Britain’s Jeremy Clarkson will continue to appear on an international tour of live car shows despite being dropped as the presenter of hit series Top Gear, the BBC said on Tuesday.
The stage shows with Clarkson and his former Top Gear co-presenters Richard Hammond and James May were planned before Clarkson was dropped for hitting a producer.
Under an agreement between BBC Worldwide and its partner Brand Events, the tour can continue but without the BBC and Top Gear labels, under the name Clarkson, Hammond and May Live.
A BBC Worldwide spokesman said the shows would go ahead “so as not to disappoint the thousands of people around the world who have already purchased tickets.”
“These events will not however feature any BBC Top Gear branding or content. We believe this is a sensible approach in the circumstances,” the spokesman said.
Clarkson was dropped from the highly lucrative Top Gear after attacking producer Oisin Tymon in a dispute over a lack of hot food at the end of a day of filming.
The remaining episodes of the series were cancelled and Top Gear Live tour dates were cancelled.
The first live show will take place in Belfast on May 22, though the shows will not be able to use any Top Gear clips or feature characters from the show such as The Stig.
Tour dates that were cancelled in Norway will be rescheduled for June 20-21, and shows planned for April in Sydney will be held in Melbourne on July 18-19 and Sydney on July 25-26.
Brand Events called it “a great solution for the fans” and thanked ticket holders for their patience.
