Top Gear: Jeremy Clarkson reveals he faked famous Reliant Robin rolling scene

The former presenter 'asked the backroom boys' to tamper with the motor so that it would topple at every turn

Jeremy Clarkson's Reliant Robin rolling clip wasn't as genuine as fans thought (BBC)

Jeremy Clarkson has revealed that a famous Top Gear scene involving his rolling Reliant Robin was faked for laughs.

The former presenter of the BBC motoring series asked the crew to fix the motor so that it would topple over every time he turned.

“I’d asked the backroom boys to play around with the differential so that the poor little thing rolled over every time I turned the steering wheel,” he wrote in his Sunday Times Driving column.

“Naturally, the health and safety department was very worried about this and insisted that the car be fitted with a small hammer that I could use, in case I was trapped after the roll, to break what was left of the glass.”

Clarkson enjoyed his time with the Robin so much that when he formed a new production company with Richard Hammond, James May and Top Gear’s former executive producer Andy Wilman he “rushed out immediately and bought one as a company car”.

“Interestingly the other three did exactly the same so now we have a fleet sitting in the executive car parking spaces at our offices,” he said, adding that in reality, “a normal Reliant Robin will not roll unless a drunken rugby team is on hand.”

Clarkson’s contract with the BBC was not renewed after he punched producer Oisin Tymon. Co-hosts Hammond and May followed him out of the door, leaving Chris Evans to sign up in their place.

Evans’ new Top Gear is expected to air in May amid rumours that it has been suffering a string of setbacks.