The encyclopedia · Advertising & PR · Marketing decision · 2022
ITV ended Clarkson's Millionaire — while denying it cancelled anything
After Clarkson's column about Meghan Markle, ITV let Who Wants to Be a Millionaire run out — in a statement that insisted nothing had been cancelled.
ITV · The Sun · Amazon Prime Video · Jeremy Clarkson (presenter) · 2022-12-16
What happened
On December 16, 2022, The Sun ran a column by Jeremy Clarkson about Meghan Markle that said, among other things: "I hate her. Not like I hate Nicola Sturgeon or Rose West. I hate her on a cellular level." The column drew about 6,000 complaints; on December 23 The Sun removed it from its website and said it was "sincerely sorry."
Clarkson apologised publicly in January 2023, and the platforms made their choices. Variety reported that Amazon Prime Video would not work with him beyond the seasons of The Grand Tour and Clarkson's Farm already commissioned.
ITV's move was the quietest of all. On March 2, 2023 it confirmed that the next recorded series of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? would be the last: "ITV is contractually committed to a further series of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? (which has now been recorded). There are no further commissioning commitments beyond that... Therefore for the avoidance of doubt, neither Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? nor Jeremy Clarkson have been cancelled."
Why it happened
- The statement ends the franchise while denying the ending — recommissioning decisions are series-by-series, so letting a contract run out needs no explanation at all.
- A 6,000-complaint column made the next commissioning decision politically charged, and "not cancelled" was the cheapest way to take the decision.
- The costs were split unevenly: Amazon let Grand Tour end but renewed Clarkson's Farm, and ITV let Millionaire end while Clarkson kept his other work.
The lesson
Ending a presenter's franchise without saying so is a strategy — "no further commissioning commitments" ends the show while the denial protects the brand.
Aftermath
The Grand Tour's final episode premiered in September 2024 — the already-commissioned seasons were honoured — while Amazon renewed Clarkson's Farm for a fifth season in November 2024. The Millionaire series recorded before the controversy aired as the last, and ITV's "nothing has been cancelled" wording became the episode's legacy.
Sources
- RTÉ — ITV confirms Jeremy Clarkson has not been 'cancelled', 2 Mar 2023 (full ITV statement verbatim: "There are no further commissioning commitments")
- ABC News (Australia) — Jeremy Clarkson apologises to Meghan Markle after The Sun column, 17 Jan 2023 (column removed; Sun apology; Amazon report)
- BBC — The Sun apologises over Jeremy Clarkson Meghan column, 24 Dec 2022 (column removed; "sincerely sorry"; complaints)
- Variety — Jeremy Clarkson's 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?' Ending at ITV, 1 Mar 2023 (last recorded series; no further commitments)
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