Richard Hammond and James May have been offered £4.6 million to host ‘Top Gear’ for another two or three series.
The car enthusiasts have reportedly been offered the huge sum by BBC bosses who are desperate to see them return after their close pal and colleague Jeremy Clarkson was sacked from the show for punching a producer.
May and Hammond are believed to have earned approximately £500,000 per series while Clarkson was on the show but they could now be taking home between £760,000 and £1.5 million each per year if they agree to come back.
And while ‘Top Gear’ fans that are devastated about Clarkson’s exit may be pleased by the idea of Hammond and May staying put, others have slammed the BBC for offering them such a big-money deal.
Julian Knight – who is the Conservative MP for Solihull – told The Times newspaper: "This is deeply disturbing and shows flagrant disregard for licence-fee payers and many BBC staffers who have to make do on a lot less."
Meanwhile, it was recently claimed the pair would be joined by a guest host to replace Clarkson on each episode of the motoring show.
This comes after a number of celebrity names including Jodie Kidd, David Hasselhoff, Philip Glenister and BBC Radio 2 DJ Chris Evans were linked to his former job.
Richard Hammond and James May offered £4.2mil for Top Gear
