Clarkson (partially found BBC Two talk show; 1998-2000)
Clarkson was the name of a talk show hosted by the titular Jeremy Clarkson during his hiatus from Top Gear, and aired from late 1998[1]-late 2000[2] on BBC Two, at which point it was declined renewal for a fourth series due to falling ratings. In total, 27 episodes aired across three series, along with two compilation episodes at the end of the latter two series.
History
The show was known for its atypical presentation style, where guests were often asked inappropriate and offensive questions. A particular example of this was when then-Tory leader William Hague boasted of his teenage drinking habits.[3] Clarkson also asked female television presenter Melinda Messenger if her breasts were real,[4] and how many women racing driver Eddie Irvine had slept with.[5] In one episode, Clarkson had an arm-wrestling match with future Prime Minister Boris Johnson, which Johnson won, and Clarkson reposted to his Instagram in 2020.[6]
Preservation Status
Of the 27 episodes which aired, only 1 full recording has been made available on YouTube; the Series 3 finale,[7] which aired on December 21st, 2000. The episode was repeated three days later, before a final conclusive "Best of" show aired on the 27th.[8] The show was then never aired again, nor was it ever released on home video media or made available on an online streaming service. In addition, a clip show which aired in December 1999, titled "The Best of Clarkson", compiling together the best moments from the show's second series, was uploaded by user MegaLeodis in October 2013.[9] However, both of these recordings were made in 4:3, and Clarkson, aware of the direction in which recording technology was evolving, opted to have his talk show filmed in 16:9. He would famously use and abuse this advantage by having exotic dancers perform on the extreme edges of where a 4:3 viewport would end, which 16:9 viewers would be able to see with no problem.
Due to these 4:3 recordings, there are no 16:9 recordings available of Clarkson (apart from a 29-second master clip of the intro to one episode from 1998, collected and preserved in the Ravensbourne University's BBC Motion Graphics Archive[10][11]), and of the 27 episodes which were made, at least 16 are still missing in their entirety.
External Link
- IMDb page for Clarkson. Retrieved 25 Apr '20
References
- ↑ BBC Genome listing for the first episode of Clarkson. Retrieved 25 Apr '20
- ↑ BBC Genome listing for the final episode of Clarkson. Retrieved 25 Apr '20
- ↑ BBC News article on William Hague's drinking habits. Retrieved 25 Apr '20
- ↑ DriveTribe article on Clarkson. Retrieved 25 Apr '20
- ↑ Road & Track article on Clarkson. Retrieved 25 Apr '20
- ↑ Instagram post on Boris Johnson beating Jeremy Clarkson at arm-wrestling. Retrieved 25 Apr '20
- ↑ YouTube video of Clarkson's final episode. Retrieved 25 Apr '20
- ↑ BBC Genome listing for the last-ever "best-of" edition of Clarkson. Retrieved 25 Apr '20
- ↑ YouTube video of the Best of Clarkson. Retrieved 25 Apr '20
- ↑ https://www.ravensbourne.ac.uk/bbc-motion-graphics-archive/clarkson-1998
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlDng4Gxrfw