Un-official GTPlanet BBC Topgear UK ThreadTV 

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Eggstor
The bad news - BBC probably wrote in non-compete clauses in all of their contracts which will be enforced.
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Depends how specific the clause is. Would it be the actual Top Gear format, or just an auto review show in general? There's a whole slew of shows they could do and people would still watch.
 
Eggstor
The good news on that front - May's and Hammond's contracts with BBC are also up at the end of this month, and to date, they haven't been renewed either. (Edit - May's Twitter has him as a "(f)ormer TV presenter".)

The bad news - BBC probably wrote in non-compete clauses in all of their contracts which will be enforced.

The ugly news - we've already seen the last episode of Series 22.
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Surely they are free to do another motoring show under a different name?
 
buickgnx88
Depends how specific the clause is. Would it be the actual Top Gear format, or just an auto review show in general? There's a whole slew of shows they could do and people would still watch.
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sems4arsenal
Surely they are free to do another motoring show under a different name?
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Considering all three of them have done other presenting duties on BBC, it's most likely a year ban on doing any similar duties on, at a minimum, other British-based TV networks. Further, as BBC owns the Top Gear concept, even after the non-compete clause expires, they probably wouldn't be able to do a copy/paste version.
 
Eggstor
The good news on that front - May's and Hammond's contracts with BBC are also up at the end of this month, and to date, they haven't been renewed either. (Edit - May's Twitter has him as a "(f)ormer TV presenter".)

The bad news - BBC probably wrote in non-compete clauses in all of their contracts which will be enforced.

The ugly news - we've already seen the last episode of Series 22.
Click to expand...
Sad news. Wouldn't that clause only apply in jolly old England? Maybe Europe? America is waiting....:sly:
 
Statuses Across The Board And Wider Internet
BBC is dead to me.
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Insert every rolleye gif ever.

If you've read his books you'd know the first two breakout ones were "The World According To Clarkson". Newsflash: The world doesn't revolve around him. Get over it. He's pushed his luck too far for too long and now he's paying the penalty.

You'll see him again on an insane wage packet on a Murdoch channel soon enough. Calm the F down.
 
Johnnypenso
Sad news. Wouldn't that clause only apply in jolly old England? Maybe Europe? America is waiting....:sly:
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Considering Clarkson isn't exactly an Americanophile (is that even a word?), I wouldn't expect him here. Hammond, on the other hand, if his family could be persuaded,....

Off-topic; "Downfall" is very useful. Well done on that video.
 
Liquid
Statuses Across The Board And Wider Internet said
BBC is dead to me.
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Insert every rolleye gif ever.
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Why? Top Gear was the only thing many people watched on the BBC. I am one of them, the only other show was Mock The Week a few years ago until it went downhill and when the BBC had the exclusive rights to air Formula 1.

Without Top Gear and F1 now being aired on the superior Sky F1 channel, I have zero reason to ever tune into the BBC.
 
Eggstor
Considering Clarkson isn't exactly an Americanophile (is that even a word?), I wouldn't expect him here. Hammond, on the other hand, if his family could be persuaded,....

Off-topic; "Downfall" is very useful. Well done on that video.
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Netflix is the answer.
 
Lewis_Hamilton_
Why? Top Gear was the only thing many people watched on the BBC. I am one of them, the only other show was Mock The Week a few years ago until it went downhill and when the BBC has exclusive rights to air Formula 1.
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Back in the day it was Benny Hill, On the Buses and later Desmond's. Since then, only Top Gear..and a bit of Corrie Street:sly:

A sad day in tv land IMO.
 
wowbaggerBR
Netflix is the answer.
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Netflix just got access to BBC's programming. They wouldn't throw that away for Clarkson and company.
 
Lewis_Hamilton_
Why? Top Gear was the only thing many people watched on the BBC. I am one of them, the only other show was Mock The Week a few years ago until it went downhill and when the BBC has exclusive rights to air Formula 1.
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We can go on indefinitely about how much of a shame it is to see the BBC drop him. But at the end of the day, his punishment was just. They were never going to simply give him a slap on the wrist when he was already on his final warning. No point fighting it.

At least he had enough maturity to own up to what he did and almost certainly accepted his fate beforehand. Now he's free to go wherever the money scent is strongest, presumably.
 
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BBC can't impose who Netflix can, or cannot, hire. Truth is, Netflix doesn't need to hire them. They could sell a product to the network. Lots of exclusive shows on Netflix work this way, by the way.

And about contracts, they exist to be broken. Just a question of how much it would cost.
 
What will this mean for the partnership that the BBC made with Turn 10 to feature Top Gear content in Forza Motorsport games?
 
AudiMan2011
What will this mean for the partnership that the BBC made with Turn 10 to feature Top Gear content in Forza Motorsport games?
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Well if the show "doesn't exist" anymore , who knows really , the track might not get featured in future games and the voiceovers they made might go aswell.
 
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Maybe the Discovery Channel can scoop them up. To replace 5th Gear. Bring back Tiff and dump the Stig.
 
I have to say 'well done' to the BBC for making a tough but fair decision and for not giving in to commercial pressure - a rare thing in the medium of television these days, especially when the commercial steaks are so high.
 
The three of them will be on ITV doing a car show with a salary ten times what they get at the BBC.
 
JoaoSilva
Well if the show "doesn't exist" anymore , who knows really , the track might not get featured in future games and the voiceovers they made might go aswell.
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The track's presence in Forza 6 would likely depend on the owner-of-record of Dunsfold Aerodrome, Dunsford Park Ltd, though it probably wouldn't be called Top Gear Test Track. Do remember that non-BBC entities have used and do use the track.

As for the voiceovers, they probably haven't done any for Forza 6 yet.
starknight97
There goes the only thing I liked about the BBC. Licence fee is now just an extra tax so I can watch tv.
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That's government broadcasting for you.
 
Shame it had to go this way. But the show was slowly dying anyway. Think it in this way, what would have Top Gear been 10 years to the future, if BBC kept Clarkson. Cancelled for some other reason, that's what. I'd say it's better to go before every piece of dignity you have isn't already lost, and for most people Top Gear still had some of it left to this moment. There's no such a thing as a show that can keep going and going with same presenters and same format, and to my mind the point of no return for Top Gear was closer to 5 years ago than this one.

If you ask me, the only thing BBC channels lose in this are older Top Gear repeats. It's still better than most broadcasting companies, and so are multiple others of their programmes.
 
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