Richard Hammond and James May have ruled out hosting Top Gear without Jeremy Clarkson, after discussions with BBC staff in the hopes the two could finish the current series without their suspended co-star. The offer was rejected however, which then led to the show being taken off air before the series was finished.
Richard Hammond and James May
A BBC executive revealed: "They didn't want to do it without Jeremy so the talks didn't get off the ground.
"There is a feeling that it is all of them or none of them."
The 54-year-old broadcaster was suspended from his position on the long-running driving programme earlier this month after he allegedly hit the show's producer Oisin Tymon over an argument about his dinner.
The fate of Jeremy's future on the show now lies with BBC Director General Tony Hall, but the source explained there is a huge amount of pressure to complete the investigation into the incident due to the public reaction to the news.
They told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "We must play everything with a straight bat but it is very frustrating while Clarkson's friends continue to pour pressure on the BBC.
"Our priority has to be the person who has allegedly been attacked but we are between a rock and a hard place in all of this.
"There is no way everyone is going to be happy whatever is decided."
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