IT’S 10am in the back room of a West London pub and Jeremy Clarkson is running late.

As he eventually bundles in, he has a typically Jezza explanation: “They’ve closed the road all the way from Bristol to Harrods because someone spilled some oil and they had to resurface it.

14 Jeremy Clarkson with The Sun's Rob Gill, left, and Nick Francis Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd

“I spilled some olive oil on my kitchen floor last night, but I didn’t re-tile it.”

Rewind to last year and Clarkson, 56, was unemployed after punching a Top Gear producer over missing his steak dinner. But he’s come out smelling of roses.

He signed a reported £160million deal — he says it’s “much lower” — to front Amazon Prime’s blockbuster new car show, The Grand Tour, alongside his old mates Richard Hammond and James May.

14 The Grand Tour is set to launch on Amazon Prime on November 18

The show takes them around the world in a tent, driving supercars, playing soldiers and blowing things up. So its business as usual, then.

“The phone didn’t stop ringing,” says Jeremy. “Everyone got in touch, except Sky. They didn’t want to make a car show.

“An agent in LA said the three of us becoming available like that — and the writers, camera crews, producers — was like Friends at its height.

"The entire cast of a show that big becoming available, it never happens. Amazon jumped in.”

14 Jeremy and co-hosts Richard Hammond and James May reportedly signed a £160 million deal with Amazon Prime

CLARKSON ON... THE BBC IT is a 1920s operation trying to operate in the 2020s. But it will survive. To be fair they never meddled. Their editorial policy guy is called David Jordan and he’s a genius, the most underpaid man in Britain. We were fine at the BBC for years and years, until Danny Cohen arrived. That was the only problem.

Danny has a different view on life than I do. Extremely different. He reads the Guardian, he loves the Guardian. He’s gone now anyway, I don’t know where he’s gone.

The BBC split meant they could no longer use The Stig, there would be no Star In A Reasonably Priced Car, and no hangar.

There was even a suggestion James May wouldn’t be allowed to say “cock”. He can.

Jeremy says: “You can use the word c*** on various Amazon shows, but we don’t want to swear. We want parents to let their kids see it.

14 The trio left the BBC after a 'fracas' in which Jeremy punched a Top Gear producer when he received a cold steak

“We own the show. We have total control. Amazon don’t interfere editorially, at all. I haven’t even met the boss, Jeff Bezos. He emailed me saying, ‘Good luck . . . whoever you are’. That’s a joke. But that’s it.

“But what worries me most is that everyone is expecting Avengers Assemble, that people think we’ve made something between the new Star Wars movie and Iron Man.

14 Clarkson revealed the trio have full control over what they want to do

"It is just three middle-aged men doing what they’ve always done — drive cars around corners, shout, fall over, belittle each other, bicker.

“It’s not the moon, we’re in Whitby. I haven’t got a flying suit. It’s all filmed on Planet Earth.

“It’s the same family, we’ve just moved house. It’s comfort food, but we’ve gone from serving shepherd’s pie for 12 years to cottage pie. It’s still potato with mince underneath.”

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Despite being the best-paid stars on TV, the three have a combined age of 155 and, as Clarkson happily admits, they are hardly sex symbols.

So how come Top Gear was watched by 350 million worldwide, and a million petitioned the BBC when they gave Jezza the chop?

“We give men hope,” he says. “If you’re watching as a family, the wife will look at us then look at her husband, who’s fat with a fag on the go, and think, ‘You’re not so bad’.

14 The TV presenter described the situation as being the same family, they've just moved house Credit: Ellis O'Brien

“Most people on TV have nice teeth, look after themselves and their hair is well cut, and they shame us. They shame most people.

“We make people feel good about themselves because they’re better than us at everything. It’s just three really ordinary people doing extra-ordinary things.

14 Jeremy says the show gives people hope as its real people doing real things, unlike the likes of Bear Grylls

"When you see Bear Grylls going, ‘I can drink my own urine, stab this snake and eat a swan’, that’s incredible. But he has come from that background.

“I was a local reporter on the Rotherham Advertiser, James plays the harpsichord, Richard Hammond was a local radio DJ. We’re not trained for these situations.

"Put me in a Lamborghini Aventador, I’m not a racing driver. I’m a fat man.

14 Jeremy insists he's just an ordinary man who got lucky, stressing he's no a racing driver Credit: Roderick Fountain

“We also say things you rarely hear in other shows. I watched Autumnwatch last night — God almighty.

They saw a badger, and at no point did they say, ‘Look at it distributing TB among the poor farmer’s cattle’. Then there was a fox. ‘Look at the little foxy-woxy’. Yes, ripping heads off chickens.

"Everyone gets fed up with a sugary commentary. We don’t bother. It’s just us cock-arsing about.”

CLARKSON ON... JAMES MAY IF James is left to his own devices you’ll get 35 minutes of footage of him talking about an obscure clutch made by Buick in 1936. We finished our last Top Gear live show a year ago. We all went for dinner. It wasn’t a particularly pi**y night as we had an early start next day. It was a shame, that you ended ten years of touring, then have a 6am start to get to the Eurostar for the Grand Tour.

Richard and I made it, then we got a call from James: (In May’s voice) “While walking last night to my car I had a bit of a tumble”. That’s what old people call it. He broke his arm. (May’s voice): “Well, it was very slippery.”

It’s like working with a little old lady, who breaks every time he has a “tumble”.

Some say he is partial to a glass of organic rosé, but today it’s black coffee with a “thousand sugars”.

Which is a pity as he clammed up when we brought up the “fracas”.

“You guys talk away, you won’t get any answers,” he says. “I’ll have a cigarette and when you’ve finished . . ”

14 Jeremy refuses to talk about the incident which lost him his BBC contract, although every thing worked out

But everyone involved seems to have done well out of it. Even the hotel has a blue plaque marking the spot.

His punchbag Oisin Tymon — who he allegedly called a “lazy, Irish c***” — is said to have got £100,000 in a private settlement.

Jeremy paces round the room to study the paintings on the wall. “That bird up there, is that a nightjar?” he asks. But he does eventually admit he’s in a good place.

14 The trio are signed up to make 12 shows a year on a three year contract Credit: PA:Press Association

“If we’d stayed, we’d have done the same thing week in, week out. ‘Thank you for watching, good night.’ We’ve been forced to reinvent it. It’s a good thing.”

The three signed a three-year deal to make 12 shows a year. The first goes out on November 18, and only five are completed.

“We don’t finish filming this series until December 13, and we start on the second series on December 14,” he says.

14 Despite airing in a little over a fortnight, only five episodes from the first season are complete

“I went to the dentist and I need two fillings and a crown replaced. I just won’t have time so I’ll have toothache until after Christmas.”

But Jeremy’s not complaining. He never loses sight of the fact he’s got a job most people would kill for.

“That man in PC World is my motivation,” he says, explaining: “I once sat in a traffic jam in Liverpool. It was raining, about half five on a Tuesday, one of those horrible nights.

CLARKSON ON... RICHARD HAMMOND RICHARD is genuinely one of the funniest people I’ve ever met, he’s up there with any great comedian. The speed at which his mind works, he is outrageously funny.

So when you see him ask James in the trailer: “Which arm did you break” when James’ arm was in a sling, it wasn’t scripted.

"And I looked in and saw this lad in PC World — he was a kid, about 17 — and I thought, ‘That could be me’. Purple shirt. If he works really hard, in three or four years he could make store manager.

"Then, if he puts in a really strong shift for the next ten, area manager. Then you get to go on an away-day weekend in North Wales. And that’s it. Holy s***, how f***ing lucky am I?

"There’s people who chisel the fat away on London’s sewers. And we get paid to drive a Lamborghini around a corner and shout.”

14 Clarkson worries about ending up like Mourinho, who was at the top of his game at Chelsea but is struggling having moved to Manchester United Credit: EPA

As a Chelsea fan, the chat turns to Jose Mourinho and his humiliating 4-0 defeat on his Stamford Bridge return.

“Well, here’s the danger of being at the top of your game and going somewhere else,” he says, laughing at the irony.

“Look at me, I’m absolutely brilliant, I’ll be fine at Manchester United . . . oh God.”

How can I watch The Grand Tour?

Firstly, to watch the new motoring show you'll have to be an Amazon Prime customer which means you'll have to pay a subscription fee.

Amazon Prime members can enjoy exclusive access to movies, TV shows, ad-free music, unlimited photo storage, kindle books and discounts on new-release video games.

14 The show sees the return of Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond Credit: Amazon

14 A car is pitted against a chopper in explosive scenes Credit: Amazon

The Grand Tour starts on Friday November 18th and each episode will be an hour long. The trio have signed up to present three 12-episode series, a total of 36 episodes.

How much does Amazon Prime cost? Prices for the service range from £5.99 per month for the cheapest option to £7.99 for the premium package or if you want to pay an annual membership it'll set you back £79. If you haven't used Amazon before and you're a new customer you can get a 30-day free trial by visiting Amazon's website - www.amazon.co.uk/prime . Amazon customers who are not already Prime members can also start a 30-day free trial of Amazon Prime by visiting www.amazon.co.uk/prime . Credit: Getty Images Only customers of Amazon Prime will be able the watch the new motoring show

Do you need any other hardware?

Once you've become a member, you can watch anytime, anywhere through the Amazon Video app on smart TVs, mobile devices, Amazon Fire TV, Fire TV Stick, and Fire tablets, on Xbox, PlayStation, Wii and Wii U, and through the web at www.amazon.co.uk/primevideo."

Most smart TVs, including those from Samsung, Sony, Panasonic and LG, will come pre-installed with the app - but older models, Sky and Apple TVs won't.

Credit: Amazon If you don't have a modern smartphone TV you'll have to purchase an Amazon Fire TV stick or a Fire TV box

If yours doesn't, you'll need to purchase an Amazon device, such as an Amazon Fire Stick which will cost you £34.99 or a Fire TV box for £79.99.

The app can also be downloaded to any Android or iOS device such as an iPhone and iPad and Sony's PS4, PS3 and Xbox consoles.

Anything else?

It's important to bear in mind that to be able to watch The Grand Tour, you'll need a fairly strong and unlimited internet connection.

And if you're planning on watching The Grand Tour on your smartphone and you're not connected to Wi-Fi it'll drain your data.

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