Carol Vorderman Top Gear Self Promotion

Just as Jeremy Clarkson’s claim that he was offered his job back by an unnamed BBC executive was being dismissed by current DG Tony Hall on The Andy Marr Show (tm) this morning, one of his self-promoting friends was about to ride - or perhaps that was fly - to the rescue. Yes, fresh from another image makeover and ever ready to secure More And Bigger News Coverage For Herself Personally Now has come Carol Vorderman.

It's all about her

Ms Vorderman, who has done rather well out of a facility for number and an ability to be in on the ground floor when Countdown was starting up, has revealed that she was present at the Mayfair Hotel - none of those bleedin’ common pub lunches for her - when Jezza had his meeting. And he was definitely offered his job back, even though she admits that she could not hear what was being discussed.

But that is enough for the Beeb bashers in the press to go in on the Corporation with both feet: the Mail is typical, telling “Vorderman's comments come after Clarkson claimed that he was offered a return to Top Gear, shortly before Chris Evans was chosen to take over the reins … 'It was obvious there was a conversation going on. I sat on the table just behind them. I could not hear what they were saying’”.

Yes? Yes yes? Yes yes yes? “Then the TV executive left and Jeremy paid the bill. Jeremy came over immediately and we had a chat and he told me what had happened. I am assuming he was telling the truth. We chatted for a few minutes”. Leaving aside the thought that, if the BBC wanted to offer Jezza his old job back, it would be odd if he was left to pick up the tab, one has to wonder why Ms Vorderman is wading in here.

And that is not hard to discern: siding with Jezza is inevitable after she told, in the wake of the “fracas” - in reality a racially aggravated assault - with Top Gear producer Oisin Tymon, that “Top Gear ratings will haemorrhage and show will close within two years ......  @JeremyClarkson. Some shows just are about the people”. Ms Vorderman had previously suggested that Countdown’s ratings dropped after she left.

The problem with that one is that those ratings had declined significantly - from around 3 million to only 1 million a show - by the time Channel 4 declined to keep paying her the size of paycheques to which she had become accustomed. And, without Countdown, but a new habit for flying, which is, whisper it quietly, a seriously expensive hobby, Ms Vorderman needs to keep scoring those money making opportunities.

She used to appear regularly on Top Gear (and, don’t forget, the Marr Show). After her recent comments, the Beeb might not be asking her back. But Jezza’s new venture just might. And all those papers that detest the Corporation might also look more favourably on giving her a little more exposure. So wading into the BBC it is, and hopefully holding that career straight and level, whatever the en-route turbulence.

Meanwhile, Jeremy Clarkson is still not getting his job back, whatever his claims.