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Post by RedMoon11 on Jul 30, 2015 10:06:56 GMT
 For breaking news on Clarkson, Hammond and May's return follow us on our social pages Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May are reuniting to create an all-new car show, exclusively for Amazon Prime. The show will be produced by the trio’s long time executive producer Andy Wilman. On working with Amazon, Jeremy Clarkson said “I feel like I've climbed out of a bi-plane and into a spaceship.” The first show will go into production shortly and arrive exclusively on Amazon Prime in 2016. www.amazon.co.uk/b?ie=UTF8&node=7124555031 Press ReleaseAmazon wins race to sign Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May for new car show available exclusively for Amazon Prime membersGlobal deal sees trio reunite with first season scheduled to premiere in 2016 New car show joins Prime Video stable of critically-acclaimed and award-winning Amazon Original Series, adding to the largest selection of movies and TV shows of any video streaming service in the UK  London - 30 July 2015 – Amazon today announced that Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May will reunite to make a new car show available exclusively to Amazon Prime members. The show will be produced by the trio’s long time executive producer Andy Wilman. The award-winning team have committed to three seasons as part of this landmark global TV deal. The first season will go into production soon and is scheduled to premiere for Prime members in 2016. On working with Amazon, Jeremy Clarkson said: “I feel like I've climbed out of a bi-plane and into a spaceship.” Richard Hammond added: “Amazon? Oh yes. I have already been there. I got bitten by a bullet ant.” James May said: “We have become part of the new age of smart TV. Ironic, isn't it?” “Customers told us they wanted to see the team back on screen, and we are excited to make that happen,” said Jay Marine, Vice President of Amazon Prime Video EU. “Millions of Prime members are already enjoying our ground-breaking original shows. We can’t wait to see what Jeremy, Richard, James and the team will create in what is sure to be one of the most globally anticipated shows of 2016.” Customers can sign up to receive the latest news on this new show by visiting www.amazon.co.uk/GuessWhosBack. phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=251199&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=2072657 |
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Post by RedMoon11 on Jul 30, 2015 10:08:30 GMT
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Post by RedMoon11 on Jul 30, 2015 10:15:49 GMT
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Post by RedMoon11 on Jul 30, 2015 10:26:53 GMT
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Post by RedMoon11 on Jul 30, 2015 11:05:54 GMT
Top Gear trio confirmed to return as Amazon beats Netflix for Clarkson, Hammond and May show
By Mayer Nissim Thursday, Jul 30 2015 Former Top Gear trio Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May are coming back to TV screens, signing up for a new show on Amazon Prime. Although the cost of the deal hasn't been confirmed, the streaming service is believed to have made a "significant" investment in the trio to beat the likes of Netflix to the show.  James May, Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond sign up with Amazon Prime"I feel like I've climbed out of a bi-plane and into a spaceship," said Clarkson. Hammond added: "Amazon? Oh yes. I have already been there. I got bitten by a bullet ant." May said: "We have become part of the new age of smart TV. Ironic, isn't it?" Vice president of Amazon Prime Video EU Jay Marine added: "Customers told us they wanted to see the team back on screen, and we are excited to make that happen. "Millions of Prime members are already enjoying our ground-breaking original shows "We can't wait to see what Jeremy, Richard, James and the team will create in what is sure to be one of the most globally anticipated shows of 2016." Marine added: "This is a golden age of television, a great time for TV makers and storytellers. "Our approach is to give program makers creative freedom to be innovative and make the shows they want to make." The Stig will not feature in Clarkson, Hammond and May's new show, which is forecast to premiere this autumn. The program will be produced by ex-Top Gear executive and friend of Clarkson Andy Wilman. Read more: www.digitalspy.co.uk/british-tv/s265/top-gear/news/a660892/top-gear-trio-confirmed-to-return-as-amazon-beats-netflix-for-clarkson-hammond-and-may-show.html#ixzz3hN6tEoVt Follow us: @digitalspy on Twitter | digitalspyuk on Facebook
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Post by RedMoon11 on Jul 30, 2015 14:05:39 GMT
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Post by RedMoon11 on Jul 31, 2015 15:06:55 GMT
5:25 am ET Jul 30, 2015 Former ‘Top Gear’ Hosts to Launch Series on AmazonBy Shalini Ramachandran The controversial ex-hosts of the long-running British television show “Top Gear” are headed to Amazon.com Inc.’s Prime Instant Video service to create a new automotive series, people familiar with the matter said. Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May have been scouting for a new home since they left the BBC, the home of “Top Gear,” earlier this year. They have since formed a new production company called W. Chump & Sons Limited along with “Top Gear” former executive producer Andy Wilman. Clarkson and his former co-presenters will start producing a new, unscripted series about cars exclusively for Amazon’s subscription video service, the people said. The online retailer offers its Prime video service for $99 a year along with a free shipping membership. Amazon beat out Netflix Inc. and major broadcasters in the bidding for the group’s new show. “We’ve never seen a horse race like this,” one person familiar with the process said. Both streaming services have been furiously investing in original series as they become increasingly picky about renewing library deals for old shows. A Netflix spokeswoman declined to comment. Amazon won the global rights to the new series, meaning it will appear on Prime video in the U.S., U.K., Austria and Germany. Amazon can also license rights to the show to broadcasters or streaming services in other territories around the world where Prime video isn’t available. It also adds to Amazon’s content war chest if it does expand to new countries. A number of Amazon Video executives, including Amazon Studios head Roy Price, were involved in negotiating the deal. William Morris Endeavor represented the talent. The parties inked a three-year deal with an option to extend it, the people said. The show is set to debut next year. Clarkson has been a polarizing and high-profile figure in British media during his many years hosting “Top Gear,” one of the BBC’s most lucrative programs. His self-proclaimed aversion to political correctness has won him a large following of fans: BBC has said “Top Gear” has a global audience of 350 million. In the U.S., it airs on BBC America with its British hosts and has a spinoff show with American hosts on the History Channel. For Amazon, landing the new show gives the online retailer a way to capitalize on the popular hosts’ huge following from the start, one of the people said. Typically, new series require a lot of marketing and promotion to gain a big audience. As The Wall Street Journal reported in March, the BBC fired Clarkson after investigating a physical and verbal altercation the star had with a producer. The BBC found at the time that Clarkson had struck the producer and subjected him to a sustained verbal attack. The firing prompted a groundswell of support for Clarkson, including an online petition calling for his reinstatement that gathered close to a million signatures. blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2015/07/30/former-top-gear-hosts-to-launch-new-auto-series-for-amazon-prime/ |
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Post by RedMoon11 on Jul 31, 2015 15:19:04 GMT
Five fast facts: Clarkson and co’s Amazon deal
30 July, 2015 | By Jake Kanter  Broadcast rounds up the key facts from the former Top Gear team’s landmark deal with Amazon Prime Video.Amazon Prime Video has commissioned three series of the yet-to-be-titled motoring show, which will each encompass 12 hour-long episodes. Amazon will launch the programme in 2016 and has hinted that it will be scheduled on a weekly basis in the same way it did with the third series of Ripper Street in November 2014. Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, James May and Andy Wilman have established a production company called W Chump & Sons to make the programme. They will develop a UK-centric show, which will include a new look, new studio and new road trips. Clarkson, Hammond and May can continue to pursue non-motoring television projects away from Amazon. www.broadcastnow.co.uk/news/five-fast-facts-clarkson-and-cos-amazon-deal/5091112.article
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 GearClarkson 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 indieThe 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 “sh1t hot” production manager, joking that they used to “run fvcking 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.” Read the full interview with Andy Wilman and Chris Bird in next week’s Broadcast
m.broadcastnow.co.uk/5091110.articlewww.broadcastnow.co.uk/news/andy-wilman-lifts-bonnet-on-top-gear-teams-amazon-deal/5091110.article
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Post by RedMoon11 on Jul 31, 2015 15:39:50 GMT
Former Top Gear producer Andy Wilman on his new car show with Clarkson and co: "No one's telling us what we can and can’t do"
Work on Clarkson, Hammond and May's series for Amazon Prime will start this autumn - but will it go up against Chris Evans's new Top Gear? By Terry Payne Thursday 30 July 2015 at 04:28PMFormer Top Gear executive producer Andy Wilman tells RadioTimes.com that work on his new Amazon Prime car show with Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May will start as soon as he and the presenters return from their summer holiday. “We want to be on air next autumn, so we’ll come back from our break and get cracking on it. Hopefully filming will start in the New Year.” Wilman confirmed reports that both he and his long-time friend and business partner Clarkson were prevented by a clause in their old BBC contracts from working with another terrestrial broadcaster until 2017. “So the ITV thing was never really going to happen, but there has been lots of interest. We’ve been in talks for quite a few weeks now with different people, but in the end it all happened very quickly.” So why Amazon Prime? “There are three reasons really. They’ll give us the freedom to make the programmes we want – and you know how we love that freedom – there’s a budget to produce programmes of the quality we want and this is the future. So it’s exhilarating to be part of that future.” What about having his show scheduled against the new Top Gear when both hit the screen? Doesn’t he have a point to prove? “The child in me probably would, but actually all the scheduling competition stuff is becoming irrelevant. People will watch programmes when they want to and not when they’re told to. This is very much the future of how we’ll watch TV.” And the format? Shades of the old Top Gear? “It’s a motoring show and there will be themes people will be familiar with. But I can’t tell you how good it feels to get the chance to produce something from scratch. We’re all really excited. No one telling us what we can and can’t do, just us hopefully producing great programmes. It feels really liberating.” www.radiotimes.com/news/2015-07-30/former-top-gear-producer-andy-wilman-on-his-new-car-show-with-clarkson-and-co-no-ones-telling-us-what-we-can-and-cant-do
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Post by RedMoon11 on Jul 31, 2015 16:34:57 GMT
Jeremy Clarkson & Co in return to Amazon Clarkson, May and Hammond are expected to create even more outlandish stunts than Top Gear in the Amazon show
Rod Fountain/BBCKaya Burgess and James DeanLast updated at 12:01AM, July 31 2015 Top Gear may have dropped a car from a helicopter and demolished a block of flats with a truck on top, but the stunts put on by Jeremy Clarkson are about to go super-size. Clarkson and his co-hosts Richard Hammond and James May announced a blockbuster deal with Amazon yesterday worth $250 million (£160 million). At a cost of $6.9 million (£4.4 million) per episode, the deal makes the new motor show one of the most expensive factual series ever made and more costly than top US dramas such as Game of Thrones and True Blood. The Amazon budget is thought to dwarf the amount the BBC spent on Top Gear, with even the higher estimates placing the BBC’s spend at less than £1.6 million per episode. The presenters joked about moving from terrestrial TV to an online streaming service. In a statement, Clarkson said: “I feel like I’ve climbed out of a biplane and into a spaceship.” He also changed his Twitter account to read: “I am a presenter on an Amazon motoring show.” May said: “We have become part of the new age of smart TV. Ironic, isn’t it?” Referring to one of their “great adventures”, when the trio had to drive from the Amazon basin across South America, Hammond added: “Amazon? Oh yes, I have already been there. I got bitten by a bullet ant.” Amazon Prime Instant Video, the online streaming arm of the world’s largest retailer, beat the likes of Netflix and ITV in the race to sign the former Top Gear stars, who have been free agents since their BBC contracts expired almost four months ago. The first series is planned for next autumn and will be available for those who pay £79 per year to subscribe to Amazon Prime. The deal is for three series, consisting of 12 epsiodes each. On the BBC, Clarkson, Hammond and May were sent around the world to locations such as Bolivia and Vietnam and had a penchant for destroying caravans, shooting cars out of a cannon, driving tanks and smashing trains into people carriers. Andy Wilman, the Top Gear executive producer who co-created the format and quit the BBC shortly after his friend Clarkson was dismissed for punching a producer, said yesterday that Amazon had given the show a really good budget. He added that Amazon “leave you alone to make your own show”, suggesting that the quartet would have more free rein than at the BBC. May and Hammond are understood to have rejected £4.6 million each to return to Top Gear, which suggests that Amazon had offered them more. It is making an increasing amount of original programming, including the first TV series written and directed by Woody Allen and The Man in the High Castle, a Philip K Dick adaptation from the British producer Sir Ridley Scott. No details have been released about the format of the new show, but elements such as the Top Gear name, the Stig and the “star in a reasonably priced car” segment are copyrighted by the BBC, which means fans of the old format will have to stick with the Chris Evans relaunch. Clarkson, Hammond, May and Wilman have sidestepped a clause in their BBC contracts that banned them from making a car show on a rival British broadcaster until 2017. Wilman told Broadcast magazine that the show would feature studio sections as well as adventures on the road, but there would be “a lot of newness”. Talking about the team’s editorial independence, he said: “That’s a big one for us. We don’t like interference. We don’t need to be policed.” No title has been confirmed, but Amazon has been using the tag #Drive2Prime on Twitter. Some fans were angry that they would have to pay. Adam Minford from Antrim tweeted: “I love Top Gear but not enough to pay Amazon £80 for it.” Spreading the word@amazonvideouk now saying I can’t be their chief drone pilot. Apparently they want us to make a car show Jeremy ClarksonI’ve got a job. I’ve got a job. I’ve got a job. Haircut, clean jeans and practice driving again. Forrrwaaaaaaaad!! Richard HammondGood news! I’ve got a job with @amazonvideo. Bad news! So have the other two James Maywww.thetimes.co.uk/tto/arts/tv-radio/article4513521.ece
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Post by RedMoon11 on Aug 1, 2015 4:34:54 GMT
Gear we three go again...By JEREMY CLARKSON, Sun columnist published 1 August 2015  A very good Gear ... TV trio are set to make a bigger and better show PAAS I’m sure you know, Top Gear is to soldier on under new management. And that’s great. But if you’re a fan of three middle-aged petrolheads falling over and catching fire, then I have good news. Because Richard Hammond, James May and I are to make a new show with the American giant Amazon. Along with our long-time producer, Andy Wilman, we have formed a production company which is called W Chump and Sons and we are now looking for an office, a rubber plant, some company cars and a name for our new programme. Then we will be off. To make what will be a seriously well-funded, British-based show with no commercial breaks and, better still, no editorial pressure from on high. Amazon has been delightfully clear on that. “Just make the show you wanna make, guys.” Music to my ears. It’ll be on your televisions and your internets and your tablets and your telephones next year. Read more: jamesmayboard.proboards.com/thread/1876/jeremys-latest-sun-column?page=7#ixzz3hXBtyHPkwww.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/suncolumnists/jeremyclarkson/6569081/Jeremy-Clarkson-how-will-funerals-go-if-you-cant-drive-in-convoy.html
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Post by RedMoon11 on Aug 1, 2015 7:31:50 GMT
Ex-Top Gear presenters go mail orderPosted in News by Sniff Petrol on Friday, July 31st, 2015  Some men, yesterdayFormer Top Gear presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May are to star in a new Amazon car show which will arrive next year, as long as you order it before 5pm today. Anyone signing up for the new Amazon programme will have Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May posted to them as soon as they are available. ‘Shipping for Richard Hammond is free,’ said an Amazon spokesman. ‘I’m afraid postage for Jeremy costs extra.’ ‘I will be dispatched as soon as I’m ready,’ said TV’s James May, speaking on a phone that no one bought from inside an enormous warehouse beside the M1. ‘Is this item a gift?’ he added mysteriously The actual contents of the new show are under wraps which are about five times the size of the thing inside them. However, rumoured subjects for the forthcoming series include, is a car faster across Europe than a funny review of a David Hasselhoff album, is a Range Rover better off road than a well-publicised day of bargain priced crap you don’t want, and which is the best hot hatch, the Golf GTI or this pack of plastic floor protectors to go under chair legs which are so weirdly cheap the postage is more than the value of the item? Fans have been told not to worry about being in when the new series starts as it can always be left with a neighbour. sniffpetrol.com/2015/07/31/ex-top-gear-presenters-go-mail-order/#.VbxjUPlVikp
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Post by RedMoon11 on Aug 7, 2015 16:06:59 GMT
How Amazon secured the Top Gear team
6 August, 2015 | By Jake Kanter  Producer Andy Wilman’s full interview, which reveals the promise of a big budget and creative freedom sealed the deal for the SVoD serviceOn 25 March, BBC director general Tony Hall told Jeremy Clarkson that he had to leave Top Gear after punching producer Oisin Tymon. That ‘fracas’ ended months of positive talks between the BBC and the Top Gear team over a new three-year deal, and Clarkson had barely left the corporation before America was on the phone. The presenter did not have an agent, nor did his long-term collaborator and school friend Andy Wilman, who resigned as the executive producer of Top Gear in April. US broadcasters and online players were phoning the pair direct, clamouring to secure the team behind BBC2’s £50m motoring super-brand. “It was very parochial the way this whole thing started,” Wilman says. “It’s not our forte doing deals. We’re all crap at business.” He and Clarkson appointed US agent William Morris Endeavor Entertainment (WME) after an informal beauty parade, and gathered co-presenters Richard Hammond and James May for a meeting at Clarkson’s Holland Park flat. They began sifting through the offers and their list of demands was simple: complete editorial freedom, bucketloads of cash and no motoring commercials. Netflix and other US media giants were in play, while in the UK, ITV was also keen. Director of entertainment Elaine Bedell made contact with Clarkson soon after he was sacked and this was followed by private talks at director of television Peter Fincham’s home in early May. “We love the people down at ITV, but we couldn’t do it,” Wilman says. He confirmed the existence of a non-compete clause in their BBC contract, which prohibits them from making a show for a terrestrial rival until at least April 2017. The widespread, persistent reports about overtures from ITV and Netflix meant Amazon Prime Video flew under the radar. But the SVoD service was in the mix from the beginning. AMAZON DEAL: AT A GLANCE£160m
The reported value of the deal
36
The number of episodes Clarkson and co will make over three series
40m
Amazon Prime Video’s estimated subscriber base
£50m
Top Gear’s annual value to BBC Worldwide
Amazon UK film and TV strategy director Chris Bird negotiated the deal alongside Conrad Riggs, the online giant’s head of TV. He says: “Pretty much immediately we heard that Jeremy would not be returning to the Beeb, it gave us an opportunity to reach out to him.” WME worked alongside media law firm Olswang to knit the deal together, with Clarkson, Wilman, Hammond and May contributing via numerous conference calls. Wilman says: “There was Richard in Ross-on-Wye with no phone signal. Jeremy thought he was Richard Branson – it was like he’d swallowed a business book you buy at an airport. Then James would fixate on a point, saying, ‘I’m sorry to go back on this, but…’ It went on and on like this.” They eventually put pen to paper on a reported $250m (£160m) deal to make 36 episodes of a yet-to-be-titled motoring show across three series. Including their own fees, this averages out at a budget of nearly £4.5m an episode, making it Amazon’s biggest single investment in original content to date and one of the most expensive UK shows in history. Great expectationsBird says: “We weren’t going to try to do this on a budget. We wanted to resource the team to make an even more ambitious and groundbreaking show. They’ve got what they need to do that.” Wilman adds that Amazon’s reputation was also a factor. “Every one we have talked to has told 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 says. Despite operating in what Wilman describes as “the new world”, Bird refers to the new series as a “television show” and there will much of the winning Top Gear formula in the programme. Episodes will be cut to roughly an hour in length and are set to be released on a weekly basis to Amazon’s estimated 40 million subscribers in the UK, US and Germany, potentially from autumn next year. The show will feature “indoor” studio elements, as well as the signature global adventures for which Clarkson and co have become famous. 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. However, they won’t be able to take elements like The Stig with them to Amazon because they are owned by the BBC. They are also on the hunt for a new home away from Dunsfold Aerodrome. Central to the Amazon deal is the creation of a new production company, W. Chump & Sons. The name includes the first letter of all four of the team’s surnames, and harks back to their northern roots, where Wilman says a lot of firms in the 1960s and 70s had ‘& Sons’ in their titles. Clarkson, Hammond, May and Wilman are all directors at the company, and the latter will begin the process of crewing up once he returns from holiday in mid-August. He is particularly keen to bring in a “sh!t hot” production manager, joking that they used to “run fvcking riot with money” while they were at the BBC. Amazon will oversee the distribution of the motoring brand to broadcasters and platforms outside of its existing three territories, and Bird says the show will be used as a tool to help it grow its footprint and launch in new countries. “It’s a huge gamechanger for us. Having properties like this is a huge leap,” he says. Merchandising and events are also on the radar, but more thought will be given to these nearer to launch. Avoiding controversyWilman admits he is relieved that the new show will not be involved in an “X Factor v Strictly-style” ratings battle with the BBC. He also believes that the press scrutiny will subside once they are established on Amazon, arguing that much of the controversy around Top Gear was because they gave newspapers a “stick to hit the BBC with”. Bird would not reveal if Amazon has targets in place for the show in terms of viewing figures or the number of new subscribers it attracts. But he says the 1 million people who signed a petition to reinstate Clarkson on the BBC and the presenters’ combined 8 million Twitter followers were a factor in Amazon’s pursuit of the former Top Gear team. “We’re still capable of making a fvcking good show and we’ve got this hiatus to give ourselves a kick up the arse,” Wilman says. “We had a good run on Top Gear and were good stewards for 14 years. To put Chris [Evans] in there means the BBC is taking it really fvcking seriously. They’re giving it maximum wallop and I’m happy about that. “I didn’t want it to end up this way. Things didn’t happen exactly as I had seen coming, but I’m happy with the way things are panning out now.” AMAZON ORIGINALS PUSH
Amazon UK film and TV strategy director Chris Bird says the former Top Gear team’s new show will help propel the online giant into factual programming. These are its highest-profile scripted commissions to date.
Ripper Street
After being axed by BBC1 in 2013, Amazon dramatically entered the UK commissioning market to rescue Tiger Aspect and Lookout Point’s gothic crime drama. The third series launched in November last year and was sold back to BBC1, where it began airing last Friday to 3.7m (20.8%) overnight viewers.
Transparent
Jill Soloway’s comedy drama debuted on Amazon in February 2014 and follows an LA family after they discover their father is transgender. The series has been a critical success, winning two Golden Globes and securing 11 Emmy nominations. A second run begins on 4 December.
The Man In The High Castle
The X Files writer Frank Spotnitz’s adaptation of Philip K Dick’s novel was piloted in January and became Amazon’s most-watched test show ever. A full series is in production.m.broadcastnow.co.uk/5091326.articlewww.broadcastnow.co.uk/news/how-amazon-secured-the-top-gear-team/5091326.article
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Post by RedMoon11 on Aug 10, 2015 11:54:00 GMT
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Post by Flying Lady on Aug 11, 2015 3:47:08 GMT
Some of the papers are making a huge stink about the supposed budget-per-show, and I keep wanting to point out to people that those figures must necessarily include the new filming facility, equipment (cameras, sound, lights, effects), payroll for crew and assistants, travel, insurance, sets, stunt cars, and so on. I expect the previous iteration of Top Gear benefited budget-wise by association with the BBC for being able to secure facilities, access to public right-of-way for filming, insurance, and all of the tech required to do the show at a discount, either because the BBC owned or leased said amenities, or because the BBC backing raised an aura of trustworthiness over the entire endeavour. Minus the aegis of the Beeb, a lot of things are liable to come more dearly, be it travel, insurance, catering, or location access.
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Post by RedMoon11 on Aug 11, 2015 15:14:07 GMT
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Post by RedMoon11 on Aug 11, 2015 16:33:29 GMT
Some of the papers are making a huge stink about the supposed budget-per-show, and I keep wanting to point out to people that those figures must necessarily include the new filming facility, equipment (cameras, sound, lights, effects), payroll for crew and assistants, travel, insurance, sets, stunt cars, and so on. I expect the previous iteration of Top Gear benefited budget-wise by association with the BBC for being able to secure facilities, access to public right-of-way for filming, insurance, and all of the tech required to do the show at a discount, either because the BBC owned or leased said amenities, or because the BBC backing raised an aura of trustworthiness over the entire endeavour. Minus the aegis of the Beeb, a lot of things are liable to come more dearly, be it travel, insurance, catering, or location access. Those papers just like to stir the sh!t to pander to the people who dislike C, H & M and stupidly think the three of them are splitting the alleged $6.9 million (£4.4 million) per episode, only among themselves [$250 million {£160 million} total for the 3 years] . The same papers would be gloating if "sources" had revealed the 3 of them ended up in a deal for less than what they had been making on TG or offered by the BBC and a smaller or equal budget than TG's in exchange complete creative control at another network. I'm sure these are the same papers who complained Jeremy was one of the highest paid on screen talents at the BBC as well. |
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Post by dit on Aug 13, 2015 17:47:14 GMT
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Post by RedMoon11 on Aug 14, 2015 17:54:00 GMT
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Post by RedMoon11 on Aug 21, 2015 16:48:09 GMT
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Post by RedMoon11 on Aug 28, 2015 17:30:25 GMT
Top Gear trio seeking office space28 August 2015  Former Top Gear presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May have launched a search for premises for their new production company. Agency Martin Burke & Associates has been tasked with finding 5,000 sq ft of space for W Chump & Sons, the company set up by the trio along with former Top Gear executive producer Andy Wilman. The firm is seeking office space in Hammersmith and Chiswick, but could also consider moving to Notting Hill. One of the main requirements of the new base is generous car parking space. Earlier this year, Clarkson, Hammond and May signed a reported £160m deal with Amazon Prime Video for three series of a new yet-to-be-titled motoring show. The new programme is set to launch on the streaming service next year. The presenters had previously fronted 22 series of the popular BBC2 motoring show. www.propertyweek.com/news/top-gear-trio-seeking-office-space/5076342.article
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Post by dit on Sept 17, 2015 15:47:33 GMT
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Post by thestig on Sept 17, 2015 18:49:35 GMT
Guardian readers have a sense of humour?!! in my experience they're the most sanctimonious nob heads on the internet! |
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Post by dit on Sept 18, 2015 11:27:18 GMT
Guardian readers have a sense of humour?!! in my experience they're the most sanctimonious nob heads on the internet! Normally I would agree with you, but occasionally there are some rather witty people who contribute to the comments sections. On a good day, you can get a bit of a giggle (whether you agree with the sentiments expressed or not!) |
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Post by thestig on Sept 18, 2015 18:15:48 GMT
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Post by RedMoon11 on Sept 24, 2015 1:28:52 GMT
Ex-Top Gear host James May says 'nothing has happened' with Amazon Prime show
23/09/2015 James May has joked that his new motoring show with Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond could be given a risque name.The former Top Gear trio announced they had signed a new deal, reportedly worth millions, with Amazon Prime, during the summer. But the car fanatics have so far got "nowhere" with making the show and decisions about content or a name have yet to be made, according to May Speaking to reporters at a press event ahead of a BBC show he is doing called Building Cars Live, May was asked about the Amazon show, and said: "We haven't got a name. We haven't decided on the content...any of that stuff. So, honestly, nothing, nothing has happened. "I'm not just saying that to put you off. I'd love to be able to say 'Yes, it's called Cocks in Cars', but it isn't." The star then joked: "It's not a bad idea actually." Asked how far along they were with the show, he said: "I don't know. Nowhere, to be brutally honest." He said all they have done so far is "possibly found an office to work from". It was reported previously that the show could be called Gear Knobs. BuzzFeed news made the suggestion after discovering that a law firm believed to be "closely associated" with Jeremy Clarkson had registered the trademark for the name. When asked about that reported name, an Amazon spokesman said: "Amazon does not comment on speculation." The company said at the end of July, that Clarkson, Richard Hammond and May were reuniting for an all-new car show. Clarkson's contract with the BBC was not renewed, following a "fracas" with Top Gear producer Oisin Tymon. Hammond recently told ITV's This Morning presenters Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby: "The point is, an amazing opportunity has come along for us to evolve and reinvent what we do, and we're all just charged. It's kind of wonderful, at our stage in life and career, we've got the opportunity to do exactly that when, otherwise, let's be honest, you might not." The trio's new as-yet-untitled show is scheduled to start airing on Amazon Prime in 2016. Meanwhile, Chris Evans will take over hosting duties on BBC's Top Gear. www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/news/extop-gear-host-james-may-says-nothing-has-happened-with-amazon-prime-show-31552453.html
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Post by RedMoon11 on Sept 25, 2015 6:09:08 GMT
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Post by RedMoon11 on Oct 7, 2015 5:23:34 GMT
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Post by RedMoon11 on Oct 7, 2015 6:38:34 GMT
I wonder if Jeremy was up at dawn because like he said in the Patagonia Special it was a side effect of getting older or was he excited like a little kid at Christmas?  |
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Post by RedMoon11 on Oct 19, 2015 9:14:15 GMT
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