The decades long partnership of Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond is nearly over – as their company reaches the end of liquidation.
W Chump and Sons Limited was set up by Clarkson as a production company for the Grand Tour when he signed with Amazon in 2015.
The 66-year-old was a director, alongside co-stars James May and Richard Hammond, and executive producer and friend Andy Wilman.
The name is an acronym for Wilman, Clarkson, Hammond, and May (using the German word “und” for the ‘and’).
The liquidation marks the end of the trio’s TV partnership after 23 years – with Clarkson telling The Times that he was “packing it in” because he was now “too old and fat” to get into the cars he likes, and was “not interested” in driving cars he doesn’t like.
The company was put into voluntary liquidation back in 2024 after their tenure on The Grand Tour came to an end.
And with roughly £24 million in assets to be distributed as a final payout, the four directors were said to be in for a healthy payday.
New files submitted to Companies House on September 7, suggest the business is nearing the end of being wound down.
They say that in the latest period to April 2026, there was a final cash distribution of £4,373.44.
The presenters and Mr Wilman approved a fixed liquidators’ fee of £10,000 plus VAT.
The liquidation is effectively nearing completion now.
There are no creditor claims to settle, the company’s assets have largely been distributed to shareholders, and the remaining work is primarily administrative before the liquidation can be formally closed.
Clarkson now focuses on his other business, including running Diddly Squat farm and its farm shop as well as The Farmer’s Dog on the A40 near Burford.
