It is all my fault! Someone from the BBC has to step forward and take the blame for all the Clarkson headlines of the last few weeks and months. I am that person. Centuries ago in media terms I gave Jeremy Clarkson his break into television and first offered him the chance to be one of the presenters – albeit a junior one – on Top Gear. I certainly never expected Jeremy to become the worldwide phenomenon that he is today.
I should point out at the start that in 1987 – contrary to popular belief today – the original format of the programme already had more than 5 million viewers, and rising, and was often the top-rated show on BBC2. Those who say the show cannot survive without Jeremy conveniently forget that.
It had been a difficult ride. When I took over as executive producer in 1986 I was told by my local manager at the BBC’s studios at Pebble Mill in Birmingham that the show was on its last legs with six months to live. Things got even worse when Alan Yentob took over as controller of BBC2.
Programme producers were urged to make sweeping changes to the output with the inevitable danger of alienating loyal audiences. I preferred evolution to revolution: largely keeping the existing regular presenter line of William Woollard, Sue Baker and Chris Goffey. I also brought in specialists like Tiff Needell and rallying’s Tony Mason together with a new generation of younger reporters. Most importantly I encouraged female reporters to try to broaden the show’s audience appeal even further.
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