Top Gear trio crack jokes about BBC 'fracas' and hint at new American show

It's Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May doing what they do best

Former Top Gear hosts James May, Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond (Clarkson, Hammond and May Live)

Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May washed no time cracking Top Gear jokes during their first live show down under on Saturday night.

The former hosts of the hit motoring series are believed to be in negotiations with other broadcasters after Clarkson was sacked from the BBC following a “fracas” left one of the show’s producers in hospital.

While this scandal might have turned their careers upside down, at least it provides plenty of material for on-stage quips, the first involving Clarkson hitting someone and receiving a twist on the BBC’s verdict, “You’ve crossed a line, so you’re sacked.”

“For legal reasons, nothing we have ever done together has ever happened,” Clarkson said, according to the Guardian’s review. “Our lawyers tell us that, for legal reasons, we have never met.“

Clarkson, Hammond and May are expected to announce a new TV deal shortly, with Netflix and Amazon rumoured to be the hot bets to sign them.

Hammond reportedly hinted during the live show that the new programme would be based in the US, a move which may have resulted from Clarkson’s contract preventing him from filming a car show with another UK network for two years.

Clarkson himself has said that fans can look forward to seeing the team again “on a television or an internet near where you live”, further fueling rumours that the deal is with a streaming service.

Top Gear, meanwhile, will continue on the BBC with Chris Evans announced as Clarkson's replacement.

Chris Evans is the new host of Top Gear (Rex Features)

Auditions are being held to find a petrolhead to join the presenting line-up, with Jodie Kidd and Guy Martin also among the rumoured names.