James May hints he will not continue on Top Gear without Jeremy Clarkson

The presenter said continuing without Clarkson in the mix would require 'a lot of careful thought'

Top Gear presenter James May appears to be struggling with his new-found free time (Getty Images)

James May has hinted that he may not continue to present Top Gear following Jeremy Clarkson’s dismissal from the BBC.

The Top Gear co-presenter said he was sure the show would continue “in some way” but would not give a definitive answer when asked if he would continue to present the show.

“I don’t want to talk about that too much. I think we’re very much the three of us as a package, it works for very complicated reasons that a lot of people don’t fully understand. So that will require a lot of careful thought,” he told Sky News.

May said he did not know who would replace Clarkson on the hit BBC2 show and had no preference about who the new lead host should be.

James May hints 'Top Gear days are over'

“Much as I think he’s a knob, I quite like working with Jeremy,” he said.

Fellow presenter Richard Hammond said in a cryptic tweet: "We're all three of us idiots in our different ways but it's been an incredible ride together."

The BBC said today in a statement that it would not be renewing Clarkson’s contract following his temporary suspension after a ‘fracas’ on the Top Gear set.

BBC director general Tony Hall said in the statement that a “line had been crossed” after Top Gear producer Oisin Tymon had to go to A&E following a “physical altercation”.

“I cannot condone what has happened on this occasion. A member of staff – who is a completely innocent party – took himself to Accident and Emergency after a physical altercation accompanied by sustained and prolonged verbal abuse of an extreme nature. For me a line has been crossed,” he said.