Sacked Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson will still be heading Down Under with former colleagues James May and Richard Hammond for a series of live arena shows, following the postponement of the Top Gear Festival in Sydney.
Promoters BBC Worldwide and Brand events have announced that the event, which was to be held in April, will now be held in July, rebranded ‘Clarkson, Hammond and May Live’, and will switch to an arena format with shows in Sydney and Melbourne.
The future of the festival had been thrown into doubt after Clarkson’s sacking as co-host of the BBC motoring juggernaut last week, after an incident in which he punched a producer over the unavailability of a hot dinner.
In a statement, BBC Worldwide said “So as not to disappoint the thousands of people around the world who have already purchased tickets, BBC Worldwide has agreed with our joint venture partner Brand Events that the remainder of the tour can continue.”
“These events will not however feature any BBC Top Gear branding or content. We believe this is a sensible approach in the circumstances.”
Related: Top Gear Will Continue Without Clarkson, BBC Statement Confirms
Brand Events have announced that any tickets for April’s Top Gear Festival can be exchanged for tickets to ‘Clarkson, Hammond and May Live’, or refunded. The shows will be held in Melbourne on July 18 and 19, and Sydney on July 25 and 26.
