon again and neither will anyone I know as long as CHM is on and I don't care if you don't read this."
 
I like the fact Hammond and May will now be in the loop of the production company.

I adore this idea! But..weren't they already somewhat involved before?

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I wonder if the Stig's name will be changed to Prime ?????

Will they still have a Stig now?
 
I adore this idea! But..weren't they already somewhat involved before?

TG was run by Andy and Jeremy's production company prior to selling it to BBC Worldwide. Indeed James and Richard had creative input for segments that they did, but overall from what we have read post fracas, most of the decisions were Jeremy's or Andy's (and also Richard Porter but not sure). Richard and James had their own production companies for their side projects so I guess this is just a supergroup.
 
I wonder if they will continue to film the in studio segments in the week of broadcast - especially if there will be more chat between them outside of the films.

That way they can still do the news and chat about current issues - it will also give them a reason for not just pump it out in one go.

Amazon Prime actually do more week in releases than Netflix anyway.

Everything could get interesting as this will all be brand new territory. I suppose technically the shows could be as long as they want them to be because there will be no "slot" they have to fit into.

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I adore this idea! But..weren't they already somewhat involved before?

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I am talking about the money aspect of it. Yeah they had input, but they did not own any part of the company so when it was sold, well you know, but they will have ownership in the new company and I think they deserve some ownership. For all we know it was offered before but maybe didn't realize the potential or didn't have the money to do it.




Will they still have a Stig now?
 
Plus does Amazon Video have any original content? I can see them having licensing issues with playing other studios' shows abroad, but if Amazon owns the rights to CHM, they can play it where ever they want.
They're pushing for it big time, investing a lot of money into pilots and series. They're definitely behind Netflix on that front, but a worldwide (or at least first-world-wide) launch of AP Video with CHM would be a great step forwards for them.

Amazon also is producing the third season of BBC's Ripper Street after the BBC was forced to cancel it due to budget tightening. The show will be broadcast on BBC1 after it is shown on Prime.
 
I've had Prime for several years. I've always liked it for the fast, free shipping. I HATE shopping and I'll pay a little extra to buy something from Amazon if it saves me a trip across town. We've watched a few of the video offerings (Bosch, The Man In The High Castle). Not bad.
We quickly ran out of stuff to watch on Netflix and Hulu. They aren't worth paying for as far as I'm concerned.
I hope there's no issues getting the show on amazon us. Hell, I even order books off amazon uk.
 
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"... and that means handing it over to our tame racing driver. Some say that he's a tame racing driver from a tv show, and some say he's a genetically engineered clone developed by Monsanto. All we know is he's called the Gits."
 
"Amazon will help oversee the distribution of the motoring brand to broadcasters and platforms outside of its existing territories of the US, UK and Germany. Bird also said the show will be used as a tool to help it grow its footprint and launch in new countries."

Ah, good to know, hope it becomes available here :)
 
"Amazon will help oversee the distribution of the motoring brand to broadcasters and platforms outside of its existing territories of the US, UK and Germany. Bird also said the show will be used as a tool to help it grow its footprint and launch in new countries."

Ah, good to know, hope it becomes available here :)

Ditto, are you listening Telenet? If this is half as good as it can be now that they have free play away from the PC bullshit, this will be a ratings nuke.

I wonder what they will come up with.....I mean, they were always loose cannons, but now that they are there own band compleetly? I can hear the insane Ideas beeing born from here: "hey guys, lets build a rocket out of car parts and shoot May across the Atlantic" :p
 
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Can't wait to see the new show.

I wonder how the format will be, will they have an audience, news section, the cool wall and so on?

On one hand, I want it to be like Top Gear but a bit toned down, like no stupid explosions (Taxi race) and not fail with everything they do, we know they are smart and handy.
But I also want something completely new, taking notes from Top Gear US with lots of road trips in cheap cars all over the world.

I've been rewatching Top Gear from season 2 (When May came along) and while they still cock about and argue a lot, it was done much better with more class, I want that back.
 
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