London - He was sacked for punching a TV producer after being told he couldn’t have a steak dinner. And it seems Jeremy Clarkson may have a particular liking for sirloins and rib eyes.
Steak knives feature on an extensive list of backstage treats demanded by Clarkson and his co-presenters Richard Hammond and James May on the Top Gear Live arena shows.
Specific requests in the three-page list include over 20 bottles of wine, such as Veuve Clicquot champagne, Cloudy Bay pinot noir and sauvignon blanc. Also required is Chateau Leoube rose or equivalent which - at Clarkson’s insistence - must be “pale DRY… preferably southern France.”
The team also ask for two dozen bottles of Peroni beer, and Bombay Sapphire gin plus tonic, ice and lemon, all chilled in a fridge or cooler cabinet with at least four shelves.
Their drinks must be served on linen-covered tables, while a sofa must be provided with “enough room to seat six people, one of whom is 6ft 3in and likes to lie down”.
The stars also insist on a Nespresso coffee machine with a milk frother gadget, balsamic vinegar, Dove deodorant, hair wax, “nice rubbish bins” and a coat stand - “NOT a rail!” In all about 120 items are listed for the green room in which the stars relax during breaks from hosting the Top Gear Live events, which take place in the UK and abroad and are separate from the TV show.
The rooms must have soft lighting, a TV with Sky Sports and movies, plus an array DVDs including James Bond movies and Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid.
Marlboro and Camel cigarettes are demanded for Clarkson and the team insist they must be located near a McDonald’s.
A Top Gear Live source said: “They don’t always need everything or eat and drink everything, but they like to have them just in case.”
Daily Mail