Boris Johnson throws his hat into the ring as Jeremy Clarkson's Top Gear replacement

Mayor of London joked that his desire to take over from the suspended presenter was a 'bombshell'

Boris Johnson has said he'd be interested in taking over from Jeremy Clarkson should a job vacancy arise on Top Gear.

During an open Q&A session with Twitter followers under the hashtag #askboris, Johnson described himself as a "mega Clarkson fan".

He added that he'd "def let his name go forward" to replace the presenter, who has been suspended by the BBC following a "fracas" over a steak.

Johnson has in the past been a major advocate of the outspoken Top Gear presenter, calling him a "great man" and saying that he had the "right idea" to stand for Parliament.

"I see that my old chum Jeremy Clarkson is thinking of standing against Ed Miliband in Doncaster," he wrote in the Telegraph in 2013.

"Right idea, Jezza – wrong seat. I hope fervently that the great man can be persuaded to stand against Cleggers in Sheffield, where his majority (unlike Ed’s) is very frail indeed."

The Mayor of London and Conservative politician also backed Clarkson after he said striking public service workers should be "shot".

Johnson tried to help his chum out of a hole by saying: "What he was trying to say was: 'When you’ve a real need for pension reform, is it really necessary to try to paralyse the country?'"

The mayor has appeared on the programme before as the Star In A Reasonably Priced Car. Perhaps the thought of forgoing the Top Gear test lap was too much to bear.