Could Jeremy Clarkson Return to 'Top Gear'?

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Could Jeremy Clarkson return as host of BBC’s “Top Gear” just one year after he was fired for punching a producer? What had once seemed unthinkable now looks like a possibility.

Former BBC boss Mark Thompson this week told Britain’s Sunday Times Magazine said kicking Clarkson out at the curb was a mistake.

And the show’s been on the downslide since Clarkson’s departure — without an emergency brake.

Ratings have tanked, with the recent season’s finale pulling in a mere 1.9 million viewers in the U.K. Last season, per the Telegraph — the Clarkson-led program averaged 6.49 million viewers per episode.

Also Read: Former BBC Boss Say Firing Jeremy Clarkson From 'Top Gear' Was a Mistake

Plus, the host slot has become a bit of a revolving door.

Not only did Richard Hammond and James May followed their boy Clarkson out the door last year, but even Clarkson’s replacement, BBC radio host Chris Evans, has already quit “Top Gear.”

And when the show’s other new co-host, Matt LeBlanc was asked recently about doing more of the BBC series, the former “Friends” star simply said, “I don’t know — call the BBC.”

TheWrap did just that. A BBC America spokesperson told us that there are no plans to make any changes to the presenting line-up.

Also Read: Ex-'Top Gear' Host Chris Evans Won't Be Charged Over Sexual Assault Allegations

Amazon, which is planning a fall premiere of Clarkson’s new auto-themed show, “The Grand Tour” — also with Hammond and May — did not reply to our requests for comment.

“I’m not sure what’s happening with ‘Top Gear’ just yet, but this is my priority,” LeBlanc added during the Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour, referring to his new CBS family comedy “Man With a Plan.”

He sounds really enthusiastic about his new gig.

Additionally, Evans and LeBlanc are either friends or foes — it depends whom you ask. In other words, the failure of the Evans experiment could work either way with the “Episodes” star.

Also Read: Jeremy Clarkson Settles Lawsuit With 'Top Gear' Producer

Amazon gave the former “Top Gear” trio a three-year deal, but “The Grand Tour” hasn’t exactly garnered much buzz — will fans of the free BBC franchise subscribe and pay for a Prime Video knockoff version? That remains to be seen.

And for whatever reason, “Grand Tour” was nearly non-existent at Amazon’s TCA promotional day, which is the traditional time for networks to give new fall series a push.

So could Clarkson return to “Top Gear?” Well, he probably wouldn’t do so without Hammond and May, since those two have proven loyal. The BBC has also removed another potential roadblock: The producer that Clarkson decked, Oisin Tymon, is no longer a part of the series. The two have also settled their lawsuit.

As long as the BBC has fixed its catering issues — the original reason behind the verbal and physical attack — perhaps anything is possible.

Hollywood's Most Outrageous Lawsuits (Photos)

Between Lindsay Lohan firing back at Fox News, Mariah Carey allegedly short changing her domestic help, and Sly Stone winning millions after suing his ex-manager -- stars often turn to the courts to address their squabbles and strife.
Lindsay Lohan filed suit against Fox News and Sean Hannity on Feb. 2, 2015, after a news correspondent accused Lohan's mom of snorting cocaine with her troubled daughter. It didn't take long for Fox to fire back. “We will defend this case to the fullest,” the network told TheWrap the next day.
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A former nanny for Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon filed a lawsuit on Jan. 28, 2015, alleging she was fired after showing the couple's kids too much affection and did not receive overtime pay despite working 100 hours per week.
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Legendary funk artist Sly Stone won $5 million on Jan. 27, 2015, after suing his former manager and entertainment attorney for misappropriating royalties owed him for more than 20 years.
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“Real Housewives of Miami” veteran Joanna Krupa slapped “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Brandi Glanville with a slander lawsuit on Jan. 22, 2015, after Glanville allegedly accused Krupa of sleeping with a married man and c
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Former “Real Housewives of Orange County” executive producers Patrick Moses and Kevin Kaufman filed a suit against Bravo in Nov. 2014, claiming they were deceitfully ousted from the show and bilked out of millions of dollars after helping to create the show and the franchise.
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Jessie Nizewitz, a contestant on VH1’s “Dating Naked,” filed suit in New York in Aug. 2014, seeking $10 million in damages for emotional distress, humiliation and embarrassment after the show allegedly failed to properly blur her genitals.
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Octavia Spencer was awarded $940,000 in Dec. 2014 after claiming a weight loss company, Sensa Products Inc., wrongfully fired her from an endorsement deal and still owed her money.
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Former Tinder executive Whitney Wolfe filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against her former company June 2014, alleging she was repeatedly called a "whore" by CMO Justin Mateen and was stripped of her co-founder title simply for being a woman.
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Former TMZ producer Jarrett Gaeta slapped his former employer with a lawsuit in June 2014, claiming he was wrongly terminated. Gaeta was let go after a subordinate accused him of "racist behavior," including defending blackface and sending pictures of watermelons to African-American employees.
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CNN America was sued in Aug. 2014 by a pair of plaintiffs who claim that correspondent Arwa Damon bit one of them and threatened both during a drunken altercation at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.
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Former "Scandal" star Columbus Short was sued in June 2014 for allegedly knocking a partygoer unconscious during an engagement party.
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"Boardwalk Empire" actress Paz de la Huerta sued Lionsgate in Aug. 2014 claiming she was run over by an ambulance while filming "Nurse 3D." Lionsgate filed a motion to dismiss, which De La Huerta opposed on Jan. 23, 2015. Lionsgate then opposed her opposition on Jan. 30, 2015, in a seemingly neverending loop of opposing motions.
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Rapper Rakim Mayers, aka A$AP Rocky, was sued in civil court in June 2014 for allegedly assaulting a woman while making his way through a crowd during the 2013 Made in America Festival.
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Nicki Minaj’s former hairstylist and wig designer filed a $30 million lawsuit against the rapper in 2014 for allegedly stealing his wig designs and costing him a potential reality show. A judge later dismissed the case for lack of sufficient evidence.
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Kim Kardashian and Kanye West filed suit against YouTube founder Chad Hurley on Oct. 31, 2013, claiming he posted a video of the couple’s surprise engagement to his website without permission. The process was delayed when Hurley’s reps filed an anti-SLAPP motion in an attempt to have the case dismissed.
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Jahmel Binion filed a lawsuit against Shaquille O’Neal in July 2014 when O’Neal posted a photo to his Instagram account mocking Binion, who suffers from a rare condition that causes facial abnormalities, sparse hair and missing teeth. Binion claimed defamation, emotional distress and invasion of privacy in the $25,000 lawsuit, and after pressure from the public O’Neal apologized.
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In 2014 singer Chris Brown was mentioned in a lawsuit filed by the cousin of artist Frank Ocean. The defendant claimed Brown and an associate allegedly kicked and punched him when he confronted them about parking in a spot designated for Ocean at a Los Angeles recording studio. Ocean, who was also injured, later said he wouldn't seek criminal or civil penalties.
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From embezzlement to slander, there’s no shortage of celebrity court action

Between Lindsay Lohan firing back at Fox News, Mariah Carey allegedly short changing her domestic help, and Sly Stone winning millions after suing his ex-manager -- stars often turn to the courts to address their squabbles and strife.

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