Could Top Gear end soon????

[Cykotic]

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/a107345/may-and-hammond-could-leave-top-gear.html

May and Hammond could leave 'Top Gear'?
Friday, July 4 2008, 18:03 BST

By Dave West, Media Correspondent

James May and Richard Hammond could leave Top Gear after failing to agree contract terms, according to a report.

The pair, whose contracts expire at the end of the month, are said to want pay deals more in line with co-host Jeremy Clarkson, which the BBC may not be prepared to meet.

"Internally there is talk that there might be a chance for the first time that there could be a break up of the team, it has got that bad," MediaGuardian quotes a source as saying.

"There has been a lot of pulling out of hair, a Mexican stand-off. For the first time it is possible that one or both might leave."

The source added: "They don't want to accept second status any more. There has been a meltdown in negotiations."

[Danny]

my grandad said something about top gear when i was talking to him about it the other day he said "Daniel, i used to like that show when it was a show about cars, now its a show about twats being dicks", and whilst i enjoy there man-child hijinks, im NOT a car enthusiast, im more an american chopper kinda guy, so i think its main audience has been in decline for a while, maybe this would help it, but they would lose younger viewers.

[MinionZombie]

First of all, their audience hasn't been in decline, quite the contrary in fact.

Also, Hammond and May most definitely are not second fiddles anymore, it is indeed about all of them, so they've got a case.

Also - a while back Clarkson was pushing for more cash apparently as his contract was reaching it's end, there was the exact same bollock talk, and what happened? Clarkson rightly got more cash and they kept making it.

Top Gear, is a HUGE show for BBC2, and is a HUGE money maker for the BBC in general (it's sold to over 80 countries world wide with an audience of over 350 million - up from 250 million a couple of years ago).

So no - Top Gear won't be coming to an end any time soon, not at all likely.

I call "blown out of proportion" on that story. Nuff said.

[Craig]

I've seen some older episodes on Dave and it's definitely changed a lot, I can totally understand your grandad's comments hellsing :lol: but I still enjoy watching it a lot.

[MinionZombie]

pfft, Top Gear rocks!

After Hammond had his crash, he became - for many people (especially newer viewers coming to the show) the main draw, rather than Clarkson.

And as May has hosted a series of specials on his own (to do with toys, or sharks etc) and has hosted his own series (James May's 20th Century), he isn't just third in the background anymore (although last week's episode didn't see much of him beyond the stunt segment and the news).

But - Top Gear - whenever the hosts are discussed, it's always in terms of a trio, and that's the important dynamic. If any of them left, it'd not be the same at all at least, and at most quite possibly rubbish.

They're all very important to what Top Gear is, so they deserve to be paid accordingly.

Hammond didn't comment - but they're not supposed to when it comes to contracts anyway - James May just said that it was ludicrous he'd be pissed off at Clarkson for getting paid more than him.

But Hammond and May should be paid the same as Clarkson now I think. For deffo.

This just in from Andy Wilman's blog:

http://www.topgear.com/blogs/planettopgear/132-tgtv-update/

Told you it was all bollocks.