Jeremy Clarkson has posted a picture of himself with a sooty face and a bloody nose after what he described as his 'most dangerous stunt' ever while filming his new show.
Clarkson, who has revealed very little about the Amazon Prime series, looked as though he had been in an explosion in the photo, which has set fans alight with curiosity.
He wrote: "I survived the day. Just," along with the picture, which has already been shared two-and-a-half thousand times.
The day before, he had posted another cryptic tweet, saying: 'Tomorrow morning, I'm doing the most dangerous stunt I've ever attempted. This may well be a goodbye.'
Although some have dismissed it as a cynical attempt to stir up some publicity for the show, with some believing that the picture is nothing but the work of make-up artists.
One person wrote: 'Looks like make-up Jezza,' while another commented that, while his nose looked bloody and his face black, his hair was 'miraculously untouched'.
It comes after the presenters of Top Gear - which sacked Clarkson last year - Chris Evans and Matt Le Blanc have been seen performing a number of high profile stunts around Britain.
The duo appeared to crash a wedding, burning rubber around St Paul's Square, London, as a bride and groom walked out of the cathedral looking astonished.
But many dismissed that too as a publicity stunt at a time when competition is no doubt hotting up between the BBC flagship motoring programme and the old trio of Clarkson, Hammond and May.
Clarkson's photo today also sparked a string of jokes about the presenter, with many referring to the reason that he lost his job with the BBC as they poked fun at his blackened face.
One person, posting as Reece, joked: 'Did the producer punch back this time?' after he controversially hit a BBC staffer in what was widely described as a 'fracas' in 2015.
Another likened the picture to one of Inspector Clouseau, the French detective in The Pink Panther movies, whose face was famously covered in soot in one of the film's most iconic scenes.
Others joked that the photo may lead to a 'blacking up' scandal.
One follower poked fun at the middle-class star, writing: 'Didn't think you did manual labour? I bet Manual labour was done to you.'
The presenter also exposed himself to more ridicule, writing another tweet saying: My first time in A Man. It hurt, but I liked it,' sparking jokes about his sexuality.
However, it is believed he may have actually been referring to the bus that they are travelling in, made by a German engineering company called MAN.
Scenes of his blackened face are yet another hint that filming has been anything but smooth sailing, with Clarkson posting a picture of a car wreckage last month.
The image in question showed a mangled car engine but it was difficult to determine exactly what had happened.
Giving no details away, Jeremy, 55, captioned the photo: 'Had a bit of an accident while filming today,' although like today's photo, many believe it is an attempt to create some hype for the big-budget series.
- Daily Mail