Jeremy Clarkson’s Top Gear: in numbers
Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson is suspended after a “fracas” with a producer. It is not just a little local difficulty for BBC, as the show is watched across the world and earns it serious money.
£1,500,000
This is the princely sum Clarkson is reported to earn as a Top Gear presenter, making him one of the BBC’s most highly paid celebrities.
£150,000,000
The show is estimated to earn £150m a year for BBC Worldwide; coincidentally the show also reaches roughly 150 million households globally.
£4,500,000
The 2012 annual report of BBC Worldwide, the corporation’s commercial arm, shows it received a dividend of £4.5m from a company called Bedder 6, which was set up by Clarkson and Andy Wilman, Top Gear’s executive producer. The BBC bought Clarkson’s 30 per cent stake in the company in 2012.
Clarkson also has 4.5 million Twitter followers.
6
Since 2011, Jeremy Clarkson has been involved in six major spats: insulting the Mexicans and Indians; breaching disability guidelines with his description of a camper van; appearing to use a racist term in a recording, receiving a final warning by the BBC for doing so; using a racial slur which was censured by Ofcom, sparking indignation in Argentina over a car number plate.
54
Clarkson’s age. Some say he is old enough to know better.
82
This featured on the number plate of the Porsche used by the Top Gear team when they were filming in Argentina. This provoked uproar because it was interpreted by some Argentinians as a reference to the 1982 Falklands war.
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170
Top Gear is watched in 170 countries.
2002
Clarkson began presenting Top Gear began 13 years ago.
300,000
A Change.org petition calling for Clarkson’s reinstatement, organised by the blogger Guido Fawkes, has been signed by almost 300,000 people. This number is growing all the time.
3
Two episodes of the current series of Top Gear will not be broadcast, and it looks as though a third will also be pulled.