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Jeremy Clarkson to finish Top Gear series

LONDON — Jeremy Clarkson has been back to the BBC to help finish the Top Gear series from which he was fired, the BBC has confirmed. Clarkson, 55, was ousted by Tony Hall, the corporation’s director-general, after a fracas with a BBC producer in March this year. Hall said at the time: “There cannot be one rule for one and one rule for another dictated by either rank, or public relations and commercial considerations.”

British television presenter Jeremy Clarkson leaves his home in London March 24, 2015. Photo: Reuters

British television presenter Jeremy Clarkson leaves his home in London March 24, 2015. Photo: Reuters

LONDON — Jeremy Clarkson has been back to the BBC to help finish the Top Gear series from which he was fired, the BBC has confirmed. Clarkson, 55, was ousted by Tony Hall, the corporation’s director-general, after a fracas with a BBC producer in March this year. Hall said at the time: “There cannot be one rule for one and one rule for another dictated by either rank, or public relations and commercial considerations.”

But the corporation confirmed today that Clarkson went back to the BBC earlier this month to record a voice-over to go with footage previously filmed for Top Gear before he was axed. Hall appears to have softened his tough line over Clarkson as it conflicts with another promise the BBC made: To broadcast the Top Gear footage that was shot before Clarkson’s departure.

It is understood the unfinished material, which would have been spread across two episodes, will be packaged together into a one-off special to be shown in the next few weeks. But, to make it work, Clarkson had to be recalled from “gardening leave” to provide the commentary.

A BBC spokeswoman confirmed: “He has done the voice-over for Top Gear. He came in to the BBC the week before last. He didn’t get paid to do it. Even though this happened after his contract was not renewed, it falls under his old contract. He is not banned from appearing on the BBC.”

In the special episode, Clarkson and his co-hosts become “lifestyle leisure enthusiasts”. Given a budget of £250 (S$523) each, the trio buy three used “lifestyle” SUVs — a Vauxhall Frontera, a Jeep Cherokee and a Mitsubishi Shogun — and then embark on a series of challenges that include battling with the Stig’s “leisure activity cousin” and a race in which the loser has to deliver a nerve-racking after-dinner speech. THE DAILY TELEGRAPH

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