Clarkson contract clause puts the brakes on Top Gear ITV spin-off

Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May will have to wait until 2017 if they want to launch a competitor to Top Gear on ITV.

Thanks to a clause in their BBC contracts, the trio cannot launch their own car show on a rival UK TV station until 2017, according to the Daily Mirror. This could give new Top Gear host Chris Evans time to establish his own version of the show and seriously put a dent in the support for the original cast. However, the clause does not extend to online broadcasters, opening the door for a move to Netflix, Amazon or Yahoo. Similarly, the clause is believed to only mention shows about cars, meaning Clarkson and co. could still make an ITV programme on another topic, like the magic of science. Or maybe not.