If Amazon is concerned about Jeremy Clarkson’s past erratic behaviour – which has included, but is certainly not limited to, insulting Mexicans, women and gay people, starting a diplomatic row with Argentina and punching a Top Gear staffer – the company is doing a sterling job of pretending otherwise.

Jay Marine, the European chief of Amazon Prime Video and one of the executives behind signing Clarkson and his former Top Gear co-presenters James May and Richard Hammond, along with executive producer Andy Wilman, doesn’t seem worried that letting Clarkson loose to make a new motoring show could be a car crash.

“We talk a lot at Amazon about making bold bets but I have to say I put this in the class of like a safe bet,” he says. “This is on the safer side of bets I’ve made. We look at everything when we consider a new show and deal. The reality is these three guys have made a great show for a long time. They have a passionate following and yeah, sometimes they are controversial. But I can tell you people are excited to see them back on air.”

Netflix to air Top Gear worldwide in head-to-head with Amazon's Clarkson Read more

With Clarkson’s career at the BBC ending after a “fracas” with Top Gear producer Oisin Tymon, which followed a final warning from the BBC after an un-aired clip of him muttering the n-word emerged, surely Amazon’s deal included strict terms to keep him on the straight and narrow?

“No, the worst thing we could go and do is tell Jeremy, James and Richard how to make a great car show,” he says. “They are in control. Those guys have a big budget and creative freedom and we are here to support them. We find great creators. Then we get out of their way and let them make their show, make their vision without trying to put restrictions around them.”

Marine won’t be drawn on the details of the reported $160m paid in a deal for three series, such as whether there is a payment element related to the performance of the show, but he scoffs at the suggestion made by a senior Netflix executive that Amazon over-paid (Netflix later back-tracked).

“Have we paid a lot of money? For sure,” he says. “But these guys are worth a lot of money. It’s very rare that you find something like this where a team come along who already have a built-in worldwide audience that I would argue is unique. This was one of the most sought-after and highly competitive situations we’ve seen in terms of signing them. We looked at the data every which way and we love this deal.”

For Marine the possibility of brand-damaging talent management issues takes a back seat to the potential financial rewards offered by numbers: with more than 350 million viewers, Top Gear holds the Guinness world record as the most-watched factual TV programme in the world. Marine is banking on Clarkson and Co sprinkling the same magic on their new show to help its video service take the fight to rival Netflix. “We do view it as a game-changer,” he says. “It is the exact type of show with a passionate audience that people will subscribe for.”

ITV is rumoured to have been keen to air the show, but he pours cold water on the question of whether Amazon might look to strike deals to make the new Clarkson show available on other services after a period of exclusivity. “There has been sub-licensing interest from others, it is a very sought-after show,” he says. “But we have no interest in doing that. This is an exclusive show for Amazon Prime members.”



He also says that Amazon is yet to decide whether to offer the new motoring show in one hit or to run it in a more scheduled episode-by-episode fashion. “We usually binge-release,” he says. “But we are open to experimenting on that. There is no doubt people have responded well to bingeing. But there is also something nice about a weekly cadence where people are all on the same episode and there is social discussion about what happened last night. Stay tuned, we haven’t made that decision.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Amazon’s Jay Marine: ‘When you work at Amazon you get to invent all the time.’ Photograph: Sarah Lee/The Guardian

He says that Amazon’s strategy of exclusives, either original commissions from Amazon Studios or deals for first-run rights to shows, is paying off just as it has for Netflix with flagship shows like House of Cards.

Amazon has made or aired acclaimed shows including Transparent, The Man in the High Castle and Mr Robot, but Marine is cagey about quantifying that success in terms of subscriber numbers (“growth has far exceeded our expectations in the last 18 months”).

Nevertheless Amazon finds itself in the unusual position of playing catch-up. Netflix has almost 80 million subscribers (an estimated 5.2 million in the UK) and is available in all bar a few countries globally (China, North Korea, Syria).

Its video service is available in just five markets to date (UK, US, Germany, Austria, Japan), with a UK subscriber base estimated at 2 million.

Amazon’s model is different from Netflix’s in that the video service works as an extra enticement to persuade users to pay £79 a year to be “Prime” members, offering a package including one-day shipping and music. But users can still pay a monthly fee just for the video service.

Marine is bullish about Amazon’s chances of cracking the video market - he’s been there before as point man on the US giant’s digital reading revolution with the Kindle. “When you work at Amazon you get to invent all the time,” he says. “Invent the future. There’s nothing better than that. We saw an opportunity to develop a video service that adds value to Prime members. Video is a huge market. It is not winner takes all. There are going to be multiple winners here and you are already seeing that. It’s working.”

Video may be a huge market, but Amazon’s motoring show has one clear competitor in the BBC’s new Top Gear. The former home of Clarkson et al has seen a catalogue of misfortunes, from highly-criticised “doughnuts” near the Cenotaph war memorial to senior executive departures and even rumours of tension between Chris Evans and co-host Matt LeBlanc. A Top Gear flop would hurt rival Netflix, which has the popular Top Gear back catalogue on its service. Does he get at least a modicum of enjoyment out of the show’s production troubles?

“I have seen what they are doing and we wish them well,” Marine says diplomatically, but can’t help adding that his show is firing on all cylinders. “There is plenty of room for two great car shows. We are focused on making a great car show and the guys are doing that. The reality is we are going to be in good shape. I’m confident. The show is coming along fantastic and I think fans are going to love what they see in the autumn. We wish Top Gear well.”

Curriculum vitae

Age 42

Education Warren high school; University of Michigan (business); Kellogg School of Management (MBA)

Career 2000 Business development executive, Elemental Interactive 2002 director, product management, Amazon Kindle 2012 vice president, Amazon Kindle 2013 vice president – technical adviser to the CEO 2015 vice president, Prime Video, Europe