LONDON • Former Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson said on Twitter on Thursday that he would present a new motoring show alongside former co-hosts Richard Hammond and James May for online retailer Amazon's subscription service.

Clarkson, whose relationship with the BBC ended acrimoniously in March, said he had signed a deal and would be joined by Hammond and May. The first show will go into production soon and be available to Amazon Prime users next year, said Amazon.

"I feel like I've climbed out of a biplane and into a spaceship," he said, at once praising Amazon and taking a thinly veiled jab at the BBC.

Since the BBC restarted Top Gear in 2002, the cars tended to take a back seat to the hosts' antics as they traipsed the globe. Along the way, Clarkson was occasionally accused of angering locals and mocking the culture of the places he visited. Still, the show was hugely popular and remained an important source of revenue for the BBC.

Clarkson was suspended in March after he physically attacked a producer after a night of drinking, and his contract was not renewed.

In June, the BBC said Top Gear would return with a new host, radio and television presenter Chris Evans.

REUTERS, NEW YORK TIMES