The new Amazon motoring show from former Top Gear presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May could be called “Gear Knobs”.

BuzzFeed has unearthed a trademark application for the name by Jeremy Clarkson’s lawyers Olswang filed two weeks before the trio announced on July 30 a deal worth a reported £160m to make 36 episodes with Amazon for its Prime Instant Video service.

The application was filed through a shell company called Newincco 1361, which has also registered the less subtle “Gear Nobs”.

The timing suggests that the filing was not the result of Amazon’s input, and only last month Amazon Instant Video boss Roy Price said the team were still struggling to find a name for the show.

However, it would be in tune with the laddish approach taken by the presenters, and a challenge to the BBC, which plans to continue making Top Gear with a new presenter lineup led by Chris Evans.



Olswang has acted in a similar capacity before for Clarkson. The company registered the company name Bedder 6, which was founded by Clarkson and Top Gear producer Andy Wilman to control the intellectual rights to the show until it was sold back to the BBC in 2012.



Clarkson was dropped by the BBC after he punched a producer during recording for the most recent series of the show.