Top Gear is BACK as Richard Hammond and James May secretly finish the last series

稍微摘要一下這則新聞：
理查哈蒙德與詹姆斯梅本周稍早默默回到位於薩里的基地，那是在三月份晚餐衝突事件發生後他們首次回到那裡，被認為是默默的將剩下的三集22季TG攝影棚畫面錄製完成，內容將於今年夏天播出。播出的外景內容將會是接下來一段長時間內觀眾唯一能見到傑瑞米克拉克森出現在Top Gear裡的機會，或許再也看不到。
知情人士表示，沒有任何觀眾的現場給人一股超現實的感覺，傑瑞米不在那裡，甚至連他的人形立牌都沒有。
三人連同TG前總製作人安迪威爾曼上個月被發現在ITV首席執行長Peter Fincham家中進行會議。
BBC據聞開出100萬英鎊的年薪想留住這兩人，這將會使兩人成為BBC收入最高的主持人。但博彩公司的預測BBC不會成功。

由鏡報發起的網路投票“理查哈蒙德與詹姆斯梅該不該回到沒有傑瑞米克拉克森的Top Gear？”
目前比數是 Yes17% v.s No83%

看完這則新聞，只覺得心情很複雜，那是一種很難以說明、混合各種包含正面與負面情緒的複雜，或許就如同那位”知情人士”說的：超現實。

一方面我真的很高興最後消失的那三集節目仍會呈現在我們面前，不管是以一個忠實觀眾想看節目的心態還是如果那些內容不再播出那他們所有付出的心血就白費了的心疼都是。節目要播了、攝影棚內的場景由倉鼠跟船長錄完了，沒有觀眾也沒有猩猩，這個畫面，光是想像，只讓我覺得有些遺憾。

對、應該是遺憾。

到底明年新版的TG會如何呈現？檯面上仍沒有個具體說明，反正我們所能知道的就是BBC盡了全力想留住倉鼠與船長兩人，至於猩猩的位置，我看到另一篇報導提到BBC有意重啟曾經新聞節目《Have I got Newsfor you》中，主持人Angus Deayton因醜聞被解雇後採行由一群年輕主持人輪流客串的進行方式，由不同的來賓與兩人搭擋、沒有人是真正取代猩猩的位置。當年這個節目奇蹟的成功了，憑著這個模式又紅了十多年，但我實在無法不在意的是，那一群年輕主持人中，有個人的名字叫做傑瑞米克拉克森。

所以如果真正事成了，對於新版的只有倉鼠與船長而沒有猩猩的TG我到底看不看？

鏡報發起的網路投票我參與過兩次，這次與先前的”你會不會收看沒有傑瑞米克拉克森的Top Gear？”，我承認兩次我都毫不猶豫了選了No。沒有猩猩的TG對我來講就不是我心目中的TG，或是說我的認知當中的TG，我不會想看，不是抵制的那種不會想看，是少了吸引力的那種不會想看。

雖然摸著良心說，如果只有倉鼠跟船長，甚至只有倉鼠或船長，我仍是會收看這個節目，畢竟我的本命就是這兩人。且說實話，我並沒有真正很對猩猩感興趣。

那麼為什麼我會那麼毫不猶豫的選了No呢？

我覺得當這三個人不是在一起的時候，TG就不太對勁。可能是幾年前，對岸論壇上有一篇討論提到，猩猩年紀也一大把了、遲早要退休，等猩猩退休之後整個TG就是倉鼠的天下了。這段討論一直讓我記憶深刻，雖說倉鼠是我的本命，私心方面的確希望能看他多一點，但由倉鼠當家的TG？還是算了吧！

最近MOD又播出了曾經有一集節目裡猩猩得了重感冒幾乎沒有聲音，所以節目幾乎是由倉鼠與船長負責進行，而其中倉鼠又是代替猩猩擔任主KEY的角色。其實我不太喜歡這一集，倉鼠做的很好、船長也很盡責的做他的支持角色，但就是有一股奇怪的氛圍環繞，後來我才明白，這是TG，是我們已經先入為主帶了很多期待在裡面的TG，要維持住那股期待，唯有三個人同時出現才可以。

回顧以往，TG也出版過只有倉鼠跟船長演出的DVD，效果也不賴，再怎麼說這兩人都是專業主持人，在各自的實力上都是堅強的。曾看過認為不看只有倉鼠與船長的TG是否認他們兩人的能力，我不這麼認為，他們各自都很厲害、很有能力，但再厲害再有能力的情況下，單純只有兩人是怎麼也做不出當三人都在一起時的成果。就像雞蛋很好吃、白飯也很好吃，當雞蛋與白飯一起成為好吃的蛋炒飯時所吸引人的地方，正是那些不想單吃雞蛋或白飯的人想要的，不能因為這樣就否認雞蛋與白飯的美味，他們一樣都很好吃，只是需求不同而已。

我想這就是我所說的遺憾，當TG的未來少了猩猩只剩倉鼠與船長時我每回打開電視時將會體會到的遺憾。或許這兩人將可以發展出他們自己的TG風格，或許這兩人將會與其他來賓碰撞出新的TG火花，但憑著這股往事無法追憶的遺憾，我私心的希望兩人不要回到沒有猩猩的TG裡。

雖然不管怎麼樣，我都仍會準時都看有他們其中一人出現的節目。

報導全文：

Top Gear is BACK as Richard Hammond and James May secretly finish the last series

The pair returned to the aircraft hanger studio at Dunsfold, Surrey, for the first time since Jeremy Clarkson, 55, was dropped in March for punching a producer

Shelved Top Gear footage from the last series will be screened within weeks – after Richard Hammond and James May secretly recorded the links without an audience.

The pair returned to the aircraft hanger studio at Dunsfold, Surrey, for the first time since Jeremy Clarkson, 55, was dropped in March for punching a producer following a row over his dinner.

The location films, shot before the “fracas”, will be a final opportunity for viewers to see all three presenters on the BBC2 motoring show.

The sequences were due to be shown in the final three episodes of the series, which were pulled while the Clarkson incident was being investigated.

Now the footage will form the basis of two Top Gear specials to air this summer.

The trio will be seen competing in different vehicles, thought to include classic convertibles, second-hand SUVs and luxury limousines, with the newly recorded links from May and Hammond.

While being used for Top Gear, the aircraft hanger is usually filled with fans who appear in the background throughout the show.

One source said that working without the studio audience felt “surreal”.

They added: “Clearly, Clarkson’s absence was referenced but he was not there – not even as a cardboard cut-out.

"The films will be the last chance fans have to see him on Top Gear for a long time, possibly for ever. It is ‘end of an era’ stuff.”

Ratings for the two programmes, containing the trio’s final BBC car capers, are expected to far exceed the six million viewers who normally tune in.

It remains to be seen whether Hammond, 45, and May, 52, will sign up for a new version of the show.

BBC bosses offered to double their salaries to £1million after launching a charm offensive on the pair in April.

Andy Wilman, the show’s executive producer and long-term pal of Clarkson’s, has since resigned.

But the three hosts and Wilman were spotted attending a meeting at the home of ITV chief Peter Fincham last month and they are also in talks with Netflix for a show called House Of Cars.

If they succeed in keeping Hammond and May, BBC bosses propose to replace Clarkson with a rotating third presenter in the style of Have I Got News For You.

But this does pose a problem for the making of the location films, which sometimes take weeks. Clarkson has suggested he may return to the BBC, pointing out that he was “not sacked” when his contract was not renewed following his assault on Oisin Tymon, 36, on a location filming trip in North Yorkshire.

While some viewers have vowed to boycott a new version of Top Gear without Clarkson, others have pledged to stop watching if he is allowed to return.

Bookies predicted that Hammond and May will not accept the BBC’s lucrative offer to stay.

Ladbrokes were offering 1-2 that the pair had presented their last Top Gear, compared with a 6-4 chance that they will return.

A spokeswoman said: “It’s hard to see Hammond and May shunning Clarkson in favour of big bucks.

“As far as the odds are concerned, the Beeb’s HR department should carry on with their recruitment process.”