The original Stig Perry McCarthy has spoken out following Jeremy Clarkson's suspension from the BBC, stating that Top Gear wouldn't be as "valuable" a show without the presenter.
Perry McCarthy
As the first anonymous driver on the BBC motoring show, he confessed he doesn't think the driving series would be anywhere near as successful if the broadcaster decides to fire Jeremy completely, after they confirmed he was being punished due to a "fracas" with a producer.
Speaking on ITV's Good Morning Britain earlier today, McCarthy said: "We all normally say, 'Nobody is bigger than the programme', except this time. I think Jeremy is bigger than 'Top Gear', I really do, that's my personal opinion. And if 'Top Gear' were to go on without him, it would be damaged goods. It wouldn't be as valuable, it wouldn't be as enjoyable and who'd want to see it without Jeremy? I wouldn't."
It's been alleged that Jeremy punched producer Oisin Tymon for failing to provide him with a steak dinner after a day of shooting the BBC series, but McCarthy thinks the whole situation has now got out of hand.
"I always found Jeremy to be just great fun. Jeremy will pull your chain, there's no question about it. He's looking for a reaction. He just wants to have fun so he's up for a bit of banter but I always think of Jeremy as just being very mischievous. I like the bloke so I always found him to be just good fun, very professional and very creative."
McCarthy also went on to say that whilst Clarkson was always one to have his voice heard on-set, he never made unreasonable commands.
He explained after being asked how Clarkson got on with members of the production crew: "I think they work pretty well as a team. Jeremy always struck me as somebody who had a very strong idea about everything.
"[He] would drag something forward and [when] you've got that creative energy you want to push forward as hard as you can but I don't feel he always had to be right.
"If someone had a better idea - and it would have to be a really good idea to be better - but if they did it's just about making the end product right."
Tagged in Jeremy Clarkson