Bedder 6

Bedder 6 was a British company, responsible for exploiting and promoting the Top Gear brand, including international sales.^[2] It was founded by presenter Jeremy Clarkson and executive producer Andy Wilman in October 2006.^[3] In November 2007, BBC Worldwide purchased 5001 shares giving them a stake of just over 50% of the business. They are believed to have paid £100 for the shares, but also transferred merchandising and some foreign sales rights^[4] to the company.^[5] The remaining 5000 shares were split 60/40 between Clarkson and Wilman respectively.^[6]

The company posted a £1.8m post-tax profit in September 2008, giving its shareholders £700,000 in dividends.^[7] By 2013 Bedder 6 had revenues of £149m, and paid out dividends of £16.2m divided between Clarkson (30%, £4.86m), Wilman (20%) and BBC Worldwide (50% £7.5m).^[8]

Bedder 6 owned 50% of Sub-Zero Events Limited, a joint-venture set up by BBC Worldwide and Brand Events in February 2008 to run the Top Gear Live shows. Both Bedder 6 and Sub-Zero Events' registered addresses were at BBC White City, the building where Top Gear's offices were located.^[9] Sub-Zero Events Limited is now owned by BBC Studios Distribution Limited and Brand Events.

The name of the company refers to a dormitory where both Clarkson and Wilman slept at Repton School, where dormitories are called "bedders".^[10]

In 2012 BBC Worldwide took on the whole of the rights to the Top Gear brand to ensure that the BBC received all income from the show and its spinoffs.^[11] In July 2015 Clarkson and Wilman, along with Richard Hammond and James May, founded production company W. Chump & Sons. The company is currently working on The Grand Tour, a motoring show for Amazon Video, which debuted on 18 November 2016 in the UK, US, Germany and Japan; then subsequently rolled out worldwide in December 2016.