The Split, the Fallout, and How Top Gear Fell Apart

Explosive Rows and Apologies

By the late 2000s, tensions were mounting behind the scenes.
Arguments between Jeremy and Andy sometimes boiled over—like during the chaotic Vietnam Special, when the two exchanged furious “f*** yous” on set, only to make up the next morning.

As the show’s global reach expanded, so did scrutiny. The Top Gear team faced criticism for offhand jokes, and Andy admits the crew often reflected deeply afterward.

“In the fallout, we felt it was utterly charmless,” he said. “Charm had always been the thing we tried to run with.”

Still, the BBC launched formal investigations into Top Gear’s operations.
Executives even placed a compliance officer inside the editing room—something Andy believes reflected deeper ideological mistrust.

BBC vs. the Trio

Wilman argues that a “small Islington clique” within the BBC saw the trio as symbols of outdated, right-wing Britain.

“The BBC has this left-wing ideological socialism in management,” he claims. “They didn’t get that we were making fun of everyone.”

He recalls moments of biting irony:
in one episode, Clarkson mocked conservative “Bible-bashing rednecks” in Alabama, and in another, he expressed sympathy for refugees entering Europe—hardly the behaviour of a Farage-style firebrand.

The Punch That Changed Everything

The end came in 2015 when Clarkson infamously assaulted producer Oisin Tymon over a catering dispute.
The BBC fired him soon after.

Wilman insists the moment was tragic, not malicious.

“He’s never an angry person,” Andy says. “It wasn’t who he was.”

In the aftermath, the BBC tried to split up the team, offering lucrative solo contracts to James May and Richard Hammond to stay.

“They thought they could wedge us apart,” Andy recalls. “They didn’t understand what the four of us had been through.”

Instead, the trio—and Andy—walked together to Amazon Prime, where they created The Grand Tour.

The Failed Reboot

The BBC quickly relaunched Top Gear with Chris Evans and Matt LeBlanc, but viewers didn’t bite. Ratings plummeted.

“People kid themselves,” Wilman said. “‘Losing Jeremy won’t matter.’ But it f***ing did.”

Later, a near-fatal crash involving Freddie Flintoff in 2022 effectively ended the show once again.
Wilman calls the accident “avoidable” but believes Top Gear could still make a comeback — if the BBC has the will.

Clarkson’s Farm: A Gentler Ride

Today, Andy Wilman has found new success producing Clarkson’s Farm, a series he describes as “a much gentler kind of chaos.”

“The worst that can happen now is a few bumps with a tractor or Jeremy getting headbutted by a goat,” he jokes.

Despite everything, Wilman still hopes Top Gear’s spirit will one day return — not as a corporate product, but as a genuine adventure.

“They thought they could break us apart,” he says. “But they never understood — the magic was in the friendship.”