It virtually felt inevitable: Longtime Leading Gear executive producer Andy Wilman, who alongside Jeremy Clarkson rescued the show from obscurity 13 years ago, has officially resigned, the BBC confirms.
Wilman’s resignation maybe does not come as a surprise: An internal e-mail from the producer was leaked final month, subject line “Au revoir.” In the email, Wilman mentioned, “Our stint as guardians of Prime Gear was a great one particular, but we have been only element of the show’s history, not the entire of it.”
A day later, Wilman publicly denied that the internal e mail was a resignation, calling it “a private note of thanks to 113 individuals who have worked on the show more than the years” and bemoaning its publication. But the email absolutely sounded like a farewell, and knowing what we know now, it appears to have held an undeniable bit of foreshadowing.
Wilman has been a close buddy of Clarkson’s considering that childhood, and together they saved Prime Gear from the brink of cancellation. “The 2 old college friends turned a slightly worthy motoring customer system into an entertainment show that was funny, irreverent, highly produced, and a hit about the world,” BBC media and arts correspondent David Sillito stated.
The producer’s resignation comes immediately soon after cohost James Might told reporters that he would not return to Best Gear with no Jeremy Clarkson. Meanwhile, the BBC has confirmed that it will air the final 3 episodes of Season 22, which were place on hold throughout the investigation into the assault that got Clarkson dropped from the show.
BBC’s Kim Shillinglaw has confirmed that the show will return for Season 23—though with Clarkson and Wilman gone, and with May’s vow that he won’t do the show with a stand-in for Clarkson, it’s seeming like the next season of Prime Gear will be very different from what we’ve grown employed to.
This story initially appeared on roadandtrack.com.
Leading Gear Dropout: Producer Andy Wilman Throws in the Towel
